HERE’S THE GOOD, the bad and unlikely football moves being talked about today.
Mark Hughes could be about to add to the Irish contingent at the bet365 stadium. The former QPR manager has reportedly made enquiries about the availability of Everton midfielder James McCarthy.
With Glenn Whelan signing a new deal with Stoke during the week, could we see the two Irish midfielders link up at the Potteries?
Another Irish midfielder could well be on the move this summer.
Derby County’s Jeff Hendrick won many admirers for his performances during Euro 2016, and Burnley manager Sean Dyche has upped his offer for the 24-year-old from £3.5 million to £6 million.
Pep Guardiola is looking to further freshen up his new Manchester City side, and feels that highly-rated Germany international Leroy Sane could be the man to help fire City to glory. A bid of £35 million for the Schalke forward appears to be imminent.
With Mehdi Benatia on the verge of joining Juventus form Bayern Munich, Leonardo Bonucci’s move to Eastlands could be one step closer.
As Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure and Jordan Ibe all head out the Liverpool exit door, it appears that striker Christian Benteke is willing to stay at Anfield and fight for his place, despite rumoured interest from Crystal Palace.
Another striker deemed surplus to requirements on Merseyside is Mario Balotelli, and with the Chinese Super League transfer window closing on Friday, a rumoured mega-money transfer to the Far East will need to move quickly.
Jurgen Klopp could be in the market for a new defender though, after Joe Gomez suffered an Achilles injury.
Steve Bruce is on the lookout for a new goalkeeper in this window, and the Tigers could be about to recruit Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall for £6 million. Ireland’s Keiren Westwood had been linked with a move to the KC Stadium earlier in the summer.
Georginio Wijnaldum wants to replace the Championship with Newcastle United for Champions League with Tottenham, but the asking fee of £25 million may see the White Hart Lane club look at other options.
Premier League new boys Middlesbrough have reportedly agreed the £8 million transfer of defender Neven Subotic from Borussia Dortmund. Thomas Tuchel could be ready to re-invest that money into the North East with a bid for Newcastle’s French international Moussa Sissoko.
One player that won’t be moving is West Ham’s Dimitri Payet, who has said he is “100% staying” with the Hammers.
Arsenal’s annual summer transfer fling with Gonzalo Higuain may be coming to an end for another year, with Italian champions Juventus lining up an £78 million bid for the 28-year-old.
Retro Deal of the Day
On this day 19 years ago, Danny Murphy joined his boyhood club Liverpool from Crewe Alexandra.
Under the guidance of Crewe manager Dario Gradi, Murphy played over 100 games in the Football League before linking up with Roy Evans at Anfield, although he would return to Crewe on a temporary basis the following season.
Deadly from set pieces, Murphy’s versatility made him an important member of the Liverpool squad during his seven years on Merseyside.
In 2001, he was part of the Liverpool side that won the cup treble, as the Reds went on to lift the UEFA Cup (now Europa League), the FA Cup and the League Cup in the same season.
If that wasn’t enough to make him a cult hero. Murphy also scored the winning goal for Liverpool at Old Trafford in three out of four seasons between 2000 and 2004.
The Chester-born midfielder won nine caps for England and went on to play for Charlton, Tottenham and Blackburn after leaving Liverpool.
But his most productive spell was with Fulham, leading the Cottagers to the 2010 Europa League final, where Roy Hodgson’s side lost to Atletico Madrid in the final after extra time.
Murphy is now part of the BBC’s punditry team, and was their pick to co-commentate the final of Euro 2016.
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