Transfer Rumor Roundup

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Transfer rumor roundup: Saul to Man Utd; Bale, Ramsey to Everton

By Nicholas MendolaMar 31, 2020, 6:35 PM EDT

The Saul Niguez to Manchester United rumors are not going away.

The Red Devils are reportedly ready to smash their club transfer record and trigger Saul’s approximate $168 million release clause to bring him from Atletico Madrid to Old Trafford.

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Saul, 25, has become an indispensable part of Diego Simeone’s midfield and was one of the steadiest parts of Atleti’s victory over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Saul, Koke, and Thomas Partey give Atleti three of the best central midfielders in the world, and United would see a similar threesome between Saul, Bruno Fernandes, and Scott McTominay or Fred.

There’s little debate here. If Paul Pogba is sold, there are few better places for the money to be reinvested than Saul. Better call him.

Everton is looking to bring veteran Premier League star quality to its attack in 2020.

The Toffees already have Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin thriving under Carlo Ancelotti, and the Italian reportedly likes the look of former Arsenal and Tottenham heroes

According to 90min.com, Ancelotti is hopeful of bringing Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Juventus’ Aaron Ramsey back to England.

The Welshmen have plenty of experience together. Ramsey will be an easier get than Bale, though the hold up for both will be the appetite to pay two monumental wages in addition to transfer fees.

There are rumors that Real would consider letting Bale walk at no cost due to his massive salary, while Juventus is said to be ready to listen if Ramsey wants to leave due to a lack of playing time.

The pair make a combined $1.2 million per week, which is close to the combined weekly wages of Everton’s top 10 earners.

A report’s a report, but you’d have to think the Toffees would be jettisoning some players if the Ramsey-Bale arrival is an option. Morgan Schneiderlin and Theo Walcott are entering the final years of their contracts in 2020/21.

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Transfer rumor roundup: Real Madrid to snatch up Haaland, Pogba

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By Andy EdwardsMar 27, 2020, 1:04 PM EDT

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A roundup of all of Friday’s biggest transfer rumors, including a few involving Premier League clubs…

[ MORE: Thursday’s transfer rumor roundup | Wednesday | Tuesday ]

When a player possessed world-class talent or potential, it feels like all roads eventually lead to Madrid — or, at least a chance to move to the Spanish capital. Sure, Erling Haaland is only 19 years old, but he’s already been earmarked as Real Madrid’s star striker for the next 10 or 15 years with Zinedine Zidane reportedly very keen on bringing the Norwegian to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. It was inevitable from the moment he started scoring goals for Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking of Madrid restocking the pond full of world-class stars, Zidane also hopes to have Paul Pogba in his team when the 2020-21 season kicks off. With his current contract with Manchester United set to expire in just over 12 months, it’s now or never for Pogba to move elsewhere or re-up for another few years. Given the up-and-down nature (it’s mostly been down, if we’re honest) of his second stint at Old Trafford, Pogba seems a safe bet to make another big-money move this summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward midfielder Raul Jimenez on speculation that he’ll leave the club this summer if they don’t qualify for the Champions League, via Facebook Live: “I have a contract [with Wolves] until 2023. It’s not that we have to qualify for the Champions League in order to stay. I’m good [here], happy with Wolves, doing important things — me as well as the whole team.”

Don’t be surprised if Arsenal make a decidedly Spanish turn in the coming transfer windows with Mikel Arteta at the helm. The former Gunners midfielder was a crafty technician himself and has a preference for similarly skilled players, based on reports of his interest in Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler. The 23-year-old has been a revelation for Valencia as they made their way into the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2013, and clubs the size of Arsenal have certainly taken notice.

Pedro will leave Chelsea when his contract expires this summer, according to the player himself. The 32-year-old World Cup winner will almost certainly have a number of suitors at mid-tier European clubs as well as the Middle East and China.

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Transfer rumor roundup: Four bids for Gabriel, Barca offer five for Martinez

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By Nicholas MendolaMar 26, 2020, 6:00 PM EDT

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The transfer rumor mill has not paused often during the coronavirus suspension, with — nickname alert — French Eddy being linked to Arsenal along with RB Leipzig back Dayot Upamecano.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

It seems like more than links when it comes to Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, as four clubs including Premier League side Everton are said to have made bids for the 22-year-old.

Gabriel moved from Brazil to France in 2016, and he was loaned by Lille to Dinamo Zagreb and Troyes before establishing himself as a first-teamer.

