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Report: Liverpool told to pay bargain £29m fee for ‘unstoppable’ 23-year-old
Liverpool are keen to sign Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, according to a report from L’Equipe (print edition, August 1, page 37). And Reds boss Jurgen Klopp can allegedly pick the 23-year-old former Bayern Munich ace up for just €35 million (£29 million). Central midfield is undoubtedly an area where Klopp will be keen to strengthen at Anfield. That’s after Gini Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. And it seems as though the German may well have identified the man for the job. Liverpool allegedly want to sign Lille ace Sanches Liverpool to move in for Sanches? L’Equipe claims that the Merseyside outfit are keen to sign Sanches. The Ligue 1 outfit are demanding at least £29m for the Portugal international. Sanches has been absolutely brilliant for Lille since join...
Aston Villa set to submit an improved offer to sign 26-yr-old target
Aston Villa are already planning for the potential departure of Jack Grealish and are keen on signing Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. The Villa star has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City this summer. According to the Daily Mail, Villa had a bid of around £25 million knocked back for the 26-year-old. However, they are prepared to submit an improved offer to sign the England international. Ward-Prowse has been a key player for the Saints over the past few seasons, and he could prove to be a quality addition to Dean Smith’s midfield. His passing range and set-piece prowess could be an asset for Villa, adding more creativity in the middle of the park. John McGinn and Douglas Luiz are a solid central pairing, and Ward-Prowse would bring some additional guile to p...
Inter Milan, PSG & Everton target given €30m price tag
Lazio president Claudio Lotito has set his asking price for attacker Joaquin Correa, according to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport. Correa came to Lazio from Sevilla back in 2018 on a five-year contract, signing for an estimated fee of €16 million. His time at the Stadio Olimpico has been fairly successful. He has scored 30 goals for the club in all competitions and helped his side lift the Coppa Italia trophy in 2019, scoring his side’s second in the final against Atalanta. This form has earned him eight caps for the Argentina national team, where he has achieved even more success. The 26-year-old featured three times in this summer’s Copa America, as La Albiceleste ended their 28-year trophy drought. With several clubs across Europe looking to sign the Argentine, Lazio president Claud...
Southampton interested in signing 25-year-old midfielder with 108 Premier League appearances – report
Chelsea are looking at the prospect of loaning Ruben Loftus-Cheek to a Bundesliga club, a report from The Sun claims. Loftus-Cheek spent the previous season on loan with Fulham, registering 33 appearances across all competitions. The 25-year-old was far from his best, and it appears that the Blues are prepared to send him out on loan once more. The club have a preference for a Bundesliga outfit, but it is reported that the Saints are also keen on landing Loftus-Cheek. Sportslens view: Loftus-Cheek had a top season for the Blues in 2018/19, bagging 10 goals and five assists from 40 games across all competitions. His campaign ended on a sour note with a serious Achilles injury. The England international has since struggled to hit peak form. With Billy Gilmour’s loan move to Norwich City, it ...
‘Not looking good’: Mikel Arteta confirms double injury blow for Arsenal after Chelsea game
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided a worrying injury update on Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes following the pre-season friendly against Chelsea. The Gunners suffered a 2-1 defeat in their first game of The Mind Series. They were far from their best but were denied a goal by a poor refereeing decision. That doesn’t matter much in pre-season. The main concern was the ankle injury sustained by Partey that saw him substituted in the 40th minute. Speaking after the game, Arteta revealed that Partey was in pain, and hinted that the midfielder could potentially be sidelined for an extended period of time. He said: “I just had a talk with the doctor. He’s going to have a scan tomorrow and, at the moment, it’s not looking good because he was in pain and he could not continue which, for ...
‘Excellent’, ‘Looking good’: Some Arsenal fans praise £120,000-a-week star despite Chelsea defeat
A selection of Arsenal fans on Twitter heaped praise on Ben White following his impressive performance against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. The 23-year-old centre-back made his friendly debut for the Gunners against the Blues after coming on as a half-time substitute for Rob Holding. He produced a lively performance, producing two goal-saving interceptions, one of those denying Hakim Ziyech, who looked destined to score. The Gunners recently made a statement with the £50 million purchase of White. He caught the eye of several fans with an impressive debut. Twitter reactions: 2 goal line challenges by Ben White. In 1 match. One of positives for Arsenal today. pic.twitter.com/QlZOlTcOjN — AfcVIP⁴⁹ #KroenkeOut (@VipArsenal) August 1, 2021 INSANE block. That why we paid £50 million for Be...
