B/R Gossip Roundup: PSG Approach Alves, Sterling to Man City, Depay to United?
There are still plenty of twists and turns to be made on the pitch this season, but that does not mean speculation isn't already rife about what could happen off it in the summer.
The biggest clubs often try to line up their offseason transfer business as far in advance as possible, and newspapers have this week been filled with stories regarding deals the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain might be trying to do.
Let's take a look at the week's biggest rumours.
Memphis Depay Makes More Sense to Manchester United Than Gareth Bale
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If someone tells you Player X is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, you would be forgiven for questioning their judgement—unless they were watching a certain Barcelona player.
But according to Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express, that is exactly the message Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has received about Memphis Depay from a former club scout.
Jefferson quotes Ed van Stijn as saying:
"You can't judge Depay on his technique. With him you look at what he's doing with that technique to utilise it as much as possible.
For example, look how often he makes sure he finds himself in one-on-ones facing the goal. It all comes down to details.
If you compare him to a young Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age, then Depay has more strings to his bow. I like him better.
Ronaldo made many of the same mistakes at Manchester United as he did when he was 17.
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That is quite some recommendation for the 21-year-old, who is currently playing for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
According to Jefferson, Depay is being considered by Van Gaal if his multimillion-pound move for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale falls flat.
Of course, much of this rumour is based on a domino effect based around whether Los Blancos decide to shed Bale from their playing staff in the summer.
But in the cold light of day, the quoted figure of £20 million for Depay would seem to make the forward a more appetising possibility for the money men at Old Trafford.
The reported capture of Bale would be a statement of intent from Van Gaal and United after an inconsistent Premier League season.
The Wales international has proven experience in the English top flight and helped Real win the Champions League in his first campaign in La Liga.
But if the Bernabeu side decide against offloading Bale, the prospect of adding Depay instead should not be one United supporters should baulk at.
Believability Meter: Medium
The United-Bale link looks to be a rumour that will continue deep into August, but Van Gaal is right to keep his options open and Depay has proved he can perform at high level at last summer's World Cup—and those impressive displays in Brazil came under the management of Van Gaal.
Time for Javier Hernandez to Make His Premier League Mark at Last
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Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez remains an enigma as far as world football is concerned.
There is no doubt the Mexico international has a talent for finding the net, but why he has had a lack of regular first-team football in recent seasons is a mystery.
According to Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star, the 26-year-old is about to find himself a wanted man in the Premier League when his season-long loan at Real Madrid concludes in the summer.
Hernandez was sent to the Bernabeu by Louis van Gaal during the 2014 summer transfer window, a move seen as an indication his time at Old Trafford was up.
However, the striker nicknamed Little Pea has found first-team opportunities just as hard to come by under Carlo Ancelotti in Spain.
Anderson claims that Everton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are ready to make a move for Hernandez when the transfer window reopens.
Few people would regard that as an unwise on the part of any of those top-flight clubs, with the quoted figure of £8 million offering genuine value in the current market, especially for a player with United and Real Madrid on his CV.
There might also be some who believe Hernandez should be retained at Old Trafford, with James Wilson still learning his trade and Radamel Falcao failing to impress during his loan deal from Monaco.
Anderson suggests West Ham are the favourites to capture the United man, but Hernandez would be likely to find the net for any of the aforementioned clubs.
Expect this rumour to escalate as we head toward the summer.
Believability Meter: High
Hernandez has proved himself in the Premier League when given the chance, but the Mexican's opportunities have been limited by the bigger names at both Old Trafford and the Bernabeu.
At 26, the striker now faces a decision over his future, but it is likely he will go where the first-team options are greater after spending several seasons on the bench.
Roberto Mancini Interested in Bringing Yaya Toure to Inter
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Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is interested in bringing Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure to Serie A, according to a report from BBC Sport.
Mancini coached Toure at Manchester City from 2010 to 2013, with the pair helping the Sky Blues claim the Premier League title in 2011-12.
Speaking about Toure, Mancini is quoted as saying: "He's played in almost every league except Germany and Italy. If, as seems to be the case, he wants to try Serie A, we'll look into the possibility, but it won't be easy."
Toure joined Manchester City from Barcelona in 2010. Mancini took over as Inter's head coach in November.
Believability Meter: Low to Medium
Toure's contract runs until 2017 and has a market value of €28 million, per Transfermarkt. According to the Guardian, Toure earns £220,000 per week and will not be offered a new contract with Manchester City.
At 31, Toure is likely on the downslope of his career, a notion supported by his inconsistent performances this season. Even so, signing the Ivorian would require a rather large investment from Inter.
Perhaps their money would be better spent elsewhere. That said, Mancini might be the man to coax another top-quality season out of Toure.
PSG Closing in on Barcelona's Dani Alves
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Barcelona defender Dani Alves has agreed to terms with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a summer transfer, according to Marca.
Alves, 31, will be out of contract this summer. According to the report, he has agreed to a three-year contract with PSG worth €9 million per season.
