Tuesday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Tottenham, Newcastle and Napoli are all monitoring England midfielder Jack Grealish after Manchester City set an asking price of £40m for the 29-year-old. (Sun), external

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga is set to travel to Newcastle United for a medical after the Tyneside club agreed a £55m fee to sign the 23-year-old Sweden international from the City Ground side. (Sky Sports), external

Newcastle United remain hopeful of winning the race to sign Marc Guehi, 24, with the club looking to bolster their squad with the addition of the England and Crystal Palace centre-back. (GiveMeSport), external

Leeds United are pushing to sign Sean Longstaff, 27, from Newcastle United and are waiting on a response to a third offer for the English midfielder worth £10m, plus £2m in add-ons. (The Athletic), external

Crystal Palace are themselves in talks with Sporting over a potential £45m deal for their Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, 21. (Guardian), external

Italian defender Davide Calabria, 28, is also a target for Crystal Palace. He impressed on loan at Bologna last season but is a free agent after leaving AC Milan when his contract expired. (Sky Sports, external)

Newcastle have also held fresh talks with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, with manager Eddie Howe a long-term admirer of the England striker who left Everton after his contract expired last month and has interest from Manchester United. (Talksport)

West Ham's 29-year-old Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd is a priority target for French side Marseille this summer. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Manchester United have made an approach for Atalanta and Brazil midfielder Ederson, with Serie A duo Inter Milan and Juventus also tracking the 26-year-old valued at about £44m. (Goal - in Portuguese), external

Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, is not considering a move away from Manchester United unless the club decide to sell him, with Inter Milan one of the clubs to have shown interest. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Meanwhile, Manchester United quoted a £30m transfer fee for Andre Onana to AS Monaco at the end of last month, but the 29-year-old Cameroon goalkeeper is also looking increasingly likely to stay at the club. (Mail), external

Manchester United are also interested in Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 28, who has a reported £9m relegation release clause in his Leicester City contract, with Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace also keen. (Tuttosport - in Italian), external

Inter Milan are concerned Manchester City or Barcelona will trigger the 25m euro release clause for 29-year-old Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries, with the option running out on 15 July. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external

Napoli have rejected a 60m euro offer from Galatasaray for 26-year-old Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, who has a 75m euro release clause for foreign clubs. (Sky Sports Italia) , external

Sunderland, Leeds United and Wolves are interested in Lens and Morocco Under-23 midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, but face competition from AS Roma, Juventus and AC Milan for the 24-year-old. (Footmercato - in French), external

Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky has confirmed El Hadji Malick Diouf is set to leave the club with West Ham and Leeds linked with the 20-year-old Senegal defender. (Standard)

Rangers have joined Sheffield United and Southampton in the hunt for Crystal Palace's English winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, 22, who is valued at £10m. (Daily Record, external)

Blackburn have joined Premier League pair Wolves and Burnley in the race for 18-year-old English striker Devine Samuel, who has turned down a new contract at Leyton Orient. (Birmingham World, external)

Watford want to sign 19-year-old Morocco Under-20 winger Othmane Maamma from Ligue 2 club Montpellier. (Luca Bendoni, external)

Wycombe are closing in on a deal for Rangers' Scottish centre-back Leon King, 21. (Glasgow Times, external)

Bolton face a wait to see if they can land Celtic striker Johnny Kenny, 22, with Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers keen to involve the Irish forward in pre-season. (Bolton News, external)

Reading are keen on taking Brighton's English forward Kamari Doyle, 19, on loan, after he spent spells with Exeter and Crawley last season. (The Athletic, external)




Sky Paper Talk

THE ATHLETIC

Ruben Amorim pulled the plug on Manchester United's secret deal with Amazon over an access-all-areas documentary due to concerns over whether the timing was appropriate amid the team's struggles in recent years.

DAILY MAIL

Manchester United have put a £30m price tag on Andre Onana, but the Cameroon goalkeeper looks increasingly likely to stay at Old Trafford.

There is growing confidence that Anthony Elanga's proposed move to Newcastle will go through this week after progress on some of the issues delaying the deal.

Former Newcastle and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has been linked with a shock move to non-league side Chelmsford City.

THE SUN

Estevao Willian rejected the offer to spend the rest of the Club World Cup with his Chelsea team-mates - because he wanted to say a proper goodbye to Palmeiras.

Wayne Rooney has landed an £800,000 deal to be a Match of the Day regular.

THE GUARDIAN

Sporting have told Arsenal they want €70m (£60.2m) plus €10m in add-ons for Viktor Gyökeres after rejecting an approach from the London club worth €65m plus €15m.

French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus was cleared of a doping allegation Monday because the judges accepted she was contaminated by kissing her American partner over a period of nine days.

