HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
IT LOOKS LIKE Barcelona are about to use a significant chunk of the Neymar money to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Frenchman Ousmane Dembele.
Several sources, including The Guardian, are reporting that there is an agreement in place between the clubs for the 20-year-old, who would become the second most-expensive player of all-time.
A crazy prospect when you consider he joined Dortmund from Rennes for just €15m a little over a year ago. Dembele’s former French club will also be due to receive up to €25m thanks to a sell-on clause.
Euro 2016 winner Renato Sanches didn’t enjoy the best of seasons in his first year at Bayern Munich, and the 20-year-old has been linked with several clubs in recent months.
The latest rumour has named Liverpool as a possible destination for the highly-rated midfielder.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of a number of Arsenal players in the final year of their contracts and the Telegraph suggest that Chelsea are confident of luring him away from the Gunners during the final week of this transfer window.
The report adds that the current Premier League champions have launched a £35m bid for his services.
Chelsea are also keen on taking Spanish striker Fernando Llorente from Swansea before next Thursday’s deadline. Antonio Conte knows the former Athletic Bilbao centre forward from their days at Juventus and they’ve reportedly offered the Swans around £15m.
West Brom have signed Scotland winger Oliver Burke from RB Leipzig. The 20-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal and will cost the Baggies in the region of £15m.
In some Irish news, Stevenage have taken Kevin Toner on a season-long loan from Aston Villa. The 21-year-old, who hails from Meath, will hope to gain first-team experience with the League Two outfit.
StevenageFC Official / Twitter
StevenageFC Official / Twitter / Twitter
Retro Deal of the Day
Manchester United got Denis Irwin from Oldham Athletic for an absolute bargain price of £625,000 in 1990.
The Corkman would go on to become one of the finest full-backs to ever grace English football — winning no less than seven Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup and the Champions League in 1999.
An Irish sporting legend, Irwin earned 56 caps for the Boys in Green and appeared at the 1994 World Cup.
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