Back in January, Alves revealed that Barcelona had not offered him a new contract. As quoted by Goal, he said:
"I have a contract until the summer. I'm a Barcelona player and I'm not interested in negotiating an exit. I want to finish these six months in the best way possible, and afterwards, we'll see. At the moment I've not been offered a renewal. But I'm relaxed. It is what it is.
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Barcelona still have time to offer Alves a new contract, and with their transfer ban in place, that would seem to be a sensible option. But as the end of the season edges closer, Alves appears more and more likely to leave the club.
Believability Meter: Medium to High
Alves turns 32 in May, so while he has a lot of experience, youth is not on his side. For that reason, he might not be a perfect signing for PSG. And yet the rumours have gained momentum, with a venerable source such as the Guardian passing along Marca's report. This could be one to watch.
Palace, Southampton Eye QPR's Charlie Austin
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Crystal Palace and Southampton are interested in signing English striker Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers this summer, according to Simon Jones at the Daily Mail.
Austin, 25, has scored 15 goals in 25 Premier League appearances for QPR this season, a team in danger of being relegated immediately after returning to England's top flight.
According to the report, QPR want to keep Austin and are ready to offer him an improved contract worth £50,000 per week.
Austin joined QPR from Burnley in 2013 and is worth €9 million, per Transfermarkt.
Believability Meter: High
As Jones notes, Austin will almost certainly leave Loftus Road this summer if QPR suffer relegation. Austin has proved himself as a Premier League-level striker with his performances this season, and it's hard to see him staying with QPR if they drop to the Championship.
In addition, a transfer would make sense for either Palace or Southampton. As B/R's Allan Jiang noted, Austin's stats this season are better than Palace's Dwight Gayle and Southampton's Graziano Pelle.
Manchester City Sniff Around Raheem Sterling as Liverpool Contract Talks Go on
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With James Milner and Frank Lampard among those likely to leave the club in the summer, Manchester City need to add a few new players—and British players at that.
One of those potential targets could be Raheem Sterling. The 20-year-old Liverpool forward has yet to sign a new long-term contract with the club as the two parties dispute financial terms.
Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Simon Mullock notes:
"Champions Manchester City are monitoring Raheem Sterling’s contract stand-off at Liverpool—as boss Manuel Pellegrini warned that the Premier League champions are back in the market for stellar players.
City’s transfer business over the past two seasons has been hit-and-miss, with the backbone of Pellegrini’s team put in place before he arrived at the Etihad.
But now defending Premier League champions City are now ready to splash the cash once again.
If they get any encouragement that Liverpool will sell Sterling after the England star turned down a £100,000-a-week pay offer, they will spend what it takes to land the 20-year-old.
With James Milner looking increasingly likely to leave the Etihad when his contract expires at the end of the season, City need to buy British.
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For what it is worth, Liverpool seem unconcerned by the speculation.
“There is nothing new to report on it. I am quite relaxed about Raheem’s situation,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was quoted as saying in Sunday's Observer (h/t the Guardian). “He is not going anywhere in a hurry. He has still got this season and another couple of years to go on his contract.
"I think it is quite obvious when you look at Raheem’s situation anyone with Raheem’s best interests would see Liverpool as the best option for his career."
Believability Meter: Medium
Manchester City are a club always looking for players who could strengthen their squad. This summer, there will be a particular focus on any players that also fill the homegrown criteria. The list of English players who are good enough to enhance the City squad is a remarkably short one, making Sterling an even more enticing transfer target.
It will be exceedingly difficult to prise him away from Anfield. Ultimately, it will depend how much the club are willing to offer in both transfer fee and wages—but the figures required may prove prohibitive, even for City.
Celtic Want Steven Gerrard If He Makes MLS Loan Move
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Steven Gerrard might be off to the United States to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy later this year, but that does not mean a return to British shores could not very soon be in store.
According to reports in one newspaper on Sunday, Scottish club Celtic are lining up a loan swoop for the current Liverpool captain—believing they have a very realistic chance of securing his services during the MLS off-season.
According to the Sunday People (h/t the Mirror):
"With the MLS season running from March to December, that will free him up for around three months from the start of next year and Glasgow giants Celtic are interested in signing him when the January transfer window opens.
Gerrard knows the door will remain open for him to train with Liverpool between MLS seasons and, if the circumstances are right for both the player and the club, that a chance to return on loan will materialise.
But Celtic are aware that the former England skipper, who has spent his whole career at Liverpool, has already ruled out the chance of joining any other Premier League club—and Sunday People Sport understands conversations have been held in the corridors of power at Celtic Park about offering him a short stint in the Scottish Premiership.
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Believability Meter: Low
Premier League stars have long enjoyed spells in Scotland toward the end of their career—Roy Keane being one of the more recent—but the Scottish Premiership does not have the pull it once did. Would Gerrard really want to make a move to Parkhead when he could instead have what would be a first pre-season in 18 months (he is set to go straight from the Premier League to LA in May)?
Celtic and Liverpool have long had a close relationship, but unless Gerrard shares that deep affection for the Bhoys, it seems hard to believe such a loan move would appeal.
