Rumour Reel: Gunners eye Gonzalo, Chelsea keen on Cesc move and Stones requests move
Published:
Robbie Purves | July 13, 2016
The summer transfer window officially opened on July 1st, and clubs have wasted no time chasing down their targets one by one, as they look to complete some of their business with the upcoming Premier League campaign fast approaching.
Gunners eye Gonzalo
Arsenal are continuing to chase down Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain in their hunt for a top class striker that could propel them to a Premier League title.
Reports suggest the Gunners are willing to offer Olivier Giroud and £42m for Argentine Higuain, with the Frenchman”s agent talking up the deal by admitting his client would flourish at a club like Napoli. Higuain netted 36 times in 35 Serie A appearances and is understood to be considering options away from Italy.
The London club have also been on the search for a new centre back, after Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista failed to impress last season. Arsene Wenger reportedly had a £25m bid rejected for Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, who is one of the brightest young centre backs on the market.
Chelsea to sell Cesc?
Cesc Fabregas is likely to become available because of Antonio Conte’s interest in two central midfielders, Radja Nainggolan of Roma and Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante.
Former Barcelona man Fabregas, far from impressed last season, but excelled under Jose Mourinho in 2015 when Chelsea won the league. Despite, a difficult campaign, he remains one of the best midfielders in the game and recorded 19 assists for the Stamford Bridge club during their last title winning season.
If the Spaniard hits the transfer pile, Manchester United are rumoured to be interested in slotting him into their lacklustre midfield.
Stones requests move
After two years of speculation surrounding his future, John Stones has reportedly requested a move for the second time.
This time he wants to join Manchester City, with the Sky Blues ready to fork out a huge £50m to prise the defender away from Goodison Park. The young defender wishes to link up with Pep Guardiola’s side prior to pre-season training, but Everton are under no pressure to sell.
Thanks to Farhad Moshiri becoming the new majority shareholder at the Merseyside club, the Toffees now possess the financial security and resources to not only keep valuable players, but to recruit them too.
They have been linked with big money moves for Axel Witsel, Kalidou Koulibaly and Juan Mata. Even if Stones leaves Goodison Park, the future looks bright for Ronald Koeman’s club.