The center back has two goals in 52 appearances and is averaging 1.7 tackles per game, 3.3 clearances, and .9 interceptions in Ligue 1 play while passing at 82 percent.

Gabriel is set to cost more than $36 million. He’s repped Brazil at the U-20 level.

Elsewhere, a better-known South American is being linked to his usual destination in a wild exchange.

Calcio Mercato reports that Barcelona is willing to offer five players to Inter Milan in order to drive down the price on Lautaro Martinez.

There’s plenty of smoke to infer fire when it comes to the prolific 22-year-old Argentine striker, though a five-player exchange is different than meeting the $124 million release clause.

Those players are midfielders Arturo Vidal, Carles Alena, and Arthur, fullback Nelson Semedo, and Jean-Clair Todibo, who are worth a combined $167 million according to the loose estimates of Transfermarkt.

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Transfer news: Liverpool monitoring Ruiz, Ndicka

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By Nicholas MendolaMar 22, 2020, 12:17 PM EDT

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Get ready for Liverpool links to midfielder upon midfielder given the strength of their attackers, defenders, and goalkeeper.

Actually, prepare for links to every position outside of starting goalkeeper.

The Reds were linked Saturday with Boubakary Soumare, whose status rose to a target of Chelsea and Manchester United in January. He reportedly turned down a move to Newcastle at the deadline.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

The latest midfielder linked with Liverpool is Napoli star Fabian Ruiz, according to Football-Italia.

The Spaniard turns 24 in April.

Ruiz had three goals and six assists in La Liga play for Real Betis in 2017/18, and Napoli spent around $33 million to bring him to Serie A that summer.

He’s since scored 10 times with five assists in 72 appearances for Napoli. He’s passing at 90.5 percent this season, with 1.7 tackles and 1.2 tackles per game.

The Reds are also one of two Premier League clubs said to looking into Eintracht Frankfurt center back Evan Ndicka.

A left-footed center back, Ndicka is said to also interest Inter Milan, Arsenal, Sevilla, AC Milan, and Valencia (Sky Sports).

Arsenal has an option to buy left-footed center back Pablo Mari this summer, while Liverpool may part ways with Dejan Lovren. The Reds also use right-footed Virgil Van Dijk on the left side of their center back pairing.

Ndicka, 20, has fared better in Europa League than the Bundesliga, where he averages 1.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.

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Transfer rumor roundup: Richarlison to Barca for $110M? Spurs’ striker search

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By Andy EdwardsJan 29, 2020, 12:34 PM EST

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Watch our transfer deadline day show from 6-8 p.m. ET on Jan. 31, live on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com.

A roundup of all of the major transfer rumors, most notably those involving Premier League clubs, on Wednesday…

[ MORE: Spurs complete Bergwijn transfer from PSV ]

Barcelona have reportedly had a $110-million bid for Richarlison rejected by Everton. That’s a mind-blowing number for a club like Everton to receive, but the Toffees apparently didn’t have to think long before saying “thanks, but no thanks.” Luis Suarez is expected to miss four months due to a knee injury, leaving the Blaugrana somewhat for a replacement. Everton, however, have no desire to lose a key member of their squad with little to no time to sign a replacement.

After adding winger Steven Bergwijn on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur are heavily linked with a number of strikers as options to replace the injured Harry Kane. AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek is the most frequently linked (and most expensive) player coming out of the rumor mill, while Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud has come up as an emergency option (he is reportedly open to the idea). However, Jose Mourinho has reportedly been told he has just $13 million to acquire a new forward after spending a combined $108 million on Bergwijn and Gedson Fernandes.

Elsewhere in Tottenham rumors, full back Kyle Walker-Peters is expected to complete a loan move (without an option to buy) to Southampton in the very near future. The 22-year-old has been on the fringe of the first-team squad for what feels like five years now, but has never quite broken through. This could be Spurs putting into the shop window a player who they don’t believe is in their long-term plans in order to drive up his price tag come this summer.

Sheffield United look set to make a big push for a top-six finish, as the Blades are linked with moves for a pair of highly rated young players: Richairo Zivkovic, from Chinese side Changchun Yatai, and Sander Berge, from Genk. Zivkovic was one of the most highly touted youngsters in Europe before moving to China on a big-money deal; Berge has been linked with some of the biggest clubs across Europe in recent years, all the while the 21-year-old has become a fixture for the Belgian side.

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