TRANSFER GOSSIP..
‘Louis van Gaal has been told that Sadio Mane will cost a stunning £62.5m,’ reads the first line of The Sun’s Sunday morning claim.
It’s mostly ‘stunning’ that The Sun occasionally choose to add on the wages when discussing a player’s fee and other times don’t. It’s normally when they have the same story as other papers and want to shift some copies and garner some clicks, he said cynically.
This £62.5m is comprised of a £30m transfer fee – which isn’t particularly stunning – and a wage of £125,000 per week. That’s less than half the amount of Manchester United’s highest earner.
Head to the calculator, where £125,000 x 52 weeks x 5 years = £32.5m.
So yes, Mane will cost United that. Just so long as a) he does move, b) that is the right fee, c) that is the right wage and d) he stays for the entire length of the deal.
You forgot National Insurance and petrol money for driving him up to Old Trafford from Southampton, lads.
ARSENAL IN FOR AUBAMEYANG
It’s a rumour that has been mentioned before, but we still can’t see it happening. Again, it’s in The Sun.
The story is that Arsenal will need to pay £42m for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Why are his wages not included in this one, eh? Yet the price is still ‘staggering’.
The Sun say that an ‘intermediary’ is talking to Dortmund on Arsenal’s behalf. Reckon it’s probably worth doing your own dealings on this one.
We are also told that Aubameyang has ‘told friends’ that he wants to play in the Premier League, yet the quotes given from a source say nothing of the sort.
“Wenger knows the fee is very high,” the source says. “Yet this is a striker who can make a massive difference for him and help win the title for the first time in 12 years. But there is a lot of interest in him.” Cheers, Sherlock.
LIVERPOOL PRICED OUT OF TER STEGEN MOVE
After two rumours of things that probably won’t happen, here’s a rumour that says something certainly won’t. What fun.
The Daily Mirror report that Liverpool fear that they have been priced out of a move for Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Liverpool are reportedly prepared to offer £12m for Ter Stegen, who is Barca’s reserve goalkeeper in La Liga but plays in the Champions League. Unfortunately, Barca want £20m.
Klopp has continuously insisted that he is happy with his goalkeeping options, but the thought is that this is merely a smokescreen to protect Simon Mignolet.
AND THE REST
Manchester United could try and sign Lazio’s Brazilian forward Felipe Anderson, 22, and are prepared to pay £30m… Bojan could leave Stoke as he has a £10m release fee… Paul Pogba says that life at Manchester United was like a holiday compared to the work at Juventus… Swansea will target Charlie Austin and Patrick Bamford… Newcastle also want Austin… Norwich have joined the race for Loic Remy… Celta Vigo’s Nolito will snub Arsenal (did they even offer?) for Barcelona… AC Milan want Isco, rivalling Manchester City for the midfielder.
Everyone is a winner. Shelvey has been pretty much frozen out at Swansea, Palace could do with options in central midfield, and Alan Pardew gets to help the 23-year-old realise his potential of the ‘next Steven Gerrard’. And we get to watch it all.
FELLAINI TO MILAN
Oh hey there rumour we really didn’t see coming. Italian outlets Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica both say that AC Milan are interested in taking Marouane Fellaini on loan from Manchester United.
That’s all very well, but would United really bother loaning him out? If they’re going to get rid of Fellaini then they will at least want some money for him, rather than freezing him out of the first-team picture before getting him back in the summer.
In fact, the stories say that loan bids have indeed been rejected, but that the club do not have the money (or want?) to pay an asking price of close to £20m. Nor us.
REMY TO NEWCASTLE
The Newcastle Chronicle says that Chelsea have offered Newcastle the chance to take striker Loic Remy on loan. It’s a move that does make some sense, given that Remy was pretty successful at Newcastle, and has been a load of old toss at Chelsea.
The Chronicle say that Chelsea have made the first move regarding the deal, but that the player would be keen.
In relaying the story, the Daily Express give us this line: ‘Remy is keen for games in an effort to force his way into Didier Deschamps’ squad for Euro 2016.’
