Live Blog
- 30 Jul 2020, 13:37
- Updated: 30 Jul 2020, 13:37
TRANSFER NEWS is picking up with the Premier League season having finally reached its conclusion.
With the window now open, Man City are making the early running by agreeing a £41m fee with Bournemouth for Nathan Ake.
Follow all the latest gossip and rumours below…
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Richard Forrester STAYING SUT
Mesut Ozil’s agent has thrown cold water over speculation of a move away from Arsenal this summer.
But he is “90 per cent” sure that the German playmaker will leave the Emirates when his £350k-a-week deal runs out in 2021.
The midfield maestro has fallen out of favour in North London, not making a single appearance since the Premier League restart in June.
Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogut, is quoted by Fanatik, telling futblogiant: “I do not think there will be a change in the case of Mesut Ozil until the summer of 2021.
“He has a contract. There is no change. He will remain in Arsenal.
“90 per cent [he] will leave Arsenal in 2021. Mesut to Asia, America or Turkey? Yes, maybe.”
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Richard Forrester NO1 TARGET
Chelsea have submitted a bid for Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, according to reports in Spain.
Cadena Ser write how the Blues have made their opening move to land the Germany international and replace Kepa Arrizabalaga.
SunSport told you how the Spaniard fears he has played his last game for Chelsea.
Ter Stegen’s current contract expires in two years time and has failed to come to an agreement with Barca to extend his deal.
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Richard Forrester TRANSFER GURU
Aston Villa have appointed Johan Lange as their new Sporting Director – after raiding FC Copenhagen to head-hunt one of the top talent finders in Europe.
Villa’s ambitious owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have wasted no time in replacing Spaniard Jesus Garcia Pitarch, who parted company with the club on Monday after his relationship with chief executive Christian Purslow deteriorated.
Pitarch, known as Suso, was axed 24 hours after Villa’s dramatic last day survival, after spending £140million last summer with less than impressive results.
Now Villa have moved swiftly to appoint Lange (40), who has become known throughout Europe as FC Copenhagen’s transfer king.
Few clubs in Europe can match the Dane’s hit rate.
Lange’s ability to find value in the market and turn quick profits, while continuing to win trophies domestically has helped Copenhagen reach the later stages of the Champions’ League – after knocking out Celtic.
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Richard Forrester SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES
Jack Grealish has posted a cryptic tweet that assumingly relates to his future.
The Aston Villa star is making all the headlines having been linked with Manchester United and Arsenal.
But it appears the forward is ready to bury his head in the sand until the talking is over.
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Richard Forrester BEAK THEM TO IT
Tottenham’s rising star Troy Parrott will finally get his wish of more first-team football by joining Millwall on loan.
The Irish 18-year-old is braced for a bright future in the game with Spurs coaches rating him very highly.
And a stint at Gary Rowett’s Millwall could be the perfect opportunity to aid his development.
Troy Parrott heading to Millwall on a season-long loan. Most likely be completed today. #thfc
— Tom Roddy (@TomRoddy_) July 30, 2020
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Richard Forrester AKE-BREAKY HEART
BREAKING: Manchester City have had a £41m bid accepted for Nathan Ake.
The centre-back is set to leave Bournemouth following their relegation to the Championship.
Manchester United had also been linked with a move but it appears their neighbours have stolen a march.
BREAKING: Bournemouth have accepted a £41million bid for Nathan Ake from Man City.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 30, 2020
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Richard Forrester GET GREAL
Arsenal have reportedly joined the race for Jack Grealish after Manchester United cooled their interest.
Sky Sports claim that the Gunners registered an interest in the Aston Villa captain, but did not follow up that enquiry.
The report adds that a number of clubs are willing to pay between £50million and £60m but that is short of the Villain’s asking price.
Dean Smith’s side have made it clear that star man Grealish is not for sale and they would not be tempted to sell for anything under £80m.
SunSport previously revealed that the England ace faces being priced out of a major summer move following Villa’s exorbitant asking price.
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Richard Forrester CANARY HAS LANDED
Norwich are plotting for life in the Championship after landing Kieran Dowell from Everton.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Derby and Wigan making 23 appearances.
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Richard Forrester VLAD ALL OVER
Watford are reportedly set for talks with Vladimir Ivic over becoming their new boss.
The Hornets sacked Nigel Pearson with just two games left of the season but failed to beat relegation from the Premier League.
Serbian Ivic is the latest name to be linked with taking over at the Vicarage Road club, according to the Daily Mail.
Former Leicester and Southampton manager Claude Puel has been favourite to succeed Pearson.
