Rumour reel: City begin to free up some space
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More set to leave in the coming weeks
Hearts rocked Scottish football on Tuesday, sacking manager Ian Cathro just four days before their season gets underway at Celtic Park. Cathro, who had only been in the job for seven months, paid a heavy price for being knocked out of the League Cup.
The Jambos, dropped in with a number of part-time footballers and lower league opponents, were eliminated from the cup competition at the group stage, and the board didn’t hesitate to wield the axe. Defeat to Peterhead and a 2-2 draw with Dunfermline was too much to take. Here’s the latest from the summer transfer window…..
Pep shows Navas & Fernando the door
The reshuffle at Manchester City continues, and it was obvious a number of players would have to leave to make room for the new faces. The Citizens released Jesus Navas, which came as a bit of a shock to some fans, and he has since joined up with former club Sevilla on a free transfer. The 31-year-old winger joined City in 2013 for £15m on a four-year deal, but limited game time made it obvious his contract would not be renewed. Former team-mate Fernando is also on his way out of English football, the Brazilian ready to join Turkish side Galatasaray. The 30-year-old made over 100 appearances for the Manchester club, but started just one game during the 2016/17 campaign. The writing had been on the wall for some time.
Milan want Mane on the cheap
Inter Milan are about to make a shock bid for Liverpool striker Sadio Mane. That will come as a surprise to everyone at Anfield, and it’s unlikely they’ll be in a rush to part with their scorer, but the Serie A side are about to test their breaking point with a £35m bid for the 25-year-old. It looks like Jurgen Klopp has managed to hold on to Coutinho, for the time being, but will now face a scrap to hold on to another fans’ favourite in Senegalese forward Mane. The offer came as a bit of a joke to fans, who took to Twitter to voice their amusement, dubbing it comical. Sticking with Liverpool and Klopp told supporters he won’t target another midfielder, even if they miss out on long-term target Naby Keita.
Chelsea to make surprise bid
Antonio Conte has been linked to some of European football’s biggest names during the summer, but he’s keen to add a few English players to his ranks, and the first of them could be Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater. The 27-year-old is one of a number of names being mentioned to add a bit of weight to the Stamford Bridge midfield, following the departure of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United. Not a replacement that’ll get fans talking, but it’s true Conte needs to boost his squad numbers if he is to defend the Premier League title and make an impact in Europe. If they do move on the England international, they’ll need to pay Leicester well, Drinkwater signing a four-year deal only last summer.
