Rumour reel: Turks want Wilshere
Published:
Antalyaspor showing real ambition
We feel like we’re repeating ourselves, but if it’s not Everton making bold signings this summer, it’s Manchester City. The Citizens – pre-season favourites with Coral to win the Premier League – snapped up Monaco defender Benjamin Mendy for £52m.
That deal made the 23-year-old left-back the world’s most expensive defender, and it now seems like City have at least two big names for every position in the team. That would suggest Pep Guardiola is hoping to push on all fronts. City have now spent £200m on five players. Let’s say no more of Man City or Everton, and see who else is making headlines in English football.
Wenger won’t give up on Wilshere
Starting with Arsenal, and we’d be surprised if this came to anything, but Turkish side Antalyaspor have made a move for midfielder Jack Wilshere. That’s certainly ambitious from The Scorpions, who finished fifth in the Super Lig last season, but would Wilshere fancy a move to Antalya Arena, and if so, could they afford him? The Turks updated their fans on Monday, saying Arsenal want a lot of money for the Englishman, but didn’t go into the finer details. Were they hoping to get him on the cheap? Arsene Wenger expects Wilshere to stay at the Emirates and fight for his place, but he only has a year left on his contract, and admirers are lining up. Sampdoria slapped in a £6m offer last week.
Clement wants to pair Bony and Llorente
Swansea fans didn’t have an awful lot to cheer about last season, and spent much of the campaign stuck down at the wrong end of the table, but boss Paul Clement wants to bring about instant improvement and is looking to put a dent in his summer transfer wish list. Top of the page is former Swans striker Wilfried Bony, who left the Liberty Stadium for City in 2015 as part of a £25m deal. A buy-back fee seems to have been agreed between both clubs, and it’s now up to Swansea to work their way around Bony’s £130,000-a-week wage demands. There’s still a lot of work to be done on that, but Clement aims to pair Bony with Llorente in the Swans’ attack. Antonio Conte could have a say in that, with the Chelsea boss keen on bringing Llorente to Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham target German wonderkid
What’s going on at Tottenham? We’ve not heard from them for a few days, but they appear to be playing catch-up as the new season approaches. The London side, runners-up last season, want to bring in German wonderkid Jeremy Toljan, and are close to striking a deal, according to newspaper reports. The German U21 right-back, currently on the books at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, only has a year left on his contract, and has a list of sides chasing his signature, but Spurs are said to be at the front of the pack. Moving in the other direction, Moussa Sissoko is on his way out, according to some red tops, but Mauricio Pochettino says the 27-year-old Frenchman remains part of his plans.
