Gossip: Hazard 'agrees move to Real Madrid', Everton 'want £100m for Lukaku', West Brom 'target Terry'
Alf Common was British football’s first £1,000 player, Denis Law was the first £100,000 player and Trevor Francis was the first £1m player. The first £100m player is coming this summer, but will it be Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku or a random B-list South American moving to the Chinese Super League?
Or all of them? The Star says Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has given the “green light” for a world record move for Hazard, who is manager Zinedine Zidane’s “No1 target”.
The Express goes one further and suggests the Chelsea playmaker has “already agreed” to move to the Bernabeu when the transfer window reopens.
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The Belgian will reportedly be given the No10 shirt and form a three-pronged attack with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale that will become known as the ECB in a cricket reference that not a single Spanish person will understand.
And if Real’s current No10 James Rodriguez is reading this, then we’re sorry to be the ones to break the news to you Hames. But yeah, you’re out.
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The Express says Los Blancos are “desperate” to offload the Colombian (ideally before they give Hazard his No10 shirt, in order to minimise awkwardness) although the only clubs left in the race to sign him are Manchester United and Arsenal. Alternatively, he could probably seal a £100m move to China if he wants.
As for Lukaku, the Liverpool Echo reports that Everton will not let the Belgian leave “for less than £100m”. It’s a fairly ambitious price tag, given Toffees manager Ronald Koeman’s recent admittance that the striker has refused to sign a new contract at Goodison Park. But they got almost £30m for Marouane Fellaini, so why not.
John Terry will also be up for grabs this summer, with West Brom leading the chase to sign the deposed Chelsea leader, reports the Mirror. JT also has lucrative offers in China, obviously (Telegraph) but there is apparently “no interest” in signing him from any clubs in the MLS (ESPN). Over there they just see him as a poor man’s Alexi Lalas.
Arsenal will actively encourage Alexis Sanchez to move to Paris Saint-Germain, says the Sun, although that’s only to prevent him signing for Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea. Gunners manager Arsene Wenger fears the Chilean has “already decided to leave”, so will attempt to strike a £50m deal with PSG.
Elsewhere, Man Utd could sell Juan Mata to Besiktas and replace him with Benfica’s Anderson Talisca, who is currently on loan to the Turkish side (Express), Neymar has declared he would like to play for Brazilian club Flamengo “one day” (Mail) and Harry Redknapp is in the running to replace Gianfranco Zola as manager of Birmingham City (Mirror). Crouchy and Niko Kranjcar are already on their way down the M6.
