Out with the old and in with the new at Old Trafford, The Emirates and elsewhere…
Last summer Real Madrid needlessly sold one of their most in-form creative midfielders, Mesut Ozil to Arsenal, and it looks like the incredibly talented zoo that is the Bernabeu will be selling another of its most important players. The Star are reporting that Angel Di Maria, who PSG claimed was too expensive for them, is being lined up for a £50m move to Manchester United.
Only yesterday, Van Gaal was quoted admitting his admiration for the Argentinian. “It is a strategy of Manchester United to do that. At this moment, we have five No.9s and four No.10s – and we don’t have wingers to give us attacking width”. Ashley Young must be heartbroken.
Mandatory ‘Dutch players linked to Man Utd’ update now. The Evening Standard reckon that Ajax’s Daley Blind and Roma’s Kevin Strootman are headed to the club while United face competition from Barcelona for the signature of classy Colombian Juan Cuadrado.
It seems that short’s model and sometime United winger Wilfried Zaha is headed to Newcastle for £7m according to the Metro. He is set to join fellow ‘dead-wood pals’ Marouane Fellaini, Javier Hernandez, Anderson and Nani out of Old Trafford.
The Star think that Arsenal’s transfer kitty may be boosted by the dual sale of Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell to Galatasaray while the Express are reporting that Arsene Wenger wants to use some of that Thomas Vermaelen money on Liverpool’s unsettled defender Daniel Agger, but he faces competition for the Dane from Spurs and Barcelona.
Brendan Rodgers has said that Liverpool have received no offers as of yet for the defender. All we can say is no smoke, fire and all that jazz. JOE refuses to use the term that Wenger has money ‘burning a hole in his pocket’ because it’s more likely that he would shrewdly invest the money in a low yielding bond that slowly appreciates in value over a 63-year period. Rock n’ Roll.
The Mail are certain that Manchester City have worked a way around that pesky financial restriction because they believe the champions are poised to complete the £32m capture of Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, 23, whom they inadvertently showed ‘signing’ for the club in a video on their website last month.
The Mirror have exclusively revealed that Southampton have realised that they do in fact need 11 decent players to win a game of football. Steaua Bucharest centre-back Florin Gardos, Sporting Lisbon’s impressive left-back Marcos Rojo, Leeds defender Sam Byram and Arsenal striker Serge Gnabry have all been linked with a move to the south coast of England.
Elsewhere, West Brom are interested in West Ham winger Matt Jarvis while Swansea City have expressed an interest in Nice left-back Timothee Kolodziejczak and will try and wrap-up a £7m deal for Napoli defender Federico Fernandez in the next 48 hours. The Swans may be losing Jonathan de Guzman though, as QPR seem primed to take the Dutchman away from Wales.
