Rumour Reel: Arsenal eye club record splurge for Spain striker
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The dust may still be settling on Liverpool’s Europa League disappointment, but there is no time for English football to rest on its laurels, as there are riveting rumours to be read fresh off the reel with Coral. This morning’s slice of gossip sees Arsenal ready to smash a club record, while Manchester United just can’t keep out of the tabloids, so tuck in to some transfer tattle…
Gunners to grab Morata?
We kid you not, usually frugal Frenchman Arsene Wenger leads today’s transfer headlines, with the Arsenal coach supposedly coveting Spain striker Alvaro Morata.
Of course, the Gunners being linked to a goal-getter who is somewhat surplus to requirements at Juventus and who possesses tremendous technique raises no eyebrows.
It is instead the prospect of the Londoners breaking the bank with a mooted club record fee for the forward, to beat the £42.4m previously forked out for Mesut Ozil, that intrigues. Could Wenger finally be ready to loosen the purse strings after this lacklustre Premier League season?
Whether marksman Morata, more of an all-rounder than a lethal poacher that could give Arsenal that ruthless edge they are lacking remains to be seen, but with Danny Welbeck ruled out for around eight months it would be a move that makes sense for both parties.
Former Real Madrid man Morata, 23, has struck just 11 times for Juve across all competitions this term, having seen the potent partnership between Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala blossom without him.
Chelsea target triple transfer raid of Serie A
Staying with Serie A related business, it comes as no surprise that Antonio Conte could return to Italy to pluck the peninsula’s best and brightest for his new Stamford Bridge club.
Chelsea are said to be preparing for a shopping spree that not only includes a raid on Roma for Radja Nainggolan and Kostas Manolas, with the Belgium box-to-box midfielder and Greece defender reportedly long-term targets for the Blues, but also a stop at Juventus for centre back Leonardo Bonucci.
The 29-year-old rearguard marshal, joined the Old Lady in 2010, and became a crucial cog in Conte’s Turin success. Yet, with captain and leader John Terry having signed on the dotted line for another season, it could be a case of too many cooks should Bonucci jump ship from Juventus.
Man Utd ready to make Northwest waves
While, further north, Manchester United are at the centre of plenty of transfer speculation, with Portugal and Valencia playmaker Andre Gomes reportedly top of their shopping list.
Tipped to instead join Juventus, it appears the Red Devils are now in pole position to land the Portuguese schemer, with the 22-year-old midfielder rated at an eye-popping price of £51.5m after scoring four and assisting seven for his Spanish club in all competitions this season.
It looks as though guileful Gomes could be parachuted in to replace the passing precision of veteran Michael Carrick, whose contract is set to expire. In a swirl of speculation similar to clubmate David de Gea, it is reported that the English conductor could stay at Old Trafford if boss Louis van Gaal was to move on, amid interest from Everton, Stoke City and former club West Ham United.
While, elsewhere in the Northwest there is a spoonful of good news for Liverpool fans, as the Reds seem set to lick their wounds and press on with a swoop for Jurgen Klopp’s former charge Mario Gotze, as the Anfield outfit are apparently not put off splurging for the Bayern Munich and Germany star despite missing out on European football for next season.
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