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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!
Ian McGarry on Philippe Coutinho
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move to Manchester United and according to journalist Ian McGarry, Barcelona are indeed looking to sell him.
He believes that the Catalans will accept a bid of €90 million and even though that would be a loss for them, his wages will be off the bill, freeing up some of it. He also added that it would be interesting to see the Brazilian’s next destination.
“The fee I’m told that Barcelona are looking for is not the same as the one they paid Liverpool more than 18 months ago,” he told The Transfer Window podcast.
“They would accept around €90m for the player, accepting the loss but getting the salary off of the wage bill at the Camp Nou.
“And I think it will be very interesting to see where Coutinho ends up.”
McGarry then added that Liverpool are certainly not among the options for Coutinho as the Reds don’t have the financial might to pull off a deal, coupled with the fact they don’t really need him and the bitterness surrounding the way he left the Merseyside.
“For those Liverpool fans who listen to us, I’m pretty certain that Liverpool’s not an option - both financially and I think that Jurgen Klopp believes he has a more balanced side now than he did when he had Coutinho in it.
“That was one of the reasons why he was allowed to go as well as the fact that the player agitated for the move.
“So it will be very interesting to see how that impacts on Neymar and also we might even see some other players leave PSG in the summer as well.”
Balague on Mane
Sadio Mane’s name has been doing the rounds with Real Madrid. However, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, Madrid can’t sign him because Liverpool won’t sell.
He also added that the Merengues wanted him last season and had talks with him but Zidane left and that is where it all ended. Mane’s contract has no release clause, which makes it almost impossible for Madrid to sign him.
“We do know for certain that Zidane wanted Mane to come [last] summer,” Balague said. “Conversations took place, as in Real Madrid showed interest in him.
“But of course Zidane left, and that was that. So it was an easy story to recover – and that’s what has happened.
“The story’s out there again but the problem is Liverpool have basically no interest whatsoever in getting rid of Mane.
“There is no buyout clause. There is no way to actually get Mane out of Liverpool. So with that in mind I would say that story is basically dead.”
Arsenal transfer update
Journalist David Ornstein has revealed that Arsenal could make up to 5 signings in the upcoming transfer window. He stated that the Gunners are looking for a midfielder to replace Aaron Ramsey.
On top of that, they want a winger, full-backs and probably a goalkeeper, which makes it easy to assume that the north Londoners are set to have a very busy summer this year in the transfer market.
"They’re definitely looking for a box-to-box midfielder to replace Aaron Ramsey. They’re still in the hunt for a winger. They may be looking for a full-back to cover Hector Bellerin, and of course Stephan Lichtsteiner was only signed on a one-year contract.
"They have been linked with left-backs as well. So there’s going to be a heavy period of recruitment ahead potentially at Arsenal. They need to bring in a goalkeeper for Petr Cech."
Manchester madness and Hazard
Manchester United are another club who are set to have a big summer in the transfer market this year. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is almost certain to sign a deal with the Red Devils to make him the permanent manager.
One of the areas that the Old Trafford outfit need to improve is defense. And according to Le10Sport, United have targeted a move for Ligue 1’s teenage sensation William Saliba of Saint-Etienne.
The idea is to buy him for around €30 million and loan him back to the French club.
Meanwhile, El Mundo Deportivo claim that while there is no truth in rumours linking Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, Eden Hazard is very likely to join the Merengues in the summer.
The Belgian’s contract ends in 2020, putting Chelsea in a very vulnerable position with regards to their star player.
