Gossip: A new Man United target, De Gea off, Sanchez latest

Matt Stead

DE GEA GUFF
Check your fax machine is working, welcome Joel Pereira into your lives and prepare to get bored, because Real Madrid want David de Gea again.

In news that has somehow resurfaced from 2014, Real will ‘swoop’ for the Manchester United keeper before the transfer window ends. Because The Sun say so.

Not only is it The Sun, it’s Neil Custis. So you know this one is watertight.

Anyway, the claim is that Real ‘could try again’ for the goalkeeper, which is hardly the biggest claim ever. Everyone ‘could’ find this story tiresome…oh wait.

Basically, Zinedine Zidane has ‘decided that his team does not need another outfield Galactico’ after failing to convince Kylian Mbappe to join. And the logical next step is to then target a goalkeeper who is on a long-term contract at a Champions League club.

Custis even slaps a price tag on the deal. Real will offer £46million for De Gea. We would love to know where that valuation has come from.

 

DENNIS THE MENACE
Elsewhere in the murky world of the Sun’s transfer gossip, United are still targeting a winger. Claims elsewhere insist Jose Mourinho will delay a fourth signing until January, but it seems that Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis is a wanted man.

‘Who is Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis?’ you say? Well, he is being linked with United, Manchester City and Leicester, he plays for Club Brugge, is 19, and is a striker. Paul Ince did say they needed one.

He has also scored four goals in the opening three Belgian league games of the season, scored another in Champions League qualification, and has been scouted by Europe’s top clubs. Or, in The Sun’s parlance, ‘club spies’ were ‘checking on him last September’.

In short, it is a rehash of a report from Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, who say a number of clubs are scouting him. That is not transfer gossip, guys. It would be weird if clubs weren’t scouting him.

SANCHEZ LATEST
We finish with something relatively concrete, which is Tottenham’s pursuit of Davinson Sanchez.

According to many outlets, a deal ‘has been agreed in principle’ with Ajax for the Colombian centre-half. Spurs will pay £28m up front, and a potential extra £14m in add-ons. Which means he will be described as a club-record £42m signing when he struggles a bit, despite him not costing that yet.

Sanchez was withdrawn from Ajax’s Europa League qualifying squad on Thursday, and while there are ‘disagreements’ regarding when the actual payments are due, this will almost certainly get done.

 

AND THE REST
Manchester City are ready to offer West Brom £22m for their 29-year-old captain Jonny Evans after having an £18m bid rejected. City are prepared to almost double the Northern Ireland defender’s £75,000 a week wages… Chelsea have had a £63m bid for Juventus’ 26-year-old wing-back Brazil Alex Sandro rejected… Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez says it will be “difficult” to sign Liverpool’s 25-year-old attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho because he doesn’t have a release clause… Barca will “fight” to sign Brazil international Coutinho up until the transfer window closes, with the growing expectation that they will soon submit a new offer… Chelsea striker Diego Costa, 28, says he will not return to Stamford Bridge and intends to rejoin Atletico Madrid… Everton may make a move to sign Spain international Costa on loan from the Premier League champions… Spurs defender Kevin Wimmer, 24, is in talks with West Brom over a £15m move… Stoke are also keen to sign Austria international Wimmer… Arsenal and Brazil defender Gabriel, 26, is close to a £10m move to Spanish club Valencia… Paris St-Germain are still keen to sign Monaco’s 23-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder Fabinho.