Transfer gossip: Arsenal the envy of world football; Chelsea v Liverpool, Manc clubs for Leao

Matt Stead
Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar

Edu Gaspar was once the subject of ridicule but the architect of the Arsenal rise is attracting interest in his work from across Europe now.

 

BAYERN IN BULK
With Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s Bayern Munich contract expiring at the end of the season, the German giants have started the painful and thankless process of trying to source a replacement.

“What a player! He played well for us and was a big part of our win today. He fights a lot, wins almost all of his duels,” said teammate Sadio Mane after Choupo-Moting scored one goal and set another up in the victory over Freiburg.

The truth is that they could never hope to find someone as good but Bayern are willing to settle for chief piss-boiler Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker is one of five strikers mentioned by Sky Sport in Germany – along with Marcus Thuram, Dusan Vlahovic, Lautaro Martinez and Jonathan David – as being on the Bundesliga champions’ radar.

Their interest seems to rely on Kane’s contract situation. His current deal expires in 2024 and while he himself directly responded to the Bayern links recently, negotiations are yet to really ramp up.

The chance to win trophies and experience ‘a change of air in the final third of his career’ are cited as temptations for Kane, who ‘can certainly imagine a move’ to Bavaria.

 

LAYING LEAO
Another player whose contract developments are being closely monitored by clubs across Europe is Rafael Leao. Italian outlet Calciomercato say that his renewal with AC Milan ‘is finding a thousand difficulties along the way’ and some teams may look to capitalise.

It is stressed that Leao wants to stay in Italy and Milan are working desperately to make that happen with a suitable financial offer. But Jorge Mendes is lurking and ‘cannot be forgotten’.

Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain ‘are the most vigilant’ of Leao’s potential suitors, but Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United remain in the running.

 

ED STRONG
Arsenal are the envy of every club in existence because we have apparently gone about two decades back in time. The current talk at the Emirates is of persuading Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli to extend their deals with the Premier League leaders but the man in charge of those negotiations is also attracting admiring glances.

Fabrizio Romano says technical director Edu is an option that some unnamed clubs are “exploring internally”. He emphasises that the Brazilian is not negotiating with any other team as he is “100% focused” on and happy at Arsenal.

These sides consider Edu to be a “potential candidate for the future” and they are “interested in his work, vision and ideas”. Romano is discreet when it comes to their identity and simply says “more than two clubs” are “asking around and exploring the situation”.

Edu has bloody well turned things round, to be fair.