Gossip: Manchester United to pay £95m for midfielder?

Daniel Storey

MAN UNITED TO PAY £95M FOR MIDFIELDER…
Before you get too excited, this is from the Sunday Express. Neil Fissler writes that Jose Mourinho is so impressed by Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic that he has made him a target for next summer and is prepared to eclipse the fee that Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba.

Milinkovic-Savic moved to Lazio for £16m in 2015, so it’s fair to say that his star has risen since then. Fissler writes that Lazio want £100m for the Serbian, but would be prepared to settle for £95m. Of course they bloody would.

 

…AND TO CONTINUE PERISIC PURSUIT
Elsewhere, in the Sun on Sunday Mike McGrath writes that it is Ivan Persic who is still on Manchester United’s radar, and that the Croatian will be targeted again in January. That makes a lot more sense.

Perisic signed a new five-year deal with Inter in the summer after his move to United collapsed. However, McGrath writes that the new contract was just a method of keeping his value high rather than an indication that Perisic would be staying at Inter.

If £45m really would do it, you suspect that United might just get it done. Even if Perisic will turn 29 shortly after signing.

 

STURRIDGE SET TO QUIT LIVERPOOL
On November 20, we heard that Daniel Sturridge was ready to quit Liverpool in January over concerns over his lack of regular football ahead of the World Cup. That’s not exactly how it works – Liverpool get to choose, not Sturridge – but you got the point. Sturridge’s agent was making noises.

Just over a fortnight later, and those noises are being repeated. ‘Daniel Sturridge set to quit Liverpool after being demoted to back-up to Reds’ in-form front four,’ reads the headline in the Sunday Mirror.

Sturridge has been told that he is behind the first-choice front four in the pecking order, and that’s enough to see him engineer a move away from Anfield. Newcastle makes so much sense I want to shout it from the rooftops.

 

ARSENAL WANT PSG YOUNGSTER
Hey there, want to know about Arsenal’s next superstar? Want to know who will replace Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez? Goncalo Guedes, that’s who.

Guedes is currently on a season-long loan deal at Valencia from Paris Saint-Germain, and will struggle to break into Unai Emery’s team upon his return. The Daily Mail say that PSG will look to sell him to balance their books, and that Arsenal have identified Guedes as the perfect option for them.

 

AND THE REST
Olivier Giroud wants a loan move from Arsenal in January… Real Madrid will make a move for Hugo Lloris at the end of the season… Raheem Sterling says that he won’t play for a London club, and would rather go abroad if he was to leave Manchester City… Chelsea will allow Michy Batshuayi to go out on loan in January… Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are interested in Augsburg left-back Philipp Max.