Arsenal in for Morata; Arda headed to CSL?
The summer window will be opening before you know it, and rumours around the world are picking up steam. As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest gossip. See the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Arsenal after Juve’s Morata
Following a sleepy summer window for Arsene Wenger in 2015 — in which the only new transfer arrival was Petr Cech — Arsenal look set to return to the market this time around. The Mirror reports that Wenger has several targets in mind already, with Juventus striker Alvaro Morata at the top of their wish-list.
Morata has been a confounding character at Juve. His brilliance almost single-handedly led the Old Lady past his former club Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League semifinals, and almost helped them see off Bayern Munich this time around in the round of 16.
Yet big moments aside, this campaign with Juventus saw him used as a substitute regularly as he suffered through a few goal-scoring droughts. That hasn’t kept him out of the Spain squad thus far and also hasn’t prevented some from saying that Real Madrid would be wise to buy their prodigal son back (to the tune of £23m).
Real are said to be aware of Arsenal’s interest, according to the report, and could orchestrate a scenario in which they buy the Spaniard back before shipping him off to the Premier League for a tidy little profit.
Man City eye “super” Sandro
If Juventus feel like everyone’s out to get their players, they could be right. Manchester City are apparently all in for do-it-all left-back/left-winger Alex Sandro next season. They’d better be willing to pony up a hefty amount for the Brazil star if they’re keen though.
How much, you ask?
According to Globoesporte.com, Neymar’s former teammate at Santos won’t be leaving the Old Lady for anything less than €50 million.
Along with Argentine ace Paulo Dybala (and the aforementioned Alvaro Morata) the former Porto man is seen by the Bianconeri as one of this year’s great revelations, and they are keen to keep him in Turin.
Good news for Juve fans, but bad for Pep Guardiola & Co., who are planning a revamp of the City roster, with an eye on strengthening the defensive sector for next campaign.
Turan next in line for CSL payday?
Arda Turan has only just begun his playing career at Barcelona, but according to Spanish outlet Sport, he may already be headed for the exits at the Camp Nou in favour of a move to the Chinese Super League.
The Turkey international had to wait until January to begin playing for Luis Enrique’s side until Barca’s year-long transfer ban expired, but so far he hasn’t seized the opportunity to earn regular first-choice status for the Blaugrana. Yes, Arda is getting minutes, but he’s still playing second fiddle to Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic in the Barca midfield.
#FCB🔵🔴| Superoferta china por Arda Turan
👉https://t.co/nZjGzUggNh pic.twitter.com/5AB84Nde7a— Diario SPORT (@sport) April 7, 2016
With an unnamed CSL club rumoured to be preparing to splash the cash for the 29-year-old, could Turan be the next big name to trade playing for a top club in the world for a dump truck full of money? We’ll be watching.
Tap-ins
– United States national team fans are already smitten with rising star Christian Pulisic, and it seems his club’s former manager Jurgen Klopp is too. According to this report, the 17-year-old Dortmund midfielder would be a welcome addition to Liverpool.
Klopp got a chance to scout Pulisic in person on Thursday, when the Reds traveled to the Westfalenstadion to play Dortmund in the Europa League. Pulisic came on in the 77th minute of the 1-1 draw, and was a lively participant in BVB’s efforts to find a go-ahead goal against their former coach.
– The Mexican Football Federation has encouraged Liga MX clubs to stop registering underage players from the United States because of a potential widespread breach of a FIFA rule, sources have told ESPN FC.
– According to the London Evening Standard, Chelsea are confident they’ll be able to secure one of incoming manager Antonio Conte’s top transfer targets in Miralem Pjanic. The £30m-rated midfielder hasn’t signed an extension with Roma and the club is reportedly preparing for his imminent departure.
