B/R Gossip Roundup: Real Madrid Eye Falcao, De Gea; Luis Suarez Return a No Go
The transfer window is still some way from being reopened, but the speculation is still rife in the newspapers.
Radamel Falcao, David de Gea and Kevin De Bruyne were among the names to be mentioned with potential moves this week.
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has been linked with a return to the Premier League, while Stevan Jovetic could be the subject of a switch between two of the top clubs in England.
Let's take a closer look at this week's gossip.
Chelsea Lessons Will Be Heeded by Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester City Link
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After the Frank Lampard scenario this season, is Jose Mourinho about to fall victim to a similar situation with Kevin De Bruyne?
Chelsea released veteran midfielder Lampard at the end of last season, and he has since gone on to play his part in Manchester City keeping in touch with the Premier League leaders.
Earlier in 2014, Mourinho also decided to let De Bruyne leave Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window, with Wolfsburg shelling out around £16.7 million, reported by BBC Sport.
The Belgium international has gone to forge himself into a star name at the Bundesliga club this season, helping them to keep pace with defending champions Bayern Munich.
According to Paul Hetherington of the Daily Star, De Bruyne's form has seen Manchester City declare an interest in the player. However, there are a number of flaws to the link that mean we can't see this rumour coming to fruition.
As Borussia Dortmund sleepwalked toward relegation in the first half of the German season, Wolfsburg emerged as the major competition to the might of Bayern.
The £22 million capture of Andre Schurrle from Chelsea in January suggests Wolfsburg are refusing to settle for second best behind Pep Guardiola's team. And that is something which will not have gone unnoticed by De Bruyne.
Additionally, De Bruyne would surely have his time at Stamford Bridge uppermost in his mind if he was considering a return to English football. The former Genk man was unhappy with the Blues and Mourinho, and he voiced those feelings in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, reported by Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph in January.
The chance to maybe earn a modicum of revenge by moving to City might tempt De Bruyne, but he will be fully aware that the £40 million transfer fee quoted by Hetherington indicates how much his current club appreciate him.
Believability Meter: Low
De Bruyne has been given his chance at Wolfsburg, and the German club are clearly keen to keep hold of him.
The Belgian's unhappy time at Chelsea will also ensure the 22-year-old will want to stay with Wolfsburg, where he is spearheading something potentially special.
Real Madrid Offer on-Loan Manchester United Striker Radamel Falcao Escape
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If nothing else, Radamel Falcao's loan spell with Manchester United has proved that even the best players in world football sometimes just don't fit at a club.
The Colombia international joined the Red Devils on loan from Monaco on the final day of the summer transfer window and was received with much excitement among Old Trafford supporters.
However, the 29-year-old has failed to see his form in the Premier League ignite, and just four goals in 14 starts for the club tells its own story.
This week, though, Rob Draper of the Mail on Sunday reported that Falcao will be the subject of a transfer move by Real Madrid:
"Falcao will be available if United do not take up their option [to buy].
His agent is Jorge Mendes, who has a good relationship with Real Madrid, and the Spanish giants considered buying Falcao last summer.
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Indeed, Falcao has been previously linked with a move to the Bernabeu, and Bleacher Report guest columnist Guillem Balague told Sky Sports last summer that the forward had wanted to join Los Blancos, so seeing Real Madrid named as potentially being his next destination should not come as a surprise.
Falcao was a hero at Atletico Madrid during his time there before heading for Ligue 1, which could have affected any potential move across the Spanish capital.
But Diego Simeone's team have moved on since then, and Falcao joining Real would not have the same impact it would have done immediately after the striker had made his name at the Vicente Calderon.
Believability Meter: Medium to High
It is highly unlikely that Falcao will remain at Manchester United beyond his current loan deal, which expires at the end of the Premier League season.
And while his form in the Premier League has been underwhelming, his past form with Atletico ensures his stock remains high in La Liga.
Burnley Striker Danny Ings Right to Choose Liverpool over Real Sociedad
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Choices can be difficult affairs when all sides of the argument having a valid point, but that was not the case for Burnley striker Danny Ings this week.
According to John Cross of the Daily Mirror, the 22-year-old has rejected the chance to join Real Sociedad in the summer to maintain his chances of signing for Liverpool.
Ings has been linked with the Reds already this season, and those rumours have refused to go away. However, former Everton and Manchester United manager David Moyes still hoped he could persuade the forward to join him in La Liga.
Cross wrote:
"Ings flew to Spain this month as David Moyes' La Liga club have targeted the 22-year-old, who is out of contract this summer.
But Sociedad know they have missed out on Ings, who has now set his heart on a move to Anfield at the end of the season.
Tottenham, Manchester City and—surprisingly—Chelsea have all been in for the Burnley hot-shot.
But Ings has made up his mind to move to Liverpool, who courted him in January when Burnley insisted he stay put.
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It should come as no surprise that Ings would prefer remaining in the Premier League over switching to Spanish football.
He also had to consider that Moyes is on an 18-month contract at Sociedad, reported by the Guardian, and could return to England himself at some point in the near future.
Believability Meter: High
Ings has been persistently linked with Liverpool in recent weeks, and with Moyes only on a relatively short-term deal in San Sebastian, sticking with the prospect of joining the Reds is a sensible policy for the striker.
Reported Spurs Interest in Monaco Defender Aymen Abdennour May Be Good Business
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Arsenal's shock, 3-1 defeat to Monaco on Wednesday will have provided fans of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur with some mirth, and one of the Monegasque's outstanding performers in that match could be heading to White Hart Lane in the summer.
John Cross of the Daily Mirror reported on Thursday that Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour is in the sights of Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino for a potential transfer.
