Products You May Like
The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond.
Kane can join Man United for £200m
Manchester United could land striker Harry Kane this summer, if they can find the £200 million Daniel Levy wants to ease Tottenham Hotspur‘s financial worries, reports the Daily Mail.
– Stream new episodes of ESPN FC Monday-Friday on ESPN+
- Stream every episode of 30 for 30: Soccer Stories on ESPN+
The Spurs owner is prepared to sanction the departure of Kane as a result of the repercussions of the coronavirus on club’s finances. The stop in the season hampers Spurs’ ability to pay for their new £1 billion stadium, for which they still owe £637m on the loan.
Levy is also said to be disappointed with Kane’s recent comments that the Premier League season should be voided if it’s not completed by June. Ending the season could lead to broadcast rights holders demanding a refund from the Premier League.
Moreover, Kane has also suggested that it might be the right time to leave Spurs if they’re not winning trophies.
Should United pay the fee Levy is after, it would eclipse the world record £198m fee Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar in 2017.
Man City favourites to land Lautaro
Barcelona face stiff competition for top target Lautaro Martinez, according to The Sun, who suggest that Manchester City are now in pole position to land the striker for £97.5m in the summer.
Until now, Inter Milan have been keen to hold on Europe’s most wanted striker, while most reports linking the Argentine with a move away from the San Siro have suggested he would join Barca.
Not so. The Sun says that City are the only club willing to pay the striker’s £97.5m buyout clause, with Barca and other contenders Chelsea and Real Madrid either unwilling or unable to find the fee.
Martinez has three years left on his contract and this season has scored 16 goals already. City boss Pep Guardiola sees the 22-year-old as the ideal long-term replacement for Sergio Aguero.
Inter are still keen to get Martinez to agree to a new deal, though their hopes have stalled amidst the season shutdown.
Upamecano agent holds the key to Madrid move
More developments on Friday’s reports that Real Madrid have entered the race to sign RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano, with AS revealing that the French defender is represented by the same agent as Madrid player Toni Kroos.
That should make negotiations easier for Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who has identified Upamecano as the perfect player to bring some youth to his ageing squad. Moreover, with Upamecano’s contract running out in 2021, Leipzig seem resigned to the letting him go for a sizeable fee rather than lose him on a free in 12 months’ time.
AS also suggest that Leipzig are already lining up a replacement, which would suggest Upamecano’s departure is further to completion than was previously reported. They believe that Leipzig’s head coach Markus Krosche has identified Nice ace Malang Sarr and Paris Saint-Germain’s rising star Tanguy Kouassi as possible replacements.
Tap-ins
– Newcastle United are interested in signing Benfica‘s Rafa Silva for £15m, reports The Sun. Newcastle have been working on a plan to add the midfield playmaker to their squad for some time, though their plans have been shelved by the coronavirus. Benfica are keen to recoup £25m for the Portuguese player, but Newcastle believe they can knock the price down. Silva, 26, has played 21 times this season.
– Josh Maja is keen to return to English football less than 18 months after swapping Sunderland for Bordeaux. Maja, 21, had scored 16 goals for Sunderland in 2018-19 — as featured on the Netflix show “Sunderland Till I Die” — before leaving for France, where he has scored seven goals this season. However, The Sun reports that Maja wants to return to the UK and both West Ham United and Crystal Palace are prime for landing the striker for what could be a reported £10m fee.