Famously booed on to the pitch by Tottenham fans upon his introduction as a first-half substitute against Bournemouth at the back end of last season, then off again when he was replaced 23 minutes later, Davinson Sánchez might be excused for wanting to up sticks from London N17 and move elsewhere.
The feeling on the part of the club hierarchy appears mutual, as The Athletic reports they are prepared to do business with a Russian club in order to get the Colombian defender off their payroll. While the Premier League cannot prevent its member clubs trading with sides from Russia while the state’s invasion of Ukraine continues, such morally questionable deals are discouraged. But hey, this is football and it seems Tottenham have accepted a €15m (£12.9m) bid from Spartak Moscow for their defender, who is reported to have serious reservations about moving to the Russian capital. Luckily for him, he may get to hitch his wagon to Galatasaray instead.
Having already confirmed the signing of the Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha as a free agent, the Turkish champions are also reported to be courting Manchester United’s Brazilian midfielder Fred, whose future, or lack thereof, at Old Trafford could hinge on the club’s ability to bring a replacement midfielder into their squad. Scott McTominay has also been linked with a move away from United, who insist they will not accept a penny less than £40m for the Scotland international who has a keen admirer in the West Ham manager, David Moyes.
Nathan Aké is on the verge of signing a new and improved deal with Manchester City, while his young teammate Rico Lewis is also expected to put pen to paper on a contract extension with the treble winners after his impressive breakthrough season at the Etihad.
While Kylian Mbappé appears to have made it clear he has no interest in moving to Saudi Arabia, the same cannot be said of his Paris Saint-Germain mucker Marco Verratti, who is reported to be on the verge of a £30m move to Al-Hilal, despite interest from Liverpool and Atlético Madrid. Currently plying his trade with Bayern Munich, the former Liverpool striker Sadio Mané is also ready to join the stampede of high-profile players taking the Saudi riyal, and a move to Al-Nassr is on the cards.
The Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch could also be headed for the Bayern exit, with Newcastle reported to be interested in securing his services. Should their well-documented interest in the Southampton right-back Tino Livramento cool in the face of what they see as an excessive asking price of £50m, Newcastle may try to sign Sacha Boey from Galatasaray instead.
And finally, the Romanian goalkeeper Andrei Radu has coughed for the doctor, stuck out his tongue and said “AHHHHHHH!!!” ahead of his loan move from Internazionale to Bournemouth. Signed as back-up for Pedro Neto, his arrival clears the way for his Irish counterpart Mark Travers to move to Stoke.
