4 days ago
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Casemiro’s decision to leave Manchester United when his contract expires at the end of the season will intensify the club’s search for a midfielder. The Brazilian’s exit will also knock £350k a week off their outgoings, which should bring a smile to Sir Jim Ratcliffe as United look to follow up last week’s derby win when they travel to … oh … Arsenal this weekend.
Not exactly like for like but stories are circulating that Wythenshawe lad Cole Palmer is homesick at Chelsea and pondering a return to Manchester this summer. The twist is that he wouldn’t be heading back to City as Palmer prefers the red of United – the club he, wait for it, supported as a boy. United scouts were also reportedly in Spain last weekend to discuss on-loan Marcus Rashford’s future and check out Real Sociedad’s versatile midfielder/forward Mikel Oyarzabal. Fun fact: both Palmer (equaliser) and Oyarzabal (winner) scored in the final of Euro 2024.
Casemiro’s departure is likely to make Kobbie Mainoo’s contract situation take on greater urgency. Totally out of favour under Ruben Amorim, the 20-year-old (he’s still only 20!) made his first Premier League start of the season against Manchester City last weekend and is clearly part of Michael Carrick’s plans. Mainoo has 18 months left on his deal and was previously linked with Napoli and other top clubs abroad while he twiddled his thumbs on the bench. The Stockport lad is reportedly on around £20,000-£30,000 per week so would need a serious hike in wages and that’s a potential stumbling block.
In huge superstar news, both Vinícius Júnior and Mo Salah could make big moves to Saudi Arabia this summer. Due to the numerous showdowns between Real Madrid and Liverpool in recent years, photo editors have plenty of pictures of the pair together which is handy. Salah’s move has long been talked about, with the Reds likely to cash in on a decent fee before his contract at Anfield expires in the summer of 2027. But the figures around Vinícius Júnior are eyewatering to say the least, with the Saudi club Al-Ahli linked with a (holds little finger to mouth) €1bn (£870m) bid. Al-Ahli currently have Ivan Toney on their books.
Liverpool missed out on Marc Guéhi so their rather threadbare centre-back department needs a boost – especially with Ibrahima Konaté linked with a summer exit and Virgil van Dijk having just 18 months left on his contract. Micky van de Ven could be the man but, after initial valuations of around £80m, Tottenham are believed to have whacked a £100m price tag on the Dutchman, whom they signed from Wolfsburg in 2023 for less than half that. Curtis Jones has been mentioned as part of a somewhat lopsided swap deal, with Transfermarkt rating the Reds midfielder at around £30m. Should Liverpool pull it off, Arne Slot could have five Dutch compatriots in his starting XI: Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Jeremie Frimpong, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo.
After losing 1-0 at Braga on Thursday night and not having a recognised frontman, Sean Dyche and Nottingham Forest are particularly keen to find a solution. With the 6ft 3in Chris Wood still sidelined, they’re fancying an even bigger big man and focus is on the Italian striker Lorenzo Lucca, who is set for a medical ahead of a loan move to the City Ground. The 25-year-old is on loan at Napoli (from Udinese). He’s scored only two goals in 23 appearances for the Italian champions this season.
With only 10 days of the transfer window remaining, the clock is ticking so let’s throw out a few more rumours that could still be completed in time. Chelsea are pondering a loan move for Douglas Luiz. The Juventus midfielder is on loan at Nottingham Forest. Jean-Philippe Mateta wants out of Crystal Palace apparently, with Aston Villa a possible destination for the French striker. Palace could respond with a raid for Leeds’ Joël Piroe and the Whites could then fill that gap with a swoop for Wolves’ Jørgen Strand Larsen.
