Gossip: Liverpool and Man City join Townsend race?

Daniel Storey

LIVERPOOL AND CITY WANT TOWNSEND
Liverpool and Manchester City have joined Crystal Palace, Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom in expressing interest in Andros Townsend. Someone give that agent a whacking great pay rise.

The Daily Telegraph claims the £10.5million release clause in the England winger’s contract has alerted both clubs and they are now weighing up whether to make a surprise bid for the winger.

Liverpool and City could be added to the list of Townsend’s possible destinations, particularly if they fail to land more expensive targets such as Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane. Well, only if they fail to land those two.

Despite missing out on Roy Hodgson’s final 23-man squad for the European Championships, former Tottenham Hotspur wide man Townsend has become one of the most sought-after English players of the summer. His impressive form for Newcastle, together with a release clause in the region of £10.5million, has made him an attractive proposition for a host of clubs – including Liverpool and City.

Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe knows Townsend well from his time on the coaching staff at Spurs and the player’s name has been put forward as a potential signing as the club weighs up a number of attacking targets.

Manager Jurgen Klopp is keen to add more pace to his attack and has reportedly already looked at Southampton’s Mane, Schalke’s Sane and Arsenal’s Theo Walcott. The order of preference surely goes Sane, Mane, Townsend and Walcott, which sounds like the name of a Premier League accountancy firm.

 

ARSENAL ENTER LUKAKU RACE (BUT PROBABLY NOT)
That’s the word from the Daily Star, although it’s hardly the first time that Romelu Lukaku’s name has been linked with Arsenal.

In fact, the Star are only using a line from TuttoMercatoWeb. That line is that Arsenal ‘are in deep talks with Toffees’. Weirdos.

The report also states that Lukaku will probably leave for £31m. Good luck with that, and you’ll be hearing more about this one come lunchtime.

 

CHELSEA WANT BONUCCI AND CANDREVA
Something a little more believable now, with an exclusive from Antony Kastrinakis in The Sun. He claims that Antonio Conte wants to sign Antonio Candreva and Leonardo Bonucci from Lazio and Juventus respectively.

We’re told that the deal will cost £57m, which sounds about right. Chelsea could certainly do with Bonucci, but Candreva? Hmmm.

Anyway, you’re going to hear a lot more of Chelsea being linked with Italian internationals. That much is clear.

 

AND THE REST
Leicester are prepared to pay £30m to land Watford striker Troy Deeney… Southampton want talks with Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal over the vacant head coach position… Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina is wanted by Turkish club Besiktas… Ryan Giggs is not in the running to take over at Forest, whose owners hope to appoint a foreign coach and have contacted Spaniard and former Olympiakos boss Michel… Everton are plotting a move for £16m-rated Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar… Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, ex-Ajax head coach Frank de Boer and Andre Villas-Boas are in contention for the vacant AC Milan job… Swansea are ready to offer midfielder Leon Britton and full-back Angel Rangel, both 33, new contracts as they look to retain two of the senior figures in Francesco Guidolin’s squad… Burnley are yet to receive any bids for defender Michael Keane, 23, with Premier League champions Leicester and Everton interested in the player… AC Milan striker Fernando Torres, 32, is to sign a one-year deal with Atletico Madrid, where the Spaniard spent last year on loan from the Serie A side… West Brom are keen on signing Newcastle United’s 26-year-old France midfielder Moussa Sissoko