Rumour Reel: Man City to have no Hart as Guardiola eyes Ter Stegen
Published:Sam Barnard, Assistant Sports Editor | July 10, 2016
Coral’s rumour reel
With just over a month-and-a-half to go until the end of the summer transfer window, clubs still have plenty of time to complete signings ahead of what promises to be the most competitive 2016/17 Premier League season yet.
Here are some of the top rumours of the day…
Ter Stegen to replace Hart at City
After recently announcing himself to the English press, Pep Guardiola looks finally set to get down to business at Manchester City as he looks to cut down some of his squad.
One man whose Etihad career is on the line is goalkeeper Joe Hart, as it seems his blunders for England at Euro 2016 have not gone unnoticed back home.
According to reports, new Citizens boss Guardiola is eyeing up Marc-Andre ter Stegen from his former club Barcelona to replace the Three Lions number one in a £20m deal.
Although Guardiola left before Ter Stegen arrived at the Nou Camp, the Germany international is one of the best young keepers around, though is getting frustrated at lack of chances with Barca.
The 24-year-old played a full part in his side’s 2014/15 Champions League-winning campaign, but has been restricted to just seven La Liga outings in his two seasons behind Chile keeper Claudio Bravo.
Juve in for Mata in return for Pogba
Manchester United fans will no doubt be hoping that the Paul Pogba saga will not go on until the wire, but it seems Juventus are trying to make it as difficult as possible for the Frenchman’s homecoming to Old Trafford.
The Turin titans are reportedly requesting to include Red Devils cult hero and Everton-linked Juan Mata as part of the deal, which Jose Mourinho may be interested in listening to.
Not only does the Portuguese seemingly want to offload Mata, who he sold to United as Chelsea boss, but the £20m-rated Spaniard would also cut down the astronomical £100m asking fee for Pogba.
Mata has been linked to a number of clubs this summer, but may not be the only one to exit Old Trafford, as the likes of Marcos Rojo, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger are also apparently on Mourinho culling list.
Chelsea looking to snap up Witsel
Another star who Everton could miss out on is Zenit St-Petersburg’s Axel Witsel, who could be signed from under the Toffees’ noses by Chelsea.
Fellow Merseyside outfit Liverpool have also been linked with the Belgium midfielder, who played every minute of his nation’s run to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals and got a goal against the Republic of Ireland.
It seems that the lure of compatriots Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge could be enough for him to turn down a move to Goodison, where Romelu Lukaku has been heavily touted to depart from.
Witsel, 27, has also attracted interest from Napoli too, and has a price tag of around £25m-£30m.
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.