Gossip: Dybala’s Man Utd demands, Zaha wanted…
DYBALA NOT CONVINCED BY MAN UTD
Manchester United’s pursuit of Paulo Dybala isn’t quite a done deal, as The Daily Mail report that he’ll be demanding a wage of £350,000 a week. Everything else seems to be agreed: Romelu Lukaku can’t wait to leave Old Trafford for Juventus and the Italian club seem more than happy to let Dybala head in the other direction (there’s definitely an article in that decision, by the way), but Dybala seems less than sure.
Most likely, this will be another case of United having to pay way over the odds to convince a top-level player to drop into the Europa League. Especially so given that Dybala could certainly do better. Bayern Munich? Real Madrid? United can’t be his only option…
NAPOLI AFTER ZAHA
The Mail are also in on an unusual twist to the Wilfried Zaha saga. Arsenal have gone in a different direction, putting their eggs in the Nicolas Pepe basket, while Everton don’t seem likely to bother Crystal Palace with a follow-up bid after their initial approach was rejected. Napoli might be about to get serious though: Adrian Kajumba reports that Carlo Ancelotti is a big fan of Zaha, that the player is now very keen on moving abroad, and that the Italian club will submit a bid in the region of £60m.
It might take a little more than that, though, because Palace seem determined to get their asking price for Zaha.
And this could potentially get quite nasty as a result. Zaha obviously made it known that he grew up supporting Arsenal, so will naturally be disappointed at missing out on that move. If he’s denied again – and again because of this astronomical and slightly unrealistic valuation – relations between him and Palace could turn acrimonious in a hurry.
MALCOM HEADING TO RUSSIA
Barcelona winger Malcom has been chased by several Premier League clubs this summer and last – Spurs and Everton each pricked up an ear at one point or another – but he’s off to Russia according to Goal. It’s an interesting one, because Ernesto Valverde has never really given him a chance, and now seems happy to pack him off for a cheap and cheerful £35m.
Malcom has made just 24 appearances for Barcelona since they snatched him away from Roma at the eleventh hour in the summer of 2018. It’s actually a good return for the club on a player whose stock has plummeted, but being willing to move to Zenit for a large contract at the age of 22 perhaps suggests that he isn’t really built for the top-tier of European football.
AND THE REST
Giovani Lo Celso has agreed personal terms with Tottenham…Arsenal are after Juventus defender Daniele Rugani on loan….George Honeymoon is joining Hull City… Bayern Munich are getting in an ethical muddle over Leroy Sane… Laurent Koscielny still really, really, really wants to leave Arsenal and return to France.
