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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!
Marcotti on De Ligt
Matthijs De Ligt is perhaps the most coveted player in Europe right now and according to journalist Gabrial Marcotti, his agent Mino Raiola is trying to get clubs to start a bidding war for him.
Marcotti claims that Raiola has offered him to Barcelona and Real Madrid and has also used the media to link him to the Red Devils. And while Marcotti cited reports from England claiming that United are out of the race, he believes that Barcelona will find it financially hard to buy De Ligt.
“He’s trying to create an auction right, so he’s punted De Ligt to Real Madrid, he’s linked him to Manchester United, he’s offered him of course to Barcelona,” he said.
“Some reports in England say United are pulling out of the race for De Ligt, that all seems to be up in the air. But I think it’s a numbers game for Barca frankly. They’ve already spent a ton of money on Frenkie de Jong.
“They definitely can spend money to reinforce the squad but if you’re going to spend €80million on De Jong and you’re going to go after [Antoine] Griezmann who’s probably going to cost you north of €120m as well, then it becomes difficult to also add De Ligt.
He then added that unless the Catalans let go of star players like Philippe Coutinho or Ivan Rakitic, it will be hard for the rumours to go away.
“Unless you sell the likes of [Philippe] Coutinho, of [Ivan] Rakitic, [Jasper] Cillessen is another one who is probably going to go.
“Unless you sell all these guys at big, big numbers, and that’s frankly a little bit difficult to do right now. So De Ligt is still out there, not committed yet.”
Alderweireld on exit rumours
Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld has spoken about his future at the club. The Belgian has been linked with a move to United as he is available for only £25 million in the summer transfer window this year.
However, according to the superstar himself, he doesn’t think he is going to go anywhere. Indeed, Alderweireld revealed that his main focus is on Tottenham, which is why he has been able to perform well this season and he thinks that he will be at Spurs next year as well.
“I’m going to say the same thing that I’ve been saying for the past couple of years,” Alderweireld said.
“The only focus is Spurs, because of this focus I think I had a good season as well. I have one year left on my contract, so in my head, I will play for Spurs next season.”
Manchester madness part I
Yes, today, there is a lot of madness surrounding Manchester, which is why we need two slides for it. It is expected; after all, the Red Devils do need a major overhaul while the Etihad outfit are always up to something.
Starting with Manchester United, the Old Trafford outfit are eying a move for veteran forward Robert Lewandowski. The forward might be in his 30s but United are reportedly dreaming about him.
Meanwhile, according to MEN, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given the club a deadline by which they must sell the unwanted players in the squad.
The deadline is next year and Solskjaer has already informed Ed Woodward about the players he wants moved by the time the 2020-21 season comes in. The four players that United may sell are Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku.
Manchester madness part II
More about Manchester United and a bit about City. The Red Devils had earlier been linked with former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho, who is enduring a difficult time at Barcelona right now.
And now, according to reports, the Brazilian, rated at €100 million, actually handed a transfer request to the club around 3 months ago. El Pais further add that he won’t be considering Manchester United out of respect for Liverpool and would be keen on a move to Chelsea or PSG.
Finally, we come to Manchester City. The Etihad outfit have a player that is wanted by Bayern Munich – and when that happens, the affair becomes public due to the open nature of the Bavarians.
However, Bayern may have to pay a lot as City want in excess of £100 million for their talented youngster Leroy Sane.
This will be interesting.
Story of the day
The story of the day usually involves Real Madrid as the Galacticos are set to ravage the Premier League this summer. While the Merengues might not be directly involved here today, they do play a part.
According to reports from Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo wants a Real Madrid target at Juventus. As you may – or may not – have guessed it already, that player is none other than former Old Lady star Paul Pogba.
The Frenchman has been linked with a move away from United and while Real Madrid have been the main suitors, his €160 million price tag is a problem for the Merengues.
As a result, Juventus are looking to take advantage and can do so by offering the services of Paulo Dybala in return for the Frenchman. The crazy season has well and truly begun.
