Gossip: Man Utd 'offered Pogba/Verratti swap deal', Chelsea 'agree Sarri terms with Napoli'
If only Paul Pogba lived in a place where he was closer to his barber. Most of the time he has to travel all the way from Manchester to London to get his haircut, and during the World Cup it’s even worse – last week he sent Ahmed Alsanawi on a 2,000-mile trip to Russia just to give him a trim.
But what about if Pogba lived in Paris? This will no doubt among the Manchester United midfielder’s primary concerns as he ponders what to make of today’s news that Paris Saint-Germain are trying to sign him.
According to The Sun, the Ligue 1 champions have offered the Red Devils “Marco Verratti plus cash” for their most exquisitely coiffured player. Italian midfielder Verratti has long been courted by United although at this stage it is apparently “unclear” whether manager Jose Mourinho is interested in the proposed swap deal.
As for Pogba, he would technically be further away from his barber if he lived in Paris, but London would be easily accessible via the Eurostar, which is a more luxurious mode of travel than the Virgin Pendolino service from Manchester Piccadilly.
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On the flipside, the tickets from Manchester can be as low as £23 for a single (providing he books it in advance) – and even cheaper if he uses his Young Person’s Railcard, which he is still just about eligible for. So there’s a lot to think about.
Man Utd want Diego Godin
United are also being tipped to sign a couple of players from La Liga. Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan defensive colossus Diego Godin has been identified as a “potential summer bargain” because his contract has just one year left to run and he could be available for £18m, reports Spanish paper AS.
Mourinho is also allegedly keen on the Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who wants to leave the Bernabeu in search of regular first-team football and could be available for £44m (Sun).
Meanwhile, one-time Old Trafford outcast Luke Shaw is set to complete a remarkable turnaround by signing a new contract with the club. It’s not because Mourinho has suddenly decided he likes him though; it’s just because United have deemed left-back target Alex Sandro, of Juventus, too expensive (Manchester Evening News).
Maurizio Sarri set for Chelsea
We should mention some clubs other than Man Utd too, such as Chelsea. The Express reports that the Blues finally “agreed terms” with Napoli last night on a compensation package for manager Maurizio Sarri, who will take over at Stamford Bridge imminently.
The Italian will bring in Blues legend Gianfranco Zola as his assistant and make Juventus defender Daniele Rugani his first signing, while also targeting Napoli defender Elseid Hysaj, Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas, Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Nice midfielder Jean Michel Seri. Presumably someone will tell Antonio Conte about all this pretty soon.
But there’s bad news for Arsenal, who have reportedly been told by Sevilla that Gunners midfield target Ever Banega is “not for sale” – despite the Spanish club’s former boss Unai Emery trying to sweet talk the Argentine into signing with a personal phone call (Independent).
Elsewhere, West Ham’s £12m bid for West Brom centre-back Craig Dawson has been rejected by the Baggies, who want at least £20m (Telegraph), Southampton are prepared to pay £17.6m for Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer but face competition from Fenerbahce (Mundo Deportivo) and Wolves are interested in Lazio’s Brazilian centre-back Walace (Birmingham Mail). The 23-year-old is a client of Jorge Mendes, obviously.
