Welcome to our daily transfer rumours round-up. Arsenal are once again making the headlines today with German media convinced of a £42million signing while their other top priority target has publicly turned down the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been rejected by their Belgian target while Gabriel Barbosa’s next destination was revealed earlier today by Santos’ President.
On that note, here are the most popular transfer news and rumours doing the rounds on August 20th.
Serie A
- Santos President Modesto Roma has confirmed that only Juventus and Inter made offers for Gabriel Barbosa, the rest are lies. Speaking with Esporte Interactivo, Roma said: “Officially we have only received two, from Juventus and Inter. The rest is lies.”
- According to O Jogo, the Joao Mario saga could be over today with Sporting CP announcing his transfer to Inter. This transfer saga has gone on for weeks now which is expected to be brought to an end today with Mario joining Inter for a deal close to €45million including bonuses.
- Arsenal and Chelsea target Mauro Icardi is expected to sign a new Inter contract to June 2021, but it will include a release clause worth over €80m. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the new deal will run until June 2021 and will be worth €5m per year.
Bundesliga
- According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Wolfsburg are ready to accept Arsenal’s bid of £41.9m for their star Julian Draxler. Bundesliga club have now accepted that Draxler wants to leave and it is best to accept the enormous bid Arsenal have offered.
- According to Sky Sports, Werder Bremen are interested in a move for Celtic left-back Emilio Izaguirre. Long-term Celtic star is actively looking for a new club in search of first-team football with Bremen ready to offer him an escape route away from Celtic Park.
- Juventus have now turned their attention to Wolfsburg midfield star Luiz Gustavo after their move for PSG’s Blaise Matuidi has fallen through. Gazzetta dello Sports are reporting that Serie A Champions are still looking for Paul Pogba’s replacement who joined Manchester United earlier this summer.
English Premier League
- Christian Benteke was officially unveiled as a Crystal Palace player after he completed his medical and agreed personal terms with the Premier League side. Expected fee for Benteke’s transfer is reported to be in the region of £32million including bonuses.
- Sporting Lisbon have agreed a loan deal for Arsenal forward Joel Campbell and the Costa Rican will move to Portugal for the rest of the season. Campbell was not guaranteed first team action by Arsene Wenger this season which prompted the youngster to seek a move away from Emirates.
- Romelu Lukaku has reportedly snubbed a move to Chelsea in favor of extending his stay at Goodison Park. Everton have turned down several offers for Lukaku and Daily Mirror are reporting that Lukaku has been convinced by Ronald Koeman’s work at the club and is willing to stay with the Merseyside Club.
La Liga
- Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has no plans of selling Jose Gimenez this summer, despite an interest from Arsenal and Napoli. According to Marca, Gimenez is keen to quit Vicente Calderon but Simeone has promised him first team action this season.
- Munir El Haddadi’s agent admits his client could leave Barcelona this summer. Barcelona are looking to bring a new striker to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window. Speaking with Goal, Munir’s agent said: “Barcelona told us their intention was to sign a new striker. Munir has to understand that it could compromise his sporting chances and stack things against him.”
Rest of Europe
- Newcastle United keeper Tim Krul could be set for a move to Ajax this summer after Barcelona agreed a move for Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen. According to Chronicle, Ajax are now keen to sign Krul, who is valued in the region of €4million. Manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed that he will not stand in the player’s way if he wants a transfer away from St. James’ Park.
- Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette has denied the possibility of joining Arsenal this summer. The French striker has admitted that he is happy in Ligue 1 and is not looking for a move away from Lyon. The 25-year-old striker has started the season on fire by scoring 5 goals in just 2 games.
- West Ham are one of three clubs chasing Newcastle star Daryl Janmaat, according to a report from The Chronicle. Janmaat is willing to quit Championship football in favor of Premier League and has been assured by Newcastle that they will accept an offer for Dutch international star.
