Chelsea have discussed with Kylian Mbappe’s representatives a possible one year move to Stamford Bridge after which he would join Real Madrid. The Mbappe camp say Kylian is agreeable to a move to London providing the terms are acceptable.
The Blues have agreed a £23.5 million deal with French club Rennes for midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The 19-year-old has excelled in Ligue 1 and the Blues intend to loan him out to Strasbourg to gain greater elite level experience. Owner Todd Boehly is still hopeful of signing another defender in Moises Caicedo from Brighton. Ugochukwu played in the Europa League last season and helped his club finish fourth position in the table which qualified them for the Champions League.
In addition Chelsea have also agreed a £38 million deal with Monaco to sign defender Azel Disasi who will cover for Wesley Fofana due to his serious knee injury. Disasi has not yet agreed personal terms but he would give more competition at centre-back. He played for Reims as centre-back and his arrival signals the fact that Trevor Chalobah could be leaving for either Inter Milan or West Ham. Mauricio Pochettino’s options in central defence are Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill who has signed a new 6-year contract, Benoit Badiashile and the untested Bashir Humphreys.
Medical doctors tell me it is unlikely Fofana will play this season due to his devastating injury.
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The Blues management are considering an offer from Juventus which would take Dusan Vlahovic to Stamford Bridge in exchange for Romelu Lukaku plus £35million.
Bayern intent on signing Kane
After speaking to Bayern Munich this week I have learned they are confident that Tottenham will be forced to sell Harry Kane for around £90 million. As I have reported to you previously, Bayern say they could not pay the £100 million plus which Spur’s chairman Daniel Levy wants but they know the pressure is on Spurs as Harry’s contract enters the final 12 months and he could eventually leave for nothing. They now have an extra £34 million from the sale of Sadio Mane to Saudi side Al-Nassr. Despite the transfer window not closing until September 1st I can reveal that Harry will stay at Spurs, out of loyalty, if he lines up for Spurs in the opening game of the new season on August 13th against Brentford. He will even consider an extension to his current contract if the club makes significant progress under new coach Ange Postecoglou.
It is a similar situation with Kylian Mbappe at PSG. What a coincidence that the world’s two top strikers are locked in transfer negotiations which could end up with both walking away from their clubs for no transfer money. The basic offer for Kane is £75 million plus add-ons which make up the £90 million. During a lunch meeting on Tuesday, Bayern officials told Levy they were willing to pay now and although Levy again rejected the offer, it is interesting that Spurs have been scouting around Europe for Harry’s possible replacement.
Jesus out for several weeks
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has been forced to have a knee operation and the medical team says he will be out of action for several weeks. The injury occurred in December when he missed three months. Mikel Arteta admitted, “It is a big blow to my early plans!”
Guardiola gets his man
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was all smiles on Wednesday when he received a phone call informing him that a deal to sign Josko Gvardiol has finally been agreed. The fee is £77 million which Guardiola thinks is a real bargain. Gvardiol will become the second most expensive defender in history. The Croatian has played 81 times for RB Leipzig since joining from Dynamo Zagreb in 2021. His arrival will almost certainly mean that Aymeric Laporte will leave and he is of interest to Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
Ten Hag must improve on last season
With golden suntanned arms and face, Erik Ten Hag looked a picture of health at the University of California in San Diego. I am not sure when he took time to sunbath because he hasn’t stopped working since arriving in the US. He talked about how low standards were normal when he took over the club and how excited he is that £64million Rasmus Hojlund will be a United player. It is true United have lost all three of their pre-season tour matches culminating with a loss to Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas, despite staying at the only hotel on the Las Vegas Strip without a casino so his players were not distracted. Ten Hag’s bosses back at Old Trafford have told the coach that they expect an improvement on last season’s third place in the league.
As I have reported previously, Ten Hag once again said that this season will be make or break for Jadon Sancho. He has done well in pre-season matches and Ten hag will probably use him as a false No9. He commented, “He has the skills. He has to show consistently that he can make a huge contribution. When you are a front player, end product is the key. You have to make sure you are making those key final passes and get your goals in. The rest has to be helping out your teammates and pressing hard and showing the right attitude. Those are the standards we all expect.”
Media reports wrong about Mbappe joining Liverpool
I joined Jurgen Klopp laughing at the suggestion, mentioned in media reports, that Kylian Mbappe could be on his way to Anfield. Paris Saint-Germain are anxious to cash in on the Frenchman as he only has 12 months left on his contract and could leave for free next year. Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has told Mbappe he must sign or leave and the player has no intention of signing. Klopp said that unless he is suddenly surprised that Liverpool are thinking of getting involved in a one-year deal (Kylian wants to join Real Madrid in 12 months) there has not been any discussion inside Anfield and the money required to finance such a deal is not suitable for Liverpool’s investment profile.
United in mega Adidas deal
The age-old argument about which is the world’s most important club took another dramatic step this week when Manchester United agreed a new deal with sports company Adidas for a breathtaking £900 million. The deal is for ten years which gives United an extra £90million a year. Should United fail to qualify for Champions League football in following seasons the amount will be reduced.
Everton desperately needs more firepower
Everton coach Sean Dyche is concerned that with only a week to go to the start of the new season on August 12th the club is still searching for a new striker. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is now back in training and managed 45 minutes in a behind closed doors friendly this week and Dyche told us that he expects his main attacking forward to be fit for the opening match against Fulham. Dyche also recognises that he needs fresh talent upfront with players who can blend together and play off each other. At the moment he does not have those ingredients. Everton usually play with moves through the centre aimed at Calvert-Lewin but plans fall apart when the frequently injured striker is missing. Signing Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal was a good move but pre-season match training pin-pointed that playing him as the lone striker does not work and he is more effective on the wing. Both Dyche and the supporters know that bringing in more firepower is a must to begin the new campaign. Talks are in progress with Sporting Lisbon to sign 19-year-old Youssef Chermiti who scored three goals in his debut season. He is 6ft 4ins tall and is respected but needs improvement if he is to play in the Premier League. Dyche is still on the lookout for a more established forward.
