Advertisement

Hot Football Transfer Gossip: City open the door for £39m Laporte, 'Giroud to replace Bendtner', LVG's £55m target

Stanley Accrington put down his celebratory Leicester City G & T long enough to scour the net for the latest Premier League transfer rumours

Hot Football Transfer Gossip: City open the door for £39m Laporte, 'Giroud to replace Bendtner', LVG's £55m target

As the ‘Big Six’ plot to take back the Premier League crown that is rightfully theirs, the signings have reportedly started.

New Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s spending has already begun. Even before his feet are under his desk, City have agreed to pay Athletic Bilbao £39m for 21-year-old defender Aymeric Laporte – that’s €50m in Brexit terms.

Further ‘facts’ include Laporte house hunting in Manchester while Basque newspaper ETIS claims the signing “is a specific request of Pep Guardiola.”

Now here’s amusing… Bundesliga side Wolfsburg have just offloaded misfiring ex-Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner but they wish to fill that hole with another Gunner who is standing near to a cow's posterior brandishing a banjo.

This time it’s Olivier Giroud, the 29-year-old France forward seemingly on his way out of the Emirates as manager Arsene Wenger seeks to shift the blame for another season without a title.

According to French publication Foot Mercato, they are offering him £5.5m a year – zut alors

Having spent around £400bn to mount a serious FA Cup challenge, Manchester United are apparently ready to shell out at least another £55m for Sporting Lisbon’s 23-year-old midfielder Joao Mario (A Bola - in Portuguese).

Liverpool are still clinging to Big Six status despite 26 years (and rising) without a League title but The Guardian reports that they are ‘running the rule’ over PSG midfielder Javier Pastore – despite the fact he has only been good enough to make 10 starts for the French champions this season.

Life in the Championship? No thanks if you a Magpie...

If Newcastle do get relegated, the Chronicle claims Florian Thauvin – currently on loan at Marseille – would prefer life in Serie A to midweek trips to Wigan, Rotherham and possibly Burton Albion.

Finally, in management gossip, Jose Mourinho will let Manchester United know this week if he wants the job next season (Telegraph) – but he’s not been seen house hunting in the city – while Rafa Benitez will join Thauvin through the St James’ Park revolving door and succeed Roberto Martinez at Everton (Daily Mail).