B/R Gossip Roundup: Thomas Muller to Manchester United? Zlatan Available?
Thomas Muller has been linked with a move from Bayern Munich to Manchester United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic apparently has a £4 million price tag at Paris Saint-Germain and, at Liverpool, the Raheem Sterling saga continues to drag on.
You'll find the latest on these stories in this week's B/R Gossip Roundup, where we take a look at the biggest summer transfer rumours and give you our verdict on their believability.
Read on for Muller, Zlatan, Sterling and more!
Arsenal Gunning for Pedro
1 of 7
Reports indicate that Arsenal are interested in bringing Barcelona's Pedro to the Premier League.
As James Orr of the Independent writes:
"Arsenal have made initial contact with Pedro's representatives over a move for the Barcelona winger, according to reports in Spain.
The player has a mammoth £110m buy-out clause, as agreed in the Barca contract which expires in 2019, but that price is just there to strengthen the club's position over his fee when he is sold. Reports suggest that he could be available for £15m.
"
Elsewhere, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with the Spain international by the Mirror's John Cross.
The 27-year-old has over 300 senior appearances to his name at Barcelona, the club he joined at age 17.
Believability Meter: Low
Much of the chatter surrounding Pedro's potential Camp Nou exit centers on the fact that he only made 22 starts in all competitions during the 2014/15 season.
Take a closer look, however, and you'll find that the Tenerife-born player is not as far down the pecking order as reports suggest.
Across all competitions last term, Pedro took part in 50 games, scoring 11 goals and assisting nine, recorded by Transfermarkt. He also won the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
On June 8, he extended his contract until 2019, as seen on the club's official website. Some reports—such as Orr's in the Independent—will have you believe this exercise was purely so Barca can command a bigger price for their player.
We disagree. It's because they want to keep him.
Pushing for Move to Manchester City? Raheem Sterling Refuses to Go on Pre-Season Tour
2 of 7
Earlier this week, Raheem Sterling told Liverpool that he has no plans to go on the side's pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia.
The 20-year-old is thought to be pushing for a move to Manchester City, and it's understood he wants to remain in England over the summer to sort out his future.
As the Guardian's Andy Hunter reported:
"The England forward has held talks with the Liverpool manager since returning to training on Monday. It is understood he not only reiterated his desire to leave this summer but asked to be omitted from the two-week trip to Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. Liverpool’s squad depart for Bangkok on Sunday and are not due back on Merseyside until Saturday 25 July.
Sterling's hardline stance further demonstrates the breakdown in relations since the 20-year-old rejected a £100,000-a-week contract extension last season. It also opens the way for City to make a third offer for the winger, who is under contract at Liverpool until 2017 on a £35,000-a-week deal.
"
The Reds have already turned down two advances for Sterling, with City offering an initial £25 million plus add-ons and following it up with a bid that could have risen to £40 million, as seen on BBC Sport.
The most recent news coming out of Anfield indicates that Sterling has been included in Brendan Rodgers' pre-season plans but is still "pining for a move," per Hunter in a separate Guardian article.
Believability Meter: High
Sterling wants out of Anfield. While not winning any awards for diplomacy, the player and his representatives have already made this abundantly clear.
The latest chapter in this messy tale is very believable, and we'd be surprised to see Sterling board the plane for Liverpool's forthcoming tour.
A refusal to go will not win Sterling any new friends, but it might force the Reds into accepting an improved bid for their wantaway winger and enable them to draw a line under the whole affair.
Next Stop Anfield for Aymen Abdennour?
3 of 7
Monaco's Aymen Abdennour is a player in demand, or so the speculation would have you believe.
In the Express, Joe Short named Atletico Madrid, Newcastle United, Liverpool and West Ham United as suitors for the central defender.
Elsewhere, the Daily Star's Jonathan Green added AC Milan to that list. Green also reckons Liverpool are interested in the 25-year-old, "according to relatives of the player." Based on quotes that first appeared in Spanish newspaper AS, Green writes:
"There are [contacts between Atletico Madrid and Monaco], but there are also [contacts] with teams in Italy, in England and in Spain.
As of today, Abdennour has no favourite. Milan, West Ham and Liverpool have shown interest, but he wants to wait for an agreement between clubs before taking a decision.
[Atletico] are a combative club, like him, and one with history.
"
The Tunisia international joined Monaco from Toulouse in July 2014, following a five-month loan deal at Stade Louis II. He has just 32 games under his belt so far for Leonardo Jardim's side, and Abdennour's contract does not expire until 2019.
Believability Meter: Low
As you can see from the above quotes that appeared in the Daily Star, there is little in the way of reliable information to suggest Abdennour is on his way to join Liverpool.
While it may be true that many clubs are interested in him, and Monaco are known for selling on players at a profit, his next home could realistically be anywhere. If pressed, we'd predict Atleti.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 'Slapped' with £4M Price Tag by PSG
4 of 7
We can't imagine anyone slapping Zlatan Ibrahimovic and getting away with it, but figuratively speaking, that’s what Paris Saint-Germain have done this week.
According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Anthony Chapman of the Express), the Ligue 1 side have "slapped" a price tag of just £4 million on the Swede.
As Chapman writes:
"The talismanic striker has been linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes this summer, with AC Milan said to be keen on bringing him back the San Siro.
Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are also believed to be interested in Ibrahimovic, who is yet to rule out the possibility of a Ligue 1 departure.
"
The 33-year-old is into the last year of his contract at Parc des Princes, where he has won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles since his switch from AC Milan in 2012.
