Transfer rumour ranking: Man Utd eye another Brazil midfielder, Liverpool’s Barcola blow
Man Utd are back on the trail of a different Brazil midfielder amid doubts over Ederson, while Arsenal seem to be leading the race for Bradley Barcola…
With so much transfer talk doing the rounds, we’re here again through the summer to sift through the bullsh*t and highlight the whispers that might have some substance.
Each day we’re ranking the top 20 rumours involving Premier League clubs, the higher the link, the more likely we feel they are to become done deals.
So we start with the tittle-tattle…
20) Neco Williams – Nottingham Forest to Manchester United
Apparently both United and Newcastle are keen on Williams who has been discussing a contract renewal with Forest. Oh. Carry on.
19) Dinos Mavropanos – West Ham United to Arsenal
Arsenal are among a gaggle of clubs said to be looking at the Hammers centre-back, who left the Emirates four years ago for Stuttgart before they flipped him to West Ham. Apparently, Mikel Arteta wants some competition for his centre-backs. Mavropanos was decent last season, but… sounds a lot like agent talk to us.
18) Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa to Fenerbahce
Odd one, this. Reports in Turkey suggest Fenerbahce have agreed personal terms to sign the England striker, with only an £8.5million gap to bridge between valuations as Villa seek £35million for the 30-year-old. We’re sceptical because if Watkins was available at that price, there would be more of a scramble for his signature, even if he is now into his 30s which, in football years, is ancient and decrepit.
17) Randal Kolo Muani – PSG to Crystal Palace
After an underwhelming loan spell at Tottenham last season, Kolo Muani will almost certainly be on the move away from Paris again this summer. A move to Juventus ‘has stalled once again in recent days’, according to reports in France, because of the financial constraints at the Italian club. And the Frenchman could now slip through the Old Lady’s fingers and into Crystal Palace’s arms, as the Eagles have ‘already expressed strong interest’ in the 27-year-old. Spurs are also said to be interested in re-signing the forward which seems… odd.
16) Bradley Barcola – PSG to Liverpool
With Yan Diomande seemingly destined for PSG, Liverpool are turning to the Parisians for an alternative, with Barcola now ‘top of their list’. Aside from nothing being likely to happen before France are finished at the World Cup, the Reds have two concerns: PSG’s desire for a hefty price; and Arsenal’s interest in Barcola as a possible alternative to Morgan Rogers. There are reports Barcola prefers London over Liverpool.
15) Christos Tzolis – Club Brugge to Arsenal
Apparently, Arsenal are still sweet on the winger, regardless of whether they sign Bradley Barcola or Morgan Rogers. With Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli both possibly on their way, we could see the Gunners going for Tzolis too, but they certainly won’t get all three. Will they?
14) Ederson – Atalanta to Manchester United
There certainly seems to be some truth in the rumours around the Ederson deal. Romano claimed it was dead on Friday night but other sources suggest not. Reading between the lines, it seems United saw something in his medical they don’t like and they are probably now trying to restructure the terms.
13) Joao Gomes – Wolves to Manchester United
Amid talk of the Ederson deal falling through, United are back on the trail of the Wolves midfielder they were heavily linked with in January. United know they aren’t limited to Brazilian midfielders, right? Gomes was set to join Atletico but Jorge Mendes ballsed it up. If the Ederson move isn’t happening, this seems entirely feasible.
12) Ayyoub Bouaddi – Lille to Manchester City
We tipped Bouaddi as one of our breakout stars of the World Cup and, not to brag, but we might have been onto something. The midfielder has been a frequent starter for Morocco so far and now there’s background talk of a move to Manchester City. He won’t be the only option on their shortlist for the midfield but at the age of 18 could be a shrewd long-term pickup. With Morocco now out of the tournament, this one might pick up pace very swiftly.
11) Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa to Arsenal
Plenty of briefing going on here, it would seem, with Arsenal claiming to be confident, while Villa are said to be insisting on £130million for the England star, whose preference is to join the Gunners. Indeed, personal terms are already reported to be agreed but negotiating with Villa will not be as easy. Nothing is likely to happen while England remain at the World Cup and after that, we’re just not sure Arsenal are as motivated as Villa want them to be,
10) Eli Junior Kroupi – Bournemouth to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham are certainly keen on the Bournemouth striker and it seems they are will to show the same intent they displayed with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Spurs are said to be ready to offer £75million but our info is they are prepared to go even higher to land the 20-year-old.
9) Maxence Lacroix – Crystal Palace to Chelsea
Talks have supposedly been smooth between Chelsea and Palace for Lacroix, who could cost around £35million, but this one is on hold for now while the Eagles source a replacement and the defender waits for a World Cup winner’s medal with France.
8) Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle to Arsenal
The Newcastle captain has told the Toon he wants to go but, apparently, he won’t force it by going the full Isak. So this one depends on how serious Arsenal are. If they really want Guimaraes, they need to make Newcastle an offer they can sell to their supporters. It definitely won’t start with a six and not likely a seven either.
MORE Arsenal could offer Tonali money and Bruno Guimaraes may still be a bargain…
7) Savinho – Manchester City to Tottenham
This one has been rumbling on for 12 months with Tottenham looking to sign the Brazilian in the last two transfer windows. Man City now seem willing to do business as Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Savinho will be Spurs’ ‘next big’ signing if they can agree a deal with the Citizens. Tottenham ‘keep working’ towards a conclusion after already bringing in six new faces this summer…
6) Johan Manzambi – Freiburg to Newcastle United
The Magpies are said to have agreed a fee with Freiburg for a midfielder they have been tracking for some time. The fear, though, is that perhaps they should have made a decisive move before Manzambi thrived at the World Cup where he’s scored three goals and created two more for Switzerland, alerting everyone else to his talents. Newcastle remain favourites – for now – but they’ve been here before only to end up covered in custard.
5) Leandro Trossard – Arsenal to Besiktas
4) Pep Chavarria – Rayo Vallecano to Chelsea
Fabrizio Romano says personal terms have been ‘agreed’ but that’s always the easy bit. Chelsea seem to be having more trouble with Rayo Vallecano, who turned down one bid and are in receipt of another. One report suggests Chelsea’s second offer is worth £15million, so you can’t blame the Spanish club for seeking to squeeze the Blues after they sold their last left-back for more than £50million.
3) Alvaro Rodriguez – Elche to Bournemouth
It was reported over a week ago that Bournemouth had agreed a deal to sign Rodriguez from Elche but it’s gone quiet around the 21-year-old Real Madrid academy graduate since then. There’s no suggestion the deal has broken down. There’s just no suggestion of anything.
2) Luka Vuskovic – Tottenham Hotspur to Brighton
Having been patient to agree a £46million plus £4million deal with Tottenham, Brighton seem to be taking their sweet time to get Vuskovic signed and unveiled. The Croatia defender’s World Cup finished a week ago, so we can expect an announcement imminently.
1) Andrey Santos – Chelsea to Manchester United
A fee of £50m does feel pretty steep but United seem to have got a midfielder they have been linked with for some time, with the Brazilian having completed his medical on Thursday. All done bar the unveiling.