TRANSFER GOSSIP
POGBA TO JOIN BARCELONA
This is sodding ridiculous. The Sunday Express are claiming this as an ‘exclusive’, saying that ‘the Juventus star, it can be revealed, is heading for Barcelona whose transfer embargo ends in January’. This is surely the worst-kept secret in football: The world and his wife knows that Paul Pogba is likely to join Barcelona next year.
Marca said in July that a deal had been struck, Gazzetta dello Sport have said only this week that the two clubs have an agreement. And now the Sunday Express can ‘reveal’ it now – on September 13. Well done.
We are amused by these quotes from Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini though: “I don’t think it’s fair to compare a young player who is just starting with Yaya Toure who has had a brilliant career. Pogba must arrive to do what Yaya has done in his career.
“Pogba is a very young player and when you’re young you have the chance to continue improving. That’s why it can be important to buy young players because they have more chances to improve.”
VAN GAAL READY TO STAY
Louis van Gaal did not look massively happy when he was being quizzed about his training methods by an English press that was beginning to smell blood last week but the Daily Star Sunday say Van Gaal ‘is so happy at Old Trafford that it is understood he’d be willing to discuss a new deal in the New Year’. So he might not be leaving in 2017 after all.
It says here: ‘Van Gaal and his wife Truus are enjoying life in Cheshire and he has a good working relationship with Old Trafford CEO Ed Woodward, who believes the former Holland coach is the ideal manager to guide the club’s young players.’
That’s probably excellent news for Ryan Giggs. After three years of working at the knee of Van Gaal (not literally), he should be genuinely ready to be the next Manchester United manager.
ROONEY TO THE MLS
‘DAVID BECKHAM wants Wayne Rooney to join his MLS Miami football franchise,’ it says here in the Daily Star Sunday. It’s an ‘exclusive’ no less. There is a suggestion that Rooney will be ready to move to the United States with his family when the club – likely to be based near the Marlins baseball ground – gets off the ground in 2018.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said this week: “He’s under contract at Man Utd. I’m personally very friendly with the Glazers. To even be talking about it while he’s under contract I guess isn’t the way we operate. We don’t do that. We wouldn’t do it.”
AND THE REST
Saido Berahino looks certain to reject the offer of a new contract from West Bromwich Albion…Kevin Nolan could re-join Bolton…Burnley defender Michael Keane is interesting Newcastle and Everton…Bayern Munich are among the clubs watching Birmingham’s England Under-20 international winger Demarai Gray.
Quite how this can still be called an ‘exclusive’ by anybody at all is an utter mystery. For what feels like the 427th time in the last 12 months, Manchester United ‘are on alert amid claims that Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Real Madrid next summer’. The price mentioned on this particular occasion is £90m and the newspaper in question is the Daily Mirror, who say that ‘the forward is ready for a new challenge’. Does his old club really count as a ‘new challenge’?
The Mirror do say that Madrid would want a world-record £90m (which they would probably get from PSG) but that £70m might do the trick. Hmmm. Even at 30, we suspect that Ronaldo – whose physique means he could play at the highest level for another seven or eight years – would cost more than £70m.
NAPOLI WANT ROJO
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the man Napoli want to solve their defensive problems is Marcos Rojo, which is a shame as Manchester United kind of need Rojo to solve the problem caused by the horrific double leg break to Luke Shaw. But undeterred, the Italian side will apparently make their move in January.
We told you yesterday that Rojo’s future at Manchester United had been saved by late ‘crunch talks’ after he had been offered to Monaco as part of the Antony Martial deal.
CARVAJAL OR FLORENZI TO CHELSEA
The idea is that Chelsea need a new right-back (Branislav Ivanovic is out of form and soon to be out of contract) and Italian gossip maestros Tuttomercatoweb are on hand with two names – Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal and Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi.
Carvajal has recently signed a new contract at Real despite the arrival of Brazilian Danilo so a mooted £14m move looks unlikely, so a £16m-plus move for Florenzi makes rather more sense.
AND THE REST
Tottenham are keeping an eye on Red Star Belgrade’s 17-year-old Serbia striker Luka Jovic who is valued at £6m…Sheffield Wednesday are interested in signing Sunderland striker Danny Graham, 30, on loan and are willing to cover his wages…Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has asked the board to complete the January transfer of Michy Batshuayi (according to Fichajes, which is why we have largely ignored it).
Mahrez has been the Premier League’s stand-out player of the season so far, topping the goals chart with four strikes in his opening five games, with the addition of two assists as Leicester have made an unbeaten start.
As a result, the Algerian has found himself linked with Barcelona in the Spanish press, while Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old forward recently.
However, Mahrez’s agent, Kamel Bengougam, has told ESPN that his client is not giving the links a second thought, and he is concentrating on maintaining his excellent form under Claudio Ranieri at the King Power Stadium.
“Riyad is very happy at Leicester and he just signed a new contract at the club last month,” Bengougam said.
“Riyad is not thinking about the rumours and is focused on his season with Leicester and wants to continue his fine form.”
Despite being billed as a £15million striker in the summer, Newcastle are hoping that Charlie Austin’s valuation will drop massively by the time January rolls around. Of course, the England hopeful is out of contract next summer and so could leave for free then, leaving QPR with nothing.