Talk about walking before you can run.
LUKAKU TO UNITED
Oh, transfer window, how we’ve missed you. It’s set to be a fun month, folks.
We start Monday morning with news from foreign lands. According to Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf, Louis van Gaal has identified the striker he wants to cure Manchester United’s goalscoring problems.
‘Manchester United is ready to pull the purse strings open for an extra striker,’ claims the outlet. They add that United scouts are constantly watching Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. And so they should. Lukaku has 18 goals and five assists in 24 starts for the Toffees this season; he’s quite good.
The Dutch paper, typically reliable on their Van Gaal information, also say Lukaku will cost ‘at least 50million euros’, or £37m. Everton signed him for a club-record £28million in the summer of 2014. The 22-year-old has scored 38 goals in 71 appearances since. His price has probably gone up more than ‘at least’ £9m.
LIVERPOOL AND SPURS WANT WONDERKID
‘Liverpool and Tottenham are battling it out to sign record-breaking Venezuelan wonderkid Adalberto Penaranda,’ reads the headline on The Sun’s website on Monday morning. Big news, that. Can’t say we’ve heard of the kid, but a record-breaker? A wonderkid? Consider our interest piqued.
For those who know not of the vast wonders of Football Manager, Penaranda is a striker for La Liga side Granada, on loan from Udinese, and surely soon to be on loan at Watford. The 18-year-old has scored four goals in seven league games this season, becoming the youngest player in Granada’s history, and the youngest foreigner to score a double. Sounds decent. He only scored four goals in two years at Deportivo La Guaira, mind.
The Sun also cover an incident which occurred with regards to Penaranda in early 2015. ‘Penaranda’s meteoric rise is even more remarkable considering he was incredibly SHOT last year,’ they say. How can you be ‘incredibly shot?’
Interesting to note is that The Sun attribute this to ‘reports in Spain’. That would be the infamous Fichajes.net. Unreliable and untrustworthy enough to not name, but reliable and trustworthy enough to take transfer rumours from? Weird.
MANCHESTER CITY ‘HOT HOT’ ON SANE
Another transfer rumour from faraway lands here; Manchester City want Leroy Sane.
City have been previously linked with the Schalke forward, and German newspaper Bild are back for more. They claim that the winger will be the subject of an ‘imminent formal offer’. 55million euros, or £40million, will be the initial offer.
Bild add that City’s interest in Sane is ‘hot hot’, but that Schalke are unlikely to part with one of their ‘crown jewels’. The 19-year-old has become a regular fixture in the German club’s first team this season, scoring four and assisting four in 17 Bundesliga games. Considering City are the top scorers in the Premier League, and are hardly lacking attacking options, an offer looks doubtful.
AND THE REST
Arsenal will recall winger Serge Gnabry from his loan at West Brom, and send him out to the Championship… Manchester United scouts have been watching Benfica starlet Renato Sanches – and have given Louis van Gaal a glowing report…AC Milan want to sign Branislav Ivanovic from Chelsea this month…Marko Grujic has arrived on Merseyside to undergo a medical examination before completing a £5.1million move to Liverpool from Red Star Belgrade…Arsenal will complete the £5million capture of Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny next week…Manchester United have been wholly unconvinced for the past three months that Southampton would sell them Sadio Mane, whom they are still interested in adding to their strike force, in the January transfer window…Ronald Koeman will hold talks with Mane today with Southampton insistent that the midfielder will not be sold this month…Mane expects to stay at Southampton this month but is likely to leave at the end of the season…Andros Townsend looks set to leave Tottenham after being left out of their squad at Everton.
Manchester United will let Nick Powell go out on loan for the rest of the season…Norwich City have made a £7.3million bid for Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia…Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has Angers midfielder Cheikh N’Doye in his sights…Watford want Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni to battle for the No.1 spot at Vicarage Road. The 31-year-old has a £1million release clause…West Ham forward Mauro Zarate has been targeted by Spanish club Malaga…Charlton are closing on a double deal for West Ham midfielder Diego Poyet and free agent Roger Johnson…Sam Allardyce plans a mini-clearout of his Sunderland fringe players this month. Will Buckley, Danny Graham and Charis Mavris have been told they can leave, while Liam Bridcutt and Valentin Roberge are also available…Swansea City will soon find out whether Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli wants to be their new boss as he enters crunch talks with his current employees.
