The modest sum of £160m is the potential cost of Real Madrid’s classic summer “double swoop” for the Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard and the Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. Currently busy with preparations for what promises to be an epic Saturday night out in Cardiff with Juventus, Los Blancos have been long-time suitors of both players and tabloid reports suggest they are (a) ready to break the world transfer record to lure Hazard to the Bernabéu and (b) have already had a £60m bid for De Gea rejected by the powers that be at Old Trafford. The Sun reports that there have already been three different meetings between Real representatives and Hazard’s “people”, while Sky Sports reckons De Gea is happy at United despite the annual overtures from the Spanish champions.
De Gea’s employers may have handed Michael Carrick a new one-year deal this week but they are in the market for a defensive midfielder and have identified Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier, Monaco’s Tiemoué Bakoyoko and Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic as potential candidates for the role. The Manchester Evening News says Matic has already discussed a reunion with his former Chelsea gaffer José Mourinho, who wants him as the holding midfielder that will give Paul Pogba licence to roam free across the plains of Old Trafford and pastures elsewhere.
The tedious of saga of Arsène Wenger’s future at the Emirates may have ground to a crushingly dull and predictable halt, but speculation surrounding the future of his two star players rumbles on and on and on. Occasional curmudgeon and Arsenal old boy Martin Keown took to the airwaves on Wednesday to say that Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez are being “overindulged” by Arsenal and suggested: “If they have to say cheerio to those two players, then that is the right decision.” The Mirror says those two players are holding out for £350,000 per week each, more than double their current salaries and, with only a year each left on their current contracts, who can blame them?
In his happy-clappy same-old same-old state-of-the-nation address, Wenger conceded his squad is “very heavy at the moment” and that he “might lose some players”. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may well be one of them, while Jack Wilshere’s future at the club also looks far from assured. Yaya Sanogo, Mathieu Debuchy, Lucas Pérez and Carl Jenkinson also look likely to be ushered to the door marked “Do One” in what could be another interesting summer of discontent for Gooners.
The agent of the Roma winger Mohamed Salah has caused feverish excitement on Merseyside by posting a photo of a plane ticket (destination: London) on Instagram and following Liverpool’s account on Twitter. For reasons best known to himself, Ramy Abbas Issa also follows Bill O’Reilly on the social networking site, but no one is suggesting he’s trying to sell his Egyptian client to the boorish former Fox News blowhard.
While Liverpool are pushing ahead with their long-standing interest in Salah, the Echo reports that they’ve pulled out of the auction for Fulham’s teenage full-back Ryan Sessegnon and will focus their attention on Hull City’s Andrew Robertson instead. Tottenham and Manchester United will now duke it out for the services of Sessegnon, who made 30 appearances for Fulham last season despite not yet being old enough to vote in next week’s general election.
Leicester City have accepted Riyad Mahrez’s transfer request, but are prepared to sit tight and see what club will be brave enough to take a £50m punt on a player who may well turn out to be a one-season wonder. Arsenal are at the front of an orderly queue.
Manchester City are prepared to pay a similar sum for the Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk, who is also wanted by Chelsea and Liverpool. Reports suggest City will offer the player £170,000 per week, considerably more than he’d be getting from either of their rivals in the unseemly scramble for his signature.
Van Dijk’s Southampton team-mate Cuco Martina is not held in quite such high regard, but is on the verge of signing for Everton on a free transfer. With a Europa League campaign looming and Séamus Coleman still recovering from his badly broken leg, securing a new right-back is high on Ronald Koeman’s list of priorities and the Curaçao international fits the bill.
And finally, Pepe Reina could sign up for a third stint under Rafael Benítez, if Napoli agree to let the Spanish keeper leave for Newcastle. Having previously worked with his compatriot at the Serie A side and Liverpool, Benítez has been singing the 34-year-old’s praises as Newcastle prepare to return to the Premier League. “Pepe is a great player, but above all, a leader in the dressing room,” he said. “We missed him at Napoli in the year he went to Bayern Munich – he can make a difference both on and off the pitch.”