Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer news: Cyprien to Newcastle; Chelsea, Rice agree terms

By Nicholas MendolaSep 25, 2020, 11:01 AM EDT

Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images

We’ve got a bargain price — Wyatt Cyprien to Newcastle — and one that could hardly be described as anything near a discount — Declan Rice to Chelsea — in our Premier League transfer rumors for Friday.

[ MORE: ProSoccerTalk unfiltered, Week 2 ]

Chelsea’s opening offer to West Ham was about what it paid Leicester City for Ben Chilwell. West Ham is reportedly asking a touch more than the English record Manchester United paid the Foxes for Harry Maguire.

In related news, Leicester knows how to maximize its profits on Three Lions players.

Rice to Chelsea

Declan Rice wants to go home again.

The West Ham midfielder and former Chelsea youth has agreed terms with the Blues on a five-year deal as Frank Lampard aims to buy Rice.

The Express reports that Chelsea has so far offered $57 million to West Ham, who wants about $102 million for the 21-year-old.

Chelsea has already spent more than $300 million this summer after last summer’s transfer ban cost them any new additions.

Rice would join Edouard Mendy, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, and Kai Havertz as big money buys by the Blues in 2020.

Only eight defensive midfielders are ranked higher in value by Transfermarkt: Rodri, Joshua Kimmich, Casemiro, Fabinho, Jorginho, Ruben Neves, and Marcelo Brozovic.

He could become the sixth most expensive English player in history if he costs any more than the $58 million price tag slapped on Chilwell.

That… is something.

Most expensive English player transfers (Transfermarkt)

Harry Maguire, Leicester -> Man Utd, $101 million
Raheem Sterling, Liverpool -> Man City, $74 million
John Stones, Everton -> Man City, $65 million
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Palace -> Man Utd, $64 million
Kyle Walker, Spurs -> Man City, $61 million
Ben Chilwell, Leicester -> Chelsea, $58 million

West Ham has to get a huge figure for Rice, especially if the player is sold to a crosstown rival. The Irons have already faced criticism for failures in the transfer market and the sale of Grady Diangana to West Brom had captain Mark Noble speaking publicly about his displeasure.

There are also rumors that David Moyes’ targets are too rich and the players being offered the selective Scot are not up to his standards. Maybe the Rice money allows Moyes to get “one of his own” but that’s a significant risk for a man who’s yet to prove he’s an upgrade on Manuel Pellegrini.

Cyprien to Newcastle

Newcastle United’s biggest hole is in the center of the park and the Magpies are again being linked with Nice’s Wylan Cyprien.

Bordeaux is said to be leading the race for the 25-year-old who is out-of-contract at the end of the season and said to be available for a $12 million price tag which would not put off the Magpies.

Cyprien has 23 goals and 12 assists in 127 league outings for Nice, who is coached by Arsenal legend and former NYCFC boss Patrick Vieira.

He is an excellent passer who doesn’t mind a shot and is strong on set pieces, scoring seven times last season. That’s one off his career-best in Ligue 1 goals set in 2016-17.

It’s a report Newcastle fans will probably hope to speak into existence.

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Transfer news: Leicester to improve on Chilwell after big sale?

By Nicholas MendolaAug 23, 2020, 11:52 AM EDT

Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

Sunday morning’s transfer rumblings are decidedly Dutch, with Leicester City apparently ready to make an eye-popping swap at the (deep) expense of Chelsea and Ronald Koeman prepared to offload several veterans at Barcelona to bring in two young talents.

[ MORE: UEFA Champions League Final preview ]

If Koeman does land his two preferred young stars, there could be a bargain or two for Premier League or Serie A clubs eyeing cut rate deals for the trio he’d send packing.

Van de Beek to Barcelona

Ronald Koeman loves the young talent he’s overseen at Netherlands national team camp, and wants to bring at least two players to join Frenkie de Jong in Blaugrana colors.

Koeman is said to be willing to sell Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, and Luis Suarez in order to fund a move for Donny van de Beek. The central midfielder was once ticketed for Real Madrid but money issues reportedly opened a door for Manchester United.

Van de Beek is expected to fetch Ajax around $65 million for a player who turned 23 in April and posted has 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 matches this season after registering 17 and 13 in 57 appearances in 2018-19.

