Tottenham Hotspur hope to strike a deal to bring Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi to White Hart Lane this summer.
Michy Batshuayi, pictured here during his time with Standard Liege, has been linked with Spurs. (Image by bobo_300)
The north London side are hopeful they can fend off interest from other clubs such as Arsenal and West Ham, and are believed to in advanced talks with reps to sign the Belgian international striker according to inaddedtime.com.
Spurs have been regular visitors to Marseille to scout the striker, and with Champions League football coming to White Hart Lane next season, Mauricio Pochettino is sure to want to add strength to his squad.
It’s been suggested that the Argentine manager prefers to play with a lone striker. But the chance to pair Michy Batshuayi with Harry Kane may test his resolve on such thinking.
After a sluggish start to the season, Harry Kane has been in scintillating form for Spurs, scoring 21 goals in the Premier League, making him the division’s top scorer.
There’s also a real fear that if Kane does suffer any injury that keeps him out for a prolonged period of time, Spurs wouldn’t have adequate cover.
The opportunity to see Kane playing alongside one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe will excite lots of Spurs fans, and it would likely take a bid in excess of £20 million to purchase the striker this summer.
The good news for Spurs is that Marseille are sure to prefer to see the Belgian leave Ligue 1 rather than join bitter rivals PSG.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he has yet to decide his future at St Mary’s.
The Dutch manager suggests that Southampton have offered him a new 5 year contract at the club and he has yet to decide whether to accept.
Speaking in his column in the paper Koeman says:
“There is still plenty of panache in the Southampton team. There is an incredible spirit within the squad. The players are doing everything better. We now have 17 international players and it shows the team is growing on all sides. This is why the club has given me a plan for the next five years. I’ll take time to make the decision about my future, but will wait for the season to pass first.”
Liverpool remain keen on bringing Lucas Alario to Anfield, despite considerable ‘red tape’ that would be involved in any possible transfer, as reported by The Mirror’s Ed Malyon.
The article explains though that Liverpool aren’t the only European club interested in the striker with Borussia Dortmund thought to be monitoring his situation.
The Argentinian striker presently plys his trade for River Plate, but the Argentinian club own just 30% of his economic rights at present, but have a deal in place to buy another 30% of the player’s rights for £950,000.
The remainder of the player’s economic rights are owned by a South American investment group who are demanding almost £4million for their share.
Premier League rules prevent clubs from purchasing players with third party ownership and would require Liverpool to acquire full ownership if they are to complete a move for the striker.
‘Super Agent’ Jorge Mendes has been attributed with having an interest in acquiring a stake in the forward too, a move that may hasten Liverpool’s reported interest.
Staying with Liverpool, momentum appears to be gathering around the Anfield club’s move for German World Cup winner Mario Götze.
The English media was awash with stories of the Bayern Munich player having his heart set on a move that would see him reunited with his former Borussia Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp.
Götze is entering the final 12-months of his contract with the Bundesliga champions and to date, there has been no effort by the Bavarian club to extend the player’s contract.
Carlo Ancellotti is due to take over from Pep Guardiola in the summer, but that hasn’t hindered the club extending the contracts of players such as Xabi Alonso, Thomas Müller, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez in recent months.
The lack of contract talks suggest Bayern are prepared to sell and will be sure to be keen to recoup as much of the €37million fee they paid Borussia Dortmund in 2013 as possible.
At the time, the fee paid by Bayern Munich for Götze was the most expensive ever paid for a German player. A return to Borussia Dortmund is unlikely according to German journalist Raphael Honigstein when speaking to ESPN.
Joe Hart has no intention of leaving Manchester City if Pep Guardiola buys Marc-André ter Stegen in the summer, and is determined to fight for his place next season according to Jamie Jackson.
Earlier this week, The Telegraph had an exclusive story which reported that the Etihad club had won the race to sign the German international keeper, beating Liverpool to his signature.
This led to speculation that Manchester City may be prepared to sell the present England number one.
Hart is reported to be unconcerned at the prospect of Ter Stegen joining, and believes he can establish himself as the number 1 under Pep Guardiola.
If Ter Stegen is to be signed as a back up or a competition option for Manchester City, it shows the extent of wealth that the club have at their disposal this summer.
FFP restrictions appear to have been relaxed and the budget available to Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain seems to be mind boggling.
Paul Pogba is also on the club’s radar but a move for the one time Manchester United youngster won’t come cheap.
The Old Lady will be determined to extract as much money as possible from any potential suitors for the French international.
His agent Mino Raiola will no doubt examine all options for Pogba including from other Premier League clubs, La Liga and Ligue 1.
Meanwhile, another from Raiola’s stable has been linked with a move to Arsenal this week.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is reported to be attracting the interest from The Gunners according to The Guardian but it’s my understanding that a contract extension at Borussia Dortmund is the most likely option now for the Armenian.
Mkhitaryan joined Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 for a deal in the region of £23million, turning down the overtures of Liverpool in the process.
And, yet another of Raiola’s proteges has been hitting the headlines recently with even more speculation about the future of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku.
Manchester United, Arsenal, PSG, Juventus and Real Madrid are all monitoring his situation at Goodison Park, ensuring that the Italian agent is sure to be one of the busiest this summer.