Arsenal are ready to push harder for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, and they might have some help from inside the England camp. According to reports from the Daily Mail, the Gunners are hoping their English contingent — guys like Declan Rice — can sway the 23-year-old to make the move to north London.
Rice is apparently putting in work behind the scenes, trying to influence Rogers’ decision even while both players are focused on the World Cup with the Three Lions. It’s the kind of locker-room recruiting that happens more than fans realize, and it could matter here.
The price tag is the big sticking point. Villa reportedly values Rogers around £85 million, and Chelsea is also lurking. There’s a sell-on clause for his former club Middlesbrough too, so any deal gets complicated fast. Arsenal would need to clear some room — probably by moving players out — to make that kind of spend work.
Tottenham tried for Tonali. Got told no.
Speaking of big money in the Premier League, Sky Sports reports that Spurs had an £80 million bid rejected by Newcastle for midfielder Sandro Tonali. Arsenal and Manchester City are also in the mix for the Italian, but Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has made him a priority for his squad rebuild. Newcastle is playing hardball for now.
Over in Germany, RB Leipzig is willing to let Yan Diomande go — for a stunning £112 million fee. The forward is at the World Cup with Ivory Coast right now, and Liverpool is pushing hard to get him. But he’s also on the radar of PSG, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich. That’s a crowded race.
Liverpool might have better luck elsewhere. The Times says the club is frustrated with Inter Milan’s £21.6 million offer for Curtis Jones. They think Inter isn’t serious about the 25-year-old midfielder, and they’re not eager to let him go cheap.
Ederson to United? Almost done, he says.
Atalanta midfielder Ederson told Sky Italy that his move to Manchester United is “almost done.” That one has been expected for a while, and it sounds like the paperwork is close. United needs midfield depth, and Ederson fits the profile of a physical, box-to-box guy who can play in multiple systems.
A lot of these transfers will move faster once the World Cup wraps up. Clubs don’t want to announce deals while their players are still in tournament mode, but the groundwork is being laid. Rogers, Tonali, Diomande — expect all of these names to dominate headlines into August.
Leave a Comment