If you like your moves to be shocking, then you might be knocked over by a feather after reading that Chelsea are in talks to sign Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun. The forward spent last season out on loan at Reims, where he banged in the Ligue 1 goals, but that has not done enough to guarantee him a place in Mikel Arteta’s side. Chelsea have already signed a couple of strikers, which would not help Balogun’s prospects at Stamford Bridge, but hey-ho. Balogun does seem to have options, however, with Milan, Internazionale, Marseille and Monaco all keeping tabs on the 22-year-old USA international.
With Mason Mount through the door, Manchester United are looking to kick on with their summer transfer business. The Atalanta striker Rasmus Højlund is next on their hitlist. The 20-year-old Dane will cost a pretty penny, estimated to be around £50m, although the United hierarchy will be hoping to bring that down. United are also negotiating a deal for Internazionale’s André Onana, forcing the Italians to search for a replacement between the sticks. One man they have identified is Shakhtar’s Anatoliy Trubin but they could also go in for Bayern Munich’s Yann Sommer (or both).
Could this be the year Ivan Perisic returns home? Hajduk Split are keen on bringing the Tottenham man back to the country of his birth. The 34-year-old was in the Hajduk academy but left for Sochaux in France as a teenager and has never played in Croatia’s domestic league. Perisic is so eager to head home, he has, supposedly, told Ange Postecoglu he wants out.
Newcastle need a little European experience for their Champions League foray and have identified Leonardo Bonucci as the man to bring it. At 36, he is no spring chicken but has a wealth of knowledge and will be able to seamlessly move from the black and white stripes of Juventus to those of St James’ Park.
Crystal Palace fans may need to start accepting the idea that Wilfried Zaha is not coming back. He has an offer on the table at Selhurst Park but moving to one of Lazio, Fenerbahce or Al-Nassr looks very tempting to the winger.
Zaha would potentially be joined in Saudi Arabia by Hakim Ziyech, whose move to Al-Nassr could be back on, despite him failing a medical there recently. Alternatively, the Morocco winger could be whisked away to Istanbul to spearhead Galatasaray’s Champions League campaign alongside his fellow Chelsea outcast Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, who the Turkish giants want for nothing.
Staying in Turkey – because my golly do they love transfer stories – Fenerbahce are eager to use their Arda Guler windfall after selling him to Real Madrid. They could use some of the cash to pay David de Gea some high wages, with it looking increasingly unlikely that he will be heading back to Manchester United.
After losing Sergio Busquets, Barcelona are hoping another defensive midfielder who came through La Masia will replace him. Former Southampton man Oriol Romeu is being lined up for a return to the Camp Nou after 12 years to solve one of the club’s problems.