Believability Meter: Low
Ibrahimovic is already the highest-paid player at PSG, and if recent reports of increased wage demands are true, as reported in Spain (h/t the Telegraph's Tom Edwards), Laurent Blanc's side may be keen to sell despite their wealth.
He would not be short on suitors, and Ibra's time in France may well be over. However, we think £4 million sounds a little too good to be true.
For this reason, our believability meter is firmly set to low.
Manchester United 'Confident' of Tying Up Morgan Schneiderlin Deal
5 of 7
Manchester United have re-entered talks to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton and are confident of securing the midfielder before their pre-season tour.
The Old Trafford side—who reportedly made advances for the 25-year-old in June—are due to fly to the U.S. for the pre-season International Champions Cup tournament on July 13 and are keen to sign the midfielder beforehand.
As Mike Keegan of the MailOnline reported:
"Sportsmail understands a representative of the Old Trafford club travelled to the south coast on Wednesday in a bid to thrash out a deal for the France international.
United are thought to have tabled an offer of £20million for Schneiderlin last month which was dismissed by Saints boss Ronald Koeman as 'not serious’.
Talks over bringing the 25-year-old to Manchester then stalled - but the move is now back on and an improved offer is thought to be imminent.
"
Schneiderlin is contracted with the Saints until 2017 but has been granted permission to leave St. Mary’s, according to an interview he gave to French radio station France Bleu Alsace last month (h/t Sami Mokbel of the MailOnline).
As reported by Mokbel, he has also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Believability Meter: High
Last summer, Schneiderlin was very vocal about his desire to leave Southampton and was said to be furious when an exit was denied (h/t Goal).
This year, we know he is going to leave, and of all his suitors, Manchester United look most likely to seal a deal. As quoted by Dominic Fifield in the Guardian, Koeman has said:
"Every player has his price and we have experience as a club of selling players. Last season we sold some players, and if there is interest in Morgan then OK. But it has to be at the price the club wants. He is one of the key players or our team, an international player. And I don't think is a problem for Manchester United.
"
As seen on BBC Sport, Louis van Gaal's side have recently managed to attract Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger to Old Trafford. Schneiderlin will be next.
Juventus Eye Mesut Ozil as Pogba or Vidal Replacement
6 of 7
It seems that Juventus are keen on bringing Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil to Turin if they lose Paul Pogba or Arturo Vidal this summer.
Both Pogba and Vidal have been linked with a move away from the Serie A side and, as reported in Tuttosport (h/t Simeon Gholam for the MailOnline), Ozil could be a potential replacement:
"The Champions League finalists will target the German, should they lose one of their star midfield pair.
Ozil has 'tactical problems' with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, which could hasten his departure from the Emirates Stadium.
He is valued at €40m (£28.7m) by Juventus, and could also be an objective of theirs in 2016 should they not manage to complete a deal this summer.
"
Ozil arrived at the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2013, joining from Real Madrid for a club-record fee of £42.4 million. The Germany international has since made 72 appearances for Wenger's side, registering 23 assists and 12 goals.
Ozil has three years remaining on his Arsenal contract.
Believability Meter: Low
It's easy to get caught up in the hype of the transfer window, and with all the rumours currently swirling around the Bianconeri, you would be forgiven for thinking Pogba and Vidal are nailed-on certainties to leave Juventus this summer.
Call us speculation skeptics, but we think they'll both be staying put—for the 2015/16 season at least. Juve don't really need the money, following their run to the Champions League final, and Pogba and Vidal are two of their biggest players.
While it's true that Ozil could also be seen as a replacement for the New York-bound Andrea Pirlo, with a reported valuation of just £28.7 million, we don't buy it.
Thomas Muller: Ready to Swap Bayern Munich for Manchester United?
7 of 7
The Independent’s James Orr has revealed that Manchester United are planning a £60 million bid for Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller.
Talk surrounding an Old Trafford exit for Robin van Persie gathered steam this week, and it's thought that 25-year-old Muller is seen as a suitable replacement for the Dutchman.
As Orr reported:
"Louis van Gaal is enthusiastic about the striker, whom he helped to develop when manager of the German club, although it may take a sum of at least £60m to secure Muller’s services.
Muller had previously said he was flattered to be linked with United: ‘When you get an offer you consider it automatically. A request by a big club is an honour and appreciation that your output was good.’
"
In 2014/15—fresh from winning the World Cup in Brazil—Muller made 48 appearances in all competitions for Bayern, scoring 21 goals and assisting 18.
Manchester United will bid farewell to Van Persie in the very near future and have also seen on-loan marksman Falcao depart for Chelsea. Javier Hernandez is rumored to be on his way to Sevilla in the coming weeks, as seen in Estadio Deportivo (h/t James Cambridge in the Express), which leaves them short up front.
Believability Meter: Low
Pick up a newspaper—any newspaper—and you will find a slew of players who are reportedly being pursued by Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal has a full summer in charge, a Champions League season beckons and the club have a £750 million kit deal with Adidas kicking in this year, reported by BBC News—all good reasons why you'll currently find a who's who of big-name players linked with United.
Muller to Manchester United is not going to happen, certainly not in the near future. The 25-year-old has been at Bayern for 15 years, and any player who is as important to Pep Guardiola's side as Muller is not going to be sold, not even for £60 million.
Fear not, Red Devils! The MailOnline's Oliver Todd reckons that, in addition to Muller, Harry Kane, Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema are all "likely options."
.png?w=600 "Landing Spots For NBA Free Agents ✈️")
.jpg?w=600 "NFL star fakes injury at Savannah Bananas game")