Van de Beek has 10 caps for the Dutch, and has been atop the triangle of midfielders in Koeman’s 4-3-3. Koeman would be able to get more out of De Jong with Miralem Pjanic already arriving to settle a midfield which sometimes had problems finding Lionel Messi and Barca’s attackers.

Stengs to Barcelona

The other name Koeman wants could be the first time many have heard it. Fantastic young Dutch right wing Calvin Stengs moving to Barcelona would be a big move for a 21-year-old recently handed his first Netherlands cap by Koeman.

The 21-year-old AZ Alkmaar man had 10 goals and 12 assists in the high-scoring Eredivisie and the Europa League, a breakthrough season after bagging five and four the previous season.

Stengs would join a crowded group of wingers and could signal sales or positional changes in the long-term, with Ousmane Dembele and Trincao among the right-sided talent and Pedri, Ansu Fati, and occasionally Antoine Griezmann flung out left (You may know Lionel Messi and Suarez as forwards, too.

One to watch?

Tagliafico to Leicester City

Simply incredible stuff from Brendan Rodgers and the King Power Stadium set if this one is true.

Leicester City is said to be capable of landing Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax to replace Ben Chilwell, who is reportedly nearing a massive-money move to Chelsea.

Chilwell is about four years’ Tagliafico’s junior and has experience in the Premier League already, but finding another reason to favor the former of the latter is tough.

Chilwell turns 24 in December and is said to carry a price tag around $65 million, almost $26 million more than the bandied-about price for Tagliafico, who turns 28 at the end of this month.

The Argentine has 16 matches of UCL experience compared to Chilwell’s zero, with goals against Bayern and Lille. Yes he played in a less competitive domestic league but, according to WhoScored’s player comparison tool, he’s also coming off a better season in terms of passing, interceptions, clearances, assists, shots per game, assists, tackles, and fouls drawn.

It’s a no-brainer. Leicester would upgrade or — at the very least — be just as solid by adding Tagliafico for a Europa League season over Chilwell, who has just two European appearances coming back in 2016-17 (though 11 England caps are quite high profile, too).

Frank Lampard has shown a preference for both youth, specifically English youth, but as he enters a second full season without silverware and more youth — specifically English youth — Tagliafico’s age and the fact that Chelsea could buy a very good young left back prospect with the difference in fee seem to cancel each other out.

But you do you, Frank.

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Transfer news: Doucoure to Arsenal, USMNT back to West Ham

By Nicholas MendolaAug 1, 2020, 11:33 AM EDT

Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

A pair of London clubs have been linked with players in England’s second and third tiers, one of them an American international.

[ FA Cup Final: Projected lineups | Key battles | Preview ]

The proposed interest in the latter, Antonee Robinson, came even before his below comments on his hopes for a move out of League One and into playing time.

Doucoure to Arsenal

Linked with Everton in recent weeks, Abdoulaye Doucoure is now said to be a target of FA Cup finalist Arsenal.

The Gunners are said to be hoping to land the 27-year-old Frenchman after Watford’s relegation, hopeful that the price tag may have gone down since Everton reportedly had a $50 million bid shot down in January.

A solid, physical, and technical midfielder, Doucoure’s shown the capability of the sublime with magnificent goals against Fulham a season ago and Brighton in February.

Doucoure has played 141 times for Watford since arriving from Granada in 2016. He has 17 goals and 12 assists, and

Yet he’s also spoken of moving to a Champions League side, something Arsenal will not be next year. If the club wins the FA Cup, would he accept being a Europa League player next season?

Robinson to West Ham United

USMNT left back Antonee Robinson is plotting his next move after Wigan Athletic was relegated to League One in England via points deduction.

Robinson, 22, was due to move from Wigan to AC Milan for $8 million on transfer deadline day in January but he failed a medical at the Italian giants with an irregular heart rhythm that reportedly corrected itself over the break.

Earlier this week, the Wigan Athletic man told American Soccer Now that his mindset has changed since the failed move:

“I feel like I’ve done well enough where now, wherever I go next year, I want to start. In January the idea of going to Milan, it probably didn’t even come to my head that I probably would have been on the bench… now I am more prioritizing a team where I am going to start than a team, just because they’re a big name.”

So perhaps he’s rethought Milan, where he’d be behind Theo Hernandez. Robinson has been linked to Leicester City as well as Premier League side West Ham United.

