Paper Talk
Paris Saint-Germain are convinced they are winning the fight to snatch Angel Di Maria from Manchester United after just one season. They believe the 27-year-old has already told United that he wants to leave Old Trafford.
Manchester United are continuing to track developments with Argentina World Cup goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who is a free agent after leaving Sampdoria last month.
Edinson Cavani is 'ignoring' Manchester United speculation after PSG promised the Uruguayan forward a central striking spot.
Jose Mourinho will step up his chase for Everton's John Stones this week after insisting: "One more defender and Chelsea will be ready for anything next season".
Chelsea are ready to let £23.3million Juan Cuadrado leave after just seven months at Stamford Bridge - but only if they get their money back for him.
Newcastle will take their summer spending to £26million on Monday by completing a £11.5m deal for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
West Ham are scouring the European market for a new striker, with Andy Carroll expected to be missing until October as his injury jinx continues.
Borussia Dortmund have once again told Arsenal that their £30m-rated striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not for sale.
Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is in the sights of Galatasaray.
West Brom will move for Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert this week, once the Reds sign Aston Villa's Christian Benteke to push him further down the Anfield pecking order.
Jose Mourinho says John Terry and Gary Cahill talked him into signing Radamel Falcao.
Fenerbahce want to make Aaron Lennon their next Premier League big-name buy.
Theo Walcott is ready to start the new season with his Arsenal future still unresolved.
Louis van Gaal is willing to risk the wrath of Manchester United fans and start the season without a new striker.
Arsenal are weighing up a bid for Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko.
West Ham and Bournemouth have joined the race for Newcastle target Charlie Austin.
Christian Benteke will undergo a medical in the next 48 hours after Liverpool agreed a £32.5m deal with Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Villa will make a move for QPR striker Charlie Austin as they look to spend the cash from Christian Benteke's move to Liverpool.
FIFA agent Santos Marquez has suggested Real Madrid could be on the brink of losing star man Cristiano Ronaldo as Louis van Gaal promises Man Utd "surprise".
Louis van Gaal has told Wayne Rooney that he will be Manchester United's main centre forward this season.
Brendan Rodgers is adamant that Liverpool have addressed the shortage of goals that wrecked last season as he prepares to welcome Christian Benteke.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed he will look to strengthen his squad with one further addition this summer, but the Portuguese ruled the reigning Premier League champions out of the race to sign Barcelona's Pedro.
Barcelona board member Jordi Mestre has revealed the club will continue their pursuit of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba if Luis Enrique gives the move the green light.
Aston Villa have opened talks with Tottenham over the proposed transfer of Emmanuel Adebayor following Christian Benteke's move to Liverpool.
Louis van Gaal sees his former Holland goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen as a potential replacement for David de Gea - who has told team-mates of his desire to return to Madrid this summer.
Newcastle are closing in on the signing of Anderlecht defender Chancel Mbemba.
Leicester City have asked to take Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu on loan.
Liverpool are ready to offer Mario Gotze a reprieve from a season on the Bayern Munich bench.
Jose Mourinho has ruled out signing Paul Pogba, saying having the midfielder at the club would be like having the Eiffel Tower in your back garden.
Jose Mourinho has said that Chelsea are willing to sell Juan Cuadrado if they can recoup the money they paid for the Colombian international.
West Brom and Republic of Ireland midfielder James McClean has been attacked on Twitter after appearing to turn his back on the British national anthem during a West Bromwich pre-season friendly in the US.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll has been hit by a further setback in his battle against injury, and is now not expected to return to first team action until October.
