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 Tim Ream.
USMNT star heads to Rangers
NBC report that QPR have agreed personal terms with Tim Ream. Ream, who is a star for USMNT, has been linked with a move to both QPR and Fulham in the English Championship and on Thursday the manager of his current club Bolton Wanderers admitted a deal is close to being completed to see Ream’s time at the Trotters come to a close.
NBC sources say QPR has been accepted — believed to be in the region of $2.4 million — by Bolton, and Ream is now agreeing personal terms with the R’s ahead of his move to Loftus Road.
He is expected to have a medical with QPR on Friday, while Fulham are hoping to hijack the deal but they seem to have left it too late.
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Here is more from his manager at Bolton, Neil Lennon, on his potential departure.
“We’re close to agreeing a deal with QPR for Tim Ream,” Lennon said.
“It frees up a wage and we’ll look to use that. Tim is a good player and has been very consistent for us. If we can get a couple of players in then it’ll improve the squad. We want to bolster the defense and bring in a quick, attacking player. We’re hoping to bring one in before the weekend.”
Stoke end interest in Ukrainian winger
The Stoke Sentinel believe Mark Hughes has ended Stoke City’s long-standing interest in Andriy Yarmolenko. Having acquired the services of Xherdan Shaqiri this week from Inter, Stoke now seemingly do not need the Ukrainian winger.
“It’s a big amount of money,” Hughes acknowledged, “but we feel it will be good value.
“It wasn’t our intention to shout from the rooftops, just to progress year-on-year. We are just trying to keep that forward progression.
“A lot of clubs are investing and adding quality and it’s important we continue to do that as well.”
And he appeared to be addressing his long-term pursuit of Ukrainian international Yarmolenko when he added: “I think we’ve had a good window up to this point and probably won’t go back into the market unless something exceptional presents itself.”
Balotelli content to wait for loyalty bonus with Liverpool
Several media outlets, including the Daily Mirror, that Mario Balotelli will receive a six-figure loyalty bonus, should he remain with Liverpool beyond the transfer window. The flop striker has been left out of training with the main group at Liverpool, but seemingly won’t be pushed to leave the Reds yet.
The Reds are so desperate to get him off the books they are prepared to contribute 60 per cent of his wages if Lazio or Sampdoria take him back to Serie A on loan. The 25-year-old took a drop in wages when he joined from AC Milan last summer, but had a variety of add-ons built into his £70,000-a-week, four-year deal.
So that proposal would see Liverpool subbing Balotelli’s wages by £42,000 a week. Under the terms of the contract he signed when he made his £16m move, he will bank a ‘loyalty’ bonus as soon as the transfer window closes.
Tottenham’s Roberto Soldado set to leave with Clinton N’Jie due to arrive
The Guardian report that Mauricio Pochettino is set to reshuffle his options up front, with Clinton N’jie close to joining Tottenham Hotspur in a £10m deal from Lyon and Roberto Soldado on his way out to Villarreal.
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N’Jie can play as a striker or on the wing and Pochettino suggested the 21-year-old Cameroon international could inject the pace in attacking areas which his squad has lacked. Pochettino needs cover for Harry Kane who, following Soldado’s departure and Emmanuel Adebayor’s freezing out, is his only recognised, established striker but he said that he would be happy if the club made just one quality addition.
“Sometimes, you have five strikers like Liverpool last season and they were sixth in the table,” Pochettino said. “We need to bring the right profile, the right striker to help the team. I know N’Jie. He is a player who can play in different positions. He is fast. He is a very good player. Do we need more pace? Maybe, yes.”
Soldado flew to Spain on Thursday morning to finalise his transfer to Villarreal. The 30-year-old arrived from Valencia in August 2013 in what was a £26m deal, although Tottenham claim that they only paid about £16m, with the rest to follow in add-ons, which Soldado did not fulfil.