Midday Gossip: Mourinho In For New Chelsea Target; Spurs Make Move For Ex-Player
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants to be reunited with Chelsea defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic.
The Manchester Evening News claims Mourinho will turn his focus to the Serbian midfielder after seeing his efforts to prise Eric Dier from Tottenham hit a brick wall.
Mourinho was ready to bid up to £40million to sign the England midfielder as a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick, who looks set to take a player / coach role at the club which will see his first-team duties hugely scaled back.
But with Tottenham refusing to consider his sale, the MEN claims Mourinho will switch targets to Matic, with the player likely to be allowed to leave if Antonio Conte strikes a deal for Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko.
It’s believed Chelsea could allow Matic, 28, to leave for around £25million.
It would be the second player Mourinho would make attempts to sign from Chelsea after early talks of a transfer of Willian to Old Trafford has emanated.
The paper adds that Mourinho has been given the green light to spend £200m this summer, but with two forwards, a midfielder and at least one centre-half on his wish-list, he’ll need to pick his targets and allocate his cash carefully.
Gylfi Back With Spurs
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is planning to bring Gylfi Sigurdsson back to the club this summer, according to a report.
The Daily Mail claims Pochettino has been impressed by the performances of Sigurdsson this summer and is ready to rival Newcastle, Everton and West Ham for the Swansea star’s signature.
Sigurdsson, who was allowed to leave Tottenham and return to Swansea in 2014 after struggling to make an impact at White Hart Lane, however, has insisted he wants to stay at the Liberty Stadium this summer.
The paper claims that while Everton’s Ross Barkley remains Tottenham’s top target, Everton’s reported £50million valuation of the England man will force him to look elsewhere.
Pochettino has been keen on Barkley for months and still rates him highly. But the Tottenham manager is now considering a £25m move for a player he always believed should never have been sold in the first place.
In Other News
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte will make Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, his top transfer target this summer, but the Gunners are prepared to let the Chile international run down his contract, which ends next year (Independent)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is planning an £80m double move for Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder William Carvalho, 25, and winger Gelson Martins, 22, who are both Portugal internationals (The Sun)
Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke is not contemplating the possibility of selling to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov and remains fully committed to the club
Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev has told Kylian Mbappe’s suitors that £86m won’t be enough to lure him away (Daily Star)
Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are looking to sign talented young English players after qualifying for the Champions League. Manchester City winger Jadon Sancho, 17, and Chelsea forward Dominic Solanke, 19, are on their shortlist (Daily Mail)
Chelsea will reportedly sell midfielder Kenneth Omeruo for £7m (Daily Star)
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is going head to head with Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola as they chase Benfica keeper Ederson (Daily Mirror)
Sunderland boss David Moyes has slapped a £30m price tag on keeper Jordan Pickford, who has been strongly linked with Everton following the Black Cats’ relegation (Daily Mirror)
Southampton have joined the list of English clubs keeping tabs on Nigerian teen sensation Henry Onyekuru. The 19-year-old has caused a stir in Belgium, scoring 21 goals for top-flight side Eupen this season (Daily Mirror)
Bournemouth are hoping Jack Wilshere’s loan spell from Arsenal has changed the perception of them and opened the door to further high-profile signings (Daily Mirror)
Middlesbrough’s England defender Ben Gibson has hinted at a summer transfer following their relegation to the Championship, admitting he feels as if he belongs in the Premier League (Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa are preparing to offload Micah Richards, Tommy Elphick, Aaron Tishbola, Jordan Veretout, Carles Gil, Pierluigi Gollini, Jordan Amavi and Aly Cissokho to bankroll a push for promotion (Daily Mirror)
Arsene Wenger has agreed to a backroom shake-up which will see him stay on as Arsenal manager (Daily Mirror)
Sacked Watford manager Walter Mazzarri is planning a Premier League comeback – and claims he will speak fluent English when he lands his next job here (Daily Mirror)
Slaven Bilic will hold talks with West Ham bosses on Monday, but is expected to keep his job (The Sun)
Manchester City are close to signing Monaco defender Fabinho (The Sun)
Gabriel Jesus wants Sergio Aguero to stay with him at Manchester City next season (The Sun)
Sam Allardyce is in the running to snap up Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe for Crystal Palace (The Sun)
Wojciech Szczesny says leaving Arsenal on loan was the best thing that could have happened to his career (The Sun)
Manchester United have made the first move of the summer after reaching an agreement to sign Espanyol wonderkid Arnau Puigmal once the transfer window opens (Daily Mail)
Antonio Conte says any discussions over his Chelsea future will take place after the FA Cup final (Daily Mail)
Leicester City are braced for a struggle to retain the services of Riyad Mahrez amid persistent interest from Arsenal, Tottenham and at least one other Premier League club (The Times)
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