Messi wants £600,000-a-week Arsenal move
The winter window gets closer with each passing day and the transfer rumour mill is starting to pick up steam. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals here.
TOP STORY: How much for Messi?
How much is Lionel Messi worth on the open market? It’s tough to quantify just what the Barcelona star would be worth if he were to exit the Camp Nou, but the Star has an answer — £600,000 a week.
The paper reports that Messi is “open to a move to England after falling foul of the tax authorities in Spain,” with Arsenal “his preferred destination” for a life of luxury in London.
But wait, Gunners fans; there’s a catch. … The Star says that Messi would want a ridiculous £18 million a year after tax, which equates to around £2.4m a month before deductions.
Arsene Wenger has shown with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil that he’s not afraid to tempt expensive talent from La Liga, but Messi’s £175m-release clause and astronomical wages would surely mean that Manchester United, Man City and Chelsea are the only Premier League clubs capable of pulling off such a deal.
STAR SPORT: £600k a week #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/si68tv28mo
– Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) November 15, 2015
Ronaldo nearing Madrid exit?
Cristiano Ronaldo could be set for his final La Liga home Clasico next Saturday, with the Mail reporting that Real Madrid are eager to cash in on their talisman next summer.
Selling the Ballon d’Or holder would be unthinkable for nearly any club, but then Real are clearly no ordinary club.
According to the Mail, Los Blancos are upset over Ronaldo’s repeated declarations in recent weeks that he could leave the club and are privately willing to sell the forward if anybody bids close to the £80 million they paid Manchester United for the Portugal captain in 2009.
That would mean Saturday’s clash with Barca is his final home Liga Clasico in a Real shirt, so he may want to go out with a bang against the Blaugrana.
Lewandowski next in line for Los Blancos?
If Madrid do decide to part ways with Ronaldo, they could certainly do worse than settling on Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski.
The 27-year-old Poland international has been in the form of his life this season, and Los Blancos appear to be relishing the idea of trying to pry him away from Bundesliga giants Bayern.
Lewandowski’s agent Cezary Cucharsky is quoted by Marca as saying, “You cannot deny that there is interest from Real Madrid.” When words like those are spoken, the usual outcome is the player being paraded at the Bernabeu within the year.
Cash-rich Bayern have no real need to sell, but Toni Kroos proved with his 2014 switch from Munich to Madrid that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Ozil set for pay day
Life is good for Mesut Ozil at the moment. The Arsenal playmaker recently set a new Premier League record for consecutive games with assists and is apparently happily back together with his former girlfriend.
If that wasn’t enough, the Mirror reports that the 27-year-old is set for a new Gunners contract with the North London club ready to extend his deal — which expires in 2018 — until at least 2019.
The Germany international has proved his doubters wrong after struggling at times since his 2013 arrival, and the Gunners are also reportedly keen on extending Alexis Sanchez’s contract. The future looks bright for Wenger’s front line.
Falcao offered Spanish escape
Poor, old Radamel Falcao — the Colombia striker’s Chelsea experiment is failing miserably with sources telling ESPN FC on Saturday that the Blues are considering ending his loan early, but the Mirror reports that Valencia are ready to hand the 29-year-old yet another chance to rediscover form and fitness.
Falcao has yet to make his mark at Stamford Bridge, and the Mirror says that Valencia have “made enquiries to his representatives and have the cash to do the deal” with the striker’s parent club Monaco.
Jose Mourinho is allegedly desperate to rid his squad of “bad apples” in January, and it seems more than likely that Falcao will be one of those given the boot during the winter transfer window.
Tap-ins
– Jesse Lingard’s surprise England call-up is not only a boost for the 22-year-old’s confidence, but the Star reports that the Manchester United midfielder has a clause in his contract which guarantees a £50,000 payment should he make an appearance in Tuesday’s friendly against France.
– Marca have linked Alvaro Morata with a move back to Real Madrid but the 23-year-old insists he has no intention of leaving Juventus.
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