Of course, after playing a starring role in the Ligue 1 club's victory at the Emirates Stadium, it should come as no surprise to see the 25-year-old linked with a move.
Cross notes that the Tunisia international has not cemented a first-team place in the Monaco side, making just nine Ligue 1 starts this season despite his display against the Gunners.
And Abdennour was quoted as saying he knew of Tottenham's interest: "Yes, I am aware of it. But I am at Monaco, and I am concentrating on my club."
After being asked if he was interested in joining Spurs, Cross quoted him as saying:
"Why not? Right now I have to be patient.
Things will happen naturally. I am not going to put any pressure on myself because I am very happy at Monaco.
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Obviously, we should be wary of possible translation issues here, but this deal does not seem too far out of consideration. At the article's quoted price of £5 million, Abdennour could prove to be a solid addition to Tottenham's squad for next season.
Believability Meter: Medium
The price seems right on this deal, but much will depend on Pochettino's needs as he assesses his playing staff in the summer.
Reports of Rift Between David de Gea, Louis Van Gaal Make Little Sense
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Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and manager Louis van Gaal are not speaking, according to a report from Manu Sainz at AS.
Linking De Gea with a move to Real Madrid, the report claims that the goalkeeper's primary reason for wanting a transfer is his poor relationship with Van Gaal. According to the report, De Gea, who has 17 months left on his contract, wants Manchester United to include a buy-out clause of under €30 million in any new contract. Such a figure would encourage a transfer to Real Madrid, according to Sainz.
The report also indicates that United have offered De Gea a new deal worth €10 million per season.
Believability Meter: Low
Moving to Real Madrid would probably make sense for De Gea, who would be a fine replacement for the ageing Iker Casillas. But as B/R's Allan Jiang argues, rumours of a conflict with Van Gaal don't make much sense:
"You presume the relationship must be at least cordial, considering De Gea has started 26 Premier League games this season.
If there is tension between the two, why hasn't De Gea been replaced by Victor Valdes?
The media cannot represent Van Gaal as this my-way-or-the-highway type of manager, speculate about him playing a part in De Gea's supposed discontent, yet glance over the goalkeeper being a guaranteed starter week in, week out.
The only problem the two will have is if De Gea starts showing signs he is unwilling to commit his future to Manchester United.
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Liverpool's Interest in Stevan Jovetic Could Be Another Inspired Gamble
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Liverpool are the latest team to have joined the race for Manchester City's unwanted forward Stevan Jovetic, according to reports, such as in Sunday's Daily Mirror:
"Liverpool are looking at offering Manchester City outcast Stevan Jovetic the chance to stay in the Premier League.
Striker Jovetic, 25, will leave the Etihad in the summer after being ditched from Manuel Pellegrini’s Champions League squad following the January arrival of Wilfried Bony.
Inter Milan and Juventus want to take the former Fiorentina frontman back to Italy—but will now face competition from Liverpool.
The Reds have tried to sign Jovetic twice before, but the Montenegro international joined City for £22million in the summer of 2013.
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Jovetic's future at Manchester City has been in serious doubt since he was removed from the club's Champions League squad to make way for new signing Wilfried Bony, although City's squad restrictions (a punishment for financial fair play infractions) were always going to force Manuel Pellegrini into a tough decision.
Nevertheless, it is believed Jovetic will leave the club in the summer, with injuries having prevented the Montenegro international from ever showing his full potential at the club.
Believability Meter: Medium
Liverpool know about the quality Jovetic has better than many teams—he scored against them in a rare outing at the start of the season—and they also have form buying once highly touted players who had fallen on slightly difficult times, with Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge being prime examples, and Mario Balotelli perhaps being another.
This would seem to be a similar situation. If the club could get Jovetic for around £12 million, for example, would it not be a worthwhile gamble? The forward would seem to have a skill set that would mesh quite well with what Liverpool are trying to do, and with a sustained run of games, he could flourish into the player City thought they were buying two years ago.
The only question is whether Jovetic is settled in England or if he would prefer a return to Italy. However, if he is happy enough where he is, then Liverpool's interest could be extremely astute.
Luis Suarez Link Seems Ambitious, Even for Manchester City
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If Manchester City do offload Jovetic, then it seems some of the proceeds could go toward signing Luis Suarez in a world-record deal from Barcelona.
According to Rob Shepherd of the Mail on Sunday:
"Manchester City are considering a £100 million bid to buy Luis Suarez.
Suarez has come to the fore for Barcelona for the first time this season since his £75 million move from Liverpool last summer.
The Uruguayan's two goals in Barca's 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium would seem to have given City no way back when it comes to the Champions League last-16 second leg at the Nou Camp. But overall since joining Barca things have not worked out well for Suarez.
Football Grapevine sources have been told that the club would like to move the striker on.
City are aware of that and would pay a huge amount to take the player now that they realise that their ambition to sign Lionel Messi is unlikely to ever come to fruition.
The major stumbling block to any deal this summer is that Barca remain under a transfer embargo until 2016 in the wake breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations.
So even if the Catalans cashed in on Suarez, they could not sign a replacement until the next January transfer window. It is understood, however, that a straight swap of Sergio Aguero and Suarez is not out of the question.
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Believability Meter: Low
The two biggest Spanish clubs can be notoriously clinical when it comes to offloading players once unveiled to great fanfare, but even so, it seems impossible that Barcelona would be willing to move Suarez on after less than a full season at the club.
Aguero may well want to move to Barcelona—where he could link up with compatriot Lionel Messi—but would Suarez really be willing to go the other way? The Uruguayan's relationship with the English media is a complex one, while he has yet to show signs that he is discontent at being a backing singer to Messi.
Manchester City may well be keen to do the deal, but when the transfer embargo is factored in, it seems nothing more than a pipe dream.
