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BBC
Real Madrid will have to pay a world record transfer fee in excess of £200m for Chelsea to agree to the sale of Belgium international Eden Hazard, 27. (Times - subscription required)
Chelsea's Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois says the contract he has been offered by the Blues is "different than I can have" elsewhere. The 26-year-old has been linked with Real Madrid. (Mirror)
Courtois says of Chelsea team-mate and compatriot Eden Hazard: "Wherever I go, Hazard must come along."(Evening Standard)
Chelsea are interested in signing Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer. The 23-year-old Serb has also been linked with a move to Manchester United. (Corriere dello Sport, via Talksport)
Liverpool have made an offer for Barcelona's Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, 29. (Mundo Deportivo, via Talksport)
England defender Luke Shaw, 23, is prepared to leave Manchester United as a free agent if he does not establish himself as Jose Mourinho's first-choice left-back this season. (Manchester Evening News)
Fulham are set to make an ambitious move for Bordeaux's Brazilian winger Malcom, 21. (Sun)
Everton, Tottenham and Chelsea all want Boca Juniors' Colombia defensive midfielder Wilmar Barrios, 24. (TyC Sport, via HITC)
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas is open to Liverpool renewing their efforts to sign 24-year-old France attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir. (Le10 Sport, via Liverpool Echo)
Besiktas have been offered West Ham's English striker Andy Carroll, 29, on loan. (Fanatik, via 90min)
Crystal Palace have joined Bournemouth in the race for Brentford's £8m-rated English forward Ollie Watkins, 22. (Sun)
Derby boss Frank Lampard is close to signing Liverpool's Wales winger Harry Wilson, 21, on loan. (Mirror)
Everton are interested in Espanyol defensive midfielder David Lopez. The 28-year-old Spaniard is also a target for Valencia and Real Betis. (Mundo Deportivo)
Brighton are set to beat Porto to the signing of Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma, 21, from Ligue 1 side Lille. (Record, via 90min)
Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Brahim Diaz, 18, says he is not looking for a loan move next season in order to get first-team experience. (Manchester Evening News)
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis says the Serie A side were offered Cristiano Ronaldo before the 33-year-old Portugal forward joined Juventus from Real Madrid. De Laurentiis says he decided against signing Ronaldo because it would have "risked pushing the club towards bankruptcy". (Gazzetta dello Sport, via Goal)
Leicester City have signed English former Tottenham striker Ryan Loft, 20, on a two-year deal. (Sky Sports, via Leicester Mercury)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Gregg Bakowski
Having scored a cracker against Croatia, stuffed the World Cup trophy in his back pocket and waltzed off to dab with the French president, Paul Pogba has remembered what it was he was so good at doing before he played for Manchester United. Yes, having fun! He’s had a right laugh in Russia and isn’t keen on being given a dustpan and brush and instructions by José Mourinho to keep the midfield tidy when he gets back to Old Trafford.
And reports in Spain suggest that Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has told Barcelona that they can have the midfielder if they like because he doesn’t want another joyless season in the Premier League. Poor Pogs! But Barça know the score when Raiola comes calling. They would have to sell the family jewels to afford Raiola’s fees – as well as Pogba – and unless they can do that they are likely to buy a mid-market model such as PSG’s Adrien Rabiot or Sevilla’s Steven Nzonzi.
Barça will have to try and rustle up some cash to sign a midfielder, though. With Andrés Iniesta and Paulinho having both swapped Catalonia for east Asia, and Arsenal target André Gomes deemed unworthy of travelling on a pre-season tour, the Camp Nou middle-ground might be barer than a scorched London lawn next season. Another midfielder who may be available at a bargain price is Mousa Dembélé. Internazionale believe they can gobble up the Spurs schemer for just £15m because he has only a year left on his contract, but Dembélé is playing it cool and is open to offers.
After watching Loris Karius use Liverpool’s pre-season so far to display a new and varied array of goalkeeping clangers, Jürgen Klopp has fired an offer the way of Barcelona for their Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen.
The shambolic state of Milan’s ownership structure and an outstanding FFP bill may lead to a couple of the club’s shiniest stars being flogged to whoever can stump up the cash quickest. Mourinho has been casting lubricious looks in the direction of Leonardo Bonucci for quite some time and will instruct Manchester United bank clerks to fling £30m in the direction of San Siro for him, while Chelsea will get in some early practise for transfer deadline day by trying to snaffle playmaker Suso for around £34m, the rumoured value of his buyout clause which is set to expire at midnight on Monday.
