Rumour reel: more new arrivals due at Chelsea
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Blues chasing Virgil van Dijk
Burnley signed former Manchester United right-back Phil Bardsley on Tuesday, with the 32-year-old Scotland cap arriving from Stoke on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Bardsley is back at Turf Moor, following a brief loan spell there in 2006, and is hungry for success.
The Salford-born defender told fans there’s still a fire in his belly to achieve things in football, and coming to Burnley gives him the opportunity to do just that. We trawl through the latest from the transfer news, and pick out the best of Wednesday…..
Conte will get the cash
There will be another £150m made available to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte to improve his Premier League champions, and then the summer spending at Stamford Bridge will be over. After a tough start to the transfer window, The Blues have finally got their hands on a couple of their main targets, and a further cash injection will be spent on bringing in Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Alex Sandro. The latter has been in the pipeline for a while, but nicking van Dijk from under the noses of rivals Liverpool will delight fans. The Reds have dragged their heels on that one, but remain confident he’ll be playing at Anfield next season. They’re probably right, but it could be for the away side.
Roma bid £30m for Mahrez
We expected Riyad Mahrez to be settled in at another club by now, but that one continues to rumble on. Leicester have accepted they will be losing the 26-year-old Algerian star, and there has been no lack of big name sides interested, most recently Roma. The Italians have submitted a £30m bid for the attacker, and The Foxes may just think it worthwhile to grab the cash and move on. Time is running out and the last thing they want is to have funds available to spend in the closing hours of the transfer window. According to some tabloids, Leicester are holding out for £50m, and are hoping Arsenal will give them what they want.
Marseille want to bring Dembele home
Marseille were in Glasgow recently for a friendly with Rangers, the sides ending 1-1 at Ibrox, Niko Kranjcar scoring a superb free-kick which showed the 32-year-old Croatian cap still has it. While the French side were in Glasgow, they used the time to enquire about Celtic’s in-demand striker Moussa Dembele. Marseille are prepared to pay £20m for the scorer, who has turned out for France at U21 level, but that’s a lot less than Celtic think he’s worth. The player himself would welcome a return to France, but the money must be right for Brendan Rodgers and his Bhoys before letting him go.