BBC
Arsenal are considering a move for 29-year-old Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko. (Daily Star)
Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria, 27, wants to join Paris St-Germain, but the Red Devils want £52m for the Argentine. (L'Equipe in French)
United have lined up Barcelona's Spain international forward Pedro, also 27, as a possible replacement for British record signing Di Maria. (Daily Mirror)
Newcastle are close to signing Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, 20, for £13.5m and defender Chancel Mbemba, also 20, for about £7.5m. (Daily Mail)
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for 22-year-old Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and compared the France international to the Eiffel Tower. (Daily Telegraph)
Mourinho is prepared to end 27-year-old winger Juan Cuadrado's unimpressive spell at Chelsea but will not take anything less than the £26.1m they paid for him in January. (London Evening Standard)
Striker Radamel Falcao's desire to prove he can succeed in the Premier League will help the 29-year-old loanee rediscover his best form, says Mourinho. (Guardian)
Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola wants to keep 23-year-old midfielder Mario Gotze, who interests Juventus, Liverpool and Manchester United. (Daily Express)
Turkish side Fenerbahce, who have already signed Robin van Persie and Nani from Manchester United, want Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon, 28, to be their latest buy from the Premier League. (Sun - subscription required)
Arsenal have been linked with a move for £30m-rated Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the German club have insisted the 26-year-old is not for sale. (Daily Mirror)
West Ham and Bournemouth have joined Leicester and Newcastle in attempting to sign 26-year-old striker Charlie Austin from QPR. (Daily Star)
New Manchester City signing Raheem Sterling says he must now make headlines for the right reasons after an acrimonious departure from Liverpool, but admits he would be "quite happy to lie down" on his sofa for the whole day. The 20-year-old insists, however, that he was ill when he missed training at Liverpool shortly before his £49m transfer. (Sun - subscription required)
Stoke are ready to break their transfer record after reigniting their interest in £15m-rated Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko, 25. (Stoke Sentinel)
Aston Villa are in talks with Tottenham about signing striker Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, to replace Liverpool-bound 24-year-old Christian Benteke. (Daily Mail)
West Brom boss Tony Pulis wants to agree a new contract with Saido Berahino once the season is under way amid speculation Tottenham are interested in the 21-year-old striker. (Birmingham Mail)
Steve Bruce has admitted he will have to consider his future as Hull manager if his ambitions cannot be matched by the club's hierarchy this season. (Hull Daily Mail)
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is considering using midfielder Daley Blind, 25, as a left-sided centre-back to help ease his side's defensive issues. (Manchester Evening News)
Best of social media
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil posted a picture and tweeted: "Flight attendant M1O reporting for duty and assisting the helicopter pilot as good as possible!"
Manchester United summer signing Memphis Depay took time out of the club's pre-season tour of the United States to try on some American football gear at the Seattle Seahawks.
And finally
When asked which Arsenal legend he would like to play for the current team, midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was greeted with roars of laughter when he said Nicklas Bendtner. (London Evening Standard)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Barry Glendenning
Burly Premier League centre-forwards dominate the headlines as the sails of the Rumour Mill creak into action in their efforts to generate another summer Monday’s worth of transfer chit-chat. With Christian Benteke in Liverpool to submit to the formalities of coughing for the doctor and finalising his £32m transfer to Liverpool, his former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood is ready to replace the Belgian with Emmanuel Adebayor, whose stagnant career was electro-shocked back into something approaching its best when Sherwood applied the defib paddles during his time in charge of Spurs for the second half of the 2013-14 season. Phrases such as “wage demands” and “stumbling block” feature prominently in stories regarding this potential transfer.
In other news pertaining to towering strikers, Arsène Wenger is believed to have borrowed the kitchen scales from the training ground canteen, all the better to “weigh up” a bid for Manchester City’s Bosnian goal-getter Edin Dzeko. Wenger is also understood to be interested in signing Borussia Dortmund’s 26-year-old forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Bundesliga outfit say their £30m-rated Gabon international is not for sale.
Charlie Austin is another striker who is on the market and expected to move this summer and West Ham and Bournemouth have joined Leicester and Newcastle in the orderly queue of suitors outside Loftus Road. Newcastle are also in hot pursuit of Anderlecht’s Serbian striker Aleksander Mitrovic, who has already announced on Facebook that he’s off St James’ Park for a fee that is believed to be somewhere in the region of £13m. Arsenal fans will have less than fond memories of the 20-year-old, who scored 27 goals in all competitions last season, one of them a late equaliser in his side’s heroic Champions League comeback against the Gunners last November. Anderlecht’s Congolese full-back Chancel Mbemba, who is also 20, is also expected to rock up at St James’ Park.
With his playing time likely to severely limited as long as he sits fourth in the Barcelona pecking order behind Leo Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez, Pedro could secure a £20m move to Manchester United in the next couple of weeks, according to Spanish daily Marca. Although Luis Enrique wants the Spanish international to stay at Camp Nou, it seems unlikely that Barcelona will stand in the striker’s way should he agitate for a move. Should Pedro sign for United, Javier Hernandez might have to make way for him, with Tottenham Hotspur likely to be his next destination. With the future of Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea still very much undecided and up in the air, Manchester United are reported to have added the name of former Sampdoria goalkeeper Sergio Romero to that of Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen on their list of potential replacements for De Gea, should he do one to Real Madrid.
