Playing for 90’s transfer gossip column brings you all the latest news and rumours of ins and outs from the Premier League and abroad, including news on the future of Kevin De Bruyne.
City to bid for De Bruyne
According to several media outlets Manchester City are ready to pay a British record £60million to prise Kevin De Bruyne away from Wolfsburg. De Bruyne has given City the green light to begin the bidding by telling Wolfsburg he wants to leave.
City have set aside a substantial war-chest to land De Bruyne, despite making the £49million Raheem Sterling their costliest signing last week. Their opening offer is expected to be around £40million, but it is understood they are willing to go as high as £60million to land the former Chelsea midfielder.
This will eclipse the current British transfer record of £59.7million, which Manchester United paid for Angel Di Maria last year.
More from Premier League
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Premier League match preview: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
- Jadon Sancho refutes Erik Ten Hag’s comments
- Arsenal win in added time drama as United suffer last-minute agony
- Rudderless Chelsea lose to Nottingham Forest
PSG to make opening Di Maria bid
Paris Saint-Germain have made a formal offer of £45m plus bonuses for Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria, according to reports in France. The Argentine looks as though he could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer after an indifferent first season.
United shelled out a British record transfer fee of £59.7m for the Real Madrid winger last summer but he has failed to hit the heights expected of him. And, according to RMC, PSG have now made an opening bid of £45m plus bonuses for Di Maria in an attempt to lure him to Paris.
Untied’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has flown home to address the matter and an outcome is expected soon. PSG are ready to offer Di Maria a four-year deal worth £134,000-a-week to join, although the 27-year-old is hoping for around £30,000 more than that.
Szczesny given go-ahead by Arsenal to join Roma
Wojciech Szczesny has agreed to join Roma on a season-long loan from Arsenal, according to the Daily Mail. The 25-year-old goalkeeper has been given the go-ahead by Arsenal to complete the transfer who are ironing out details of the loan fee with Roma looking to pay an initial £250,000.
Roma had been interested in signing Szczesny permanently, but that did not suit the player or Arsenal at this stage. Szczesny lost his place as Arsenal’s No 1 goalkeeper last season following David Ospina’s arrival, and this summer’s signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea has pushed both further from the first team.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have expressed interest in Barcelona midfielder Sergi Samper. The 20-year-old holding player has a buy-out clause set at £8.5m and Barcelona have fielded enquiries from Porto, Everton and Stoke too.
Arsene Wenger tried to sign Samper back in 2011 when he bought Hector Bellerin. Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is expected to join Galatasaray.
Borini edges toward exit
Fabio Borini is holding talks over a switch away from Liverpool according to the Daily Star. The striker is well down the Anfield pecking order and up for grabs with Bologna, Fiorentina and Lazio interested.
Borini, 24, wants out but no formal offers have been submitted to the Reds. However, his agent Marco De Marchi has been in discussions with Fiorentina to gauge their mood.
“Yes, we have spoken to Fiorentina, but are evaluating everything carefully,” De Marchi said.