HERE’S YOUR DAILY dose of transfer gossip as the madness of the summer transfer window begins and who better to guide us through the latest talks, hoodwinks and handshakes than ‘Arry himself.
Just don’t use the words wheelin’ or dealin’, alright?
Gerrard 2.0? Liverpool have reportedly agreed terms with Inter Milan for the transfer of 21-year-old midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian youngster was deployed in a deep midfield role by Roberto Mancini this year but is most adept at playing just off a striker. The fee is rumoured to be around €22 million, somewhat more than they paid for James Milner, Danny Ings and Adam Bogdan.
Done deal: The Daily Star scream ‘DONE DEAL’ on their headline as they claim that Radamel Falcao has agreed to join Chelsea. The striker has been flaunted around Europe since his departure from Manchester United, with both parties set to announce the deal next week.
Cech mate: Petr Cech will hold talks with Chelsea officials when he returns to the club today following international duty with the Czech Republic over the weekend. While Chelsea would rather sell Cech to PSG, the 33-year-old is keen to stay in London where his family have settled, and would prefer a move to Arsenal. €15 million is the reported figure in the Daily Star.
Gone already: Well that didn’t go very well, did it? After shelling out €35 million on Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado in January, Chelsea look to be ready to cut their losses and sell. Inter and Roma are credited with an interest, but the Stamford Bridge club will probably take a massive hit on their initial outlay. His agent was at the Champions League final discussing a move apparently.
Done and Dost’ed: Newcastle are short on firepower, and according to the Daily Mirror, new Magpies boss Steve McClaren has targeted Wolfsburg striker Bas Dost. The Dutch international will command a fee north of €12 million, but had a superb season for the Germans in which he scored 19 goals.
Incoming: Hoffenheim midfielder Roberto Firmino is a man in demand this summer and according to his agent he is on his way to the Premier League. The Brazilian has scored 14 goals this season for club and country and that has led to interest from Manchester United and Liverpool. United are in pole position however.
Scuppered: According to the Metro, Liverpool have got in the way of Chelsea signing Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa. The Blues have long been interested in the Brazilian but now Brendan Rodgers would like to add him to his midfield. It would be a nice change after Chelsea signed Mohammed Salah and Willian ahead of the Merseyside club, but it doesn’t look at all likely.
Sponsors: In an odd piece of transfer gossip, the Manchester Evening News have got excited about tweets from Manchester United’s official sponsor BWIN. They tweeted a picture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, welcoming him to United. The tweets were quickly deleted by the account.
Zlatan: This is one to get Premier League fans’ pulses racing – Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be on his way to England. The striker said in an interview with Channel 5 that ”the older I get, the more I have to think differently about choosing a club.” This has alerted Manchester United and Chelsea to his availability.