Like many a Chelsea whelp before him, Nathan Aké is available on loan and Newcastle, Watford and Leicester are all believed to be interested in taking the Dutch defender on loan. Leicester are also interested in taking Oriol Romeu off Chelsea’s hands, with the midfielder having spent the past two seasons on loan at Valencia and VfB Stuttgart.
And finally, Mathiu Flamini is all set to leave Arsenal for a second time in order to live out his football dotage on the banks of the Bosphorus as a Galatasaray player. We wish him well.
Metro
West Ham should make a transfer move for QPR striker Charlie Austin and not Chelsea’s Loic Remy
Julian Shea
Transport problems, an England Test batting collapse and non-news on the front pages in the absence of real stories? Ah, the traditions of the English summer.
West Ham fans have their own seasonal favourite to add to that list: guess when Andy Carroll might be fit.
If the bush telegraph rumours are to be believed, it looks like the season will be up and running long before the same can be said of the man for whom West Ham paid £15m two years ago – for a return of (so far) seven goals and barely one-third of games played.
With such a record, for all the promise he may once have had, it is inescapable that Carroll is not a player who can be relied upon for a season’s plans to be built around his presence. That makes Diafra Sakho all the more vital for West Ham.
In contrast to Carroll’s high-profile entrance, last summer Sakho was a loose change signing from the French second division, derided by some as a bargain bin purchase (‘Marco Boogers circa 2014′ and ‘another chancer who played in a poor league’ are among the replies still visible on David Gold’s Twitter feed) – but he has proved an inspired purchase.
After an injury-curtailed but exciting debut campaign, Sakho’s form in pre-season and the Europa League suggest this term’s 20-goal target is realistic. His European haul would probably be higher had he not been sent off against Lusitans, but that ban may prove a blessing in disguise, highlighting his importance – and the desperate need for alternative options, avoiding a repeat of the ‘pin all the hopes and have no plan B’ approach built around Carroll.
With Enner Valencia blowing hot and cold, and Elliot Lee promising but inexperienced, the question is – who to bring in? Two frequent nominees are QPR’s Charlie Austin and Loic Remy of Chelsea – united by rumour, but otherwise, wildly contrasting characters.
Former non-league player Austin was the stand-out star of Rangers’ dismal relegation season, with 18 goals in 35 starts. By contrast, Remy ended the season a Premier League winner with almost as many sub appearances (13) as starts (19) and seven goals, playing second fiddle to Diego Costa, a position unlikely to improve following Radamel Falcao’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Whilst Austin paid his dues at Swindon and Burnley, Remy’s choosy treatment of both QPR and Newcastle when he arrived in England raises doubts over his motivation. Champions League is nice, but can he do it on a wet Thursday night in Skopje, as the Europa League may require?
Austin has earned everything that has come his way, and for a team trying to better themselves like West Ham, that mindset might fit better than Remy’s taste for the more refined things in life. Remy has the reputation and the big fees to his name – but so did Carroll, and look how that turned out. Who got West Ham out of that hole? The less glitzy option, Sakho. It’s worked before; maybe, with Austin, it could again.
O Posts
Adrien Rabiot: Why Tottenham and West Ham should seek the PSG starlet
It isn’t really news that Adrien Rabiot is unhappy — with his role — at PSG. The talented youngster has once again demanded to leave the club and his mother and agent was supposed to meet the PSG president to request a move away from the club.
Tottenham have been on his tail for a while now and have been severely linked with the Frenchman in the last two windows. Recent reports say they have reignited their interest in the player. West Ham are also said to be keen on the player.
Even though there isn’t any real indication as to whether Tottenham or West Ham are genuinely interested in the player, it is definitely clear that Rabiot doesn’t want to stay at PSG. The 20-year-old midfielder feels he needs to be play more and it is understandable for him to want to move to a place where he gets more game time, especially if he wants to be chosen for the senior France side for the upcoming Euros.
Spurs need a central midfielder, someone who can command the midfield and do so with conviction and in Rabiot, they will get exactly that.
The Frenchman started his career playing in the suburbs of Paris for US Creteil Lusitanos before Manchester City came offering him a place in their academy. Then 13 year old, Rabiot struggled with life at city as he faced big problems due to the language barrier.
Just six months hence, he decided to leave England and move back to his native France. His boyhood club, PSG came asking for his services and the youngster joined the Parisian giants, quickly making his way up the ranks.
Rabiot is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield, from the holding role to a more box to box attacking role. He has usually been deployed in a deeper role for PSG and has proved his worth. He doesn’t shield the defence and at the same time he doesn’t bombard forward regularly to try and get to the final third. Instead, he sits in the centre and starts plays from the heart of the pitch, to try and orchestrate things from the centre.