Suso’s potential arrival would be extremely timely if Eden Hazard continues to talk his way into a £200m move to Real Madrid to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. And if Hazard does go on one of his mazy dribbles all the way to the Spanish capital, Maurizio Sarri would have no qualms about telling the club to splash out a big chunk of the money they get for him on Lazio’s central midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly, the centre-back who was so impressive under Sarri at Napoli. Mind you, they want £80m for the Senegal international – but if Chelsea lose Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid too, they may need to fortify the Stamford Bridge defence no matter the hefty price.
Like a toddler who has just popped their first Haribo, Arsenal are already hooked on Uruguay midfielders. Having just signed Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria, they now hope to complete a move for Rodrigo Bentancur, who may struggle to get a game at Juventus now that Emre Can has thundered into the midfield mix there. And yes, that is the sound of Granit Xhaka speed-dialling his agent.
Oh, and Everton and Bournemouth have got the bug too. They are going to duke it out for 25-year-old Genoa and Uruguay midfielder Diego Laxalt because, well, they want to stay on trend. One man who won’t be going to Goodison Park is Luke Shaw. For some reason that The Mill can’t fathom, he’d rather continue to be Mourinho’s lightning rod than tread the well-worn path from Old Trafford to Everton.
C&H
New arrivals may not be quite over
West Ham’s major transfer business has been done as we reported over the weekend but don’t be surprised if one or two more players appear before transfer deadline day.
Manuel Pellegrini is still taking a good look at his squad and we are hearing that a couple of fringe players and a back up striker could be on their way to the club.
Midfield is still being examined and although there are no names on the radar the boss remains keen to strengthen in that area.
But it’s the new Andy Carroll injury which has caused most concern and the club are looking at some back-up strike options.
Jordan Hugill is clearly not the answer and with just Arnie and Chicharito available, injury to either of them would obviously prove damaging.
The manager is keen to plug any gaps before the season starts but attracting players of sufficient quality to the club when they know they are unlikely to feature regularly is difficult.
However, the search continues.
We haven’t heard a lot about Financial Fair Play in recent years and there is a reason for it.
In 2016 Premier League clubs have voted to continue their Short-Term Cost Control (STCC) rules; their name for Financial Fair play. The updated rules came into effect from the 2016/17 season and apply for a three-year duration.
Clubs are able to increase their wage spending by £7m each season from 2016/17 to 2018/19 (an increase from the £4m a season during the old TV deal). Clubs can exceed this £7m cap if they generate increased revenue from commercial income, player trading and Match Day income called Club Own Revenue Uplift called (CORU).
West Ham has generated significant CORU since its move to the London Stadium allowing it to go way beyond the £7m per year increase. The last published accounts for 2016/2017 show a wage bill of £95m but Karren Brady revealed in a newspaper article that the wage bill topped £105m last season.
For this coming season, West Ham can spend £7m on top of that £105m plus any extra revenue they have generated.
Despite Felipe Anderson becoming the third player to earn over £100,000 per week West Ham will easily comply with Premier League STCC rules (FFP) for this coming season.
TBR
Five ins and outs West Ham could complete this week
West Ham’s spending spree at the London Stadium shows no signs of stopping.
By Josh Challies
Manuel Pellegrini has wasted no time in the transfer market following his arrival at West Ham this summer and deals continue to be lined-up by the Hammers.
The club-record capture of Felipe Anderson from Lazio at the weekend took the club’s spending this summer past the £85 million mark, according to TransferMarkt, and departures are likely to help balance the club’s finances.
However, despite already signing eight new players, Pellegrini’s side continue to be linked to further arrivals as the Hammers look to climb the Premier League standings next term and fight for a return to European football.
Ahead of what could be another busy week for the Hammers, we have identified five deals that could be concluded this week.
Bernard: Free transfer
The captures of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko have bolstered West Ham’s line in the final third, reducing the club’s reliance on Hammer of the Year Marko Arnautovic, but Pellegrini seems to be eyeing further depth.
Available on a free transfer following his exit from Shakhtar Donetsk, having spent five years in Ukraine, Portuguese outlet O Jogo have stated that West Ham have outbid Benfica in the hunt for the 25-year-old Brazil ace.
According to the report, West Ham have offered £6.2m as a signing bonus and are prepared to pay the explosive winger £68k-a-week if he completes a move to the London Stadium.
Jordan Hugill to Leeds United
Signing from Preston North End in January, Jordan Hugill earned just 22 minutes of Premier League football for West Ham in the second-half of the season and an exit is likely before the start of the new campaign.
The Sun states Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United are eyeing a move for the 26-year-old forward as the Lilywhites aim to battle for a return to the top-tier, although Hugill’s wage demands mean only a loan deal is on the cards.
QPR are also eyeing a move for Hugill, who is expected to be allowed to leave the London Stadium despite the recent injury to Andy Carroll.
