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Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer news and rumours of the day! Here are the top stories of the day surrounding the Premiership!
Rakitic speaks about his future
Manchester United target Ivan Rakitic has claimed that he is happy with the signing of Frenkie De Jong at Barcelona. The former Sevilla star has been linked with a move away from the Camp Nou but it seems as though he doesn’t want to leave.
The Croat claimed that he is elated with the fact that the Catalans opted to strengthen the team by acquiring the services of the midfielder and is of the opinion that the Dutchman’s arrival won’t change his importance at the club since his position is occupied.
"I'm glad they signed him [De Jong] up," Rakitic told Mundo Deportivo.
"First of all there is a young boy who is playing very well and I am glad that the club continues to strengthen. Every good player that can arrive, delighted.
"But also everyone has their place," he continued. "He arrives but I am convinced that he will not arrive for my position, my position is occupied.”
He also wished the young Dutchman good luck prior to joining the team and also stated that the two don’t actually play in the same role, which is why he doesn’t understand why they are concerning De Jong to him.
"I wish you good luck and I respect you one hundred percent. Besides, he is playing in another position that is not mine, so I do not understand why they relate him to me.”
Finally, he added that he is glad with De Jong’s arrival at Barcelona.
"I'm glad you come. I hope you have good morning now that you are in Barcelona, that you enjoy and are welcome."
Varane on Pogba
Paul Pogba has been linked with a move to Real Madrid ever since Zinedine Zidane took over the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu. And now, Raphael Varane has spoken about the potential of the United star joining.
The Frenchman claimed that while he can’t reveal the content of the discussions with his compatriot, he thinks that every great player has a place with the Merengues.
He also added that there is a lot of competition at Real Madrid and that we can only wait until August to see what happens with the situation surrounding Pogba
"I can't say what I talk to [Pogba] about, but any great player has a place at Madrid and he is one," Varane told Marca.
"In Madrid there is a lot of competition. It is a possibility, there is a lot of noise around and we will see in August where he is."
Newcastle and Spurs
Newcastle United survived the drop this season and it is now time for them to evaluate their options in the transfer market and strengthen their team as much as possible.
And according to Sky Sports, the Magpies are interested in acquiring the services of Liverpool star Harry Wilson, who had a great season on loan with Derby in the Championship, scoring 18 goals and providing 6 assists.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier has been linked with a move away from the London outfit with a plethora of clubs interested in the Englishman.
According to reports, La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid want to sign Trippier from Spurs and are willing to pay €25 million to the London outfit. Given that he hasn’t had the best of seasons, Spurs might be willing to cash in on the English defender.
Watch this space.
Manchester madness
There simply can’t be a transfer roundup at this point of time without Manchester clubs leading from the front. While Manchester City don’t really need huge signings, United do need a major overhaul in the summer.
With that in mind, we start off with United. According to a report from Football Insider, Manchester United have made a first bid for Stoke City youngster Nathan Collins, which is worth around £7 million.
Moving to the blue half, Manchester City don’t really have many positions to improve as the only place they need an addition is in midfield due to the aging of Fernandinho.
As a result, they have targeted Atletico Madrid’s Rodri, who is also being tracked by Barcelona as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets’ place at the Camp Nou. However, the Citizens are in the lead to sign the player who is wanted by Messi.
Story of the day
And once again, the story of the day goes to Manchester United – they, along with Real Madrid, might just be the club that could have the busiest summer in Europe.
One of the major areas of improvement for the Red Devils is the defense. They have been linked with a plethora of talented superstars but failed to sign anybody.
Among them all, the most they were linked with was Kalidou Koulibaly and according to reports, the Red Devils are back in the hunt for the Napoli superstar, who is among the very best defenders in the world.
The Senegalese was also linked to Real Madrid but Manchester United have made a sensational bid of €110 million. However, Napoli have rejected it as they want €125 million for him – a price that doesn’t seem to scare the Red Devils.
