English Premier League
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...
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 ...
‘Phenomenal’ player Leeds United reportedly want claims he’s in big demand
Reported Leeds United target and Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has told Marca Claro that as many as 10 clubs want him. The Sun reported last month of interest in Martinez from Leeds, who will play in the Premier League next season after clinching automatic promotion from the Championship. The 27-year-old goalkeeper has said that he wants to stay at Arsenal, but only if he is able to play regular first-team football. The Argentine has also said that as many as 10 clubs are interested in securing his services this summer. Martinez told Marca Claro: “I want to stay at Arsenal, but if I play more minutes. Because on a personal level, I am a certain age, I am in a game confidence that I need to add as many minutes as possible.” The goalkeeper added: “Yes, I am in the sights of 10 te...
Report: £22.5m player close to Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer
Braga striker Paulinho is close to joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window, according to Gianlucadimarzio.com. It has been reported that the 27-year-old striker is close to moving to Wolves from Braga for €25 million (£22.52 million). Italian club Lazio are also interested in the Portuguese striker, but the Serie A outfit are able to offer €15 million (£13.51 million). Stats According to WhoScored, Paulinho made 27 starts and two substitute appearances in the Portuguese league for Braga this past season, scoring 17 goals and providing seven assists in the process. The 27-year-old striker also made seven starts and one substitute appearance in the Europa League for the Portuguese side, scoring four goals in the process, according to WhoScored. Good signing for Wolverha...
‘Definitely of interest’ – Phil Hay reveals that Bielsa wants Chelsea striker at Leeds
Chelsea striker Mitchy Batshuayi has been linked with a move to Leeds United, and the agent of the Belgium international has offered him to the Elland Road outfit. Leeds United being bombarded by a number of French agents in recent days offering their clients to the club – Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea) is one literally 100s of players being proposed to Director of Football Victor Orta, according to sources contacted by Get French Football News. — Get French Football News (@GFFN) August 4, 2020 The Blues want the 26-year-old gone as he is clearly not in manager Frank Lampard’s plans, and he is expected to be sold this summer. Batshuayi started just one Premier League game last season, coming off the bench 15 times. He scored once and assisted another, and he made eight appearances across the Ch...
Report: West Ham are eyeing up a move for 22-yr-old French midfielder this summer
West Ham are keen on signing the Strasbourg midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde this summer. The 22-year-old central midfielder impressed in Ligue 1 this past season and his performances have caught the Hammers’ eye. Fiorentina are thought to be keeping tabs on the player as well as per Foot Mercato. It will be interesting to see if the Premier League side makes an offer for the midfielder in the coming weeks. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde joined Strasbourg last summer for a fee of £1.8m and the French club will not want to sell him just yet. Even if they are forced to part with him, they will demand a premium. The player has a long-term contract at the club and Strasbourg are under no pressure to sell. Bellegarde can play as a box-to-box midfielder who likes to dribble and carry the...
Report: Leeds have submitted an offer to 26-yr-old Bundesliga midfielder’s agent
Leeds United are keen on signing the Mainz attacking midfielder Jean-Paul Boetius. As per Bild, the Whites have already submitted an offer to the player’s agent. Fulham, Fiorentina and Sevilla have also made their move. It will be interesting to see if the English side can bring the 26-year-old to Elland Road this summer. Bielsa needs to add more depth and quality to his attacking department and Boetius would be a good signing. He has proven his quality with Mainz and he might be tempted to move on to a bigger league in England. The 26-year-old Dutchman can play on both flanks and he can operate as the number ten as well. His ability to switch between multiple roles will be an added bonus for Leeds United if they manage to sign him. Boetius managed to score four times and he assisted five ...
Report: West Ham looking to beat Slaven Bilic to signature of Brazilian full-back
According to The Sun, West Ham United are looking to pip newly-promoted side West Bromwich Albion to the signature of Basaksehir right-back Junior Caicara. The Brazilian helped the Turkish side win the Super Lig title last term, registering four assists in 33 league games, and he has also attracted Russian giants Zenit St.Petersburg. However, Caicara wants to play in the English Premier League, and Hammers manager David Moyes reckons he could be an upgrade on Ryan Fredericks and Ben Johnson. The 31-year-old is available for just £3 million, and is seen as a cheap and quality option. However, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic stands in the way of his former side as he looks to strengthen his squad following promotion. West Ham lost both Pablo Zabaleta and Jeremy Ngakia at the end of the campaign,...
Report: Everton keen on signing 28-yr-old, they have offered him a 4-yr-deal already
Everton are looking to sign the Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic this summer and they have already offered him a four-year deal. As per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t sportwitness), the Premier League club are hoping to agree on personal terms with the centre back and they are willing to pay him €2m a season. It will be interesting to see if they can agree on a fee with his club first. Napoli are thought to be open to a sale and Maksimovic would cost around €20m. Everton certainly have the resources to pull this off and they should look to wrap up the transfer soon if they are truly keen on the player. Maksimovic would add defensive quality and depth to Ancelotti’s back four. The Italian manager knows that he will have to bring in quality defenders for Everton to improve at the ...
Report: West Ham keen on signing 24-yr-old hardworking midfielder from Serie A
Report: West Ham keen on signing 24-yr-old hardworking midfielder from Serie A – originally posted on Sportslens.com West Ham are interested in signing the Uruguayan midfielder Nahitan Nandez this summer. The highly energetic central midfielder could prove to be the ideal replacement for Mark Noble next season. The West Ham star is past his peak and he needs to be phased out of the starting lineup now. Nandez has the quality to succeed in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see if the Hammers can sign him. As per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t sportwitness), the midfielder has a €36m release clause. It remains to be seen whether the Hammers can afford to pay that kind of money for the midfielder. They are still struggling to pay off their debts from the Haller signing. Convin...
Report: Tottenham Hotspur need to sell 27-year-old to sign 23-year-old
Report: Tottenham Hotspur need to sell 27-year-old to sign 23-year-old – originally posted on Sportslens.com According to Bleacher Report, Tottenham Hotspur will have to sell Serge Aurier before they can sign Zeki Celik from Lille in the summer transfer window. Tottenham want to sign a right-back as a priority this summer and have identified Lille star Celik as a transfer target, according to the report. However, it has been claimed that for Spurs to secure the services of the 23-year-old right-back, they have to sell 27-year-old Ivory Coast international right-back Aurier first. AC Milan are interested in Aurier, but the Italian giants want to pay £13 million for the player valued at £20 million by Spurs, according to the report. Stats Aurier made 31 starts and two substitute appear...