His biggest strength has to be his positioning. He is not caught out of position and even if he is, he is quick enough to track back. He is not the bulkiest of players so instead of using his physicality, he uses his vision to help his side. He can thread neat through balls and passes to his teammates and move the play forward.
With competition from the likes Marco Verratti among others for a place in PSG’s midfield, it is understandable why Blanc hasn’t given him the game time he thinks he deserves. He started 10 league games last season and came off the bench in 11. He scored four goals and got an assist to his name last season. With a lack of starts and goal scoring not being his main priority, these stats can show a glimpse of how talented the midfielder is.
Tottenham and West Ham can definitely use a player like him even though he’s not yet the finished article and may take a while for him to get going, if either of the Premier League clubs lands him, they will have a great player for the future within their ranks.
HITC
West Ham have £6m bid for Everton’s Kevin Mirallas rejected
Gareth McKnight
Belgian media source HLN claim that the Hammers have had an offer for the Toffees attacker turned away.
West Ham have had a £6 million bid for Everton star Kevin Mirallas rejected, according to Belgian media source HLN.
The Hammers are on something of a recruitment drive this summer and have already completed a number of ambitious new additions, including Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna.
Slaven Bilic’s men are clearly keen to further strengthen ahead of the 2015-16 campaign and look to have identified Mirallas as a player to bolster their ranks.
HLN state that the London club have bid €8.5 million (£6 million) for the Belgium international, but Roberto Martinez’s men have turned the offer down.
Mirallas has had an up-and-down time with the Merseyside club, with his future with the Toffees a point of contention on a regular basis.
The fact that the bid has been rejected would insinuate that Martinez sees the versatile forward as a player he needs in the forthcoming campaign.
Should West Ham come back with an improved offer and land the former Olympiakos attacker, their attacking options ahead of next season all of a sudden would be very comprehensive.
Mirror
Striker hunt gathers pace as Andy Carroll faces being out until October
By Darren Lewis
Irons have seen moves for Javier Hernandez and Loic Remy rejected and won't pay £15m for Charlie Austin so are searching Europe for alternatives
West Ham are scouring the European market for a new striker, with Andy Carroll expected to be missing until October as his injury jinx continues.
The Hammers have already had a move for Manchester United's Javier Hernandez turned down, because the Red Devils are reluctant to allow the Mexico international to join another English club.
West Ham are also unwilling to pay the £15million that QPR have demanded for Charlie Austin, while Italian club Fiorentina are rivalling their interest in Roma's Mattia Destro and Chelsea have insisted Loic Remy is not for sale.
Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor is also out of contention — Aston Villa are the only club with whom the north Londoners are negotiating.
Carroll has not played since February because of a knee injury that needed surgery.
He also missed the first three months of the last campaign following surgery on an ankle injury suffered in pre-season, and sat out the first half of 2013-14 following a £15m move from Liverpool the previous summer.
It had been claimed that a fresh setback ahead of the Hammers’ Europa League first qualifying round tie against FC Lusitans was only minor, but Carroll will definitely miss the start of the season.
While joint-chairman David Gold claimed this week that he is hopeful of seeing the £15.5million front-man in September, the 26-year-old Geordie is not expected back until October as the club are unwilling to take any chances with him.
West Ham, who had always intended to bring in another striker this summer, have now stepped up their hunt.
They still have Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate, but the plan has always been to bring in another front-man because of concerns around Carroll’s condition.
Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini is expected to finally join this week from UAE outfit Al Jazira Club this week.
The 22-year-old will move on loan initially, with a view to a permanent deal.
C&H
Hammers linked with Arsenal youngster
Terry Westley continues to look to rebuild the West Ham Academy with Arsenal youngster George Dobson training with the Hammers over the past few weeks ahead of a possible permanent move to the Irons.
The 17-year-old, who has progressed through the ranks with Arsenal youth has been previously linked to a move to Newcastle but would prefer a stay in the capital. Dobson can play as a centre-back or a defensive-midfielder.
Dobson broke into Arsenal’s U18 team as a schoolboy and featured for the U21s last season during the first year of his scholarship. However, it is believed that he is finding it difficult to envisage himself making the grade at Arsenal with several players ahead of him in both of his preferred positions.
Dobson remains under contract with Arsenal having signed his first professional deal last November, meaning that the club would receive a fee should a move to West Ham materialise.
