Category: transfers

Ramos to end 16-year Bernabeu stay

Sergio Ramos will leave Real Madrid this summer after spending 16 successful seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to the Mirror. The 35-year-old’s current contract is rapidly reaching its expiry date and a breakdown in the relationship between Ramos and Los Blancos’ infamous club president Florentino Perez means that he will not extend his stay in the Spanish capital. Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have both been linked with a move for the Real captain, but Manchester City could pip the pair to the free signing by offering a lucrative two-year contract to Ramos.

Paper Round’s view: It’s a real shame that Ramos never got the chance to say farewell to the Real Madrid faithful. In fact, he will be leaving on a low. Los Blancos ended the season trophy-less for the first time in more than a decade, which saw head coach Zinedine Zidane depart the club. Ramos’ exit seems like part of the planned Real Madrid rebuild. Karim Benzema and Luka Modric are still key members of the old guard, but they will miss Ramos. It’s probably a fair time to say goodbye though, and David Alaba is a brilliant replacement. Looking at Ramos’ options for his next club, PSG would be a good fit.

Man City may sacrifice Silva in rebuild

Manchester City could continue their squad rebuild by allowing Bernardo Silva to leave this summer. The Portuguese playmaker has spent four trophy-laden years in Manchester and would be allowed to move if he were to look for a new challenge elsewhere. The Telegraph report that Silva has become a “shock target for European clubs” after attracting the attention of Barcelona in previous seasons. Clubs in Spain, France and Italy that have qualified for the Champions League believe they have a chance of signing Silva this summer.

Paper Round’s view: It’s fair (if slightly harsh) to say that Silva has failed to reach the heights of his sparkling performances in the 2018-19 season. However, he’s still just 26 years old and is very important to Manchester City. Silva’s versatility and creativity offers an extra dimension for Pep Guardiola’s side and it could be argued that he sometimes goes under the radar at the Etihad Stadium. Should Manchester City consider selling him? It depends on who they are planning to replace him with. If it is Jack Grealish… then maybe there’s a conversation to be had.

Where could Sterling end up?

Sticking with Manchester City, the Mail report that Raheem Sterling has been put up for sale by Pep Guardiola. The England international’s place in the City line-up has been under threat at times throughout the 2020-21 season and it seemed like Sterling fell out of favour towards the end of the campaign. The Mail reveal that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid are interested in the possibility of signing Sterling this summer. The 26-year-old could be used as part of a package deal to send Spurs striker to Manchester City.

Paper Round’s view: This was a year like no other. The season was truncated due to the coronavirus pandemic and players didn’t receive a proper pre-season break back in the summer of 2020. Sterling still bagged 14 goals in all competitions, but even he would admit that he underperformed. Despite this, people forgetting that Sterling can put in world-class performances on his day. The Manchester City forward has been consistently performing at the highest level for three or four seasons and now after one underwhelming (and complicated) campaign he’s linked to Arsenal and Tottenham? It just doesn’t make sense.

Premier League clubs battle over Lille hero

Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan are all entering the race to sign Lille right-back Zeki Celik, according to the Standard. The Turkish defender was a key component of Lille’s Ligue 1 title-winning side in the 2020-21 season, but is expected to depart the French champions this summer. Lille will demand £13 million for Celik and the Premier League trio are said to lead the race for the 24-year-old. Arsenal are planning to replace Hector Bellerin, who is linked with a move to Spanish side Real Betis, and have lined up Celik and Norwich City’s Max Aarons as potential options.

Paper Round’s view: Lille are being picked apart, just weeks after their fairytale Ligue 1 victory. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan has already left for AC Milan, while Sven Botman, Renato Sanches, Boubakary Soumare and Celik are all linked with summer exits. It looks like Celik is likely to head to the Premier League and Arsenal may be the ideal destination if he is looking for first-team football. Spurs could also be a decent option if they were to offload Serge Aurier. If Celik performs well with Turkey at the European Championships this summer, he could attract even more suitors.

Man Utd’s transfer shortlist revealed

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to strengthen his squad this summer after the club suffered a defeat in the UEFA Europa League final at the hands of Villarreal on Wednesday. The Guardian reveal that Solskjaer wants to add a new centre-back, midfielder, winger and striker. The United boss’ ambitious transfer list includes either Europa League winner Pau Torres or Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, West Ham United’s Declan Rice, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Tottenham’s star striker Harry Kane. The Guardian state that the total spend would have to surpass £300 million and is “unlikely”.

Paper Round’s view: Would these four signings turn Manchester United into a superpower once again? Probably. Will Solskjaer’s side sign more than two of them this summer? Probably not. It’s unrealistic to think that any club will be able to complete four high-profile transfers in the current financial climate, no matter how badly United may need them. It seems like Torres and Sancho may be the most likely – although it is worth keeping an eye on Varane, who has just one year remaining on his deal at Real Madrid. Kane would cost far too much and is seemingly edging closer to the blue half of Manchester.

New contract for Solskjaer despite Europa League loss

Manchester United are set to hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new three-year contract despite ending the 2020-21 season with yet another trophyless campaign. Solskjaer is yet to win any silverware during his spell in the dugout at Old Trafford, but outgoing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is planning to offer the United boss a new contract. The 48-year-old has just one year remaining on his current deal and the club have no plans to replace him.

Paper Round’s view: If Manchester United had any ambition, they would go out and appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager. The Italian just walked away from Inter Milan due to financial restrictions, after transforming them into Serie A winners. Conte has proven himself as a serial winner, collecting the Premier League title and the FA Cup during his two years in charge at Chelsea. Zinedine Zidane is also available, who has won the Champions League three times as head coach of Real Madrid. Man United cannot accept a mediocre coach, who is yet to win a trophy after nearly three years in charge at Old Trafford. If they want to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – they need to be ruthless.

