Rumour reel: United target Dier
Published:
Spurs star set to join Lukaku
Manchester United moved a step closer to grabbing their first big name striker of the summer transfer window when getting Everton scorer Romelu Lukaku in for a medical. The Red Devils and Toffees have agreed a price, thought to be in the region of £75m, meaning it’s now up to club and player to thrash out the finer details.
Chelsea are preparing an 11th hour bid to throw a spanner in the works, but if newspaper reports are to be believed, Lukaku will choose a move to United over a return to Stamford Bridge. That’s just the tip of the iceberg – here’s more from the weekend transfer stories.
Mourinho pressing ahead
With the Lukaku transfer seemingly in the bag, Jose Mourinho is pressing ahead with his next main target – Tottenham’s Eric Dier. The 23-year-old England cap is not for sale at any price, according to the London club, but we all know, in the current market, if a player wants to go, he’ll go. Tabloids believe United are ready to offer upwards of £50m to get the Lilywhites’ attention, but it remains to be seen whether Dier fancies the move north. A long-term admirer of the holding midfielder, Mourinho expressed his interest earlier in the year, but was told in no uncertain terms by Mauricio Pochettino and co to look elsewhere.
Liverpool’s Sakho in demand
Liverpool are in search of a reliable defender to improve on last season’s efforts, and give them a bit more security in the Champions League, but boss Jurgen Klopp doesn’t seem to value Mamadou Sakho too highly, which is very strange. The 27-year-old Frenchman, who joined the Anfield club from PSG, enjoyed a fantastic season at Crystal Palace on-loan last term, doing a great job for Sam Allardyce. When Sakho played well, Palace won. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see Liverpool have taken a number of calls on the centre-back, and he shouldn’t have any trouble finding a new club. Liverpool don’t want him, but what they do want is £30m to sell to a Premier League rival. Spurs and Palace are thought to be the frontrunners.
Crystal Palace want Barca keeper
While we’re on the Selhurst Park outfit, now under the guidance of new manager Frank de Boer, they are closing in on Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The 28-year-old Holland international knows all about de Boer, having played under him at Ajax, and that one seems to be a perfect fit on both sides. Cillessen only joined Barca last summer, but he’s not been given nearly as much game time as he would’ve hoped, and will view the chance to cut his losses and become a regular in the Premier League as a decent option. La Liga giants Barcelona only paid £11.5m, but would be looking to make a serious profit on that.
