HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
With Chelsea linked with just about every professional footballer on the planet at the moment, Roma’s sporting director, Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo — Monchi to his friends — has refused to rule about the prospect of the defending Premier League champions signing both Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri.
The former Manchester City striker, 31, finished as top-scorer in Serie A last season with 29 goals and Antonio Conte is also said to see 23-year-old Palmieri as an alternative option to Marcos Alonso on Chelsea’s left flank.
And, according to the Metro, Monchi has suggested that the club are seriously considering Chelsea’s proposal.
Elsewhere, the Mirror are reporting that Manchester United’s owners are on high alert after 23-year-old Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, turned down the chance to join Real Madrid. This has once again sparked fears that the Spanish giants will turn their attentions to David de Gea.
Manchester City academy chief, Brian Marwood, is said to have personally evaluated the highly-rated Lille and France U19 midfielder Boubakary Soumare, who has been described as the new Paul Pogba according to the Daily Mail.
Finally, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been spotted in Dortmund according to the Express, as he attempts to finalise a deal for Gabon attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The German club reportedly want in excess of €62 million for their star.
Retro Deal of the Day: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Manchester United
The Baby-Faced Assassin joined Manchester United in 1996 for a fee of £1.5 million from Molde in a surprise move as many fans thought Alan Shearer would be the focus of Alex Ferguson’s transfer plans that summer.
However, if he was unheralded upon his arrival, the Norwegian striker left the club as a cult hero. Of his 91 goals in 235 appearances for United, the most important undoubtedly came in the dying moments of the 1999 Champions League final when he scored the winning goal to help the Old Trafford outfit secure the title.
While injury plagued the latter half of his career with United, he still won six Premier League medals and two FA Cups in addition to that European title.
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