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Chelsea’s exodus of players is almost complete and the club is now concentrating on bringing in fresh talent.
After an in-depth meeting of owner Todd Boehly, coach Mauricio Pochettino and the head of recruitment, it was agreed a deep-lying defensive midfielder is required and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo fits the bill. Brighton value Moises at £80m and Chelsea are in agreement.
He has agreed to personal terms but a contract has not yet been signed. A forward to replace Christian Pulisic is also on the agenda and I have been told that following an initial bid of £20m, which has been rejected, another meeting with French club Montpellier is being arranged for Elye Wahi. The 20-year-old will be sent out on loan to Strasbourg for a few months.
Ajax and Ghanaian attacking playmaker Mohamed Kudus is also a possible and various sources confirm that a bid for attacking midfielder and winger Michael Olise has been sent to Crystal Palace.
Chelsea’s two new signings have already impressed Pochettino on the Blues’ summer tour when they beat Brighton 4-3. Nicolas Jackson netted his first goal and Christopher Nkunku has also scored two goals in two games.
The coach said: “I think Christopher can play in different positions. In the two pre-season tour games we used him as a striker but he can play as an offensive midfielder, like a No.10 or a No.8 and even on the wing. He’s a fantastic player and improving every day.”
Pochettino did not play the pair together as Nkunku replaced Jackson when the coach mixed his players around to give everyone game time. Nkunku can play various forward positions which he did for RB Leipzig but he is usually seen in the No9 role.
Several media reports have focused on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen joining Chelsea but I can reveal that tough-talking owner Aurelio de Laurentiis has stamped a “no sale” sticker on the Nigerian unless an “obscene offer” is made.
Juventus have asked Chelsea to allow them to sign Romelu Lukaku on loan with an option to buy him at the end of the season. Lukaku has not travelled to the US with the pre-season tour party. Chelsea are reluctant to, once again, loan a player who cost them £97.5million and will consider £35million if the loan issue can be resolved.
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Havertz — a man for many positions
Mikel Arteta told us that he will use Kai Havertz as a “target man” this coming season. He is determined to make the Gunners more unpredictable in attack. When they beat an American MLS All-Star team 5-0 in Washington, the £65million man scored. However, Arteta confided to us that he also intends to use Havertz in various positions next season.
He said: “He gives us something different. His height, for example, where he can be a target man as we attack defences. I am playing him at central attacking midfielder for now but I will move him around as the games dictate.”
Both Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber have both made their debuts for the Gunners and both impressed despite their loss to Manchester United.
Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli have all started well and the 2-0 defeat does not mean very much since pre-season tour teams are changed around a lot during play and the point of these games is for the coaches to sort out their formations for the coming season which is only two weeks away.
Bayern move on Kane and Walker
Bayern Munich are putting most of their transfer efforts into signing Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Bayern certainly head the field of clubs wanting Kane’s signature on a contract and have dispatched their most senior directors to fly around the world chasing chairman Daniel Levy to set up meetings to discuss the move.
Tottenham owner Joe Lewis, based in the Bahamas, has instructed Levy to sell Kane if he is still unwilling to sign a new contract. Kane has confided in friends that if he leaves his beloved Tottenham he would prefer a move to Germany but only if the offer suits him.
Marcus Rashford voted Kyle Walker as the most difficult defender to play against because of his physical abilities. Kyle is currently negotiating a new contract for two extra years at City and Pep Guardiola definitely wants to keep the 33-year-old.
Bayern have spoken with Kyle about a possible move to Germany. The City coach said: “He is still our player and we will fight for him but I am sure Bayern will too.”
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Ten Hag needs a fit Martial Anthony Martial’s torn hamstring is on the mend and he is cautiously being involved in Manchester United’s pre-season tour training programme.
The plan is to have the striker fully involved by next week. The 27-year-old has not played since being injured in the last game of the season against Fulham. When I spoke to the club it was unclear if he will play in United’s two remaining pre-season matches against Borussia Dortmund, Lens and Athletic Bilbao.
In Martial’s absence and considering that no new striker has arrived, Erik Ten Hag has started Jadon Sancho through the middle to link up the midfield and move up to play as a forward.
Sancho scored in the tour friendly against Arsenal and Ten Hag is also trying him out as a false No9 and if it succeeds, he could start the new season in that position. The coach impressed on us that Sancho can drop deep and move forward from a more central role.
