Rumour reel: PSG will break the bank for Neymar
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Money no object for French side
Chelsea finally bagged the big-name striker Antonio Conte had been chasing all summer, having agreed a deal to sign Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata. It’s now up to the Spanish scorer to settle the small print of his new contract, but insiders are confident it’ll go through without a hitch.
Morata banged in 20 goals for Blancos last season as they went on to win La Liga and the Champions League. Despite that return, he wasn’t always first choice, and expected to play even less in the coming months. A move to Chelsea seems the perfect fit. Here’s the latest from the rumour reel.
PSG bid £195m for Neymar
Starting with the big news of the day from Barcelona and we are talking big bucks as the Spanish side have accepted a staggering £195m bid for striker Neymar. Yes, that’s in Great British pounds. The 25-year-old had a release clause written into his contract stating that if any club were to be bold enough to make such an offer, Barca would have to humour it, but money appears to be no object for the French cracks, and they have proven it again. With Barcelona reportedly paying 57 million euros for the Brazilian back in 2013, that has to go down as a fantastic piece of business. It’s now up to the player, but his current employers say they are extremely confident he will stay. PSG, bossed by Unai Emery, will not be simply brushed off however, and will hold discussions with the player’s father in an attempt to pull off the biggest shock of the summer so far. As well as that hefty transfer fee, there’s no doubt there will be a huge salary on top. Worth it? Followers of The Parisians certainly think so, and are excited by the ambition shown by their side.
Chelsea and City battle over Danilo
With Alvaro Morata already on his way to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are now expected to step up their bid to sign another Real Madrid star in Danilo. The defender is thought to be valued at around £30m, and The Blues are willing to cough up to get their man in a big money double-raid on the La Liga champions. The 26-year-old Brazilian signed from Porto for 31.5 million euros. Conte is not the only manager to be hot on the heels of Danilo however, with Pep Guardiola eager to take him to Manchester City. If The Citizens were to get the job done, they would have two right sided defenders on their books worth a total of over £75m, having signed Kyle Walker from Spurs recently.
Hughes has a decision to make
Coral’s rumour reel told you yesterday that West Ham were ready to sign Marko Arnautovic from Stoke, and it seems manager Mark Hughes has wasted no time in lining up a replacement, or two. The Potters are preparing a bid for Shalke attacker Yevhen Konoplyanka, who wouldn’t put too much of a dent in the £23m raked in for Arnautovic. Konoplyanka has been capped at every level for Ukraine from U17 to the senior squad, and netted in only his second start at that level, on route to an entertaining 3-2 friendly win over Romania. Hughes looks set for a straight decision between Konoplyanka and countryman Andriy Yarmolenko. The latter, a Dynamo Kiev winger, has scored 29 goals for Ukraine since making his debut in 2009.
