With Napoli firmly rejecting an £86m bid from Paris Saint-Germain for their title-winning striker Victor Osimhen, it invites the question of who might be prepared to chuck a sum north of that in their direction for the Nigeria international? The answer, of course, is Saudi Arabia any number of clubs at the top end of the Premier League. Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle are all sizing up bids for Osimhen and an auction could ensue for a player the paper describes as “on the international podium with Haaland and Mbappé”.
Newcastle are also thought to be closing in on a deal for the Southampton defender Tino Livramento. Once a Hot Chelsea Prospect, like so many hundreds of others, Livramento had an injury-hit second season at St Mary’s after impressing in his first, but Eddie Howe believes the full-back’s pace and versatility could be just the ticket. He’d need to shell out around £15m, mind.
As the Declan Rice saga grinds on, with Manchester City threatening to foil Arsenal’s plans and nab the West Ham midfielder, Mikel Arteta’s side have been linked with the Monaco and France midfielder Youssouf Fofana. With what some might call irony, West Ham themselves are also apparently keen on the 24-year-old and could rival Arsenal in a bid, as could Newcastle. On the way out of the Emirates may well be Rob Holding, on whom Besiktas are keen, according to the Daily Express.
Chelsea, meanwhile, could be in for the Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, as Mauricio Pochettino weighs up his pecking order for the No 1 role at the Bridge. The new Blues manager is thought to favour Kepa Arrizabalaga as his first-choice keeper, but with Édouard Mendy possibly following the petro-state money with Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia and Kepa’s form as iffy as most of the rest of the team’s in 2022-23, French stopper Maignan is an appealing option, the Daily Telegraph reckons.
Few, if any, top-flight clubs need reinforcement up front more than Everton do, and to this end they could be in for Sheffield United’s Iliman Ndiaye, who impressed during their promotion campaign and for Senegal in last year’s World Cup. The Blades’ owner, Prince Abdullah, is looking to sell the club and this has made them vulnerable to transfer raids from rivals. Midfielder Sander Berge could also be off.
The impressive Villarreal central defender Pau Torres is a reported target for Aston Villa, whose manager, Unai Emery, is apparently keen on a reunion with a player he managed during his stint with the Yellow Submarine. Torres has a £51.5m release clause in his contract, but the Premier League club are confident that he could be lured to Birmingham for less than that, given he has only a year remaining on his current deal.
In the Championship, Nigel Pearson is holding firm in his efforts to keep the young prodigy Alex Scott at Bristol City, with Inter joining the scrum of big clubs interested in the 19-year-old midfielder. Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham and Wolves are among others who’ve been sniffing around. “I expect him to be here … and he’ll be here,” Pearson roared. So there.
