Transfer Chewing Gum – July 8
All of the big clubs are ramping up their transfer chatter now that the World Cup is nearing its conclusion. Who will Man Utd sign next? Are Arsenal really that close to new blood? What about Liverpool? Or Chelsea? Man City obviously have cash to spend…
First things first, Luis ‘Biter’ Suarez will be a Barcelona player sooner rather than later. Liverpool are ready to cut ties, and Barca are ready to meet the £75m release clause. The thought of Suarez/Messi/Neymar up front for the Catalans is a scary thing. The only thing holding up the deal is Alexis Sanchez, who The Reds want in return, except he himself would rather play for Arsenal (to the point where he told his agent not to even bother mentioning LIverpool). The Gunners are negotiating on that regard, and once they come to some end then LFC can proceed with the Suarez thing.
And once said Suarez thing is sealed, Liverpool plan to do a Spurs/Gareth Bale and invest all of the profits into three or four new players. They’ve already added Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana from Southampton, plus highly rated German youngster Emre Can. Next up is Dejan Lovren, also from the Saints, who is pretty desperate to make it happen on his end too. He says in his head he’s already a Liverpool player. Divock Origi (the Belgian forward who often started ahead of Romelu Lukaku) is probably on his way too (for around £10-15m likely) and Benfica’s Serbian winger Lazar Markovic (around £20) as well, so say the Portuguese press. Those look like some quality players. Liverpool relied so much on the brilliance of Suarez last season to cover the lack of depth in their squad (defensively especially) – which he did. Now they’re using his loss to fill those holes. Let’s hope they do a better job than Tottenham, who struggled last year to gel all of their new signings together.
Arsenal are close to making quite the splash themselves, if reports are to be believed. On the Alexis Sanchez front, las periodistas en Espana are saying that their £40m-odd bid (maybe less depending on what you’re reading) for the Barca winger has been accepted, and personal terms could be completed in the next couple days. Ooh… Sanchez is a stunning player, as his World Cup exploits showed, although Barcelona really don’t play the style that allows him to flourish. Arsenal aren’t huge on wing-play either, though he’ll at least have the freedom to roam without stepping on Lionel Messi’s toes. They may even look to turn him into a centre forward. Either way, he’ll be a great signing if/when it happens. Also imminent is France and Newcastle fullback Mathieu Debuchy for a little under £8m. He’ll be a direct replacement for Bacary Sagna. Oh, and Lars Bender sounds like a goer. And not just cos of his name.
Over to Manchester, United are set to lose one of their biggest names after 13 years of service… Nike. The shirt sponsors apparently (though they’ve denied this) won’t renew their contract due to the £60m or so cost per year of that honour. Adidas will probably swoop. They’ve also added Dutchman Albert Stuivenberg to the coaching staff. Louis Van Gaal’s fingerprints are all over that one. On the field, Thomas Vermaelen continues to be linked, as does Arturo Vidal – who Juventus are really digging their heels in over. They want £50m plus Nani. Man Utd say almost half that. Talks haven’t opened or anything, so this is just the two teams planting their flags in the ground before bartering their way to something in the middle. It does sound like they’re each willing to talk. Centre backs are a problem too. Mats Hummels is rumoured, as is every second Dutch player. The other issue with Man Utd is who’s heading out the door. Javier Hernandez blocked a proposed move to Southampton as a part of the Luke Shaw, and will hold talks with his new manager sometime soon. Though LVG is a little busy for the time being…
The most ominous thing so far in the transfer window is how silent both Chelsea and Manchester City are. Obviously with Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, CFC have already been prominent, but all the star players seem to be linked to Arsenal, Liverpool or Man Utd these days. Are Chelsea planning something big beneath the surface? Paul Pogba perhaps? City are the same after getting Sagna on a free and Fernando for £12m. Barely a whisper. It’s very scary.
Premier League new boys Burnley face a tough task to avoid relegation, with many already labelling them as favourites for the drop. Well, they’ve made their fifth signing of the window as they seek to strengthen their squad for the task ahead. EPL veteran Steven Reid has joined the cause, along with Michael Kightly, Matt Gilks, Marvin Sordell and Matt Taylor. Not exactly household names…
Elsewhere in the EPL, Everton want a striker on loan, and are returning to the old well, this time to inquire about Demba Ba. Spurs seem silent, not that they need any more players. With the list of guys who ‘had a troubled first season adjusting to the new club/country’, they just need some Pochettino team binding magic. Newcastle though are all over the place .They want Wilfried Zaha and Joel Campbell. They want Sissoko to stay put. Micah Richards is their first choice to replace Debuchy. They may be close to agreeing with Daryl Janmaat. Who knows with the Geordies, really?
The rest of them have all been pretty quiet, though Hull City made a decent signing with Tom Ince, and West Ham picked up Ipswich's highly rated fullback Aaron Cresswell. Watch for him as a possible breakout star after a great season in the Championship last year. He'll be lining up alongside Winston Reid now, instead of fellow All White Tommy Smith!
Ashley Cole is packing his bags for Rome. He’s signed a two year deal with Roma, having been released by Chelsea at the end of last season. Liverpool were rumoured to be after him, though maybe not so seriously. The Serie A should be good for Cole, with his England career probably done he may as well spread his wings. Arguably the best left back of the Premier League era. His former Chelsea teammate Samuel Eto’o may be joining him at Roma too.
Inter Milan like the looks of Memphis Depay, Fiorentina want Marouane Fellaini and USA right back DeAndre Yedlin wants a move to Italy, possibly to busy Roma. And Michu has passed a medical with Napoli.
In France, PSG are closing in on Angel Di Maria, though Manchester United may be interested too. Word is that a price tag has been set, matched and a bid accepted.
Real Madrid aren’t planning on sitting idly by though as their players begin to wander and their biggest rivals negotiate payment structures with the bank over their new Suarez. James Rodriguez is talked about all over to the point that is seems like just a matter of time. Meanwhile Toni Kroos says he knows where he’ll be next season, and we all reckon it’s in white for the Galacticos. They’ll have to wait till after the World Cup though.
And to finish things off, one of the greatest ever headlines from the fishrag that is Metro:
Stoke City ‘lead race’ for Brazilian cult hero Ronaldinho