B/R Gossip Roundup: Real to Target Paul Pogba, Edin Dzeko Set for City Exit
The transfer window is closed, but the world football rumour mill never stops.
With transfer deadline day coming and going this past week, fans of clubs around the world will now have to wait until the summer for big-name signings. But that doesn't mean the gossip has to end.
This week, like every other, we've compiled the week's hottest transfer gossip for your perusal. Keep reading to see if your team makes the cut.
Offer of Fabio Coentrao to Arsenal an Unnecessary One
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Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the January transfer window was the lack of a move for Fabio Coentrao.
The Real Madrid left-back has seemed surplus to requirements for Carlo Ancelotti over the past 18 months and has been a regular feature of gossip columns in recent transfer windows. But it was not until after the window closed this week that a link between the Portugal international and a Premier League club emerged.
Bruce Archer of the Daily Express reports that Coentrao has been offered to Arsenal and Liverpool. The article notes that the form of Marcelo at the Bernabeu has resulted in the 26-year-old starting just two Liga matches for Los Blancos so far this season, and his time at the club seems to be coming to an end. But are the Gunners really the team for Coentrao to resurrect his career? We think not.
Arsene Wenger's greatest need come the summer will be a defensive midfielder rather than a left-back, where Nacho Monreal has improved greatly in recent weeks and Kieran Gibbs is a more-than-capable understudy. There is little argument that Coentrao would represent a decent addition to any squad, but the Gunners are once again at a peak level of performance and have little need for reinforcements at left-back.
Believability Meter: Low
Unless the asking price is lowered to such an extent that Coentrao becomes an unmissable bargain, it is futile for Arsenal to chase another left-back at present. Coentrao is a quality defender who can also provide an attacking threat, but any transfer to the Premier League is unlikely to involve the Emirates Stadium.
Danny Ings Must Focus on Burnley to Maintain Interest of Chelsea, Liverpool
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Speculation surrounding Burnley striker Danny Ings' future featured heavily during the January transfer window, with Liverpool appearing to be his destination.
That appeared to be the case until the Turf Moor club noted any move to the Anfield club could not have already been agreed as it would break Premier League rules, as James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo reported. And that seemed to be that for the 22-year-old, who had also been linked with David Moyes' Real Sociedad in La Liga (via Daily Mail).
However, Burnley manager Sean Dyche admitted that the young player had been affected by the speculation after removing him from the defeat to Sunderland last weekend. The Clarets boss was quoted by BBC Sport as saying, "I took him off because I thought it had affected him. He was a bit off today, but next week he'll be back with his team-mates and he'll be full of beans again."
If Ings' head had been turned by the transfer links with Liverpool, imagine what could be happening now. Both Chelsea and Manchester City have been credited with an interest this week, as reported by Hannah Duncan of Metro.
The article notes that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be facing serious competition from the Premier League top two in the summer chase for Ings. But after spending big on Wilfried Bony last month, will City be looking for another forward in the summer?
Chelsea, though, are a different matter. Jose Mourinho shored up his forward line with the summer acquisitions of Diego Costa and his solid understudy Loic Remy. Although Didier Drogba remains a Stamford Bridge legend, at 36, how long will he be able to continue at the top level?
Ings is still a player with potential rather than proven ability, but his seven top-flight goals so far this season, courtesy of WhoScored.com, hint at the signs of a quality forward in the making. However, the Burnley star must focus his attention away from the speculation and back on to the plight of the Lancashire side.
The Clarets are likely to remain in a relegation battle for the remainder of the season, and further strikes and influence from Ings will be desperately required to ensure safety for Dyche's team. Chelsea, Liverpool and the rest can wait.
Believability Meter: Medium
Ings is a young player with the world at his feet. The summer transfer window is likely to open up a high-profile switch. But until then, the forward cannot afford to let his performance levels drop in the Clarets' fight against relegation.
Real Madrid to Focus on Paul Pogba This Summer
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France midfielder Paul Pogba will be Real Madrid's main target this summer, per B/R's Guillem Balague.
Pogba, 21, currently plays for Juventus, whom he joined from Manchester United in 2012. In October 2014, the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail) reported that Pogba had signed a contract with Juventus to keep him at the Italian club until June 2019.
Believability Meter: Medium to High
Although Pogba recently extended his contract with Juventus, he could almost certainly earn more money than his current estimated wage of £70,000 per week (see the Daily Mail article). According to team-mate Andrea Pirlo (h/t ESPN FC), Pogba is already "one of the best players in the world."
As B/R's Allan Jiang notes, Pogba could find a place to play in Madrid's loaded sqaud:
"Pogba moving to Real Madrid would essentially force Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira out. There is the possibility Pogba could transition into a deep-lying forward because his shooting is getting better every season. If he continues to improve his scoring, he could easily register 20-30 goals per season in an advanced role.
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If Real Madrid really want to make Pogba their top target—as Balague claims—they have the money to tempt him away from Juventus well before his contract expires.
Time Has Come for Edin Dzeko and Manchester City to Part Company
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When UEFA officially unveiled the Champions League squads for the remaining 16 teams in the tournament on Thursday, one Manchester City player will have been forgiven for letting out a loud sigh of relief.
According to Chris McKenna of the Daily Star, Bosnia and Herzegovina international Edin Dzeko was looking at a potential axing from Manuel Pellegrini's roster ahead of the last-16 tie against Barcelona. The City manager needed to find a place in the group for January signing Wilfried Bony, and Dzeko appeared set to be the fall guy.