The defending Wimbledon men's doubles champion has been handed the largest fine so far at this year's championships after allegedly verbally abusing a member of staff.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Newcastle United are contemplating a move for free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the striker left Everton last month.

Sir Ben Ainslie is a trump card for Wimbledon's proposed expansion on the eve of the High Court hearing into the plans.

Thomas Frank is facing a Champions League headache with Spurs possibly having to name a depleted European A-list squad and potentially being forced to leave senior players out.

DAILY MIRROR

Manchester United have granted stars Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot additional time off following the tragic death of Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota.

Bournemouth and Championship side Middlesbrough are among a list of clubs to have made initial enquiries for Viktoria Plzen attacking midfielder Pavel Sulc.

Chelsea are expected to demand more than £50m for Noni Madueke, with Arsenal poised to open talks over a deal for the England star after reaching an agreement on personal terms.

THE INDEPENDENT

Arsenal are working on a payment structure for a bid that could allow them to sign Eberechi Eze without a substantial sale this summer.

DAILY RECORD

Celtic have been told the bargain £3m price tag Manchester United would accept for out of favour full back Tyrell Malacia.

Rangers are preparing to push the button on summer signing No 6 as they close in on defender Nasser Djiga.

Lille president Olivier Letang has admitted the club are interested in Rangers striker Hamza Igamane this summer.

THE SCOTTISH SUN

Nicolas Kuhn is on his way out of Celtic, with a deal set to be reached to take the winger to Como.




Guardian Rumour mill

Tom Davies

At last, the Mill can report action on the Jack Grealish front. The winger, left twiddling his thumbs at home while his Manchester City teammates fried at the Copa Gianni, is now attracting serious interest from Tottenham, Newcastle and Napoli after City slapped a cut-price £40m yellow sticker on a player who cost them two-and-a-half times that three years ago. The Sun reports that Grealish’s £300,000 weekly wage could prove a sticking point but the interest in him is real, nor is a move back to Aston Villa ruled out.

It feel as if Hugo Ekitike has been closing in on a Premier League move all summer, and Liverpool’s interest in the Eintracht Frankfurt forward – who has been strongly linked with Manchester United – is now being talked up. The English champions are reported to have been in dialogue with Eintracht since April but have already splurged heavily on strikers in this window. A deal for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi may be likelier but Liverpool will have to duke it out with Newcastle who, according to GiveMeSport, are confident of winning the race for the defender.

Further forward, Newcastle are also closing in on a £55m deal for Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga. Another winger reported to be heading out of the City Ground is Ramon Sosa, with the Paraguay international set for a £10.25m move back to South America to join Palmeiras. A possible incoming at the City Ground, meanwhile, is the Udinese defender Thomas Kristensen. Forest would, however, face competition for the 23-year-old Dane from Bologna, Bournemouth and Wolves, who had a €15m bid for Kristensen rebuffed in January.

A possible St James’ Park outgoing is Sean Longstaff, at whom Leeds are continuing to bat eyelashes. The newly promoted side have made a third bid for the midfielder of £10m plus £2m in add-ons, according to the Athletic.

Forest’s rival European aspirants Crystal Palace are sniffing around the Italian full-back Davide Calabria, who impressed on loan from Milan at Bologna last season but has now been released by the Rossoneri. Palace will face competition for the 28-year-old from Spain, mind, with Real Betis, Celta and Mallorca all showing interest.

Staying with Palace, suitors continue to jostle over Eberechi Eze, with the Express reporting a possible raid from Arsenal for their attacking midfielder. Eze, who has been heavily linked with Spurs and lightly linked with Liverpool of late, has a £60m release clause in his contrast, which Arsenal plan to circumnavigate by paying in three instalments.

In Scotland, Rangers are reportedly interested in what the veteran PSV Eindhoven striker Luuk de Jong can do to revive their fortunes. De Jong is out of contract with the Dutch club and the new Ibrox manager, Russell Martin, is sizing up an ambitious bid, according to Glasgow World. The Gers are also set to unload the defender Leon King to English League One promotion hopefuls Wycombe.





The Athletic

Selling Kudus to Tottenham: A necessary evil for West Ham?

By Roshane Thomas

There was a segment on British game show A League of Their Own in December 2011 which serves as a reminder of why the prospect of Mohammed Kudus leaving West Ham United to join rivals Tottenham Hotspur would leave a sour taste among supporters.

Host James Corden and panellists Peter Crouch and Jamie Redknapp were discussing Scott Parker’s recent decision to join Spurs from West Ham before Corden, a West Ham fan, jokingly launched a diatribe against the midfielder.

“He’s dead to me, he is dead to me,” Corden said, before turning to the midfielder, who was sat in the audience. “F*** you Parker, f*** you!”

It was clearly a joke, said with a smirk on the face, but it spoke for the feelings of West Ham fans when it comes to their star players moving to Tottenham.

