Rumour reel: Everton step up interest in Rooney
Published:
Free-spending Toffees want Wayne back
The big transfer news in midweek was Arsenal’s capture of Alexandre Lacazette, a £45m signing from Lyon. That move is expected to be the tip of the iceberg at the Emirates as Arsene Wenger puts a dent in his summer transfer targets.
Everton were also busy, as the major names in the English Premier League begin to turn rumour into reality. Who’s going where next? We dig through the latest from the newspaper columns, and bring you the more believable stories.
Rooney the man to replace Lukaku
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has been amongst the most active managers in the market so far this summer, and he added Michael Keane from Burnley on Monday in a £30m move. Keane is his new club’s fifth signing so far, but he won’t be the last. Everyone at Goodison Park has accepted that star striker Romelu Lukaku is off, probably to Manchester United or Chelsea, and we’ll keep you up to date on that one, but he seems in no rush to get it sorted, meaning Everton are stalling on a move for former wonderkid Wayne Rooney. The England scorer’s time is up at Old Trafford, and it is being reported that he favours a switch back to Everton over sitting on the bench at United. Mourinho is keen to get rid, leaving Rooney’s wage demands as the main stumbling block.
City set to unveil Mendy and Alves
Man City are favourites with Coral to win the league title, and The Citizens see Benjamin Mendy as the man to help them achieve that. The Monaco left back is expected to sign for Pep Guardiola’s side in the coming days, with terms agreed between City and Monaco, as well as City and Mendy. The 22-year-old French cap is valued at around £35m, and it’s obvious his time in France is up, as Monaco have already brought in a replacement. Terence Kongolo signed from Feyenoord this week, and being a left back, that suggests the writing is on the wall. City will boost their options on the other side of the pitch too, with Dani Alves expected to arrive on a free transfer. The 34-year-old had his contract torn up at Juventus to allow him to complete a dream move to England.
Wenger aims to keep busy
With fans still buzzing from the signing of Lacazette, Arsenal are expected to see another two targets arrive in London sooner rather than later – William Carvalho and Gelson Martins, both from Sporting Lisbon. The double raid should cost Wenger the best part of £70m, but he will be getting a couple of quality operators for his money, players more than capable of adding the spark that was missing from The Gunners midfield last season. Rumours connecting Carvalho to the English top-flight is nothing new however, with tabloids linking him with a move in each of the last four years. Wenger has already signed Sead Kolasinac, as well as Lacazette.
