HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today.
Irish defender Ciaran Clark could be on his way out of Villa Park as Newcastle United have met the €5.9 million release clause in his contract, reports the Daily Mail. Roberto Di Matteo insisted that the Irishman would be staying at the club last week, but Rafa Benítez is eager to revamp his squad ahead of the new Championship season and he may be about to steal the 26-year old out from under the Italian’s nose.
Reports in The Mirror reveal that German striker Mario Gomez is keen to leave Turkey due to the country’s unstable political situation. It is believed that West Ham are in the process of lining up an €8.3m bid for the Beşiktaş manas Slaven Bilic looks to bolster his side’s attack.
While Gomez may be on his way out of Turkey, Lucas Leiva could very well be on his way into the country. Although neither Klopp nor the player are over-anxious about a deal with Galatasaray, the guarantee of a starting place in Istanbul could be too appealing for the Brazilian to refuse. Galatasaray have reportedly been in contact with the Merseyside club over the duration of the summer and according to the Daily Mail, they will continue to badger the club in a bid to land the 29-year old.
Leroy Sane has officially joined Manchester City from Schalke on a five-year deal. The 20-year joins Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad Stadium for a fee believed to be in the region of €44 million, according to Sky Sports.
Chelsea are continuing their quest to bring Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge only two years after letting him go. Everton have already rejected a €67m bid stating that the Belgian striker will not be let go for anything under €88m. The Times reports that Chelsea are ready to make one more offer for the striker before eventually accepting defeat.
Jurgen Klopp has his eye on Italian defender Mattia De Sciglio and is willing to pay up to €20m for his services, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta di Parma. The 23-year old currently plays for AC Milan and could be just the man to solve Klopp’s current full-back woes.
Ronald Koeman’s Everton are believed to have agreed a deal with Swansea City for defender Ashley Williams. The Guardian reports that an €11.8m fee has been accepted by the Swans for the 31-year old who will most likely replace Man City-bound John Stones in the heart of the Everton defence.
Retro Deal of the Day
The 1998/1999 hadn’t been a great season for Thierry Henry in France. The Frenchman only managed one goal in 20 games for Monaco before moving to Juventus where he scored an unimpressive three goals in 16 appearances.
The striker didn’t exactly light up the 1998 World Cup either and failed to make the team for the latter stages of the tournament.
Henry had regularly played out of position, often playing on the wing, but a lack of form mean’t that he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to showcase his talents as a striker.
Arsene Wenger had given Henry his first professional contract at Monaco where he had blossomed into a dangerous goalscoring winger at the club under the French manager.
A £10m bid from Arsenal was pounced upon by Juventus but as events unfolded over the coming years, we would finally discover that it was probably the best value for money Wenger ever got.
Over the next eight years, the French striker would become Arsenal’s top scorer of all time hitting the net an astonishing 228 times before moving onto Barcelona.
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