Gossip: Liverpool’s £64.3m Mbappe bid rejected

Matt Stead

MKLOPP
It’s a question we have asked a variation of hundreds of times down the years, but it crops up once again on Friday morning: What does a Spanish newspaper know about an English club’s interest in a French player from a French side?

The reason we ask is that said Spanish newspaper – Marca – clearly know something about said English club – Liverpool – bidding a certain amount of money for said French player from said French club – Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe.

They report that the Reds have had a bid of €75million rejected for the striker. That totals around £64.3m, which is a lot of money. Not enough, say Marca, who claim that ‘the price of such an operation must be higher than 100 million euros’.

Also, there is the belief that Monaco will not even sell this summer. Owner Dimitri Rybolovlev is happy to keep the 18-year-old for another season, which will probably double his fee by next season. Lovely.

 

POOR MONACO
Speaking of Monaco being plundered, Antonio Conte will be handed a cool £200million with which to improve Premier League champions Chelsea this summer. Almost a quarter of that will be spent on Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Jason Burt and Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph team to tell us that Conte will be granted a ‘warchest’, and that Monaco midfielder Bakayoko is his primary target.

Chelsea are also thought to be interested in Thomas Lemar of the Ligue Un champions, but are aware that Monaco are unlikely to sell both in one go. And so they will concentrate on a deal for Bakayoko.

An interesting note is that the Blues could offer Michy Batshuayi to the French side as part of the deal, be that permanently or on loan. Not even scoring the Premier League-winning goal can rescue his Stamford Bridge spell, it seems.

 

CITY SLICKERS
‘Alexis Sanchez to Man City: Pep Guardiola to sell these two outcasts for Arsenal star’

The Daily Express seem to believe that Manchester City can fund a move for Alexis Sanchez by selling Kelechi Iheanacho and Nolito this summer. That’s crazy mental.

What’s even more ridiculous is that it could be true. West Ham are apparently willing to bid up to £20m for Iheanacho, while Real Betis want Noltio for £10m. Surely bloody not?

 

AND THE REST
Chelsea have told attacking midfielder Eden Hazard, 26, they will make him the focal point of the team for years to come if he signs a new contract at Stamford Bridge…But Real Madrid plan to sign Belgium international Hazard in order to convince Paris St-Germain’s 24-year-old Italy midfielder Marco Verratti to join Chelsea instead of rivals Barcelona…Manchester United are considering Benfica’s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, 23, as a possible replacement for David de Gea if the Spain international leaves in the summer…United could also move for Atletico Madrid and Slovenia keeper Jan Oblak and are willing to pay up to £40m for the 24-year-old…However, Real Madrid are ready to launch a shock move to take Oblak from their city rivals…West Ham, Southampton, Swansea and Stoke are all keen on £20m-rated Leeds striker Chris Wood after the 25-year-old New Zealand international finished top scorer in the Championship, with 27 goals.