• In addition, Chelsea have also agreed a £38m deal with Monaco for defender Azel Disasi, who will cover for Wesley Fofana due to his serious knee injury.
• Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was all smiles on Wednesday when he received a phone call informing him that a deal to sign Josko Gvardiol has finally been agreed.
Image: HANDOUT
After speaking to Bayern Munich this week, I have learnt they are confident that Tottenham will be forced to sell Harry Kane for around £90million.
As I have reported to you previously, Bayern say they could not pay the £100m-plus which Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy wants but they know the pressure is on Spurs as Kane’s contract enters the final 12 months and he could eventually leave for nothing.
They now have an extra £34million from the sale of Sadio Mane to Saudi side Al-Nassr.
Despite the transfer window not closing until September 1, I can reveal that Kane will stay at Spurs, out of loyalty, if he lines up for Spurs in the opening game of the new season on August 13, against Brentford.
He will even consider an extension to his current contract if the club makes significant progress under new coach Ange Postecoglou.
It is a similar situation with Kylian Mbappe at PSG. What a coincidence that the world’s two top strikers are locked in transfer negotiations which could end up with both walking away from their clubs for no transfer money.
The basic offer for Kane is £75m plus add-ons, which make up the £90m. During a lunch meeting on Tuesday, Bayern officials told Levy they were willing to pay now and although Levy again rejected the offer, it is interesting that Spurs have been scouting around Europe for Kane’s possible replacement.
Boehly spending more cash on Chelsea
Chelsea have discussed with Kylian Mbappe’s representatives a possible one-year move to Stamford Bridge after which he would join Real Madrid. The Mbappe camp says the striker is agreeable to a move to London providing the terms are acceptable.
The Blues have agreed to a £23.5 million deal with French club Rennes for midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The 19-year-old has excelled in Ligue 1 and the Blues intend to loan him out to Strasbourg to gain elite-level experience.
Owner Todd Boehly is still hopeful of signing another defensive midfielder in Moises Caicedo from Brighton. Ugochukwu played in the Europa League last season and helped his club finish fourth in the table which qualified them for the Champions League.
In addition, Chelsea have also agreed a £38m deal with Monaco for defender Azel Disasi, who will cover for Wesley Fofana due to his serious knee injury.
Disasi has not yet agreed personal terms but he would give more competition at centre-back. He played for Reims as centre-back and his arrival means Trevor Chalobah could be leaving for either Inter Milan or West Ham.
Mauricio Pochettino’s options in central defence are Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill — who has signed a new six-year contract, Benoit Badiashile and the untested Bashir Humphreys.
Medical doctors tell me it is unlikely Fofana will play in the new season due to his devastating injury.
The Blues management are considering an offer from Juventus which would take Dusan Vlahovic to Stamford Bridge in exchange for Romelu Lukaku plus £35m.
Image: AFP
Jesus out for several weeks
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has been forced to have a knee operation and the medical team says he will be out of action for several weeks. The injury occurred in December when he missed three months. Mikel Arteta admitted: “It is a big blow to my early plans!”
Guardiola gets his man
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was all smiles on Wednesday when he received a phone call informing him that a deal to sign Josko Gvardiol has finally been agreed.
The fee is £77million which Guardiola thinks is a real bargain. Gvardiol will become the second-most expensive defender in history. The Croatian has played 81 times for RB Leipzig since joining from Dynamo Zagreb in 2021.
His arrival will almost certainly mean that Aymeric Laporte will leave and he is of interest to Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
Recruitment in a mess at West Ham
There are problems at West Ham as coach David Moyes, Technical Director Tim Steidten and owner David Sullivan clash over a recruitment strategy.
Replacing midfielder Declan Rice with a like-for-like was never going to happen. However, with £100m in the bank, Moyes needs to beef up his midfield.
Moyes likes to be in charge of signings but Steidten points out that his job also includes who the club signs and there is a tense atmosphere behind closed doors. Moyes was likely to leave the club had they lost the Europa League final but beating Fiorentina saved him.
The Scot has led the Hammers to three successive European qualifications which he feels gives him the right to choose his own players.
Steidten wants foreign players but Moyes wants Premier League talent who have experience at the top level and speak English as a first language since it makes training and briefing much easier and more effective. Moyes also knows he is likely to lose Michail Antonio to Saudi club Al-Ettifaq and left back Aaron Creswell to Wolves.
Insiders are wondering if Steidten will last in his job because he wanted to bring in Monaco’s 24-year-old Youssouf Fofana but Moyes is reluctant. Steidten must be wondering why he was hired in the first place.
