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Gossip: Liverpool and Manchester City among 'four clubs who could sign Mbappe', Man United linked with Veratti and Chelsea push for Arsenal star

Man City and Liverpool are reportedly in the running for Kylian Mbappe.
Man City and Liverpool are reportedly in the running for Kylian Mbappe.

The future of Kylian Mbappe remains a mystery, and this glimmer of uncertainty means the tabloids can still speculate wildly about his next destination.

Therefore the Daily Star Sunday, which doesn’t need a second invitation to speculate wildly, claims that Liverpool and Man City are among four clubs that might sign the Monaco striker this summer. The other two are Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid (and he’ll go to Real Madrid, clearly).

Manchester United’s long-running search for a midfield colossus, which has so far included unsuccessful pursuits of Eric Dier, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Nemanja Matic, has led them to PSG’s Marco Verratti, says the Sunday Mirror.

But a deal for the Italian is apparently being “held up” by the French club’s insistence that United include their forward Anthony Martial in the deal. It’s not clear why this would hold things up, because Jose Mourinho doesn’t even like Anthony Martial.

PSG midfielder Marco Veratti
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti

An alternative midfield colossus for Mourinho, albeit a young one, is Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches. The Sunday Mirror says United are “closing in” on the Portuguese 19-year-old on a year-long loan deal.

READ MORE: Chelsea guide to the 2017-18 Premier League season

READ MORE: Manchester United guide to the 2017-18 Premier League season

READ MORE: Manchester City guide to the 2017-18 Premier League season

Conte to delve into Chelsea transfer warchest again

Is it us, or is Antonio Conte never happy?

Chelsea win the league, and immediately he’s tipped to walk out on the club. The transfer window kicks off, and he starts arguing about who is in charge of recruitment. And now, even after the Blues have splashed out £60m on Alvaro Morata to take their total summer spending to £130m, he is still barging into Roman Abramovich’s office on a daily basis stomping his feet like a five-year-old girl who has been denied an ice cream. Allegedly.


The Sunday Telegraph reports that Conte has “demanded” more signings for the new campaign, and the Sunday Express claims the next one he wants is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Blues are tipped to “formally table an offer” for the Arsenal midfielder within the next 48 hours, leaving the Gunners with a dilemma about whether to cash in on the 23-year-old now or risk losing him for free next summer.

The Ox is believed to be stalling over a new contract at the Emirates because he wants “assurances about first-team football”. However, it doesn’t seem hugely likely that he’d get more of those at champions Chelsea rather than he does at Europa League Arsenal (as the Gunners should henceforth be called at all times).

Could the Ox move to Chelsea?
Could the Ox move to Chelsea?

His only other option is apparently Manchester City, where he would also face a fair amount of midfield competition.

Chelsea have also made a move for Fluminense’s £12m-rated teenage “prodigy” Richarlison, says the Mail on Sunday. But that is unlikely to keep Conte satisfied, especially as he sounds like exactly the kind of lad who will be immediately send out on loan.

Elsewhere, Lionel Messi has told Barcelona to sign Juventus forward Paulo Dybala as a replacement for PSG-bound Neymar (Don Balon), Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez is set to reject a move to Roma as he attempts to seal a £35m move to Arsenal instead (Sun on Sunday) and Chelsea are monitoring Montreal Impact’s Ivorian starlet Ballou Yves-Jean Tabla (Sun on Sunday). A player with three Christian names? That would surely be a Premier League record.

@darlingkevin