Manchester United continue to be linked with Lazio’s Felipe Anderson. (Image: Football.ua)
Felipe Anderson’s flirtation with Manchester United continues, as the winger revealed that the Old Trafford club had a bid rejected by Lazio last summer.
The Brazilian international was the subject of much speculation last summer about a move to The Red Devils and in an interview has left the door open for a move this summer.
On Manchester United’s interest, Anderson said: “Last summer an offer arrived from Manchester United. Lazio confirmed this, and preferred I continue to make a great season.
“Unfortunately, we could not repeat the feat of last season, but we follow working hard and we’ll see what the future will be like.”
Anderson is under contract with Lazio until June 2020 and would command a large transfer fee.
It remains to be seen if Manchester United will still be interested come the summer.
Much will depend on the managerial situation at Old Trafford as it’s expected Louis van Gaal will part ways with the club. Whether Felipe Anderson fits the profile the next manager requires is open to debate.
Everton are interested in signing Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen as a replacement for MLS bound Tim Howard according to the Liverpool Echo.
I revealed in January that Tim Howard was in talks with MLS club Colorado Rapids and the American international has confirmed his return stateside this week.
Cillessen was linked with a move to Manchester United on numerous occasions in the past as a possible replacement for David De Gea. Having previously worked with Louis van Gaal with Dutch national team, Cillessen was a natural link to make for the media.
With De Gea’s long protracted move to Real Madrid failing to materialise, any move for Cillessen was not necessary. The Toffees sent scouts to watch the Ajax keeper in a 2-0 away win at PSV last week.
Burnley keeper Tom Heaton is also mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Howard at Everton. It’s my understanding that Chelsea reserve keeper Asmir Begovic is also being considered.
Antonio Conte has told Chelsea not to sell Juan Cuadrado to Juventus this summer and has pinpointed Radja Nainggolan as one of his first signings if, as expected, he takes over the club in the summer, according to a report in The Guardian.
Cuadrado joined Chelsea in January 2015, in a £23.3m deal from Fiorentina but failed find a regular starting spot under then manager Jose Mourinho.
Juventus are keen to sign the Colombian international but failed to secure an option to buy when acquiring Cuadrado on loan from Chelsea.
Belgian international Radja Nainggolan is also attracting the interest of Antonio Conte and the Guardian believe he has informed his future employers of his wish to sign the Roma midfielder.
The 27 year-old joined Roma from Cagliari, initially on loan, before eventually making the move permanent.
The Guardian believe that Roma are likely to ask for up to £28 million for the player. A decision on whether Nainggolan will be sold is unlikely to be taken until Roma find a successor to the departing Sporting Director, Walter Sabatini.
Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte is likely to face a long period out after his club confirmed he had sustained a broken leg and dislocated ankle while playing for France Under-21’s last night.
Laporte has been the subject of speculation about a move to Manchester City this summer with reports that the Etihad club were prepared to meet the release clause of near £40 million in his contract.
The defender now faces a long spell on the sidelines and any summer move is in serious doubt.
Manchester City will now, no doubt be linked with a move for Everton defender John Stones, who was the subject of several bids from Chelsea last summer. The Merseyside club resisted, dug their heels in and managed to retain the services of the former Barnsley defender much to the annoyance of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis is set to have ‘crunch’ talks with Chairman Jeremy Peace in the summer regarding his future, according to The Mirror.
Pulis will enter the last year in his Baggies contract in the summer and there have been murmurs of discontent for some time at The Hawthorns.
It’s thought Pulis was at odds with Peace over the handling of the Saido Berahino potential transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
Pulis is believed to have wanted his Chairman to cash in on Berahino so he could reinvest in the West Brom squad. Jeremy Peace is a notoriously difficult man to work with and it has previously been reported that he “runs the club with a rod of iron.
Any manager has to accept the title of ‘head coach’ and be prepared to slot into the way Peace does things.
Of course Tony Pulis himself has a previous experience of falling out with a Chairman. In 2014, he walked out of Crystal Palace after disagreeing with Steve Parish on transfer issues. This fallout was to prove a costly affair for Pulis with the Welshman losing a legal case with Crystal Palace.
Pulis was ordered to repay the £2million bonus he received for keeping Crystal Palace in the Premier League in 2014 after an independent tribunal concluded he was in breach of contract.
He walked out on Palace just two days after receiving the bonus. Seems possible there could be another recruitment process for the position of ‘head coach’ in the summer at West Brom.