Transfer News
Football transfer rumours: Spurs in for Savinho? Magassa off to Forest?
Today’s rumours are awaiting the building email
It’s been at least 13 minutes since Chelsea bought a player they don’t need and withdrawal symptoms are biting hard. As such, they’ve begun talks with RB Leipzig, the idea being to swap Christopher Nkunku and cash for Xavi Simons. Though presumably the deal wouldn’t actually be a swap, rather 793 separate deals payable over 32,321 years with the players valued at knockdown prices of £9,065m and £19,324m, respectively.
Nor will that be it. No squad is complete without someone who scores few and creates fewer, so Enzo Maresca is also keen to add Alejandro Garnacho to his squad. Leipzig, meanwhile, would like to acquire Harvey Elliott from Liverpool, who reportedly rejected a move to Nottingham Forest as he does not think they suit his playing style – they must’ve expected him to start rather than hang about as sub. Rather, he is said to favour a move to Serie A instead: the golden era of Harvelissimo may be just a few short weeks away.
Crystal Palace keen to sell captain Marc Guéhi before transfer window closes
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Palace could lose player for nothing next year
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Liverpool reluctant to pay £40m asking price
The Crystal Palace chairman, Steve Parish, has admitted that they are looking to sell their captain Marc Guéhi in this transfer window to avoid potentially losing him for nothing next summer.
The England defender has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Selhurst Park and is wanted by a number of Premier League teams, including Liverpool and Newcastle. It is understood that Arne Slot’s side – who lost to Palace on penalties in the Community Shield on Sunday – is Guéhi’s preferred option, although they have so far been reluctant to pay Palace’s £40m valuation.
The best transfer announcements of the summer window (and the worst)
From a Saturday Night Fever-inspired video to a bizarre Lionel Richie-theme, it has been a creative time for signings
Sometimes it’s best not to overcomplicate things. The former Atalanta playmaker Alejandro “Papu” Gómez loves a dance (his hit single Dance Like the Papu went viral in 2017) and Padua is an absolutely gorgeous city in northern Italy, so this Saturday Night Fever-inspired transfer announcement video for the Argentinian that showcases both works a charm. In what feels like a high-quality production, the 2022 World Cup winner struts around the city in 1970s clobber: a leather jacket, an enormously lappelled shirt and a vintage pair of Copa Mundials, all to the sound of the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive. The context of this transfer to the Serie B side is that Gómez is finishing a two-year doping ban after taking a banned substance, which the now 37-year-old claimed came from his son’s cough medicine. Gómez, fifth on the all-time list of Serie A assists, continues to train independently but can start training with his new Padova teammates on 19 August.
How Porto pulled off a surprise transfer and took football back in time
Portuguese club kept Luuk de Jong’s move under wraps, stunning their fans and making André Villas-Boas happy
Transfer news spreads like wildfire in this day and age. Leaks have become not only common but expected, by clubs, journalists and agents. So when Porto unveiled Luuk de Jong, it stunned the football world. Not even employees and teammates knew until moments before his presentation at a friendly against Atlético Madrid. So how did they pull it off?
What unfolded was a story with the intrigue of a spy thriller. The striker was the last to board the plane he took from the Netherlands to Porto last Sunday and timed his arrival on matchday to avoid crossing paths with anyone. Upon landing, he was the first off the plane and ushered into a van with tinted windows that drove him to the stadium. His entourage – anonymous to fans – collected his luggage.