Toure to get China deal, Stones blow for Blues
The winter window might have shut, but the rumour mill rolls on! As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest rumours and gossip. See the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Yaya Toure set for £30m China offer
Could Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure be the latest star to head to the Chinese Super League? On Monday, Guangzhou Evergrande signed striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for an incredible fee of ¬42 million.
Martinez’s move comes after another Chinese club, Jiangsu Suning, spent £25m to buy Ramires from Chelsea in January, while Fredy Guarin and Gervinho also moved to China in the winter transfer window.
Now, Toure, 32, is being linked with a switch to East Asia, after his agent Dimitry Seluk revealed this week he expects his client to leave the Premier League team when Pep Guardiola takes over as manager in the summer.
The Daily Telegraph reports three Chinese clubs are interested in the Ivory Coast international’s signature and that he could stand to earn £30m-a-year after tax, which is £576,923-a-week — more than double his current wage at City.
It was also reported in Italy that Shakhtar Donetsk star Alex Teixeira was set to join Ramires at Jiangsu, but boss Mircea Lucescu told Calcio Mercato: “We haven’t sold Alex Teixera. I am not aware of any negotiations with Chinese clubs — they are just the usual rumours which do the rounds during the transfer periods.”
Paper Round
Chelsea target John Stones could prefer United or City
Everton defender John Stones is likely to dominate the summer transfer rumours, with Chelsea potentially renewing their interest after failing to land him in 2015. However, the Blues are facing a major setback, with The Times reporting that Stones would prefer not to move South.
The newspaper says the England international would prefer to remain close to his Yorkshire-based family, which could mean that Manchester United or City now lead the queue to acquire the promising youngster, who could cost more than the £49m City paid Liverpool for Raheem Sterling.
Jackson Martinez out, Diego Costa in for Atletico
With Atletico striker Martinez having joined Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, Marca reports that the Spanish club could target Chelsea’s Diego Costa as his replacement. The Spain international left Atletico for Chelsea in 2014 but his former side could be lining up a return.
City bracing for Bravo bid
According to AS, Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo could be Pep Guardiola’s first signing as Manchester City boss. Guardiola has followed the Chilean closely throughout the past few years, with the report even stating that he urged Barcelona’s executives to sign Bravo when he played for Real Sociedad.
In his first season with the Catalonian club, Bravo won the Zamora trophy, which is an honor awarded to the best goalkeeper in the Spanish top flight. This term, the 32-year-old has started 17 La Liga games, conceding only 10 goals in the process. Despite Guardiola’s desire to sign the former La Real man, his ¬40m buyout clause could be too much for City to spend in a position that isn’t considered a priority.
Vardy ready to snub Chelsea
The Telegraph reports that Jamie Vardy is on the verge of signing a 3½-year deal in the next few days, after several weeks of negotiations with the Premier League leaders. Vardy was a target for Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool in the January transfer window, but the Foxes were consistent in their message that the former Fleetwood Town forward would not be sold, and he is now on the brink of a new £70,000-a-week deal.
The 29-year-old’s current deal, signed at the start of last season, doesn’t expire until June 2018, but the new terms will represent a significant improvement as he is expected to become the club’s highest earner. In what has been a sensational season for him and his club, the English striker is currently the Premier League’s top scorer with 17 goals.
Tap-Ins
– Valencia boss Gary Neville could hand Real Madrid loan signing Denis Cheryshev his debut in their Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona, according to the Daily Mail. The Russian midfielder played for Madrid earlier on in the competition against Cadiz, which resulted in his parent club being expelled as he was ineligible due to a suspension carrying over from the previous season.
– According to the Mirror, Ajax starlet Riechedly Bazoer wants to join Barcelona, but is staying in Amsterdam for now after turning down interest from Napoli and Sevilla. The 19-year-old midfielder is considered one of Europe’s most exciting prospects, but wants to move only when he feels the time is right.
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