As Chelsea close in on a deal for Raheem Sterling, the pesky scamps are also looking to derail another of the summer’s most talked-about moves by nabbing Frenkie de Jong from under Manchester United’s noses. Chelsea are prepared to offer Barcelona César Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso plus £51m in readies for the Dutch international, according to the Spanish outlet Sport.
Arsenal continue to keep the Mill a-churnin’ with reports now linking them with Bayer Leverkusen’s sought-after Moussa Diaby. The winger has also been a target for Newcastle but Arsenal, having likely missed out on Raphinha of Leeds, are now said to be keen to muscle in on the Diaby action. Another winger on the Gunners’ radar is Lille’s Kosovo international Edon Zhegrova; Arsenal have apparently bid £6m for the 23-year-old. Mikel Arteta also has his eye on Benfica’s 26-year-old Spanish left-back Álex Grimaldo.
It’s been ooh, at least a couple of days since we last had any Lisandro Martínez gossip, which makes us duty-bound to report that Manchester United have upped their offer for the Ajax defender to £43m. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf says the new offer includes add-ons and that club suits will sit down later on Friday to hammer things out.
Paris Saint-Germain say they are entering a less flashy era after firing Mauricio Pochettino and replacing him with Christophe Galtier, so their current targets include, er, the best striker in the world. PSG still want to sign Robert Lewandowski, whom Barcelona remain favourites to sign. Failing that, Sassuolo’s Italian international Gianluca Scamacca is a likely target for the French champions.
Liverpool may face competition from Newcastle for Marco Asensio, say reports in Spain, with Real Madrid having dropped their initial €50m asking price. The forward could be available for anything between €25m and €35m.
Back in London, Fulham are stepping up their interest in West Ham’s Issa Diop. The promoted club have had an initial £10m offer rebuffed but are ready to up it to £12m. The Lyon right-back Léo Dubois is also a target for Marco Silva, with the Ligue 1 club’s manager, Peter Bosz, admitting players will be sold this summer.
Heading north, Rangers are favourites to land the former Derby captain Tom Lawrence. The Welsh midfielder is a free agent after departing Pride Park at the end of last season following Derby’s relegation and, though Sheffield United have also been considering Lawrence, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has stepped up his interest and Ibrox could now be his next destination.
