Rumour Reel: Boro to sign Zidane, Leicester look to Santos starlet Barbosa
Published:
Lee Gormley | August 6, 2016
Coral’s rumour reel
The new season is quickly approaching, with the annual curtain raiser the Community Shield set to take place tomorrow evening, meaning Premier League clubs will be hoping to enjoy a flurry of transfer activity before the anticipated kick-off next week.
Boro to sign Zidane
One of those sides is Middlesbrough, with the Northeast club aiming to add to further acquisitions to their squad after a flurry of transfer activity already from coach Aitor Karanka.
Ahead of their return to the Premier League, Boro have been linked with the signing of current Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane’s son, Enzo, with Los Blancos reportedly willing to let him depart on loan.
Supporters would not have expected to be reading headlines such as ‘Boro to sign Zidane’ in the back pages this summer, but the 21-year-old looks set for a temporary arrival at the Riverside Stadium this year.
Zidane Jr, one of four brothers within different levels of Real’s academy, recently played against Chelsea in a pre-season clash and the midfielder did enough to prove that a loan spell will benefit him rather than another season with their B-team.
Foxes hunt Barbosa capture
Claudio Ranieri will set his top-flight champions up to face Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday evening, before starting the defence of their domestic crown, and another fresh face could soon be joining the squad.
Leicester City are now linked with a move for Brazilian sensation Gabriel Barbosa, known as Gabigoal, with the 19-year-old being lined up as the next Samba starlet to arrive in England after Manchester City lured Gabriel Jesus.
The promising forward has been playing for Santos’ first-team since he was just 16 and has already racked up over 150 outings, scoring over 50 goals in the process, as well as currently being part of Brazil’s Olympics squad.
Santos are reportedly holding out for a massive £30m for his signature, but Leicester have held firm and are not going over their initially outlined £25m offer for the talented teenager.
Toffees targeting Bony
Over to the blue half of Merseyside now and Ronald Koeman is hoping to add Man City frontman Wilfried Bony to his inherited Everton ranks before the new campaign kicks-off.
The Dutchman is keen to add another forward to his ranks, with speculation still surrounding Romelu Lukaku’s future, and the Toffees are ready to make a £15m bid in hope of landing Ivory Coast international Bony.
Such an offer could also trigger John Stones’ long-mooted move in the opposite direction, with the England centre back having been linked heavily to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer.
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.
