|
BBC
Juventus are planning a move for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and will allow the 49-year-old Spaniard to name his terms. (Sun)
Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 27, has been told he can leave Barcelona for a cut-price £77m this summer, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and former club Liverpool all interested. (Express)
Manchester City are considering Borussia Dortmund and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, 19, as a long-term replacement for Argentina striker Sergio Aguero, 31. (90min.com)
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho wants to sign Bournemouth and Netherlands centre-back Nathan Ake, 24, and Benfica and Portugal defender Ruben Dias, 22, in the summer. (Express)
Manchester United are looking for potential buyers for Alexis Sanchez in an attempt to offload the 31-year-old Chile forward, who is on loan at Inter Milan. (Manchester Evening News)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to rule out a place in the Premier League's top four - despite being 10 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. (Evening Standard)
Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 31, will return to Arsenal this summer from his loan spell at Roma unless the Gunners lower his £20m price tag. (Sun)
Watford's French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, 27, wants to play in the Champions League and claims the Hornets will not stand in his way. (Mail)
Chelsea, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are all interested in signing Wigan left-back Antonee Robinson after the 22-year-old United States international saw a transfer deadline-day move to AC Milan fall through. (Mirror)
Liverpool are planning to offer Welsh right-back Neco Williams, 18, a new contract. (Express)
Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery said the club was on a "downward slope" when he arrived and accused some players of not having the right attitude. (France Football - in French)
Manchester United's 2020-21 pre-season plans are on hold because of the coronavirus after the club had originally planned to spend some time in China. (ESPN)
Manchester United have requested permission to introduce safe standing at Old Trafford. (Mail)
Former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen, 27, now with Inter, says he never experienced an atmosphere like the Milan derby in the Premier League. (Goal)
Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy believes Tottenham striker Troy Parrott, 18, should have joined Charlton instead of signing a new contract with the Lilywhites. (Irish Times)
Chelsea are winning the race for Hartlepool's England youth goalkeeper Brad Young, 17, who has also interested Manchester United and Arsenal. (Sun)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Tom Davies
Pep Guardiola has a four-year itch – the Catalan tending not to stay in charge of one club for more than four seasons – and Juventus are prepared to scratch it with an audacious swoop for the Manchester City manager. So says the Sun anyhow, which makes great play of Pep having not yet signed a new deal at the Etihad and reports that the Juve president, Andrea Agnelli, sees Guardiola as the man to end the club’s long wait for a Champions League title, despite having appointed Maurizio Sarri and assigned him that task only last summer.
If the Mill had a penny for every day Erling Braut Haaland has been linked with a big-money move this season, we’d have, by our count, £1.87. And even though Haaland has now made his big-money move, that hasn’t stopped even bigger-money moves being touted for the prodigious Norwegian striker. According to 90min.com, Manchester City – Pep or no Pep – want to prise the 19-year-old away from Borussia Dortmund and see him as a long-term replacement for Sergio Agüero.
Another Mill perennial, RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, has been linked with Liverpool though word is that Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz is a more realistic priority, and the Premier League champions-elect are prepared to spend big to bring the 20-year-old midfielder to Anfield. It might, too, be an easier signing than their old favourite Philippe Coutinho, who has attracted competing interest from Manchester United, City, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Talking of Spurs, José Mourinho is eyeing up defenders – his hobby as well as his job – and is thought to fancy Benfica’s Rúben Dias and a £40m raid for Bournemouth’s Nathan Aké. Not content with this pair, the Tottenham manager also has designs on Norwich’s Max Aarons, who is valued at £15m, and Nice’s Youcef Atal, who would cost around £25m. Dias’s agent is Jorge Mendes, for what it’s worth (normally a lot).
Down in the Championship, the Wigan left-back Antonee Robinson is firmly on the radar of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Newcastle, who are all keen on signing the American in the summer and helping him to forget the frustrating transfer deadline day he spent hanging around Milan airport browsing tourist tat and waiting in vain for a deal to join the Rossoneri to come to fruition.
And finally, somewhat further down the pyramid, the young Hartlepool goalkeeper Brad Young could be set to swap Victoria Park for Stamford Bridge come the summer with Chelsea leading the race to sign the 17-year-old, though Manchester United and Arsenal are also sniffing around.
C&H
Hammers consider Manchester City rematch date
West Ham are considering re-playing their Manchester City Premier League away game next Wednesday 19th February.
The game was postponed on Sunday over safety concerns due to Storm Ciara but Manchester City’s European schedule makes it difficult to reschedule before the end of the season.
The Hammers and the Premier League are considering the date proposed by Manchester City which falls within the Premier League winter break period.
West Ham players have not played since 1st February when they drew 3-3 against Brighton at the London Stadium and have been given five days off with families to rest and been told to report back for training at Rush Green this Saturday.
That would give them four dates to prepare for the re-scheduled Manchester City game should the date gain approval.
West Ham have offered free coach travel or full refunds for the re-arranged match once confirmed also suggesting supporters seek compensation from train companies or seek advice from the citizen’s advice bureau over travel expenses over their failed journies last Sunday.
Winston Reid may soon need to make a serious decision on his future in the game.
The central defender – who looked bound for a move to the MLS on loan – has seen that move break down and is struggling in a big way to make a return to action.
He has been appearing in under 23 games but has been unable to complete any of them against Wolfsburg, Aston Villa and Brighton.
And with the season going into it’s second half and with the player on a deal until 2023 it may be that the New Zealand central defender will be forced to make a decision about whether to continue in the game.
He signed a new six year deal with the Hammers in 2017 but it seems unlikely, unless there is a rapid improvement in the knee injury with which he has struggled for for so long, that he and the club will not come to an agreement on that.
|
