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Report: Sheffield United agree £18.5m deal for Dean Henderson replacement

Sheffield United have reached an agreement with Bournemouth to sign goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale this summer, a report from The Daily Echo claims. Ramsdale was nearly ever-present for the Cherries during the 2019/2020 Premier League campaign and he caught the eye with 129 saves from his 37 appearances. With the Cherries’ relegation to the Championship, it was always anticipated that Ramsdale would head for the exit door and he now appears on the cusp of re-signing for Sheffield. The Blades sanctioned the sale of Ramsdale to the Cherries for just £800,000 in January 2017, but they included a 15% sell-on clause on any future transfer. Earlier this month, Jason Tindall’s side turned down an initial bid of £12m from the Blades, but they have now reluctantly accepted a second offer worth...

Club reportedly planning £500,000 bid for alleged Derby and Fulham target

Derby County and Fulham are reportedly facing competition from Preston North End for Charlton Athletic striker Macauley Bonne. According to The Sun (print edition, Goals pull-out page 17, July 27, 2020), Derby, Fulham and Burnley all are interested in signing Bonne from Charlton in the summer transfer window. The Addicks will play in League One next season after getting relegated from the Championship, and they could have to sell players. However, it seems that Derby and Fulham are now facing stiff competition from Preston for the 24-year-old forward. According to The Sun, Preston are planning to make an opening bid of £500,000 plus add-ons for the Zimbabwe international next week. Charlton Athletic spell Bonne joined Charlton in the summer of 2019 after leaving Leyton Orient. The 24-year-...

Rangers reportedly make decision on player compared to Nemanja Matic

Steven Gerrard’s Glasgow Rangers have decided not to bring Bongani Zungu to Ibrox, according to Courier Picard. It has been reported that Rangers were interested in signing the 27-year-old South Africa international midfielder, who has compared to Manchester United star Nemanja Matic by his former Mamelodi Sundowns manager Pitso Mosimane in The Daily Record in July 2020. The experienced midfielder was all set to sign for Rangers, but the Gers found out in his medical that he is overweight and decided to walk away. Strange decision from Rangers? It does seem quite a quite decision from Rangers to not go ahead with a deal for Zungu. True, the Gers found out that he is overweight, but that is not something that could have been sorted. After all, for the South Africa international midfielder, ...

Report: Everton want Celtic midfielder, £20m transfer fee

Everton, West Ham United and Southampton are interested in signing Olivier Ntcham from Celtic in the summer transfer window, according to 90min. It has been reported that Southampton have revived their interest in the French midfielder after selling fellow midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham and Everton also want the 24-year-old, who is available for £20 million, according to the report, which has added that the former Manchester City man is interested in returning to the Premier League. Celtic spell Ntcham joined Celtic from City in the summer of 2017 and has been a superb player for the Glasgow giants. The former France Under-21 international has won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup thrice each, and the Scottish Cup twice with the Hoops. Th...

Report: Former Chelsea star to join Stoke City on a one-year contract, medical on Monday

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel will make a return to English football with Championship side Stoke City next week, The Telegraph reports. The Nigerian, who enjoyed a trophy-laden career with the Blues between 2006 and 2017, was recently contracted to Trabzonspor, where he made 23 appearances. Mikel only joined the Turkish outfit last summer, but he mutually terminated his contract in March this year after he was reluctant to continue playing amid the coronavirus pandemic. It is now reported that he is on the cusp of returning to the Championship, where he previously spent the second half of the 2018/19 season with Middlesbrough. The 33-year-old is said to be have already held talks with manager Michael O’Neill and he is scheduled to join the Potters on a one-year deal following a...

Report: Manchester United jump ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign £27m centre-back

Manchester United have jumped ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign AS Monaco defender Benoît Badiashile, a report from Le 10 Sport claims. Badiashile made his debut for Monaco as a 17-year-old in 2018 and over the past two years, he has managed 46 appearances across all competitions. Based on his progress, he was rewarded with a fresh four-and-a-half year deal in December 2019, but it appears that the Principality outfit are open to selling him this summer. According to Le 10 Sport, Monaco are aiming to recoup funds for their summer spending and Badiashile could be sold despite the fact that he is highly-rated by manager Niko Kovac. Both Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen have enquired over the player’s availability, but it reported that United have now emerged as serious contenders to sign him....

