When it rains it pours for Arsenal: Serge Aurier quite fancies joining them and Cedric Soares has no intention of leaving.
SERGE OF ADRENALINE
Here is a double blow for Arsenal in terms of right-backs: Serge Aurier wants to join and Cedric Soares would like to stay.
Aurier is searching for a new club after securing a mutual termination of his Tottenham contract and Sky Sports claim he ‘wants to stay in England’. On top of that, ‘Arsenal are one of a number of clubs that have been made aware of his preference’ and the Ivorian ‘would consider’ crossing the north London divide.
There is no indication that the feeling is mutual. Takehiro Tomiyasu moved to Arsenal on deadline day and the centre-half can fill in at right-back so Mikel Arteta might deem that as a position not worth reinforcing.
But Ekrem Konur of Calcio In Pillole and Fichajes seems to believe Arteta has approved a prospective deal and the Gunners will ‘start talks’ in due course. Never heard of the guy, pretty sure one of those outlets is made up and the other has a terrible reputation for this sort of thing, but he has a tick on Twitter so #WelcomeAurier. He probably already has the Arsenal shirt anyway.
Serge Aurier in an ARSENAL shirt #AFC pic.twitter.com/doJO1S3kiE
— The Arsenal (@davidhickman14) May 5, 2014
MARCA THE MAN
Are you bored of Erling Haaland updates yet? We have another year left of this and his Borussia Dortmund release clause hasn’t even been activated. Strap in.
After the suggestion that Manchester United have made the striker their ‘priority’ signing comes the insistence that Real Madrid are part of the chasing pack. Spanish newspaper Marca forecast ‘a new Galactico strikeforce’ of Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Real failed to procure Mbappe from PSG this summer but ‘expect’ to agree a pre-contract with the forward at the earliest opportunity: January 1 of next year. The lack of a transfer fee means they can also not be ruled out of the Haaland race and Marca say ‘positive’ talks have been held between player and club.
Haaland is ‘excited’ by the idea of joining Real and Los Blancos believe their good relationship with Dortmund can play in their favour. Do they realise that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not their manager?
RICE SIMMERING AWAY
West Ham might fancy trying their luck and opening contract negotiations early on Friday morning as Declan Rice wakes up after his first beer. The midfielder was excellent for England against Hungary but gave every mother ever heart palpitations by drinking from a cup despite not knowing its contents.
The Hammers could try and talk him down from his request to include a release clause in any new contract. West Ham have been trying to extend and improve Rice’s deal all summer to no avail, with 90Min claiming it might be contingent on an exit route being included.
Rice wants to ensure he can leave if an adequate offer is received but West Ham ‘have a rule of not including release clauses in contracts’. In any event, it seems likely this will be his last season in east London, until and unless West Ham win the Premier and Europa League double.