24-year-old on Postecoglou’s radar, Celtic target will decide future after the Olympics
Celtic have been linked with a move for Japanese defender Ko Itakura. According to Daily Record, the 24-year-old has put his future on hold to concentrate on his country’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics. Japan have made it to the semi-finals of the football tournament, and Itakura is unlikely to decide his future until after the Games. Celtic desperately need defensive reinforcements after a miserable start under newly appointed manager Ange Postecoglou. The Hoops have already signed Carl Starfelt, but they are keen to bring in another centre-back before the transfer window closes. Itakura can also operate as a central defensive midfielder, and his versatility would come in handy for the Scottish giants. The Manchester City defender was on loan in Holland last season and is unlikely t...
Brentford lining up fresh bid to sign attacker with 27 goal achievements last season – report
Brentford are weighing up a fresh bid to sign Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, The Sun reports. The Bees are back in the top-flight after more than seven decades, but there has not been much transfer activity this summer. Kristoffer Ajer and Frank Onyeka remain their only senior signings to date, and there could be more arrivals before the deadline. Johnson is reportedly one of the top targets for the Bees despite the fact that he has played just four games in the second tier. The 20-year-old was impressive on loan with Lincoln City last term, registering 13 goals and 14 assists from 48 appearances. Despite his efforts, the club failed to secure promotion from League One as they were beaten by Blackpool in the play-off final. The Bees recently failed with a £2m bid for the y...
West Ham could prioritise Serie A defender as deal for £25m France international stalls
West Ham United could prioritise a move for Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic over Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, reports Sky Sports. West Ham enter the new season off the back of their best finish since 1999, finishing sixth. This qualified them for the 2021/22 edition of the Europa League. West Ham finished the season with a flourish Maintaining this level of performance will be difficult, especially with an extra competition to play in. If they wish to remain competitive in the league while also challenging for trophies elsewhere, additional depth will be needed. Their summer has been quiet so far. Loanee Craig Dawson was brought in on a permanent basis, and Alphonse Areola has also arrived from Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Felipe Anderson and Fabian Balbuena have departed, and the Hammers have ...
West Ham close to completing £22m signing of 11-goal attacking midfielder
West Ham United are closing in on a deal for West Bromwich Albion attacking midfielder Matheus Pereira, reports journalist Ekrem Konur on Twitter. Pereira first joined West Brom at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, initially on a loan deal from Sporting Lisbon. After firing the Baggies to promotion with eight goals and 16 assists, the Brazilian signed permanently for an estimated £8 million. Pereira was West Brom’s standout in their promotion campaign The Midlands club were unable to avoid the drop last season, finishing in 19th place – 13 points adrift from safety. However, Pereira was impressive, scoring 11 goals and assisting a further six. Understandably, West Brom have a tough task keeping the 25-year-old on their books. Saudi club Al Hilal have been linked with his signature, whil...
Manchester United identify three key targets to replace wantaway star
Manchester United have identified three potential replacements for Paul Pogba after the Frenchman turned down a new contract. According to ESPN, Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez, Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga and Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers are being considered by the Old Trafford powerbrokers. United’s hopes of tying Pogba down to a new long-term deal were dashed by the midfielder, who rejected a monstrous £350,000-a-week offer. With less than a year left to run on his current contract, the Red Devils need to offload the World Cup winner to avoid losing him for free next summer. Paris Saint-Germain are understood to be the front-runners for Pogba’s signature, although some shocking claims from England named Liverpool as the Frenchman’s landing spot. United are no longer opposing the p...
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Aston Villa must sign £50k-per-week player after club confirmed £42m transfer [Opinion]
Manchester United confirmed the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid on Tuesday in a deal that could be worth up to £42 million. With that deal sorted, Aston Villa should now strike while the iron is hot to lure Axel Tuanzebe away from Old Trafford. The 23-year-old amassed only 400 minutes of Premier League football last season as he fell down the pecking order, but Varane’s arrival all but ends his chances of getting playing time in Manchester. Tuanzebe rose through the youth ranks to United’s first-team in 2016/17 and has gone on to make 37 appearances in all competitions. The £50k-per-week defender has yet to rack up double figures for starting games in one season, so it’s hard to see him having a long-term future at United. And not only is Tuanzebe already behind Harry Magui...
