Wednesday news (includes West ham)

[Alan]

BBC

England goalkeeper Nick Pope, 33, might be a target for Manchester United if Newcastle United complete a deal for 27-year-old Southampton and England stopper Aaron Ramsdale. (Talksport), external

Newcastle have reached an agreement with Southampton to sign Ramsdale on loan with the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Manchester United also have an interest in Paris St-Germain's Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, but are reluctant to get involved in a bidding war with Chelsea and Manchester City for the 26-year-old's services. (Sun), external

Arsenal remain interested in England winger Eberechi Eze, 27, but are not willing to meet a release clause in excess of £60m and will only bid if Crystal Palace reduce their asking price. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Manchester City have rejected a bid in the region of £25m from Nottingham Forest for 22-year-old English midfielder James McAtee. (Sky Sports), external

Paris St-Germain are pressing on to finalise a deal with Bournemouth for Ukraine defender Illia Zabarnyi, 22. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Borussia Dortmund are monitoring the situation of Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard, 30, but the Belgium attacker is also wanted by two Premier League clubs. (Sky Sports Germany), external

Fenerbahce are interested in Liverpool's 27-year-old Italy forward Federico Chiesa but he is prioritising a return to Serie A. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Lyon are interested in English midfielder Tyler Morton, 22, and have made contact with Liverpool. (Times - subscription required)

Manchester United are willing to accept a reduced fee in the region of £17m for Jadon Sancho, 25, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus interested in the England winger. (Mail), external

United have ended their interest in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, 24, with the Senegal forward demanding too much in wages. (Mirror), external

Napoli want Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish, 29, but would struggle to meet his wage demands, and also have Chelsea and England winger Raheem Sterling, 30, and Manchester United's Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho, 21, on their list of targets. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

United are keen to offload Garnacho and have spoken to Aston Villa and Chelsea about the possibility of striking a deal. (Independent) , external

Everton are prioritising a move for Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 27, before acting on their interest in Grealish. (GiveMeSport), external

Manchester United have placed Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, 29, at the top of a two-man striker shortlist with RB Leipzig and Slovenia frontman Benjamin Sekso, 22, the second option. (Sun), external

Manchester City have informed German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, 32, that he can leave the club following the arrival of James Trafford from Burnley. (Fabrizio Romano), external

West Ham are eyeing Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira, 25, who joined Arsenal in 2022 but spent last season on loan at Porto. (Ben Jacobs), external

Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 29, wants to reunite with boyhood club Leeds United. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old striker Will Wright from Salford City. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Inter Milan have increased their offer for Atalanta's 27-year-old Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman to 45m euros (£39m). (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Portuguese side Famalicao are interested in Tottenham's English midfielder Tyrese Hall, 19, who attracted interest from Championship clubs in January. (Sky Sports)




Sky Paper Talk

THE INDEPENDENT

Manchester United have spoken to both Chelsea and Aston Villa about Alejandro Garnacho, as well as the possibility of players such as Nicolas Jackson and Ollie Watkins going the other way.

DAILY MIRROR

Manchester United are stepping up their bid to sign a striker before the start of the new season - with Ollie Watkins now their first-choice target.

THE TIMES

Liverpool youngster Tyler Morton has caught the eye of Lyon.

THE SUN

Manchester United will not get involved in a bidding war for Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Manchester United are keen for fellow Treble winner Luke Littler to return to Old Trafford and show off his latest darts trophy.

THE ATHLETIC

Girona have made an approach for Aston Villa left-back Alex Moreno.

Chelsea have set the asking price for Albania striker Armando Broja at £25m.




Guardian Rumour mill

Barry Glendenning

Given his current employers’ well-documented interest in securing the services of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Leandro Trossard is understandably reluctant to sign a contract extension with Arsenal until he has a better idea of how likely he is to get game time at the Emirates Stadium next season. The Belgian winger is the subject of interest from Borussia Dortmund, while at least two unnamed Premier League clubs are reported to have made “concrete offers”. Exactly how much concrete we’re talking about is unknown, but it seems Arsenal wouldn’t be adverse to cashing in on a player they bought from Brighton for £27m two years ago. Following a summer influx that isn’t necessarily over, the club are also believed to be open to offers for some or all of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The mass exodus of Bournemouth defenders shows no sign of abating, with Paris Saint-Germain apparently determined to lure Illia Zabarnyi to the French capital. A fan favourite who is regularly serenaded with a cleverly reworked chorus of Whitney Houston’s dancefloor filler I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), the 22-year-old Ukrainian could join Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (Arsenal via parent club Chelsea) in heading for the exit and is reported to have been the subject of an initial £50m bid from the Champions League winners, which Bournemouth have rejected. Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with a move for the centre-back.

While Aaron Ramsdale may not be among the more glamorous targets to have been approached by Newcastle this summer, the Southampton goalkeeper does look to be on the verge of signing for Eddie Howe’s side, in a state of affairs that may prompt Manchester United to bid for his fellow England understudy Nick Pope. In the final year of his contract on Tyneside, the prospect of losing Pope is unlikely to get Newcastle fans as exercised as that of a certain in-demand and possibly Liverpool-bound Swedish striker, but the word from St James’ Park appears to be that Howe is bringing Ramsdale in to compete with, rather than replace his current first-choice keeper.

Ollie Watkins is reported to be open to a move to Old Trafford but Aston Villa’s £60m valuation for the England striker is apparently too rich for Jim Ratcliffe’s blood. The Manchester United beancounters are hoping they can barter Villa down to a more palatable fee with their outcast winger Alejandro Garnacho thrown in to help grease the wheels of commercial progress. In other Villa news, Àlex Moreno could become a gentleman of Girona if the Spanish side’s manager Michel is successful in his bid to be reunited with a player he previously coached at Rayo Vallecano. Having spent last season on an underwhelming loan spell at Nottingham Forest, the 32-year-old is surplus to requirements at Villa Park and eager to leave.

After his summer departure from Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller is MLS-bound and, despite interest from FC Cincinnati, looks likely to sign for Vancouver Whitecaps in a deal dependent on such romantic niceties as “targeted allocation money” and the successful negotiation of “discovery rights”. Set to become the Whitecaps’ most high-profile acquisition since one-time Brechin City Boys Club graduate Ryan Gauld, the German international will join a club that sits one point off top spot in the Western Conference with a game in hand over leaders San Diego.




Sport Witness

Beşiktaş move into picture to sign West Ham player – Solskjær fancies a Hammer

There’s a claim in the Turkish media that Beşiktaş are showing interest in West Ham United midfielder Guido Rodriguez.

The Black Eagles are likely to be in the market for a defensive midfielder in the coming days with the imminent departure of Gedson Fernandes.

Sabah today report on Beşiktaş’ pursuit for the West Ham player after reports Fernandes is on verge of signing for Spartak Moscow.

According to the Turkish media, Rodriguez has emerged as a target for the Istanbul side, and it’s claimed they want to sit down with the Argentine to discuss a transfer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær reportedly wants to strengthen his midfield ahead of next season and the West Ham man could team up with Rafa Silva and summer signing Orkun Kökçü.

At this stage there are no reports on whether Beşiktaş plan to come in with an offer for Rodriguez or the personal terms they will make to the 31-year-old.

Last season the central midfielder made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers. He’s contracted to the Premier League side until June 2027 after arriving from Real Betis last summer.

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Thanks Alan.

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