BUYING OR SELLING: FOOTBALL RUMOURS (16th June)
The transfer window has officially opened with clubs frantically attempting to get their business done early. Don’t expect too much activity this week with an international break already underway, but things should start heating up towards the end of June.
We’ve scoured the internet for the most prominent rumours doing the rounds and whether there is any merit or substance to them, or whether they’re complete nonsense. Either way it’s time to buy or sell all of this week’s biggest stories.
Man City to rival Arsenal for Declan Rice
Just a few days after Declan Rice inspired West Ham to European glory in the Conference League, club chairman David Sullivan publicly revealed that they had agreed to let the England international leave the club. Let the bidding war commence.
Just a week on and Arsenal were first to make their move with a reported £80 million + offer, only for West Ham to knock that back immediately. Man City have now entered the fray with Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva set to leave the club.
Arsenal have a more pressing need to acquire Rice whereas City have options. Mateo Kovačić has been linked to the treble winners, but with a plethora of midfielders already at the club, a £100m transfer seems unlikely. Arsenal should land the 24-year-old.
Sell
Tottenham remain in David Raya hunt despite steep asking price
Brentford may have already pulled off the coup of the summer by signing Freiburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken for a measly £11m. Where the Bees made the signing in anticipation of David Raya leaving the club remains to be seen, but the Netherlands international arrives having helped the German club qualify for Europe while keeping 13 clean sheets in 34 Bundesliga matches - the highest tally in the division.
Tottenham are well and truly in the hunt for a new number one having seen Hugo Lloris’ form fall off a cliff over the past few seasons. The Frenchman has been at the club for over a decade and has captained club and country, but his time at Spurs is coming to an end following a number of notable clangers during the 2022/23 season.
Brentford have reportedly set a £40 million price tag with Tottenham reluctant to reach that figure. Thomas Frank might want to squeeze their London rivals for every penny, but with just one year left on Raya’s contract can they really afford to play hard ball? You can’t help but feel the two sides can reach a compromise somewhere.
Buy
Chelsea stepping up their pursuit of Brighton’s Caicedo
Chelsea remain in pole position to sign Brighton’s Ecuadorian midfielder, but it certainly won’t come cheap, then again under Todd Boehly money does not appear to be an object for the Blues.
The Seagulls turned down approaches from Chelsea and Arsenal in January with a fee of £80 million the reported asking price. Caicedo was vocal about his desire to leave, but with two years left on his deal and the club having already sold Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool, Brighton can afford to hold out.
Alternatively, Chelsea are willing to swap players for the midfielder but will not offer Levi Colwill who has already been the subject of a bid from the Seagulls. You’d expect Chelsea to either pay full price or accept letting Colwill leave as part of the deal.
Buy
Newcastle step up efforts to sign Barella
The idea of Newcastle pushing to sign Italy international Nicolo Barella would certainly send the Toon Army into hysterics. A £50 million price tag has been widely questioned since the rumours began to surface, especially as this season has marked Barella’s fifth consecutive inclusion in the Serie A Team of the Year and was crowned best midfielder in Serie A for the second time in his career.
Eddie Howe is keen to add quality in his engine room, but previous spending over the past few transfer windows may prohibit Newcastle from a vast spending spree. Barella is a fan of Inter Milan and has been part of a domestic cup double winning side this past year that narrowly lost out to Man City in the Champions League.
Newcastle would certainly be interested in someone who at just 26 is as good as they come in his position. But having previously held an active interest in the likes of Leicester’s James Maddison, there could be other options to explore.
Sell
Grealish treble celebrations ‘went too far’
Man City managed to complete a remarkable treble last weekend with the club finally getting over the line in the Champions League. The celebrations were, as you would expect, fairly lively considering the team’s achievements over the campaign.
Jack Grealish in particular led the festivities heading to Ibiza with large contingent of City players joining the England international. It drew media attention with Gareth Soutgate commenting that ‘there is a line’ to the midfielder’s celebrations after selecting him in his England squad to face Malta and North Macedonia.
There is indeed a line, but in this case Grealish deserves a reprieve. After 50 appearances in all competitions, not to mention having played in Qatar at the World Cup, maybe there is far too much expectation on players in modern times with a scandalously bloated fixture list. The likes of Grealish could’ve been rested for this particular England squad, especially with so many other quality options available to Southgate against ‘lesser’ opposition with all due respect to Malta and North Macedonia.
Sell
Kylian Mbappe will leave PSG this summer
With just one year remaining on his contract, superstar forward Kylian Mbappe has dropped a bombshell by declining a one-year extension to his contract.
The news has alerted the biggest clubs on the planet, but realistically there are only a handful of clubs who could afford him in the current market. Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid would potentially all be interested in signing the French international, though only the latter has previously made an offer for the 24-year-old.
Mbappe has been frustrated with PSG’s inability to win the Champions League despite assembling an all-star squad. Any fee involved would have to exceed £100 million and then some, leaving the aforementioned clubs scrambling to find the funds. Any such deal would be inconceivable this summer leaving the option of Mbappe walking away from PSG on a free this summer. PSG wouldn’t stand for that, leaving some form of reconciliation the only likely outcome.