New year, same old bullsh*t. Ander Herrera to Manchester City, anyone?
That is the line peddled by Spanish publication Don Balon, which is predictably picked up by the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, among other journalistic luminaries. The claim is that Pep Guardiola, favourite for the City manager role in the summer, wants to take the Spanish midfielder across the city to the Etihad.
It remains a mystery as to how rumours from Don Balon, a relatively new Spanish website which has only recently emerged, are treated with a sense of reliability. A list of Don Balon transfer rumours in recent weeks:
* Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United.
* Alexis Sanchez to Real Madrid.
* Javier Hernandez to Arsenal.
* Falcao to Barcelona.
* Mesut Ozil to Real Madrid.
* Memphis Depay to Real Madrid.
* Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United. And Chelsea. And Arsenal.
The whole ‘ooo, a Spanish outlet reporting transfer rumours’ shtick wears off after a while. For what it’s worth, the website is registered in London, not Spain. Weird…
ISCO INFERNO
This is a transfer rumour which is slowly boiling under the radar: Isco to Manchester City.
The Spaniard has fallen out of favour with Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez this season, and Manuel Pellegrini, former manager of the midfielder while at Malaga, is interested.
The Daily Mirror are reporting that Isco will seek ‘showdown talks’ with the Spanish club next Tuesday, and is open to moving to the Etihad if they prove fruitless. His representatives have even ‘sounded out’ City over a potential loan move this January, with a permanent £25million deal to follow in the summer.
City could face competition from neighbours United or Chelsea for the 23-year-old, who has started just nine of Real’s 17 La Liga games so far this season. Isco joined Real in the summer of 2013, amid intense interest from City, for £23million. He may be struggling this season, but has his valuation really only increased by £2million?
SECRET AGENT
“PSG and Arsenal are clubs at the top of the world and their interest is certainly gratifying, but right now Lorenzo is only thinking about Napoli.”
Excellent work from Antonio Ottaiano, agent of Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne. It bears the hallmarks of a perfect agent comment:
* ‘Revealing’ previously unreported interest from other clubs.
* Complimenting said clubs, and admitting the interest is welcome.
* Maintaining loyalty to the current club, but adding a “right now” for effect.
* Making such comments just as the transfer window re-opens.
Ottaiano made similar comments on the Italian winger last summer, saying his client was “honoured” to be linked to the Gunners. The 24-year-old has 23 goals in 138 appearances for Napoli. Thanks, but no thanks, says Arsene.
‘Cesc Fabregas has been left battling for his future at Chelsea,’ is the first paragraph in a piece by John Cross in the Daily Mirror.
‘Mirror Sport understands that Fabregas, 28, is still central to Guus Hiddink’s plans,’ is the fifth paragraph in the exact same piece by John Cross in the Daily Mirror.
Wait, what?
In an effort to re-hash claims earlier this week regarding Italian interest in Fabregas, the Mirror have got themselves all confused. Cross insists that Fabregas is ‘fighting for his future’, yet ‘is central to Hiddink’s plans’. No wonder Fabregas is playing like s**t if he is being told that his future is uncertain but he is a key player under the new manager.
Cross claims Hiddink is eager to play more defensive midfielders in defensive midfield. Shocker. Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel will therefore anchor Chelsea’s midfield for the foreseeable, which is a hilarious thought. As a result, Fabregas must fight for his place further up the pitch, most likely in the No 10 role. Only Oscar and Willian have played more often there this season. This is turning out to be a rather underwhelming ‘battle’.
LIVERPOOL WANT A LEFT-BACK
We kick off Wednesday morning’s gossip with a lovely little EXCLUSIVE from the Daily Telegraph: Liverpool will bid £4million for a left-back. Poor Alberto Moreno.
