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Rumour Reel: Hammers and Palace pounce for Fenerbahce’s Van Persie

| 03.07.2016
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Lee Gormley | July 3, 2016

Coral’s rumour reel

The summer transfer window is officially open and a host of Premier League clubs have already swooped for early signings ahead of the 2016/17 season. One of the busiest has been Crystal Palace, and they are reportedly attempting to bag another high-profile name, but will face competition from West Ham United.

Van Persie set for return to PL?

After helping Manchester United clinch their 20th Premier League title as Sir Alex Ferguson retired from Old Trafford, Robin van Persie endured a tough campaign under compatriot Louis van Gaal before eventually departing for Fenerbahce.

Galatasaray v Fenerbahce - Super Lig - Turk Telekom Arena

The former Arsenal hitman was involved in a stuttering start to his time in Turkey but ended the campaign strongly, finishing the season with an impressive 17 goals, including six strikes in his final five league outings.

Palace have already snapped up Andros Townsend and Steve Mandanda this summer and are closing in on James Tomkins too, though they are rivalling fellow Londoners for the signature of Van Persie, with the Hammers hoping to add to their squad too.

The 32-year-old frontman is believed to be offered up by his current employers despite such rampant form at the end of this past term, with the Turkish league runners-up keen to receive the £4m back that they paid for his services.

Van Persie is also reportedly keen to a return to the English capital in order to move closer to his family, who are still located in London, but it’s a two-way tussle between Palace and West Ham for his services.

Spurs seek Icardi capture

Staying in the capital, and this past season’s top-flight runners-up Tottenham are hoping to land a new frontman too, in order to help ease the goalscoring burden on England international striker Harry Kane.

Italy Soccer Serie A

Mauricio Pochettino’s latest target has been outlined as Inter Milan skipper Mauro Icardi, with the San Siro sharpshooter set to be the subject of a £38m bid from Spurs in the coming weeks, after the club sent representatives to Italy to finalise such a deal.

The Nerazzurri are reportedly reluctant to let their 23-year-old forward depart Milan this summer, but they are waiting to see the value of Tottenham’s final offer before evaluating with the new owners.

Icardi managed to bag 16 Serie A goals in the season gone by and has so far been majorly overlooked by the Argentina national side, having earned just a single cap in his career to date. Though a move to England could boost his prospects and propel him to further international appearances this year.

Bhoys battle Swans for Robson-Kanu services

Having starred for Wales in their gallant run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, current free agent Hal Robson-Kanu’s impressive performances have caught the eye of both Premier League side Swansea City and Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.

Wales v Slovakia - UEFA Euro 2016 - Group B - Stade de Bordeaux

The 27-year-old was released by Reading before the France finals but has put himself in the frame for a high-profile move back to his home nation or Scotland, with new Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers keen on his acquisition, having previously worked together at the Madejski Stadium.

Robson-Kanu struck one of the goals of the tournament so far in the victory over Belgium, as he pulled off a superb Cruyff-turn to bamboozle the Red Devils defenders and clinically dispatch past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The frontman will have another opportunity to shine again when coming up against Portugal in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, though it’s believed both Celtic and Swansea are the front-runners to land him after Euro 2016 comes to a close.

Related

With the summer in full swing, there’s gossip aplenty in Coral’s Rumour Reel, so check out other editions to ensure you don’t miss any tasty tabloid titbits.

Have a look at our extensive Euro 2016 section.

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Author

Lee Gormley

Lee joined the Coral team in 2014 after studying at Leeds Trinity University, having moved across the water from Ireland, and has plenty of industry experience from his time with various news outlets in both England and Northern Ireland. After graduating with a BA Honours degree in Sports Journalism, he has since become an important member of the talented sports desk, passionately covering boxing, football and snooker, among many other sports. Lee is also a massive Manchester United and Republic of Ireland fan, but curbs any bias during his work, and outside of his job can be found regularly taking part in sport himself, such as boxing, GAA and football.