Transfer gossip: Real expect Bellingham chase to be ‘short and sweet’, Arsenal eye Chelsea winger

Ian Watson
Liverpool told of Bellingham alternatives

Liverpool are ‘not a good enemy’ for Real Madrid but the Spaniards still expect to win the race for Jude Bellingham. And they want him to bring a pal with him to the Bernabeu…

 

REAL PRIORITISE BELLINGHAM AND TARGET DORTMUND TEAM-MATE
With January in the rear view mirror, the focus immediately shifts to the summer. With much of it on Jude Bellingham…

Liverpool chose to mend and make do with their midfield through the remainder of the season, presumably with a move for Bellingham in mind. Manchester City are also known to be interested in the England star.

But Real Madrid present the biggest threat for Liverpool. AS says the European champions have made it clear to Bellingham that he is their biggest priority in the summer. Apparently ‘relationships between Real and Borussia Dortmund have been excellent for years’ and the Spaniards expect the process of buying the 19-year-old to be ‘short and satisfactory for both parties’.

The report, though, acknowledges that Liverpool are ‘not a good enemy’ for Real. It also notes that, after Bellingham, Florentino Perez will go after a striker. DefensaCentral says Real want to bring Karim Adeyemi with Bellingham from Dortmund.

 

AYEW ON 50/50 TO JOIN EVERTON
Everton can hardly afford to wait until the summer when they so desperately need reinforcements now. The Toffees shambled around on deadline day tying to find a striker, failing to persuade anyone currently in gainful employment to move to Goodison Park.

That has left Sean Dyche to trawl through free agents, with Andre Ayew perhaps the best of some largely unappealing options.

The Daily Mail says Ayew is due in England imminently for talks with Everton. But the Ghana forward is only ’50/50′ to join the Toffees, with it speculated that he could choose to reunite with ex-Swansea boss Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest.

The Times also suggests that Everton could move to sign Isco, who is looking for a club after a move to Union Berlin broke down on deadline day.

Read more: Liverpool and Everton transfer sh*tshows torn to shreds as Caicedo is January window loser

 

ARSENAL EYE ANOTHER RAID ON CHELSEA
Unlike Liverpool and Everton, Chelsea took care of business in January. Bloody loads of it. Which has left Graham Potter with a bloated squad.

Potter didn’t expect to have Hakim Ziyech kicking his heels around Cobham but the Blues scuppered the winger’s chance of a move to PSG with some administrative buffoonery. There are suggestions that Besiktas could give Ziyech a temporary escape route with the Turkish window still open.

Otherwise, the Moroccan will have to sit tight until the summer, when Chelsea will also welcome offers for Christian Pulisic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Guardian adds that Callum Hudson-Odoi is unlikely to stick around once he returns from his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen and that Arsenal are tracking the ex-England winger. Ben Chilwell could also become a target for Manchester City.