Gossip: Sanchez to City, Dahoud and Davies updates

Matt Stead

CITY WANT SANCHEZ
September has been a veritable struggle with regards to transfer news, but Sunday is the outlier. And we start with the Daily Express, who know something you don’t.

It’s an exclusive, and it’s a whopping big one. Manchester City are ‘tracking contract talks’ between Arsenal and Alexis Sanchez. We’re glad they are, because we’ve actually lost track by now. The last we heard was that Juventus were willing to offer Mario Mandzukic in exchange for the Chilean.

As you surely know by now, Sanchez is out of contract in 2018, and wants £200,000 a week and a buy-out clause in any new deal. Not only that, but ‘he wants to see evidence that the Gunners are going to challenge for major honours’. How about ‘Hull 1-4 Arsenal’, Alexis?

Neil Fissler adds that ‘City would have no problems in meeting the financial demands and career ambitions of Sanchez,’ and that they are ‘waiting in the wings to make a move for him if they get any signal that he is wavering from signing a contract’.

 

BOYS IN DAHOUD
What a big day it is for Neil Fissler and the Daily Express. They give us a main course of an Arsenal exclusive, but also provide a dessert in the form of a Liverpool exclusive. Fissler has an impressive book of contacts.

Although this one is hardly breaking news. The claim is that Jurgen Klopp will launch a £25million bid to sign Mahmoud Dahoud in January. Liverpool pursued the Borussia Monchengladbach forward throughout the summer, but could not quite strike a deal with the Bundesliga side. It is almost certain they retain an interest.

Where the exclusive is here, we are not sure. Fissler claims a) that Liverpool sent scouts to watch Dahoud against Manchester City in midweek, b) that he is refusing to sign a new contract with Gladbach, and c) he has a release clause of £8.3m which can be triggered in 2017. All of which is common knowledge.

 

BLUES CHASE BEN
Why not make it a hat-trick of exclusives? Contacts sure are busy on Sundays, aren’t they?

The final claim comes for Mike McGrath of The Sun, and it is a big one. Oh, it is massive. And really, really weird. Chelsea want Ben Davies for £20m.

‘But they just signed Marcos Alonso this summer,’ you say. They did indeed. So do they really need another left-back? Well, McGrath says that Antonio Conte wants Davies for both his ‘ability’ and for the fact he qualifies for the homegrown quota.

Davies’ performances for Wales in a three-man defence at Euro 2016 is believed to have piqued Conte’s interest, with Chelsea impressed by his ‘versatility and potential’. Ben Gibson of Middlesbrough and Michael Keane of Burnley are also targets, with the Blues forming plans for John Terry’s eventual departure.

 

AND THE REST
Manchester City are targeting a move for 19-year-old Jamaican forward Leon Bailey, currently at Belgian club Genk… Real Madrid are ready to sell Spain midfielder Isco, 24, who was a target for Spurs on transfer deadline day… Manchester United will target Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez, 21, as Jose Mourinho bids to bolster his defence… AC Milan are considering a compromise with Chelsea if the Blues decide to bid for Carlos Bacca, 30, by offering to swap the Colombia striker for Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, 29… AC Milan will have competition in their pursuit of Fabregas with Juventus and Inter Milan also interested… Liverpool, Tottenham, Southampton, Newcastle and Sunderland are monitoring the progress of highly rated Lens defender Jean-Kevin Duverne, 19.