Parker had felt he needed to join Tottenham to further his international career, following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2010-11 season. Despite West Ham’s poor season, he had been named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and opted to move to a Spurs side aiming to return to the Champions League. That may have seemed the obvious decision for Parker, but to West Ham fans it was not one they could get on board with — and they let him know next time he visited Upton Park.

Some 18 months after his departure, Parker was greeted with a chorus of boos from West Ham fans on his return to East London — and was saddened by the reaction.

“I didn’t expect the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting,” said a mystified Parker. “I don’t know why (they did it). I don’t know if it’s because I went to their local rivals. I’m not sure but I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better reception after what I did in my time here.

“I had four fantastic years here and it will always be a club with a massive place in my heart. I was looking forward to coming back and I couldn’t wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed (to be booed).”

Twelve years later, Kudus could follow in Parker’s footsteps. Although the attacker may not feel the same level of vitriol, a hostile reception at the London Stadium on September 13 would surely await him. West Ham rejected Tottenham’s £50million ($68m) offer for the 24-year-old Ghana international over the weekend but club-to-club talks continue. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Kudus more than open to a move to Spurs.

His desire to join Thomas Frank’s side stems from the attacking midfielder wanting to play in European competition. Tottenham, who finished 17th and below West Ham last season, will compete in the Champions League this season, having won the Europa League.

Kudus, whose contract expires in 2028, has a buyout clause that is only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80m for European clubs, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian teams, but he has no interest in joining a club in the Middle East. Although Kudus will not force an exit, the versatile attacker has no intention of staying at West Ham beyond the summer.

As unpalatable as the move may be for West Ham fans, the club doesn’t have many other options as they look to start a proper rebuild under head coach Graham Potter.

Potential incomings are caveated by the club needing to sell before they can buy. The attacker is the club’s sole sellable asset, with captain Jarrod Bowen not for sale and the uncertainty surrounding Lucas Paqueta’s future. The club’s hierarchy hope to receive a significant return on the €41.5m (£35.7m at today’s exchange rate) fee they paid to prise him away from Ajax in August 2023.

Selling Kudus would enable Potter and the recruitment team to accelerate their pursuit of transfer targets. West Ham are currently lacking squad depth following the departures of Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings this summer. Michail Antonio’s contract expired on June 30, although his departure has not been formally announced.

By his standards, Kudus had an underwhelming 2024-25 season, scoring five goals and assisting four in 35 appearances in all competitions. The departure of former first-team coach John Heitinga to Liverpool and tension with former manager Julen Lopetegui have been cited as factors in his struggles.

It was all in stark contrast to his debut campaign, when he registered 18 goals and 10 assists across 48 appearances, with his solo goal against Freiburg and acrobatic strike against Manchester City particular highlights. It is this version of Kudus that Tottenham will hope sparks their own rebuild under Frank.

Kudus has been utilised in multiple positions across West Ham’s front line but his preferred position is on the right flank, where Bowen also does his best work. Kudus’ desire to leave also stems from an urge to play in his natural position.

In a 13-month period from August 2003 to August 2004, Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick all swapped east for north London, leading to Spurs fans mockingly referring to West Ham as their ‘feeder club’. The fact so little business has been done between the two clubs tells you that this is not a situation anyone at the London Stadium wants to see repeated.

Kudus’ departure was always likely to happen this summer, but few would have envisioned the potential landing spot being Tottenham. It could also be the best way to ensure a better 2025-26.




Telegraph


How Graham Potter is attacking the West Ham overhaul

In his first pre-season with club, coach needs to lower squad’s age-profile and remodel playing staff, neither of which promises to be easy

Matt Law

West Ham United are the Premier League’s ultimate fixer-upper project, which is why Graham Potter will be relishing his first summer of building in three years.

Set in a prime East London location that has gone through a property boom, West Ham are in need of repair and modernisation to realise their market potential. Regarded as a builder rather than a man for the quick fix, Potter is embarking on his first pre-season with a squad of players since 2022, when he was in charge at Brighton.

Having taken the Chelsea job mid-season and been sacked before the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Potter was appointed in January, with West Ham seven points above the relegation zone. Needing results to pull away from danger, Potter spent his first five months in charge trying to stabilise the club and gather as much information as possible to make the most of this summer.

Rather than a lick of paint and a new set of curtains, West Ham supporters are demanding a full renovation, which will not be easy for Potter in one transfer window. But he is up for the challenge.

Other than celebrating his 50th birthday overseas and taking a short family holiday, Potter has spent most of his time off making plans.

As a leading West Ham player sarcastically remarked to Telegraph Sport, the club’s fans are “an easy bunch to please”. You just have to give them a winning team, which is beautiful to watch and full of academy graduates.

Despite the challenging narrative of “the West Ham way”, most supporters will be encouraged to see some foundations being put down that could lead to something lasting, if expectation can be balanced with some reality.

