Rumour reel: Hammers hone in on Ayew, Arsenal eye two stars from Spain?
Published:
Holly Thackeray | July 29, 2016
Roll up, roll up for Friday morning’s rumour reel to receive your daily tonic of transfer gossip with Coral. Today’s fix of football whispers features another potentially savvy move from West Ham United, plus two potential Arsenal arrivals as the new Premier League season edges ever closer.
Irons to Hammer out deal for Ayew
Liverpool aren’t the only English top-flight team that enjoy adding attacking midfielders to their already stuffed squads, with latest tabloid tattle tipping West Ham to now swoop for Swansea City’s Andre Ayew with a £16m fee mooted.
If he arrives at the Olympic Stadium, Ghana goal threat Ayew, 26, would be following free agent winger Sofiane Feghouli, on loan wideman Gokhan Tore and the permanent signing of playmaker Manuel Lanzini as attacking reinforcements secured this summer.
Still, Hammers boss Slaven Bilic’s record with forward-thinking midfielders, after the rise of Dimitri Payet last term, must be tempting for energetic Ayew, who scored 12 in the league for the Swans in his debut season.
Speaking of Payet, some papers are running with Manchester United preparing a bid for the Irons string puller – but this is one we recommend to take with a pinch of salt!
Sticking with Old Trafford, however, new manager Jose Mourinho is said to be ready to clear the Old Trafford decks with a combination of loans and sales, with World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger looking set to be shipped off first.
Arsenal lurking for La Liga raid
It appears as though Arsenal just won’t budge on their valuation for Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette – but not to worry Gunners fans, Arsene Wenger could well turn his attentions to scouring Spain.
As the hunt for attacking additions continues, the Londoners may snare Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez. The flexible 23-year-old does not look to be in manager Zinedine Zidane’s plans, which could lead to a scramble for his services between the Gunners and Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Staying in Spain, Wenger is also believed to have sanctioned a move for Valencia’s German centre back Shkodran Mustafi, who was on target for Die Mannschaft at Euro 2016. The Gunners’ rearguard has been a weakness for a long time, but it seems Arsenal are still reluctant to pay the defender’s reported release clause of £42.1m, instead preparing to offer around £33.7m.
Moreno close to Man City
One club that won’t be scrimping this off-season is Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola now edging closer to the official capture of £8m-rated Colombian youngster Marlos Moreno from Atletico Nacional.
The striking starlet is tipped to be the next big export from South America, while fellow teenage talent Gabriel Jesus of Palmeiras, expected to grab his first cap for Brazil at the Olympics, could soon follow suit by pitching up at the Etihad.
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