TRANSFER GOSSIP
The first reports of Barcelona interest in John Stones came as early as April, but the Daily Telegraph have reignited that chatter. An ‘exclusive’ from Matt Law claims that Barcelona sent scouts to watch Stones during England’s friendly with Spain in Alicante last Friday. They were presumably disappointed when he didn’t actually play the game.
The other evidence Law has for the interest is that Gerard Pique picked Stones in his current World XI in an interview with the Telegraph last week. We’re going to try and ignore the inbuilt cynicism that says this was just an excuse to re-plug that interview.
Still, we’d be very surprised if Stones ended up at Barca, as we just can’t see them paying the £40m required to sign him. An English premium isn’t particularly useful when you’re not an English club, and Everton will hold out for the highest fee possible.
MOYES TO LEEDS?
Steve Evans hasn’t been in the Leeds job five minutes, but you’d struggle to find a supporter who wouldn’t drive him out of the city should David Moyes become available. That’s exactly the rumour doing the rounds today.
It starts in the Daily Mirror, and their claim that Moyes would be interested in the job should Steve Parkin complete his takeover at Elland Road. The Mirror say that Moyes would prefer a Premier League club as his next job, but would be prepared to take on a project like Leeds if there was money to spend to fund a promotion campaign.
As ever with Leeds, it’s such a bloody circus that there’s not really much point getting excited about anything until it actually happens.
ARSENAL CLOSE TO SANCHEZ EXTENSION
The talk of Alexis Sanchez’s new contract has been going on for a while, but the Daily Mail reports that it could soon be announced. Mesut Ozil also has a deal on the table.
The Mail reports that talks between Sanchez and Arsenal are at an advanced stage, with a five-year deal worth £155,000 per week on offer. The Chilean is currently paid £130,000 per week, and this deal would take him above Ozil as the club’s highest earner. That’s probably only before Ozil signs his new contract.
These are eye-watering sums of money, but Arsenal fans will probably enjoy the following current formula: Sanchez + Ozil + £30,000 = Wayne Rooney. But he’s ‘proving the doubters wrong’ when he scores one goal, apparently.
UNITED AND CHELSEA EYE UP FEGHOULI
To The Sun now, and their claim that both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho are interested in signing Valencia winger Sofiane Feghouli.
The main driver for this news is that the Algeria international is refusing to sign a new contract in Spain, meaning he will be able to talk to clubs over a free transfer move when January arrives. That makes it something of the no-brainer.
We brought you news of the German media’s struggle with international week on Wednesday, but SportBild are back again with the transfer rumours on Thursday.
After reporting that Arsenal wanted Bundesliga pair Karim Bellarabi and Benedikt Howedes, the German sport magazine now claims that the Gunners are chasing Borussia Monchengladbach’s Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka, a 23-year-old Swiss international, operates mainly as a defensive midfielder (BUT ARSENAL DON’T NEED ONE!11!1), and SportBild claim the Gunners have sent an official to watch him in action. Xhaka has a buyout clause of €30m, which is apparently only applicable in 2017.
Much as it was on Wednesday, it’s all poppycock.
RITCHIE BACK ON UNITED RADAR
It was weird when Manchester United were linked with Matt Ritchie back in August, and it’s no less bizarre now.
The Sun is the responsible party for resurrecting this rumour, and they claim United scouts have been watching Ritchie’s performances for Bournemouth in the last few weeks and feel he would be a good addition. It must have been the one goal and no assists in his last five league games.
To be fair to Ritchie, he has been one of the Cherries’ obvious star performers so far this season, but it all just seems a bit far-fetched. Bournemouth rejected a £7million bid for the 26-year-old last January, but United feel that he offers a cheaper alternative to first-choice target Sadio Mane of Southampton. There is a reason he’s cheaper, chaps…
DEMBELE SQUARED AT SPURS
It seems Mauricio Pochettino is hellbent on confusing everyone; the Spurs manager is reportedly interested in Fulham striker Moussa Dembele.
He of the plural ‘s’ as opposed to the singular is in fine form for Fulham this season, scoring seven goals in 14 Championship games for the managerless Cottagers. His contract expires in the summer, and the Evening Standard believe Spurs, Everton and Feyenoord will tussle for the 19-year-old.
