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Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Stones, Rudiger, Pjanic, Mahrez, De Boer
This mad Premier League season may have transformed the English football landscape forever, but it’s comforting to know that at least some things haven’t changed: Chelsea are set to increase their offer for John Stones.
The Daily Express reports that the Blues are set to pick up where they left off last summer by tabling a fifth bid of £40m for the Everton defender, despite his inconsistent season. Everton, however, are apparently holding out for “more than £50m”. It’s as if the Toffees board have had a sweepstake on how high Chelsea’s bids will go and will just keep on rejecting them for eternity - stifling their laughter each time a new ridiculous offer comes in.
However, this plan could backfire, because Roman Abramovich is apparently adamant that £40m is as high as he will go. The Metro even goes as far to say that Chelsea have “pulled out of the race” to sign Stones, leaving the path clear for Manchester United to sign the centre-back. Maybe they’ll start the bidding at £20m and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright will run another sweepstake.
A more reasonably priced defensive option could be Stuttgart’s Antonio Rudiger, who the Sun claims is a £15m target for Liverpool. The 23-year-old German international, who has spent this season on loan at Roma, is apparently on Chelsea’s radar too.
It’s possible that Antonio Conte spotted Rudiger while watching his Roma team-mate Miralem Pjanic, who the Star says has put the Blues on “red alert” by admitting he wants to move to Stamford Bridge. (What he is actually said was “in football you never know”, which amounts to the same thing.)
Shopping in Serie A is a bit passé for uber-trendy Leicester, who are instead targeting a player from Serie B. The Mirror reports that Claudio Ranieri is lining up 26-year-old Pescara striker Gianluca Lapadula as the club’s next “unearthed gem”. The Foxes are also being tipped to make another offer for Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa, who they first tried to sign from CSKA Moscow in January.
Meanwhile, Foxes player of the year Riyad Mahrez is set to snub interest from Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal to sign a new contract at the King Power, as long as his £35,000-a-week wages are at least doubled", reports the Star.
Elsewhere, Ajax coach Frank de Boer would “love to manage Everton (Liverpool Echo), West Ham have offered a new long-term contract to in-demand teenage defender Reece Oxford (Mirror) and Arsenal want to make 20-year-old Bolton defender Rob Holding their first summer signing (Sun). Looks like Arsene Wenger wants to bring in an outfield player as quickly as possible this time.