Instead, the Chilean opted to keep Dzeko in the frame and made Stevan Jovetic the unfortunate forward to miss out. But Dzeko's reported near-omission prompted speculation over the former Wolfsburg striker's future, with Atletico Madrid and Juventus mentioned as possible future destinations by his agent, Irfan Radzipegic, as Football Italia reported.
Radzipegic is quoted as saying, "Dzeko is 28 years old and wants to play for the most prestigious teams in Europe. If he were to leave Manchester City, he'd prefer a big club like Juventus or Atletico Madrid."
Few could argue with Dzeko's ambition, but the stark truth is Manchester City is no longer the place he needs to be. Until the weekend, Dzeko had started just 12 matches in all competitions this season, scoring twice in the process. From being one of the main men alongside Sergio Aguero in City's 2012 Premier League triumph, the Bosnian has slipped well off the radar at the Etihad Stadium.
The forward is now entering a crucial period in his career, with his next move likely to be the last big one. He will remain an iconic figure for City supporters after scoring the equaliser against Queens Park Rangers in that thrilling final game of the 2011-12 campaign, but the time has come for him to move on.
Believability Meter: High
Dzeko will live long in the hearts of Manchester City fans for that goal against QPR, but his career at the club has stagnated, and the arrival of Bony is not going to help. Either Atletico or Juventus would be ideal for his next transfer, but don't expect those to be the only names in the frame come the summer.
Likely Henrikh Mkhitaryan Exit from Borussia Dortmund Leaves Sour Taste
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When you are bottom of the league, the last thing you need is further disenchantment. But that is what Borussia Dortmund faced when Henrikh Mkhitaryan's agent, Mino Raiola, announced his client would be leaving the Westfalenstadion in the summer.
Jack Bezants of the Daily Mail reported Raiola as saying of the Armenia international in German newspaper Bild, "Henrikh wants to leave Dortmund at the end of the season. We will have to wait and see what we can do."
The comments were made in the wake of Dortmund's draw with Bayer Leverkusen last Sunday, which saw Jurgen Klopp's team fall to 18th place in the Bundesliga. We were left wondering whether the comments were really worth making.
The 26-year-old has barely impressed for Dortmund since opting for the German club over Liverpool in 2013. The £24 million fee Dortmund shelled out to Shakhtar Donetsk seemed like good value at the time, given Mkhitaryan had scored 25 league goals for the Ukrainian club during his final season there.
The attacking midfielder initially failed to settle into his stride at Dortmund, but he went on to become a crucial figure, scoring 13 goals in all competitions for the Bundesliga runners-up. By comparison, this season has been woeful for both the team and Mkhitaryan, who has managed just two goals for Dortmund all season, according to WhoScored.com.
Klopp's team might not have much to shout about at the moment, but something the supporters have every right to demand from every player is 100 per cent effort in trying to overturn their situation. Mkhitaryan having his agent voice his desire to leave at the end of the season is not fair on his team's loyal fanbase or his manager, who put his faith in the attacking midfielder.
Believability Meter: High
It is understandable that players such as Mkhitaryan would be likely to leave Dortmund if the club were relegated, but getting your representative to announce your availability long before the relegation dogfight is won is unforgivable.
If Dortmund supporters could, they would be prising open the transfer window with a view to flinging the midfielder out of it. The only saving grace for Mkhitaryan here will be his need to put himself in the shop window by playing well for Dortmund during the second half of the campaign.
Juventus Interest in Stevan Jovetic Makes All Kinds of Sense
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The newspapers have contained stories linking Stevan Jovetic with a return to Italian football for a while now, and this week has proved to be no different. After the Montenegro striker was replaced in Manchester City's Champions League squad for the recently signed Wilfried Bony, the writing appeared to be on the wall for his future at the club—only heightening the speculation.
The Daily Star provided the latest update on the situation surrounding the player on Sunday. According to the paper, Juventus have relighted a long-held passion for Jovetic:
"Juventus are determined to land Stevan Jovetic at the second attempt—seven years after failing to capture his signature.
The Italian giants were close to signing Jovetic in 2008 but refused to match the £8 million Fiorentina eventually paid for the Partizan Belgrade striker. But now Juve hope to land Jovetic after Manchester City decided to cut the Montenegro hitman from their Champions League squad.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini insists that Jovetic still has a future at the Etihad despite the snub, but Jovetic, signed in July 2013 for £22 million, does not see it that way. He has been hampered by niggling injuries and now is down in the strikers' pecking order following the signing of £28 million Wilfried Bony.
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If Jovetic does not feature much during the second half of the season, it would certainly seem possible he could be available at a knock-down price. Juve love nothing more than a bargain, and Jovetic could be just their latest—especially if they have a bit of money to spend following the sale of a certain star midfielder.
Believability Meter: High
This is exactly how Juventus like to operate; they pick off the unwanted players at the biggest clubs in England, France and Spain with the confidence that—with the better attention and opportunities they can provide—they will be able to bring out the potential that said big European club picked up on in the first place.
They did the same with Alvaro Morata, Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman and many others. Jovetic has an established Serie A pedigree from his time at Fiorentina, and Juventus will be confident they can bring out that same level of performance from him in Turn.