He is currently at St Etienne and guided them to a narrow defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France Final last week.
But a number of rows with players and fan unhappiness over his style of football have made him a serious contender for the role.
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Richard Forrester LEEDING LIGHT
Leeds United are interested in a move for Utrecht right-back Sean Klaiber.
Dutch outlet Voetbal International claims the Whites are one of the clubs keen on the 25-year-old.
The report adds that no offers have been made for the full-back, but Utrecht have began preparing for his depature.
The Eredivisie are said to inquired about VVV-Venlo’s German back Tobias Pachonik.
Klaiber, whose contract expires in 2022, scored four goals and provided four assists this season.
The defender has already played alongside Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich during the latter’s loan stint at Utrecht back in 2018.
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Richard Forrester WAITE AND SEE
Martin Braithwaite is set to be sold by Barcelona just six months after they controversially signed him from Leganes.
The Danish international was allowed to join the Catalans as an emergency signing in February.
That was despite timing being outside the transfer window as they met his £15million release clause following Ousmane Dembele’s injury lay-off.
But the deal was met with huge criticism.
Leganes were not allowed to sign a replacement for the forward, which seriously hindered them in their unsuccessful fight against relegation.
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Richard Forrester PORT OF CALL
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly plotting a move for Porto star Luis Diaz.
The Colombian has shone in Portugal since his £6.5million move from Juniors last year.
And after 12 goals from left wing, he has caught the eye of Mourinho.
Record claim Spurs are interested in Diaz and could be about to make a move this summer.
Mourinho’s transfer plans have taken a hit after the club missed out on Champions League qualification.
Due to the financial effects of the coronavirus, they were forced to take out a £175m loan from the Bank of England.
However, Mourinho has already stated he has been assured he will be backed in the upcoming window to bring in new additions.
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Richard Forrester SAFE HENDS
Dean Henderson’s Manchester United future will reportedly become clear within a fortnight as contract talks enter a “crucial stage”.
The 23-year-old wants long-term assurances from Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over his playing time.
England U21 international Henderson has seen his value rocket to £55million after two stunning seasons on loan at Sheffield United.
That has caught the eye of Chelsea, with Frank Lampard hoping to make him their new No 1 goalkeeper.
The Blades would also love to have the stopper back next season.
To thwart off interest, United have been in discussions with Henderson over a new deal that would make him one of the best-paid goalies in Europe.
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Gary Stonehouse GOOD MORNING FOOTY TRANSFER FANS
SunSport can exclusively reveal Millwall are closing in on a season-long loan for Tottenham’s Republic of Ireland strike starlet Troy Parrott.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has agreed to throw his teen hitman to the Championship Lions next term.
The South Londoners hope to finalise the deal with the youngster on Thursday before announcing it next week.
Mourinho gave the thumbs-up after learning that his star striker Harry Kane benefited from a 2012 loan stint at the Lions.
In other news, Wilfried Zaha fears being priced out of the market by Crystal Palace for a second year running.
Palace are expected to demand as much as £70MILLION for their star player and Zaha’s representatives worry that will scupper hopes of a move.
Meanwhile, Brighton have signed Ajax defender Joel Veltman for an undisclosed fee.
The Dutch international, 28, has joined the club on a three-year contract and becomes Albion’s second signing of the summer following Monday’s capture of Adam Lallana.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are considering a move for AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara as an alternative to Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey.
According to ASRomaLive, the Gunners have turned their attention towards £27m-rated midfielder Diawara after having a player-plus-cash bid for Partey knocked back.
Finally, Leeds target Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to be staying at AC Milan this summer after he was snapped posing in their new kit for next season.
And it means Marcelo Bielsa will have to look elsewhere for a new striker after winning promotion to the Premier League.
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Anthony Chapman ZA-ARGHHH
Wilfried Zaha fears being priced out of the market by Crystal Palace for a second year running.
Palace are expected to demand as much as £70MILLION for their star player and Zaha’s representatives worry that will scupper hopes of a move.
It’s believed a number of Premier League teams are interested.
Arsenal tried signing the ex-Man Utd forward last summer.
And Chelsea were linked with him last season under Maurizio Sarri.
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Anthony Chapman EXCLUSIVE BY FRANKIE CHRISTOU AND PAUL JIGGINS
Millwall are closing in on a season-long loan for Tottenham’s Republic of Ireland strike starlet Troy Parrott.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has agreed to throw his teen hitman to the Championship Lions next term.
The South Londoners hope to finalise the deal with the youngster on Thursday before announcing it next week.
