Transfer Gossip: Stunning Arsenal raid for Man City ace now involves Real Madrid; £40m Chelsea signing greenlit
Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo celebrate Man City goal
A spectacular Arsenal move for a wantaway Man City ace may now have to go through Real Madrid, while Chelsea have received the okay to sign a £40m upgrade and Brighton have ruled out selling one of their most in-demand stars – all in Sunday’s Transfer Gossip.
AUDACIOUS ARSENAL MOVE IN TROUBLE
Arsenal and Man City are ‘in talks’ over an eye-opening swap deal, though a difference in valuation of the players involved and the emergence of Real Madrid could see a move fall through, per reports.
Football Transfers recently brought news of Arsenal and Man City contemplating trading full-backs.
Per the report, talks that would see Kieran Tierney and Joao Cancelo trade places at the Etihad and Emirates were underway.
Guardiola is a keen admirer of Tierney who’d bolster his left side and compete with Nathan Ake.
Arteta, meanwhile, would reportedly install Cancelo as his first-choice right-back, thus allowing Ben White to cover at centre-back and remove the need for a new addition at centre-half. Cancelo’s versatility would also see him serve as Oleksnadr Zinchenko’s deputy at left-back.
However, the report claimed the difference in how each club values their players could prove troublesome. Indeed, City rate Cancelo in the £60m bracket and Tierney is valued at closer to £30m by Arsenal.
Now, a fresh update on the future of Cancelo by German outlet Sport1 has brought concerning news for the Gunners.
They declare Real Madrid are sizing up Cancelo and hope his arrival will allow Eduardo Camavinga to revert to a central midfield role. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has deployed Camavinga out of position at left-back for much of the campaign.
Sport1 add Real Madrid are ‘watching Cancelo closely’ and the fact he can also cover at right-back is a huge bonus. The current starter in that position is Dani Carvajal who now aged 31, has seen better days.
Cancelo is currently on loan at Bayern Munich which is why the German outlet are reporting on a potential switch between an English and Spanish side.
Bayern do admire the player and would be on board with signing him outright. However, it’s reiterated the €70m option to buy is simply too expensive for the Bavarians.
Trusted reporter Ben Jacobs previously told TEAMtalk Cancelo may well have played his final game for Man City after falling out with Guardiola earlier this season.
As such, he’s likely to be on the move once his loan concludes this summer and hopes he may resurface at Arsenal could now be torpedoed by Real Madrid.
CHELSEA GET THUMBS UP FOR £40M UPGRADE
A transfer insider has tipped Mauricio Pochettino to axe Edouard Mendy and replace him with a £40m-rated Premier League stopper whose manager has confirmed is up for sale.
The Mirror recently reported incoming Chelsea boss Pochettino is ‘unconvinced’ by both Mendy and Kepa Arrizalabaga.
However, when speaking to GiveMeSport, transfer insider Dean Jones explained why Mendy is the likeliest of the pair to make way.
Jones also talked up Brentford’s David Raya as the man who could be signed as the new Chelsea No 1. The Spain international, 27, has been valued at £40m by Brentford boss Thomas Frank who also confirmed Raya is up for sale on Saturday.
Jones told GMS: “Raya looks pretty certain to move and now that Brentford are making new goalkeeper plans it’s just a case of finding his new home.
“Chelsea’s move for a goalkeeper is something that Mauricio Pochettino wants but they will have to resolve the situation first in-house as they have two big names in Kepa and Mendy.
“Mendy seems the one most likely to, he’s more attainable financially, and easier to gauge interest in sources have told me, but that still could take some time.
“From conversations I’ve had with contacts it feels like their interest in Raya is legit, but I also think they prefer Andre Onana, just as Tottenham do.
“It’s very early days but it’s not beyond imagination that Raya simply ends up signing for whichever team Onana doesn’t choose to join.”
Inter’s Onana, also 27, is understood to be valued at around the €50m mark. However, Inter CEO, Beppe Marotta, recently declared his star goalkeeper will not be moving this summer.
Via Football Italia, Marotta said: “It is difficult to predict the future, but we have not received any offers and the goalkeeper (Onana) wants to stay here.
“We do not intend to put him on the market.”
Raya, on the other hand, is very much available and comes with the advantage of being proven in the Premier League.
BRIGHTON TO REJECT ALL OFFERS FOR MITOMA
Brighton may lose several of their finest assets this summer, but they’re determined lively winger Kaoru Mitoma won’t be among them.
News from Argentina suggests Alexis Mac Allister is nearing a move to Liverpool. Elsewhere, Moises Caicedo continues to be courted by Arsenal.
High profile exits for huge profit are nothing new at the Amex, though sanctioning too many in the same window could be fatal.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi certainly subscribes to that view, with Football Insider reporting he’s instructed the Brighton board to ‘block any bids’ for Japan winger Mitoma this summer.
Man Utd have been linked with the 26-year-old, though per FI, they’re set to be left empty-handed if acting on their interest.
Mitoma has bagged 10 goals and seven assists in a wildly impressive campaign this term. If the Seagulls secure a first-ever European campaign for next season, Mitoma will be a big factor in how they fare.