It was the mess surrounding Moyes and Steidten that allowed Newcastle to steal Leicester’s Harvey Barnes after West Ham had been negotiating since April but didn’t move fast enough because of internal problems.
Approaches for Ajax’s Edson Alvarez have hit a brick wall and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha still looks a long way off. Two bids for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse have also been rejected but £40million could seal the deal.
If Moyes doesn’t make an impressive start to the season, he could well be the first coach to be sacked. The club have not brought in a single new player which makes them considerably weaker than last season, after losing Declan Rice.
Image: /FILE
Ten Hag must improve on last season
With golden suntanned arms and face, Erik Ten Hag looked a picture of health at the University of California in San Diego. I am not sure when he took time to sunbathe because he hasn’t stopped working since arriving in the US.
He talked about how low standards were normal when he took over the club and how excited he is that £64m Rasmus Hojlund will be a United player.
It is true United have lost all three of their pre-season tour matches culminating with a loss to Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas, despite staying at the only hotel on the Las Vegas Strip without a casino so his players were not distracted.
Ten Hag’s bosses back at Old Trafford have told the coach that they expect an improvement on last season’s third place in the league.
As I have reported previously, Ten Hag once again said that this season will be make or break for Jadon Sancho. He has done well in pre-season matches and Ten Hag will probably use him as a false No9.
He commented: “He has the skills. He has to show consistently that he can make a huge contribution. When you are a front player, the end product is the key. You have to make sure you are making those key final passes and get your goals. The rest has to be helping out your teammates and pressing hard and showing the right attitude. Those are the standards we all expect.”
Media reports wrong about Mbappe joining Liverpool
I joined Jurgen Klopp in laughing at the suggestion, mentioned in media reports, that Kylian Mbappe could be on his way to Anfield.
Paris Saint-Germain are anxious to cash in on the Frenchman as he only has 12 months left on his contract and could leave for free next year. Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has told Mbappe he must sign or leave and the player has no intention of signing.
Klopp said that unless he is suddenly surprised that Liverpool are thinking of getting involved in a one-year deal (Kylian wants to join Real Madrid in 12 months) there has not been any discussion inside Anfield and the money required to finance such a deal is not suitable for Liverpool’s investment profile.
Image: FILE
Van Dijk proud to lead
Virgil Van Dijk has spoken about his pride at being handed the Liverpool captain’s armband for the coming season. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been named as vice-captain following the departure of James Milner. Van Dijk is also captain of his native Holland national team.
Trent was chosen ahead of Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson and the four players are the team leaders on the field and in the dressing room.
Van Dijk will lead the Reds out against Chelsea in their opening match on August 13.
He said: “This is a proud day for me, my wife, my kids and the whole family.”
Palace to sign Zaha replacement
Following the exit of their best player and supreme winger Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace are close to signing a £26m deal to bring Flamengo forward Matheus Franca to Selhurst Park.
Franca is a versatile player who can perform in several forward positions. He was watched by Chelsea and Newcastle last season.
Coach Roy Hodgson admitted this week that the club must fight to keep Michael Olise as Manchester City and Chelsea lurk.
Hodgson said: “We had two outstanding wingers who were almost the best in the league – Michael Olise on the right and Wilf Zaha on the left. We don’t have Wilf any longer and we must hang on to Michael.”
United in mega Adidas deal
The age-old argument about which is the world’s most important club took another dramatic step this week when Manchester United agreed a new deal with sports company Adidas for a breathtaking £900million.
The deal is for ten years which gives United an extra £90million a year. Should United fail to qualify for Champions League football in the following seasons, the amount will be reduced.
Everton desperately needs more firepower
Everton coach Sean Dyche is concerned that with only a week to go to the start of the new season — on August 12 — the club is still searching for a new striker.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training and managed 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly this week and Dyche told us that he expects his main attacking forward to be fit for the opening match against Fulham.
Dyche also recognises that he needs fresh talent upfront with players who can blend together and play off each other. At the moment he does not have those ingredients.
Everton usually play with moves through the centre aimed at Calvert-Lewin but plans fall apart when the frequently injured striker is missing. Signing Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal was a good move but pre-season match training pin-pointed that playing him as the lone striker does not work and he is more effective on the wing.
Both Dyche and the supporters know that bringing in more firepower is a must. Talks are in progress with Sporting Lisbon to sign 19-year-old Youssef Chermiti, who scored three goals in his debut season.
He is 6ft 4ins and is respected but needs improvement if he is to play in the Premier League. Dyche is still on the lookout for a more established forward.