Manchester City plot £100m Grealish bid

Manchester City are planning to break the British transfer record this summer by making Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish the first £100-million Englishman. The Mail report that City have made the 25-year-old their “number one midfield target” and Pep Guardiola views Grealish as the “hub” of his squad rebuild. The Birmingham-born superstar signed a new deal with his boyhood club in 2020, which means that Villa are able to hold out for an eye-watering transfer fee. Manchester City are also hoping that Tottenham striker Harry Kane will follow Grealish to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Paper Round’s view: You can tell we’re heading into transfer season now. Grealish was one of the best players in the Premier League last season, despite the fact that he was playing for a club that finished in 11th place and he was injured for a few months towards the end of the campaign. Obviously transfer fees are wild these days, but he might be worth it. Grealish has been magical for Villa and he has proven he is more than capable of stepping up to the next level any time he was challenged by the press. The 25-year-old could be a key component of Guardiola’s rebuild at City – so why not meet his slightly-absurd asking price?

Tottenham target another big-name manager

Tottenham Hotspur are planning to target another big-name manager following the unsuccessful stint and sacking of Jose Mourinho. The Telegraph report that the recruitment search took a turn in the last couple of days with Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane and a shocking return for Mauricio Pochettino potentially on the cards. Conte and Zidane both left their posts at Inter Milan and Real Madrid respectively on Wednesday and Thursday. Pochettino is reported to be unsettled in the French capital, despite only taking charge of Paris Saint-Germain in January.

Paper Round’s view: Tottenham are showing the ambition that Manchester United should be. Spurs look like a mess right now. They don’t have a manager, they only qualified for the inaugural UEFA Conference League and their star striker Harry Kane is pushing for a summer exit. Things could all change if someone on the level of Conte, Zidane or Pochettino came to north London. Kane could even be convinced to stay for another season. Daniel Levy got his fingers burnt with Mourinho, but another ambitious managerial appointment could be exactly what Spurs need to get back on track.

Kane keen to push for Tottenham exit

Tottenham striker Harry Kane believes he will leave his boyhood club this summer after completing an emotional lap of honour following the north London club’s defeat at home to Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. The Mirror report that the England international felt his farewell to the Spurs fans was his way of saying goodbye after 17 years at the club. Kane has planned a “next phase” to his exit plan, which would involve releasing a statement to Spurs supporters outlining his love for Tottenham, but his desire to move on to win trophies. Tottenham are determined to keep Kane at the club beyond the summer, despite interest from domestic rivals Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Aguero agrees Barca move

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is set to depart the Premier League champions this summer after 10 years at the Eithad Stadium. The Mirror reveal that the 32-year-old has agreed to sign a two-year deal with Barcelona following the expiration of his contract with City. Aguero has agreed to take a pay-cut which will see him earn £80,000 per week, which is less than half of his current salary. The Argentine’s reduced wage has opened the door to Barcelona completing the free signing of Memphis Depay from Lyon.

Paper Round’s view: Somehow Barcelona allowed Luis Suarez to leave for free last summer (to a direct rival) but are now looking to sign another ageing striker who struggles staying fit. The biggest benefit from the Aguero signing might be that it will keep star man Lionel Messi happy. The two Argentines are good friends and Barca are keen to do everything they can to keep Messi at the Camp Nou after he publicly declared his desire to leave last summer. The Catalan club’s financial struggles are pretty well-known, so the free signings of Aguero and Depay might be the best they can hope for in the transfer market.

Sterling to extend City stay?

Manchester City are planning to open contract talks with Raheem Sterling before the start of next season, despite the fact that he has fallen out of favour in recent months. The Telegraph report that Pep Guardiola’s side hope that Sterling, who has just two years remaining on his current deal, will commit his long-term future to the club. The 26-year-old was waiting until the end of the season to open negotiations over a new contract, but City feel that they won’t be able to do this until after the European Championships due to Sterling’s expected involvement for England.

Paper Round’s view: Yes – Sterling has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City in the past couple of months, but there’s no doubt that he is a world-class forward on his day. It’s been a season like no other due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic so he may either be feeling a bit of fatigue, or even just lacking a bit of confidence after being dropped to the bench. There’s no reason for City to contemplate selling Sterling, so offering him a contract extension to commit his future to the club makes complete sense.

Arsenal to sell Willock to raise transfer funds

Newcastle plan to turn Joe Willock’s loan move from Arsenal into a permanent transfer this summer, according to the Telegraph. The 21-year-old has been a huge hit since joining the Magpies in the winter window, scoring six goals in his last six appearances. The Telegraph reveal that Arsenal would be willing to sell Willock in order to increase their transfer budget and their chances of being able to afford to sign on-loan creative midfielder Martin Odegaard on a permanent basis from Real Madrid. Willock’s asking price was originally £20 million, but the Gunners may increase their demands after his recent run of form.

Paper Round’s view: An Arsenal academy product hits an impressive run of form in the Premier League and the club are instantly looking to sell him? It makes no sense. Willock hasn’t been given a fair run in the side from manager Mikel Arteta and he could prove to be a future star, based on his performances for Newcastle. Emile Smith Rowe is a good example of how the Gunners should be more patient with their youngsters. The 20-year-old was only given a chance in the Boxing Day win against Chelsea. Willock needs his chance at Arsenal before the club decide to cash in on him.