Son Heung-min to the Saudi champions Al-Ittihad? That would be a painful one for Spurs supporters with the South Korean approaching legend status, despite a fairly underwhelming campaign last season. Still, £51m for the 30-year-old is not to be sniffed at, if:
a) the figure from ESPN is to be believed
b) Son toiling last season was not just a blip and
c) you can stomach the whole Saudi Arabia thing.
Al-Ittihad, who have already nabbed Karim Benzema for gazillions and are close to snagging N’Golo Kanté for €100m (£86.2m) a year, are hoping to defend their league title next season. Tottenham are under no pressure to sell, though, with Son contracted to 2025.
Perhaps Daniel Levy would flog Son and sign a younger model in the shape of Harvey Barnes? It remains unlikely that the Englishman will be hugging the touchline at Plymouth Argyle next year in the Championship, but Leicester would demand a similar sum to the one being banded around for Son, and are hoping for another £50m payday for James Maddison, despite there being only 12 months left on the midfielder’s contract.
Watching England’s game against Malta, it is remarkable to think that Maddison is still a Leicester player. But here we are, and there he is, although surely not for much longer. However, Newcastle and Spurs are the only sides that retain a concrete interest at this stage. Not the bidding war that Leicester were hoping for.
The Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas, the scoundrel, has released a photo on his socials of three empty shirts, presumably ready to be filled by ageing old Barcelona legends who fancy a bit of that old MLS/Will Smith/Pitbull lifestyle. The trio are expected to be Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, although could there be a late twist? Luis Suárez, maybe? Watch this space.
#nocaptionneeded pic.twitter.com/UGcMQ4IG9w
— Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) June 19, 2023
It’s 28 years to the day since Arsenal signed some bloke called Dennis Bergkamp for a whopping £7.5m, and the Gunners are once again going after a Dutchman. Jurriën Timber is the target, as he was for Manchester United last summer, with Arsenal opening the bidding at £30m. It will take around double that figure to get the signature of Chelsea’s Kai Havertz, with Edu, Arsenal’s sporting director, the driving force behind that one.
Rumours of Kyle Walker closing on a move to Bayern Munich are apparently wide of the mark. The jet-heeled defender is keen to stay at Manchester City, although the 33-year-old has only one year left on his deal.
In managerial news, Steven Gerrard has revealed he turned down the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. “A lot has been said in the media, a lot of it is not true,” said the former Aston Villa and Rangers boss. “I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, which I did, and I have been analysing that over the last couple of days. But, as we stand right now, I won’t be taking that offer up.”
Last and probably least, media in Italy are reporting that both Milan clubs and Roma are weighing up a bid for West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca, who cost West Ham £35.5m last summer.
