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Rumour Mill

Wenger move for Morata, Juve try to ignore all the cash in Manchester and more transfer gossip

Plus, a knock-on effect gives Liverpool competition for their latest target.

HERE’S THE GOOD, the bad and unlikely football moves being talked about today.

Manchester, the new centre of the football universe for fans of ugly managerial rivalries, where those handsome devils Mourinho and Guardiola seem to have charmed their way to the business end of the club purse-strings and they’re trying to empty the contents towards Turin.

Soccer Euro 2016 France 'Please let a big chunk of that 100 mil find its way to me...' Frank Augstein Frank Augstein

Manchester United are hoping to complete a hat-trick with agent Mino Raiola as they follow the acquisitions of Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan with the pursuit of Paul Pogba. The Guardian say the Frenchman’s preference is to go to Real Madrid, but whoever shells out the €100 (£84) million probably won’t be empty handed.

Perhaps comforted by the knowledge that sizeable chunk of change will come from Spain or England, Juventus happily rebuffed a €44.5 (£38) million offer, according to Sky, for the ultimate ball-playing centre half Leonardo Bonucci.

Soccer Euro 2016 Italy Spain Bonucci and Morata battle it out at the Euros. Manu Fernandez Manu Fernandez

Liverpool will have competition for Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski, say Talksport. The 22-year-old Pole is a target of Napoli who seem to have lost interest in signing Axel Witsel from Zenit St Petersburg because of the Premier League money, The Sun says, is being flashed by Everton and Chelsea.

Another arm-wrestle on the Reds’ table is the one for German left back Jonas Hector90min.com say Spurs also want the £17 million man from FC Köln.

While we’re in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg aren’t offering any markdowns on that £50 million price tag on Julian Draxler. So Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus (according to France Football) will have to dig deep.

Germany v Slovakia - UEFA Euro 2016 - Round of 16 - Stade Pierre-Mauroy Michel Spingler Michel Spingler

Just when you thought Alvaro Morata was certain to join Chelsea once he decided to leave Karim Benzema’s shadow, that wily old fox Arsene Wenger pops up and asks to be kept informed. The Evening Standard say Morata is Wenger’s primary back-up plan after failing to land Jamie Vardy, but with Chelsea unwilling to meet the £57M valuation, it’s unlikely Arsenal will either.

Dial the cost filter down a bit and The Telegraph has Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette tied up in a ribbon and bound for the Emirates once Arsenal give up on Morata.

Retro Deal of the Day

6 July, 1995: The Newcast-olution was well under way and another big piece of Kevin Keegan’s jigsaw was jetted from Seine-side to Tyneside for a cool £2.5 million.

ginrush David Ginola in July 1995, facing Rushden and Diamonds.

In an interview with FourfourTwo last year, David Ginola looked back on the time sounding like a man with quite a bit of regret, pondering what might have been if Johan Cruyff had gotten his wish to bring the winger from PSG to Barcelona.

The Frenchman says the Blaugrana could have only moved for him if they could unload Gheorghe Hagi and Hristo Stoichkov. That didn’t happen and Ginola committed to the Toon before Arsenal came sniffing around.

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