USMNT center back Aaron Long was also once linked with West Ham, where Robinson would have to overcome longtime starter Aaron Cresswell, who’s been fairly average the past few seasons.

If Ben Chilwell leaves Leicester, Robinson would rival 19-year-old Luke Thomas to start the season as Christian Fuchs is out for another 10-12 weeks.

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Transfer news: Gimenez to Man City, Joelson to Arsenal

By Nicholas MendolaJul 19, 2020, 4:08 PM EDT

Photo by Martin Rickett/EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images

Is Manchester City ready to break its own transfer record, and the defender mark to boot?

[ MORE: Premier League stats ]

City’s being linked with a big buy of a key piece at Atletico Madrid, while Arsenal is said to be ready to spend a massive amount of money for the latest “next Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Gimenez to Man City

Pep Guardiola prepared Man City for its long-term future with a big buy from Atletico Madrid last summer and may do the same this go-round.

Jose Gimenez could give Guardiola a 25-year-old partner for Aymeric Laporte at the heart of City’s defense and Guardiola seems ready to break the Rodri record as well as the international record for a defender.

The asking price for Gimenez is about $137 million.

Rodri was a club record buy for City in 2019 and has been a wonderful addition for City, and he could be joined by one of Atleti’s best in Gimenez.

The Uruguayan had an injury-hit 2019-20 season and has never played more than 27 La Liga outings in a given season since arriving but has 189 first team appearance since moving from Danubio in 2013.

He hasn’t been on top of his game this season but it’s a tumultuous roster for Atleti, who lost veteran backs Diego Godin, Lucas Hernandez, and Juanfran in addition to defensive midfielder Rodri.

Joelson to Arsenal

This one’s right out of the long-term Arsenal playbook, albeit a pricy page.

Arsenal is being tabbed to trigger a nearly $52 million release clause to pry Portuguese phenom Joelson out of Sporting Lisbon, according to A Bola.

Like many hot young talents in his home country, Joelson Fernandes has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

They share a few things: Roots at Sporting, Portugal youth experience, and a relative lack of first team football before major hype landed at their feet.

A young 17 with a February birthday, Joelson is a left winger and has made just three substitute appearances for the first team. Joelson has five goals and two assists with Sporting’s U-23s this season.

The money is a lot for a teenager, but Barcelona and Juventus are also tracking Joelson and Arsenal is the club said to be willing to pony up the money for his release clause.

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Transfer news: Kim to Tottenham, Tagliafico to Man City

By Nicholas MendolaJul 17, 2020, 4:12 PM EDT

CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP via Getty Images

Two of the Premier League’s top sides may be adding players from the Chinese Super League and the Netherlands’ Eredivisie.

[ MORE: The latest transfer news ]

Beijing Goan and Ajax are the clubs with the transfer targets from AFC and CONMEBOL internationals.

Let’s dig into the back line options for Spurs and Man City.

Kim to Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur is being linked with the “best Asian defender in history,” a player nicknamed “Monster” in the Chinese Super League.

Min-jae Kim may be just 23 but he’s extremely well-regarded and Spurs will have inside info given that Heung-min Son’s seen plenty of him from his post in the South Korea national team set-up.

Kim plays at Beijing Goan and the price tag is rumored to be less than $20 million by football.london, which notes his contract expiry of December 2021.

He joined the CSL side from South Korean mainstays Jeonbuk Motors in January 2019 and has not missed a beat. It could take some time to adjust to the Premier League level, but Spurs have plenty of players to man the center back spot while he learns. Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Toby Alderweireld, and Davinson Sanchez are set to remain in North London.

Tagliafico to Man City

Pep Guardiola’s ready to spend big on another fullback.

Left back Nicolas Tagliafico will be leaving Ajax this summer and Chelsea had been linked with the Argentine.

But a report in Argentina claims that Man City is interested in soon-to-be 28-year-old who’s been capped 25 times by his national team.

Tagliafico has 12 goals and 15 assists in 99 appearances for Ajax and has played a little center back and left mid.

Some of Pep’s fullback buys have been good, as Kyle Walker’s performed well enough for City. But Joao Cancelo has not adapted well to the PL this season after a swap for Danilo from Juventus, and Benjamin Mendy’s been hit or miss when healthy.

Tagliafico is expected to cost upwards of $25 million, a far cry from the money Guardiola’s spent on some of the aforementioned names.

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