August 14 – Liverpool continue their hunt for a defensive midfielder in the wake of the high-profile tug-of-war for Caicedo with serial spenders Chelsea, in which the Merseyside club left empty-handed and red-faced. Numerous backup options have been discussed and identified.
PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare, Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure, and Benfica’s Florentino Luis top the list of targets for the all-important 6 slot. Liverpool manager Hurgen Klopp has urged fans to trust the board and has spoke encouragingly following his team’s opening-day draw to Chelsea in West London saying that Liverpool will have a strong team by the end of the transfer window regardless of recent setbacks in the market.
Despite spending almost a billion since Todd Boehly’s venture capital-backed takeover and acquiring the most sought-after and expensive young CDM in the world, Chelsea are also looking to snatch Lavia in a £55 million move from Southampton to further rub salt into Liverpool wounds. The reds have been in public pursuit of the player for the last three weeks, having had multiple bids rejected. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will retaliate, as the battle between the two clubs has been the story of the window.
Manchester City are pursuing a move for 25-year-old West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, as the rumoured fee rises to more than £90 million. The East London club has already rejected multiple offers for Paqueta, and are urging interested clubs to top the £100 million mark for the Brazilian playmaker.
Manchester City’s interest in Paqueta accelerated following Kevin De Bruyne’s opening day injury that will rule him out for the coming weeks. Crystal Palace Winger Michael Olise is also on the treble-winner’s radar, and the club could pursue a move if the price for Paqueta cannot be lowered.
Amongst the huge spending and rising tension on English shores, PSG superstar Neymar has agreed personal terms with Al-Hilal, however the clubs are yet to agree a fee.
The two-season contract will see the player earn €160 million in wages, assuming a deal between the clubs can be struck. The 31-year-old Brazilian revealed his intention to leave the French capital last week, claiming that the club doesn’t do enough to guarantee the safety of its players after numerous robberies and disruptions at different players’ homes since his arrival in 2017.
The move to Al-Hilal would make Neymar the latest superstar to sign in Saudi Arabia, following Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad’s Benzema.
Al-Hilal have also revived their interest in unsettled Fulham striker Alexsandar Mitrovic, 28, following an emphatic goalscoring season for the Serbian international. The duo would join €60 million signing Malcom in Al-Hilal’s front line, as well as Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly amongst the club’s star summer signings.
Tottenham Hotspur are considering moving for arch-rival Arsenal’s American striker Folarin Balogun after a prolific loan spell in Ligue 1 last year saw him score 21 goals. Spurs would use a portion of the money gained through Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich last week to find a young forward that better fits Ange Postecoglu’s ideal striker profile. The 22-year-old has a market value of €30 million according to TransferMarkt and after his debut performances for the US in the Nations League is June issued Arsenal with a ‘play-me or sell-me’ ultimatum.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734975010labto1734975010ofdlr1734975010owedi1734975010sni@o1734975010fni1734975010