Transfer roundup: Chelsea close to left-back signing, Newcastle United to land midfielder

Today, we have entered the third weekend of the Premier League summer transfer window. It has been a quiet day with no player arrivals, but Sheffield United appear close to recruiting a new goalkeeper in the form of Aaron Ramsdale. The Blades have agreed on a fee with Bournemouth for the 22-year-old (Daily Echo). The shot-stopper appears set to rejoin the club after three-and-a-half years. Let’s have a look at the top transfer stories at the moment. Top Transfer Rumours: Arsenal have received a boost in their bid to swap Lucas Torreira with AS Roma’s Amadou Diawara. Torreira is keen on a return to the Serie A and he has the accepted the idea of joining the Giallorossi (Il Romanista). Elsewhere, Chelsea seem on the cusp of signing a new left-back. They have been regularly linked with Ben Ch...

Report: Newcastle United boss wants 31-cap international to strengthen the defence

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has identified Manchester United’s Chris Smalling as a target to strengthen the heart of the defence, a report from Sky Sports claims. Smalling spent the previous campaign on loan with AS Roma in the Serie A and he was hugely impressive during his 37 appearances across all competitions. The Giallorossi have been unable to strike a permanent deal for his services and hence, Smalling could pursue a fresh challenge with a different club this summer. Bruce is reportedly keen on adding Smalling to the Magpies ranks ahead of next season, but it is unclear whether the club can afford a permanent deal after the failed takeover. Magpies owner Mike Ashley has shown the willingness to spend with the £40m purchase of Joelinton last year, but the club will have...

Report: David Moyes wants West Ham United to sign 26-year-old star on loan

West Ham United manager David Moyes has identified Manchester City’s John Stones as the prime target to bolster the central defensive department, a report from Football Insider claims. The Hammers experienced a difficult 2019/2020 campaign where they finished 16th in the Premier League standings while conceding a staggering 62 goals from 38 games. Ahead of next season, the club are likely to reinforce the backline and it is reported that they are looking into the purchase of a new central defender on loan. Manchester United’s Phil Jones and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Shane Duffy are among the options being considered, but Moyes wants the board to prioritise the signing of Stones. The England international has fallen down the pecking order at the Cityzens and he made only 12 league starts...

Report: Leeds United player’s mindset amid interest from Celtic

According to The Scottish Daily Mail (print edition, page 112, August 15, 2020), Leeds United left-back Barry Douglas is open to offers amid interest from Celtic. It has been reported that Celtic manager Neil Lennon is keen on a move for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back. Although there is a possibility that Douglas could get a contract extension at Leeds with his current deal running out at the end of next season, the 30-year-old – who can also operate as a wing-back – is willing to listen to offers. Good signing for Celtic? Douglas had injury problems last season and could not make a massive impact on the team. With Stuart Dallas playing well at left-back, the Scotland international struggled to get back into the team once he recovered from his injuries. Celtic are a massive c...

Ian Wright’s five-word reaction as Arsenal part ways with Raul Sanllehi

Arsenal have parted ways with head of football Raul Sanllehi. We are announcing today that head of football Raul Sanllehi is leaving the club and Vinai Venkatesham, our current managing director, will lead us going forward. — Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 15, 2020 The Spaniard joined Arsenal in February 2018 as Head of Football Relations, and was promoted to the role following the departure of CEO Ivan Gazidis. Current managing director Vinai Venkatesham will take charge of the role going forward, and former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has reacted thus to the development on Twitter: Protect Mikel at all costs! — Ian Wright (@IanWright0) August 15, 2020 It will be interesting to see if any more changes will happen at the top, but head coach Mikel Arteta will hope that doesn’t affect the club’s b...

Everton reportedly willing to take £2.48m loss on player

According to Calciomercatoweb, Everton striker Moise Kean’s agent is trying to engineer a move for him to AC Milan. It has been reported by the Italian news outlet that Mino Raiola is trying to get the Italy international striker to Milan in the summer transfer window. Everton want €25 million (£22.62 million) as transfer fee for the 20-year-old, although Raiola wants a loan-to-buy deal, according to the report. Disappointing Everton spell Kean joined Everton from Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2019 for an initial transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £25.1 million. The youngster failed to make an impact at Goodison Park last season and made only a handful of starts for the first team. According to WhoScored, the 20-year-old made six starts and 23 substitute appearances ...