Oh, but this is a signing for the future, it seems. Jurgen Klopp is heavily interested in Leicester youngster Ben Chilwell, 19 years of age, and wanted by Arsenal and Spurs. The Gunners even had a £3.5million bid rejected for him in the summer.
Klopp has been chatting to his close friend David Wagner, formerly of Borussia Dortmund himself, and now Huddersfield Town manager. Chilwell has impressed on loan with the Terriers this season. Wagner has ‘given glowing reports’ on his progress, and Klopp is suitably interested.
Chilwell is likely to be recalled by Claudio Ranieri in January after injury to Jeffrey Schlupp, but Liverpool remain confident of a deal. According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, the left-back ‘is now emerging as a priority’, and ‘Klopp has been told that he would be ready for the first-team if a deal was struck’. He’s the new Joe Gomez, basically.
BARCA PAIR TO LONDON
Heading into 2016, Arsenal are top of the Premier League, and Tottenham are fourth. Just four points separates the two bitter rivals, with the January transfer window providing plenty of opportunity to strengthen for either side. Reports in Spain suggest they’ll do exactly that.
Mind you, ‘strengthen’ may not be the word. The familiar line, this from Spanish newspaper Sport, is that Barcelona pair Sandro Ramirez and Sergi Samper could be sold this winter. The former, Sandro, will be a target of Spurs in January, if only to confuse their whole fanbase. He is no giant, combative central midfielder, he’s a forward. Sport say that Sandro, who has a release clause of €12million, has already been offered a four-and-a-half-year contract at White Hart Lane. All Spurs need to do now is sort out that little thing called a ‘transfer fee’. Remember when tapping up was a thing?
On to Samper now, who has been linked with Arsenal since the dawn of time. The central midfielder’s release clause is also €12million. Naturally, Arsenal are willing to offer just €6million. They prefer Kim Kallstrom, clearly (please make it happen).
Sandro has three goals in 18 appearances this season for Barcelona, a hat-trick against a lower-league side in the cup his only offering. Samper has played nine games in the Barca first team since breaking through in 2014. ‘Uninspiring’ is not the word.
THE END FOR TOWNSEND
Sunderland look to have beaten Newcastle in the most underwhelming transfer race of the year: the battle to sign Andros Townsend.
The Independent claim Sam Allardyce’s side are willing to take Townsend off Spurs, with the north London club hoping to offload the out-of-favour winger this January. Chairman Daniel Levy has put a £14million price tag on Townsend, which is the most Daniel Levy thing to have ever happened. This is a player who has started three games in all competitions this season, none of which have come in the Premier League.
Anyway, Sunderland have persuaded Townsend to move to the sunny north-east by offering him a lot of money, basically. The 24-year-old will see his current £40,000-a-week salary ‘significantly increase’ at the Stadium of Light. We’re in the wrong job.
Watford and West Brom were also interested in Townsend, who is said to be eager to leave Spurs as he is worried that his place in England’s Euro 2016 squad is in jeopardy. That ship has sailed, fella.
AND THE REST
Manchester City are keeping tabs on the contract situation of young Liverpool forward Jerome Sinclair, who could be available as a free agent in the summer…Manchester United are monitoring Everton’s emerging midfielder Joe Williams…Swansea City will consider offloading Bafetimbi Gomis to Qatari club Lekhwiya next month as the club prepare to overhaul their squad, with a loan move for Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford expected to be considered…Patrick Bamford is ready to disappoint Middlesbrough by seeking to stay in the Premier League…Newcastle United are considering a £10million swoop for CSKA Moscow and Russia playmaker Alan Dzagoev…West Brom are set to hold talks with Arsenal over the possibility of scrapping Serge Gnabry’s season-long loan move…Norwich City have agreed a deal in principle with Everton for the £8m purchase of Steven Naismith, but they may face competition from Sunderland, Swansea City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United…Leicester City’s £9million striker Andrej Kramaric is wanted by Torino.
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