He prefers to play on the left but Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are Ten Hag’s preferred players in that position.
Fans sad as Jimenez joins Fullham
Raul Jimenez leaving Wolves for Fulham has disappointed fans who regard the striker as their No1 at the club.
Jimenez’s partnership with Diogo Jota was arguably Wolves best ever attacking partnership. Fulham needed a strong striker with Aleksandar Mitrovic being constantly linked with a move away from Craven Cottage. Jimenez is strong, versatile and has a Lionel Messi-like eye for a goal opportunity.
The fans used to chant “Si Senor” and the club introduced a kit based on his Mexican homeland. Fans even wore sombreros to matches. Raul has left a legacy at Wolves that will be talked about for generations.
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Fabinho’s pets hold up transfer
Fabinho’s transfer to Saudi Arabia stalled this week and although Jurgen Klopp still expects him to leave he was allowed to return to the pre-season tour training.
The Brazilian midfielder was originally left out of the training camp in Germany when he was offered and considered a move to Al-Ittihad for £40m. Strangely the problem has occurred because Fabinho absolutely adores his two pet bulldogs and Saudi Arabia has strict restrictions on animals being allowed into the country.
I am told the Saudis are looking for a solution and Fabinho is sitting tight awaiting news. Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have agreed he (and the dogs!) can leave.
Sanchez will regret moving to war-torn Russia
Davinson Sanchez has failed to live up to expectations after joining Tottenham Hotspur from Ajax for £42m in 2017. He has no part in new coach Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the upcoming season.
Against advice from the Football League, Davinson is now considering a move to Russian club Spartak Moscow and I am told a fee of £13million has been agreed by the clubs.
Real Betis, Sevilla and Galatasaray have shown interest but the Russians have tabled the highest bid. It seems a strange home for Sanchez because Russian clubs are banned from European competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea’s on-loan youngster Faustino Anjorin, for instance, was allowed to tear up a contract with Lokomotiv Moscow 12 months ago because of the war. He is now back at Stamford Bridge and is likely to be loaned again to Huddersfield for the coming season.
Leipzig in no hurry to sell Gvardial to City
RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberi says the sale of Dominik Szoboszial to Liverpool for £60million has secured them financially and they can afford to reject Manchester City’s current offer for Josko Gvardial.
He said: “We are currently still very far apart on our valuation. We don’t need the money and would prefer Josko to stay at Leipzig.”
Despite achieving the treble last season and huge financial backing from Sheikh Mansour, City are very careful with money and apart from signing Jack Grealish for £100million in 2021, they have never spent more than £55million on any player.
Aymeric Laporte is likely to leave but Pep Guardiola still has Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manu Akjani and John Stones to choose from although most of his players are over 26 and, at 21, Gvardial would be a player for the future.
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Elanga delighted to join Forest
Anthony Elanga is delighted with his move to Nottingham Forest. Speaking on Tuesday, he said it is the “perfect step” for the next move of his career. After 10 years at Old Trafford and just 21, the Swedish midfielder has signed a five-year deal. He has already earned 12 caps for Sweden and scored three goals.
He concluded: “I had interest from elsewhere but for me Nottingham feels like the perfect place. I’ve been here with United and I know it’s a special place.”
Hammers offer £40m for Gallagher
West Ham’s David Moyes is still sorting out how to plug the huge midfield gap left by the departure of Declan Rice. Moyes met with his board of directors and has talked frequently over the telephone from the headquarters of their pre-season tour in Australia.
As a result, the Hammers have made a bid approaching £40m for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. Gallagher has told coach Mauricio Pochettino and the club hierarchy that he wants to leave despite having two years left on his contract.
While on loan at Crystal Palace Gallagher was named Young Player of the Year in 2022 and he won the first of his four England caps. West Ham are also interested in United’s Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire but no formal approaches have been made.
Southampton say no to Klopp’s bid for Lavia
Jurgen Klopp is anxious to boost his midfield having lost several of their established stars but Southampton have rejected a £ 35 million bid for Romeo Lavia. Southampton value the 19-year-old at £ 50 million and intend to hold on to the Belgium midfielder if no agreement is reached.
Klopp has welcomed Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai to Anfield but have said goodbye to Jordan Henderson and Fabinho is almost gone too.