The £6million claims come from the Daily Telegraph. They say reservations over Austin’s fitness, namely his troublesome knee, prevented them from paying £15million before, but Steve McClaren is willing to test QPR’s resolve with a lower bid after Aleksandar Mitrovic turned out to be slightly insane and Papiss Cisse hankered for a move.
As the Telegraph say, much of any potential deal hinges on the Rs’ promotion push. Austin tops the Championship scoring charts with five goals from six games, with Rangers just outside the play-off places at this early stage. They’re unlikely to let the 26-year-old go if a Premier League return becomes a bigger possibility.
GUNNERS HOPE ANDERLECHT ARE YOURI SELLERS
Over to Calciomercato now, because who doesn’t love an excellent dose of Italian bulls**t on a Monday morning?
The world-renowned website have published a story containing just 20 words, but it’s more than enough to sate the football world’s appetite. They claim that Arsenal are contemplating a January move for Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans who, if you hadn’t heard, is really quite good.
The Belgian midfielder is a first-team regular despite being born in 1997. He made his Champions League debut at the age of just 16, and has been monitored by the likes of Chelsea for a while now. Could he be Arsenal’s first outfield signing since Gabriel?
Probably not.
And despite no claims as such from Calciomercato, the likes of the Metro and the Daily Mirror have crowbarred in a £14million valuation because of course they have.
SHERWOOD: ADE ‘WOULD PLAY FOR NOTHING’
This is delightful.
Speaking before news of Emmanuel Adebayor’s release by Spurs broke on Sunday, Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood provided a glimmer of hope for the Togolese international.
Basically, Tim is still very much interested. Adebayor will now have to wait until January to seal a move elsewhere as a free agent, but Sherwood has placed himself at the front of a very short line hoping to attain the 31-year-old’s services.
“I would not hesitate. If he had the desire to want to come and play football again, I would have taken him in a heartbeat,” Sherwood began, building up to a magical crescendo.
“It’s not financial. It’s easy to say that when you’re on his money, but he would genuinely play for nothing.” And there it is. After stopping himself playing football for another three months by demanding the remainder of his £100,000-a-week Spurs contract was paid in full to the tune of around £5million, Adebayor would actually “play for nothing”.
AND THE REST…
Newcastle manager Steve McClaren will block loan moves for defender Mike Williamson, 31, and winger Yoan Gouffran, 29...West Ham’s new £7m winger Michail Antonio, 25, says his mum stopped him signing for Tottenham as a teenager…France striker Anthony Martial, 19, is set to be handed his first start for Manchester United against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, following his debut goal against Liverpool.West Ham had to fend off interest from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal to keep 16-year-old English midfielder Reece Oxford, according to Hammers chairman David Gold.
CHELSEA BEGIN RIGHT BACK SEARCH
Branislav Ivanovic has been great for Chelsea since signing in 2008. Branislav Ivanovic is no longer very good. Chelsea want someone to replace Branislav Ivanovic.
That’s the gist of what the Daily Mail are saying on this fine Friday morning. The Serbia international has been one of the main culprits when it comes to Chelsea’s poor start to the season, and it looks like Jose Mourinho has lost patience.
Ivanovic was conspicuous by his absence on Wednesday as the Blues opened their Champions League campaign with Baba Rahman’s debut at left back facilitating Cesar Azpilicueta’s switch over to the right.
Whether that is a long-term solution is debatable however, and Mourinho has asked his scouts to find him a replacement for the future.
The Daily Mirror get in on the act, too. They claim that both Ivanovic and captain John Terry are “unsure of their Chelsea futures”.
Both are out of contract in the summer and are free to talk to other clubs in January, and the Mirror’s John Cross claims Turkish club Fenerbahce are interested in signing the defensive duo.
OZIL: SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO?
Ivanovic and Terry aren’t the only Premier League stars who are attracting interest from Fenerbahce, of course. Mesut Ozil’s agent was busy fluttering his eyelashes in their direction on Thursday.
However, it seems those quotes aren’t exactly as they seem. “Fenerbahçe are serious but it all depends on what answer Arsenal give. It will all become clear at the end of the season,” was Erkut Sogut’s statement as deciphered by the British press. However, it appears the quotes weren’t quite so blatant…
According to new translations, what Sogut actually said was: “If he were to leave, Fenerbahce would be an option. After all, they are one of Turkey’s biggest clubs. I don’t know what Arsenal would give as an answer right now, let’s look at it again at the end of the season.”
So there we go.
SWANSEA TARGET LEEDS DEFENDER
Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Southampton have previously been credited with an interest, but it seems that Swansea have joined the chase for Leeds right-back Sam Byram.
The Mirror claims that contract talks between Byram and his club have broken down, and the 22-year-old, who can also operate on the wing, is now firmly on Garry Monk’s radar at Swansea.
Bill Cooper reckons it could take an £8million offer come January for Byram to depart for south Wales.
AND THE REST…
Chelsea are following Red Star Belgrade’s talented midfielder Marko Grujic. Jose Mourinho wants his scouts to find defensive midfield options after being left disappointed by his squad’s start this term…Arsene Wenger will carry on rotating his squad – even after Arsenal’s Champions League disaster in Zagreb…Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has been told to deliver a Champions League quarter-final place to help the club reach their financial targets…Striker James Wilson is set to stay at Manchester United, according to Wolves boss Kenny Jackett…Diego Costa has rubbished suggestions that he could leave Chelsea…Barcelona are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after Rafinha suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg.
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