Gossip: Spurs make two bids, Lukaku move in doubt

Ian Watson

SPURS FAIL IN TWO BIDS 
With the dust settling on their Champions League final defeat, Mauricio Pochettino is now looking for a signal of intent from Tottenham. Daniel Levy, apparently, is trying to make several with a number of bids for Pochettino’s most-wanted targets.

The only problem is, they are all being rejected. According to The Mirror, Levy has approached Real Betis and Lyon with offers for Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele but both have been unsuccessful.

The same story claims Spurs are serious about Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez and Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon but Levy has not gone so far yet as to even make a low-ball offer.

 

RAFA’S TWO TOON TARGETS
Rafael Benitez is another manager looking for proof of his club’s ambition. Like everyone else, Rafa is waiting to see what comes of the proposed takeover of Newcastle by the Bin Zayed Group, which very few people know anything about aside from the fact that it’s not fronted by Mike Ashley. And that’s good enough for most.

If the deal goes through, Benitez has a couple of targets in mind. One is from PSG but, sadly, it’s not Kylian Mbappe.

According to the Daily Express, Rafa fancies their third-choice keeper. Kevin Trapp impressed last season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt but the German appears no closer to Thomas Tuchel’s first team. If David de Gea rocks up in Paris this summer, Trapp might struggle to get a game for the reserves.

But the player Benitez really wants is Jan Hurtado. The 19-year-old Venezuela international currently plays for Gimnasia La Plata in Argentina and could be available for around £7million, which has also alerted Sampdoria, Atalanta and Marseille.

A teenager on the cheap and a keeper who can’t get on PSG’s bench. And Rafa has to wait for a takeover before being fed even those scraps…

 

INTER LUK-ING ELSEWHERE?
Inter Milan are also struggling to grant their manager’s wishes. Antonio Conte wants Romelu Lukaku and Man Utd would be happy to sell for £62million, according to reports in Italy. But The Sun reckons Inter need to raise around two-thirds of that figure before the end of this month just to avoid an FFP violation.

Apparently, Inter were hopeful of doing that by swapping Mauro Icardi and Paolo Dybala with Juventus, but Dybala wants no part of it. Inter thought of offering Icardi to United too, but the last thing the Red Devils need that dressing room is another bad egg.

News of Edin Dzeko agreeing personal terms with Inter is unlikely to make Lukaku’s path to Inter any smoother. Calcio Mercato claims the Roma striker has a deal in place over his salary and the 33-year-old is now waiting to see if the Nerazzurri can agree a fee with his club, who are said to be looking for around £18million.

 

AND THE REST
Kieran Trippier could be Maurizio Sarri’s first signing at Juventus… Xherdan Shaqiri wants to stay at Liverpool… Everton have offered Roma £24m for Cengiz Under… Valencia forward Rodrigo Moreno could be heading to Barcelona… Glenn Whelan may return to Stoke after being released by Aston Villa.