Everton are looking to jazz up their attacking options after last season’s dice with relegation by swooping for Wolves’ Adama Traoré. Wanderers have told Everton £10m would seal the deal, though the winger hasn’t given up hope of joining a top-four club. Chelsea’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder Tino Anjorin is also on the Goodison radar.
Leeds continue to duel manfully with Milan for the Club Brugge striker Charles De Ketelaere. The Serie A champions have bid £25m but Leeds are waving £31m at his club, though the Belgium striker is thought to favour a move to San Siro. Another potential Leeds target is the veteran Spain midfielder and all-round good egg Juan Mata, who is a free agent after his departure from Manchester United.
Newcastle have had a hit-and-miss transfer window so far but they haven’t given up on Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby. The winger is valued at £60m by the Bundesliga club. Should that bid fail, suggestions are that 2019’s Callum Hudson-Odoi could be in the Toon’s sights, with Chelsea willing to entertain offers for the forward.
Another previous Newcastle target, Hugo Ekitike, could be Paris Saint-Germain-bound, probably with a similar €31m plus add-ons valuation that the Premier League club sought. Reports from France suggest that the Parc des Princes is now the likeliest destination for the Reims forward.
Have we reached peak Cristiano Ronaldo rumour? Of course not. The latest gossip suggests the 37-year-old superstar spare part has received an offer of a two-year-deal for a club in Saudi Arabia. According to the Spanish paper AS, the Saudi club, whose identity is not known, will lob Manchester United £30m for the transfer and pay Ronaldo £254m a year. Ronaldo, though, is understood still to fancy another season at the top level in Europe so may take some persuading.
Now Wayne Rooney has his feet under the table in the MLS at DC United, there’s talk that he might bring over his old teammate Jesse Lingard, who is a free agent after his departure from Old Trafford, though Rooney would have to see off Premier League suitors including West Ham and Newcastle.
Manchester City continue to sniff around Sevilla’s Jules Koundé, especially with Nathan Aké linked to a move away from the Etihad, possibly to Chelsea, though Barcelona are also keen on Koundé. The Daily Mail reckons that Sevilla would demand a “monstrous fee”, flush with having trousered £26m from Aston Villa for Diego Carlos.
And in the Championship, Sheffield United are moving to sign the Brighton forward Reda Khadra, who scored five goals while on loan at Blackburn last season.
