Rumour reel: Man Utd want £100m Harry Kane
Published:
Mourinho targets Tottenham’s best player
Football writers haven’t allowed an entertaining Confederations Cup or England reaching the semi-finals of the U21 European Championships to get in the way of their gossiping, with the back pages filled with transfer rumours.
We love it, and we know you do too, but here at Coral our rumour reel column aims to concentrate on the more realistic stories doing the rounds. To start the week, we pick through the best of the headlines.
Mourinho knows what he wants
Jose Mourinho, perhaps still on cloud nine after leading his misfiring Man Utd side to Europa League glory last term, has swaggered into the boardroom and told his employers he wants Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, and now Harry Kane. The England assassin, who topped the Premier League scoring charts last season and was described as one of the best players in the world by manager Mauricio Pochettino, won’t come cheap – in fact he probably won’t come at all, and the Ronaldo story was a lot more believable. You’ve got to credit The Special One’s ambition, but it is a long-shot. We’ll keep you updated on any developments there.
Conte prepares double assault on Juventus
Another manager ready to open the cheque book is Chelsea leader Antonio Conte, as he prepares his side for a crack at the Champions League. Last season’s Premier League champions, who won the title with plenty to spare, need improving, and Conte is sizing up a raid on Italian giants Juventus for Alex Sandro and Leonardo Bonucci. A combined price of over £100m is being printed in the papers. It’s scorers Chelsea need, but fans won’t be unhappy to see their boss target players of that quality, and it’s likely Abramovich will now release the funds.
Barkley’s off to improve England chances
Ross Barkley sees a move away from Everton as the best way of getting into the England team in time for next year’s World Cup. The highly-rated 23-year-old midfielder, a product of the famed Goodison Park academy, won’t be short of offers this summer, after knocking back a new deal with his current employers, but the transfer to Tottenham he had been pushing for looks to have died off. The Toffees haven’t let the grass grow, bringing in Davy Klaassen in good time for the new season. It remains to be seen who will throw Barkley a lifeline, but it may not be the big money move he had been dreaming of.