Yerry Mina: Barcelona
After the defender outscored Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi at the World Cup, Yerry Mina has become hot property in the market and Spanish outlet Sport name West Ham as one of three Premier League sides interested in his services.
The Hammers will face competition from Everton and Leicester City, who are also stated to have lodged bids for the 23-year-old Colombia international, and Barcelona may be forced into a sale due to LaLiga’s non-EU player regulations.
Barcelona have already hit their quota of three, with Mina taking up a slot alongside Philippe Coutinho and new signing Arthur, but the LaLiga champions continue to pursue Chelsea winger Willian – and Mina is likely to be sacrificed for a deal to go ahead.
Javier Hernandez to Besiktas
After signing from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, former Manchester United man Javier Hernandez struggled to find his feet back in the Premier League and often saw Marko Arnautovic played centrally ahead of him in the latter stages of the season.
Turkish outlet Star report Besiktas’ interest in the 30-year-old Mexico international, who may find himself surplus to requirements following West Ham’s captures of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko – who could play either side of Arnautovic next season if the Austria ace leads the line.
Marcelo: Lyon
Defence still seems to be the area of focus for Pellegrini, despite already signing Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop and Fabian Balbeuna, and Lyon centre-back Marcelo is reported to be the latest player targeted by the Hammers.
The Daily Mail states West Ham have seen a huge bid of £18m for the 31-year-old Brazil defender turned down by Lyon, who only joined the French side last summer, but the Ligue 1 giants are standing firm as they demand at least £20m for his services.
With Winston Reid facing three months on the sidelines, Pellegrini is keen to bolster the depth available to him at the back ahead of the 2018-19 season.
Sky
Why West Ham should be excited by Andriy Yarmolenko signing
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini expects £17.5m signing Andriy Yarmolenko to be well suited to the Premier League, but what exactly will he bring to the London Stadium? Ukranian football expert Russ Taylor takes a look...
Yarmolenko is a player who will get fans off their seats. Having closely watched nearly two decades of Ukrainian football, I can tell you that he is a player who can deliver and who can deal with the weight of expectation.
Ever since breaking into the Dynamo Kiev first team around 10 years ago, Yarmolenko has been billed as the "next Sheva" and "the future of Ukrainian football". Since his debut - in which he scored the winner - he's dealt with the pressure effortlessly in being prolific for both club and, most notably, country.
For many years Dynamo and in particular the Ukrainian national team were reliant on a talisman. Previously it was another Andriy - Andriy Shevchenko - who would be given the ball under the pretence "give it to Sheva and hope something happens…"
Yarmolenko inherited this perhaps unwanted mantra but has delivered with a goal average of almost one every other game - not bad for a player who isn't a striker. He's also a shoe-in for the yearly Ukrainian Footballer of the Year award which he has made his own in the last few years after bagging 99 goals for Dynamo and regularly finding the net in their Champions League and Europa League adventures.
He's happiest out on the right wing, usually as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation and, like Arjen Robben made a career out of, Yarmolenko is always a looking to cut in onto his favoured left foot and shoot - as Tottenham fans might remember from their Champions League game with Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. That goal was the clearest example of what the Ukrainian likes to do best; find space in the channel, commit defenders and score spectacular goals.
But Yarmolenko is no one-trick pony - he's also a creator for others too. He commits defenders and draws fouls, forcing them to double-up or drop off him. He matches pace with power too and at 6ft 3in can certainly handle himself so the physicality of the Premier League won't hold any fears for him.
He's been on the radar of plenty of Premier League managers for some years but opted to join Borussia Dortmund last season after probably staying a season too long at Dynamo. Those sceptics who see a return of three goals in 18 appearances for the Bundesliga side might see this as Yarmolenko following a list of other Ukrainian exports who could not quite carry their talent abroad.
But there are mitigating factors. Dortmund went through unsettling managerial upheaval and then Yarmolenko picked up an Achilles injury nearing the midway point of the season followed by another foot injury. His career in the Ruhr did not start spectacularly but nor was he ever afforded the opportunity to rectify it as he only made two substitute appearances from January. It's true that some Dortmund fans will be happy to see the Ukrainian move on. Sometimes a move simply doesn't work out and the Yarmolenko of last season didn't tally with the same player who wears the national team shirt.
One positive from the Dortmund move is that his English lessons have already started in earnest thanks to a dressing room where English was widely spoken. And any fears of nagging injuries seem to have been alleviated by West Ham giving him a four-year contract. He's back in the goals too with a brace in a recent friendly win for Ukraine against Albania.
He's hungry and determined to make a success of this move, especially after his spell at Dortmund. And I think it's a great bit of business by West Ham.
All football fans want a player that has them holding them breath when they get the ball, thinking something special might be about to happen.
Yarmolenko is exactly that player.
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