Manchester City just will not rest. Having made a slice of history by waltzing to the treble last season they’re looking to break a world record before the new term has even kicked off. Yes, they want to spend a meaty £86m on RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, which would make him the most expensive centre-back ever. In case you’re wondering, Harry Maguire is the current record holder. Stop sniggering. With only Aymeric Laporte, Rúben Dias, Franz BeckenbauerJohn Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké as centre-back options, you can see why Pep Guardiola is worried. He will probably end up playing him on the wing anyway.
In other City-related news, Bayern Munich fancy a piece of Kyle Walker but the right-back, who is no spring chicken at 33, is expected to be offered a new contract to keep him at the Etihad. And Laporte is attracting admiring glances from Juventus and Arsenal.
Across the city, Mason Mount is on his way to Manchester United for a medical before completing his £60m move from Chelsea. And another player, Atalanta’s 20-year-old Danish forward Rasmus Hojlund, might join him if Old Trafford beancounters increase an opening offer of £30m to £40m.
Down at Stamford Bridge, Todd Boehly continues to line up various Chelsea players in the shop window. Lyon fancy a bit of Christian Pulisic and have made an offer of £21.5m for the USA forward and Newcastle are considering a bid for Conor Gallagher. Meanwhile, César Azpilicueta, who looked like he was running on fumes for much of last season, is on his way to Atlético Madrid to do a masters in Modern Football and the Dark Arts.
In today’s Saudi section it says here that Gianluigi Buffon, who is still turning out for Parma aged 45, has been offered a £25m-a-year deal to play in the Saudi Pro League and David de Gea, whose Manchester United contract expired last week, is a target for Al-Nassr.
In a sentence The Mill did not expect to be typing this morning: Wolves centre-backs are in demand. Brentford are confident of landing Nathan Collins for a club-record fee of £23m while Italian champions Napoli have had a £30m bid for Max Kilman rejected. And this all comes after Conor Coady was snapped up by Leicester over the weekend.
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And while we’re on the subject of Leicester, Danny Drinkwater (remember him?), has said he would like to rejoin the club. He was last seen in 2022 turning out for Reading on loan from Chelsea but The Mill has no idea what he has been doing since and why the Foxes might want to sign him.
West Ham have a whopping big hole in midfield and would like to start to fill at least some of it with Tyler Adams from Leeds. With their purse strings pulled tighter than one of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hamstrings, Everton are hoping Blackburn will accept either Neal Maupay or Ellis Simms in exchange for Rovers defender Steve Wharton.
Luton Town are in talks with Birmingham to over signing Dutch winger Tahith Chong. And Jesse Lingard might be set for a move to Inter Miami, where he will get to treat Lionel Messi to some of his goal celebrations. The MLS side is keen on signing Sergio Ramos, too.