AND THE REST
Paris Saint-Germain will battle it out with Real Madrid next summer to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea…Liverpool are keeping tabs on FC Koln goalkeeper Timo Horn…Bolton want Liverpool’s Joao Teixeira on loan…Tottenham have issued a hands-off warning to Inter Milan over Jan Vertonghen…Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino continues to monitor Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as he fears losing Hugo Lloris…Southampton will offer Luuk de Jong a return to the Premier League…Saido Berahino is resisting West Brom’s attempts to tie him down to a new £50,000-a-week deal…Sunderland midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini is set to make his loan move to Bologna permanent…Bayern Munich fear Pep Guardiola is top of Manchester City’s managerial list this summer…Norwich striker Kyle Lafferty is a loan target for Leeds United…Middlesbrough want Patrick Bamford back in January if the Chelsea striker triggers a release clause in his season-long loan deal at Crystal Palace…American billionaire Josh Harris is set to buy an 18 per cent stake in Crystal Palace…Massimo Cellino is trying to engineer a bidding war in the protracted sale of Leeds United amid concerns of the financial clout of one interested party, Steve Parkin…David Moyes is the man Steve Parkin wants at Leeds once his £30million takeover goes through…Remi Garde could ban pasta sauce from the menu at Villa Park…QPR are trying to hijack Paul Lambert’s move to Blackburn…Richard Rufus was on the brink of being sacked by Charlton Athletic last night after he was found to have masterminded a multi-million pound “criminal” fraud.
After Barcelona joined Real Madrid in the chase for Leicester striker Jamie Vardy in midweek, thereby taking the whole joke a little too far, Manchester United have now been linked with a £15million move for the in-form England international.
Paul Hetherington is the man responsible, and he claims that United have sent a scout to Leicester’s last two games, with Vardy impressing in both to maintain his record-breaking run of scoring in nine consecutive league fixtures over one season.
It is obviously a coincidence that Leicester’s last two games came against West Brom and Watford, United’s opponents in their last and their next Premier League fixtures. ‘UNITED SCOUT OPPOSITION’ is a less sexy headline, to be fair.
GOODBYE, DIEGO COSTA
Diego Costa has not been very good this season. The Spain striker admitted himself that he returned from the summer break overweight, while his record of 21 goals in 37 games in his debut season has become just three in nine this campaign.
Reports emanated last week that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would look to root out the ‘bad apples’ in his under-performing squad, and the Sunday Mirror believe one of such ‘bad apples’ could be the struggling Costa.
Their man Andy Dunn claims the club will be on the lookout for two strikers in the January transfer window, including a replacement for Costa as they prepare to offload the 27-year-old.
Not only that, but Dunn reports Mourinho considered selling Costa back in the summer, but the Spaniard’s popularity within the squad spared him. Club captain is reportedly a fan of Costa’s, which makes sense considering their respective personalities.
As for potential striking targets, the Mirror believe Gonzalo Higuain is the most likely, while the Sunday Express have an EXCLUSIVE on the Blues chasing Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, who would cost at least £40million.
UNITED TO TARGET ROBBEN
Arjen Robben is ‘at war’ with Robert Lewandowski. Arjen Robben wants to leave Bayern Munich. Manchester United want a winger with pace. Manchester United want Arjen Robben.
That’s the gist of the Sunday Mirror’s report, with Simon Mullock believing Louis van Gaal is monitoring the situation between club and player in the hope of snaring his countryman.
Robben’s selfishness has reportedly angered Lewandowski, and United could therefore make a move.
Robben turns 32 in January, has a contract at Bayern until 2017 and will probably win a lot of trophies in Germany this season. Would he relish leaving to join Van Gaal considering the manager himself has just one season left at Old Trafford?
AND THE REST
Newcastle are ready to make a January bid to sign £20m-rated West Brom striker Saido Berahino, 22…Tottenham are considering a £7m move for Dynamo Kiev defender Domagoj Vida, 26…American investors are set to buy Everton, taking the number of US-owned Premier League clubs to six…Juventus are planning a raid on the Premier League and are targeting moves for Chelsea playmaker Oscar and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri…Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is a transfer target for Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan…Manchester United are hot on the trail of Germany’s new rising star Leroy Sane – Schalke’s pacy young winger.
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