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Gossip: Man City 'could pay £90m for Mahrez', Benitez in Newcastle 'crisis talks', West Ham 'target Slimani and Amadou'
For some people, every deadline day is the same. It creeps up slowly – you feel as if you have all the time in the world – and then it hits you with a brutal blast of anxiety when it’s almost too late. That’s when you suddenly regret all the time you spent in the pub and watching Neighbours when you should have been working on your essay.
And so, just like last time, today is the day when the likes of Mike Ashley and David Sullivan fill a flask with Red Bull, pop a few Pro Plus and steel themselves for another all-nighter. But will the pressure bring out the best in them like they always tell people it does, or just lead to shoddy workmanship and some classic last-minute panic buying?
Apart from a loan deal for utility man Kenedy, Newcastle chairman Ashley hasn’t signed a sausage yet (eaten one possibly, but not signed one) and this has prompted “crisis talks” with his increasingly fidgety manager Rafa Benitez – a man who previously, naively thought he’d be getting a multi-million pound “war chest” in this transfer window from the club’s new owners. Ha.
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The Mirror says the Spaniard is “unhappy” at Ashley’s failure to land attacking targets Nicolai Jorgensen and Daniel Sturridge. Now his search for a striker has led him to Llorente, but sadly it’s not the Tottenham striker Fernando, it’s the Real Madrid defensive midfielder Marcos Llorente (Star).
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In fact, even the papers haven’t been able to come up with an alternative centre-forward that Newcastle might sign at this late stage, so it seems highly unlikely that Ashley is about to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Joselu all the way, then.
Hammers line up Slimani
Meanwhile, West Ham chairman Sullivan is doing what he does best and making a desperate last-gasp attempt to throw some millions at an ageing, overpaid striker.
The Mail says the Hammers are “leading the race” to sign Leicester’s Islam Slimani, who has also been linked with Watford, Crystal Palace, Newcastle (obviously) and several others in recent weeks. The Foxes are trying to offload the 29-year-old Algerian on a permanent deal rather than a loan, and Sullivan might just be silly enough to agree to it.
The Hammers have also attempted to “hijack” Palace’s £17m bid for the 24-year-old Lille midfielder Ibrahim Amadou (Sky Sports). Helpfully, the French side need to raise £22m quickly after breaking financial fair play rules.
City chase £90m Mahrez
Of course, there are always a few smug smarty pants who have already got their work done – the rich kids like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. And just to rub it in, Guardiola is trying to do some extra work by signing Riyad Mahrez.
The Star says Manchester City have been told to “cough up £70m” (City’s owners have so much money that they probably do sometimes literally cough it up) if they want the Algerian winger, who has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to the Etihad.
But that £70m price tag does sound slightly cheeky given that the Foxes were previously demanding £50m for Mahrez (and couldn’t find anyone who would pay it). Although it could be worse, because the Mirror says Leicester’s current valuation of Mahrez is actually £90m.
Elsewhere, Roma have made an enquiry about Man Utd’s Daley Blind after selling Emerson Palmieri to Chelsea (Mirror), Southampton’s move for Spartak Moscow winger Quincy Promes is set to go to the wire (Daily Echo), Serie A leaders Napoli have opened talks with Everton about signing midfield outcast Davy Klaassen on loan (Liverpool Echo) and Toffees boss Sam Allardyce is set to beat West Ham and Newcastle to the loan signing of Man City’s defensive flop Eliaquim Mangala (Express). And when all is said and done, Newcastle and West Ham trying and failing to sign Eliaquim Mangala on loan is what transfer deadline day is really all about.