At the top of Potter’s summer to-do list will be to start lowering the age of a squad that was the oldest in the Premier League last season, as well as creating a culture that can unite players and staff.

Potter’s former Brighton players recall being asked to take in a photo of someone or something that was special to them during summer pre-seasons. They would then describe its significance to players and staff to help build an understanding of characters and backgrounds. It can be assumed that West Ham’s players will be encouraged to do something similar this summer, as Potter attempts to build relationships and trust.

The squad Potter inherited in January was made up of players signed by former manager David Moyes, the man he succeeded, Julen Lopetegui, ex-technical director Tim Steidten and owner David Sullivan.

West Ham went against current football trends to spend almost £30 million on a 31-year-old in Niclas Füllkrug. He scored just three goals for the club in an injury-hit first season, two of which came as a substitute. Those who have watched his career closely believe the striker may be best used off the bench when he can find more space in the box near the end of games.

It is understood that West Ham would ideally like to sign a new striker, a left-sided attacker, a goalkeeper, a central midfielder and left-back this summer but they are restricted by finances and money they can make on sales.

Crysencio Summerville is not expected to be ready to play again before September, having undergone surgery on his hamstring at the end of April, which makes signing a left-sided attacker is particularly pressing.

West Ham’s age profile has left the club with few valuable assets to sell to raise funds for Potter to overhaul the squad, leaving the club are prepared to sell Mohammed Kudus – potentially even to fierce London rivals Tottenham.

Both West Ham and Lucas Paqueta remain in the dark over the Brazilian’s fate regarding betting charges. But over the past year he has gone from being an £80million asset, chased by Manchester City, not knowing whether he will still have a career.

If West Ham can sell Kudus and others to help build transfer funds, one of the most pertinent issues will be who takes charge of signings this summer.

Many clubs now have recruitment teams who build portfolios of players with similar profiles and attributes to create lists from which to pick. West Ham have favoured a more traditional method of chasing single targets or acting on opportunities presented to them by agents.

Kyle Macaulay followed Potter to West Ham as head of recruitment, having been his right-hand man throughout his coaching career. His influence will be key.

Goalkeeping coach Linus Kandolin, who worked with Potter at Ostersunds, has joined the club and will no doubt have a say on a potential replacement for Lukasz Fabianski, who left West Ham at the end of last season.

As well as looking towards the transfer market, Potter proved he is ready to give academy graduates opportunities by handing 19-year-old Ollie Scarles 14 appearances last season, and youngsters will no doubt get the chance to catch his eye during pre-season.

There were some glimpses, in the draw at Aston Villa and victories over Arsenal and Manchester United, of what Potter will want from his West Ham team this season. He will hope that five months at the end of last season have given him all the information he needs to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport last year, Potter highlighted how coaches such as Unai Emery and Eddie Howe had bounced back from tough experiences to succeed at Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Nuno Espírito Santo added himself to that list with the work he did at Nottingham Forest.

Potter would love to make a similar impression during his first full season at West Ham, but will also be mindful that Emery, Howe and Nuno were able to make significant additions to their squads during their first summers.

It does not always follow that an improvement in performances is immediately reflected in results, as Potter initially found at Brighton. Just how quickly he can build momentum and give the home fans something to get excited about may be key to what West Ham can achieve this season.

But there is no doubting the potential of Potter’s East London fixer-upper and West Ham’s builder is ready for a summer of hard work.




C&H

West Ham Given Unexpected Second Chance on Transfer

West Ham midfielder Edson Álvarez is reportedly attracting serious interest from AC Milan, in what could mark the belated start of a summer transfer merry-go-round.

Álvarez is hot property right now after playing a pivotal role in Mexico’s Gold Cup triumph over the USA. Not only was the West Ham man named Player of the Tournament, but he also scored the winning goal in the final—instantly boosting his profile and market value.

A number of clubs are said to be keeping tabs on the 27-year-old, but it’s AC Milan who may hold an ace up their sleeve.

The Italian giants are, of course, home to Yunus Musah, the former Arsenal academy graduate and USA international. Musah has long been on West Ham’s radar and is thought to be one of Graham Potter’s key midfield targets for his summer overhaul.

With Musah surplus to requirements at San Siro, there’s perhaps a chance that a potential swap deal involving Álvarez could be on the table.

That said, Raphael Onyedika of Club Brugge remains the most likely midfield arrival at the London Stadium, and his signing wouldn’t necessarily impact West Ham’s decision to move Álvarez on.

After his standout summer with Mexico, Álvarez has become a player in high demand. If Graham Potter decides to go in a different direction in midfield, the Hammers should have no trouble cashing in on the Mexican.

[Heavi995]

Cheers Alan

[Mex Martillo]

Thanks Alan.

 

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.