Mourinho gave the thumbs-up after learning that his star striker Harry Kane benefited from a 2012 loan stint at the Lions.
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Anthony Chapman HART BREAKER
Former England keeper Joe Hart is odds-on to join Scottish champions Celtic at 4/5 after leaving Burnley.
Should Hart remain in England then newly promoted West Brom are 3/1 to land him while Championship winners Leeds are 9/1.
Any MLS club is 10/1 while Arsenal and Derby are next on 12/1.
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Anthony Chapman RICH PICKINGS
Richarlison is open to leaving Everton but is prepared to “hold on for another season”.
He told Globo Esporte: “It’s all been talked about, Carlo Ancelotti’s already told me he’s counting on me for another season, he asked me to hold on for a bit.
“Though it all depends, if a good offer were to come in, we sit down and talk, that’s part of football.
“We’re still talking about these details, working things out.
“He’s bringing in new players, so we’ll sit down and talk, but I think I can hold on for another season.”
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Anthony Chapman DONE DEAL
Brighton have signed Ajax defender Joel Veltman for an undisclosed fee.
The Dutch international, 28, has joined the club on a three-year contract and becomes Albion’s second signing of the summer following Monday’s capture of Adam Lallana.
Boss Graham Potter said: “We’re delighted to welcome Joel to the club. He has terrific experience from his time with Ajax including the Champions League and, of course, with the Dutch national team.
“He’s an excellent defender who can play at right-back and at centre half, but he’s also comfortable in possession.
“He is really looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Premier League and we’re delighted he is now a Brighton player and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
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Anthony Chapman JAN PLAN
Jan Vertonghen has hinted that he could stay in the Premier League following his departure from Tottenham.
He said: “I’m considering the options and making a good choice. That will be out probably sooner rather than later
“Obviously the window now is longer than it was last year, so we’ve got a bit of time to assess the best option.
“[Stay in England?] It will all depend on the options.
“I’ve got something in my head and we’ll see if that will come around or not.”
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Anthony Chapman DEAL ME IN
Man City have received a major transfer boost after David Alaba’s contract talks with Bayern Munich hit a stalemate.
Bild claim the 28-year-old’s wage demands have led to negotiations hitting a brick wall.
The Austria, who has also been linked with Chelsea, is looking for more than £18million a year in a new deal – but Bayern chiefs think that is too much.
The impasse could lead Man City to pounce.
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Anthony Chapman WAR ENSEMBLE
Arsenal are considering a move for AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara as an alternative to Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey.
According to ASRomaLive, the Gunners have turned their attention towards £27m-rated midfielder Diawara after having a player-plus-cash bid for Partey knocked back.
The Guinean only signed for Roma from Napoli a year ago – but has impressed with his performances.
Diawara’s arrival would likely spell the end of Matteo Guendouzi’s Emirates career.
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Anthony Chapman IBRA CADABRA
Former Man Utd star and Leeds target Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to be staying at AC Milan this summer.
He has been snapped posing in their new kit for next season.
And it means Marcelo Bielsa will have to look elsewhere for a new striker after winning promotion to the Premier League.
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Anthony Chapman WHERE THERE’S A WILL
Arsenal target Willian needs to talk with Frank Lampard before making a decision on his Chelsea future, according to Brazil legend Rivaldo.
He told Betfair: “Willian is at the end of his contract with Chelsea and Arsenal seem to be interested in signing him.
“But he’s having an excellent season and Chelsea are interesting in keeping him.
“Frank Lampard and the board need to inform the player about their plans for him next season.
“Chelsea are signing players and, if Willian will not be a first choice pick, then he probably would prefer to leave.
“Willian will have many interested clubs, but I think he would prefer to learn about Chelsea’s plans first before taking a decision about his future.”
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Anthony Chapman COUT AND DRY
Brazil legend Rivaldo reckons Arsenal target Philippe Coutinho should return to England this summer.
The Barcelona flop, who was on loan at Bayern Munich, has also been linked with Chelsea and Man Utd.
Rivaldo told Betfair: “Philippe Coutinho will soon return from his loan at Bayern to Barcelona, but I doubt he can revive his career there.
“His best option could be returning to English football where he spent the best seasons of his career and in which his qualities seem to be best suited, as he proved at Liverpool when he was one of the best players in the Premier League.
“At Arsenal, Tottenham or Leicester, Coutinho could be a regular starter next season.
“It would be a good opportunity for the Brazillan to rediscover his best form and show that he continues to be an excellent player who belongs to the elite.”