B/R Gossip Roundup: Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale Rumours Re-Emerge
Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale have both seen their names crop up in speculation linking them with exits from Real Madrid this week and, you guessed it, Manchester United are being credited with continued interest in the pair.
Over the following pages, we bring you our views on the latest chatter surrounding Ramos and Bale and lift the lid on further talk involving Xherdan Shaqiri, Denis Cheryshev, Nicolas Otamendi and more.
Read on for this week's B/R Gossip Roundup!
Liverpool and Arsenal Racing to Sign Denis Cheryshev
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Denis Cheryshev could be on his way out of Real Madrid this summer, with both Liverpool and Arsenal said to be keen.
The Russian, who arrived at the Bernabeu as an 11-year-old in 2002, has been sent out on loan in recent seasons to Sevilla and Villarreal.
He has just 59 minutes of first-team football under his belt for Los Blancos—in the Copa del Rey—and has yet to represent them in La Liga.
As reported earlier this week in the Telegraph, Cheryshev is being hotly pursued by Liverpool, who want midfield reinforcements following Raheem Sterling's Manchester City departure, with talk of a bid in excess of £14 million in the offing.
By Thursday, Arsenal were being named as another suitor for the winger by Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t the Telegraph). As written in the UK broadsheet:
"Brendan Rodgers' side were believed to have made a £14.1 bid for the player, but Arsenal are reportedly willing to go higher than that to sign the player.
The lure of Champions League football could also be significant in making up the Russian midfielder's mind.
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Cheryshev's current contract runs until 2017.
Believability Meter: Medium
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale... There has certainly been no shortage of Real Madrid players linked with moves this summer. Most of them, as we know, are going nowhere.
In Cheryshev's case, a move away from the Bernabeu makes sense. As a youngster on the fringes of the first team, a transfer would be wise if he wants to get time on the pitch in 2015/16.
Like most top-half Premier League clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal are being linked with a whole host of European players, and sure, Cheryshev could realistically pitch up at either side before the window closes on September 1.
It's a move that is possible, but we'd be more inclined to believe the Russia international will be loaned out to another Primera Division outfit this season while Rafa Benitez assesses his new charges at Madrid.
Chelsea Willing to Pay £15M for Danny Rose
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According to Dave Kidd in the Mirror, Chelsea are willing to pay £15 million to buy Danny Rose from Tottenham Hotspur.
After returning Filipe Luis to Atletico Madrid with last year's receipt, Jose Mourinho's side are thought to be in the market for a new left-back to act as cover for Cesar Azpilicueta.
Last season, the 25-year-old impressed at White Hart Lane, where his performances earned him a call-up to the England team following injuries to Manchester United's Luke Shaw.
As Kidd reported:
"Spurs do not want to sell the player but do have decent cover at left-back—Wales international Ben Davies was signed for £9m from Swansea last summer—and may be willing to sell at the right price.
Chelsea made enquiries about Rose this weekend and now want an asking price from White Hart Lane chairman Daniel Levy.
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The reigning Premier League champions have also been linked with Augsburg's Abdul Baba Rahman, as seen in Kidd's Mirror article.
Rose joined Spurs from Leeds United in 2007 and has since spent time on loan at Watford, Peterborough United, Bristol City and Sunderland.
In all competitions, he has made 93 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Believability Meter: Low
It was a surprising rumour, to say the least, when Rose was linked with the Blues this week.
Pochettino does have another good option in Ben Davies, but Rose impressed in his 28 appearances for the club last season and should hold down a starting role. It's also unlikely the 25-year-old— like Filipe Luis—could entertain hopes of displacing Azpilicueta at Chelsea.
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, and ours is telling us that Baba Rahman will be the left-back who pitches up at Stamford Bridge.
Newcastle United and Everton Free to Sign Xherdan Shaqiri
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Xherdan Shaqiri finds himself in an unusual position. Seemingly unwanted by Inter Milan after just eight months at San Siro, talks with Stoke City broke down earlier this summer and Schalke recently ended their interest in the player, as reported by Metro's Louis Sealey.
All this for a highly rated international who, this time last year, was still at Bayern Munich and coming off the back of a World Cup campaign in which he netted three goals for Ottmar Hitzfeld's Switzerland.
However, the 23-year-old is now on the radar of Newcastle United and Everton, with both clubs described as "free to land the £12 million midfielder" by Joe Short in the Express.
Earlier this summer, it was reported Inter manager Roberto Mancini was going to urge Shaqiri to depart the Serie A side in order to fund new signings, per David Anderson in the Mirror.
Elsewhere, the winger has been linked with Borussia Dortmund, as seen in Bild (h/t ESPN FC).
Believability Meter: Low to Medium
Based on the noises coming from Mancini, it's hard to imagine Shaqiri staying with the Nerazzurri for the 2015/16 campaign. That said, his next destination is difficult to predict.
Dortmund already have a glut of midfielders, Newcastle United and Everton seem unlikely suitors for wooing Shaqiri (just as Stoke City were) and Schalke—who did seem the most natural fit, considering Julian Draxler's exit talk—claimed they are just not interested.
We're expecting a new name to enter the frame and snap up the Champions League and two-time Bundesliga winner.
Gareth Bale: Manchester United Rumours Are Back
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Gareth Bale's name has cropped up in transfer talk again this week, with Manchester United said to be "desperate" to sign him from Real Madrid.
This comes from the Daily Star's Colin Harvey, who also relays quotes from Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, from an interview in the International Business Times: "He is a star at Real. Why would he consider leaving them? He is very happy to be at the biggest club in the world."
Elsewhere, as the Express' John Richardson reported earlier this week:
"With £59.7 million Angel Di Maria heading for Paris Saint-Germain Old Trafford boss Louis van Gaal's desire to make a 'galactico' signing has grown even stronger.
United would like Barcelona’s Pedro, whose release clause is £22 million, to help bolster the squad for a concerted Premier League title challenge but that won’t dampen the urge to bring in former Tottenham flyer Bale.
The club’s new kit suppliers Adidas who are pumping in a staggering £750 million over the next 10 years are also pushing for Wales international Bale to join United.
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The Sun’s Antony Kastrinakis claimed this week that the Manchester club made two £100 million bids for Bale over the summer.
The Welshman swapped Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid in September 2013 and has four years remaining on his current deal.
Despite winning the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in his first season at the club, Bale had a difficult second campaign in Spain, during which he often received abuse from the Madrid support.
To date, he has registered 39 goals and 31 assists in 92 games for the club.
Believability Meter: Low
Manchester United would like to sign Gareth Bale. There's a surprise. Wouldn't anyone?
Yes, Angel Di Maria may have departed for Paris Saint-Germain, United’s coffers may be bulging as a result of their new kit deal with Adidas and talk of a David De Gea swap deal is still swirling, but this is a move that is just not going to happen.
Bale's Madrid career still has a long way to go, and despite the space this story is given on most of the back pages, it's a complete non-starter.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to See out Contract at Paris Saint-Germain
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay at Paris Saint-Germain until summer 2016, according to club chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
The striker has been continuously linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 champions in recent weeks, with former employers AC Milan the side most strongly connected with his name, as reported by James Andrew in the Daily Mail.
Manchester United and Arsenal have also cropped up in speculation surrounding the Swede. However, Al-Khelaifi insists that the 33-year-old will remain at Parc des Princes until his deal concludes.
"Ibrahimovic has a contract for one more year and will stay with us," he said during Angel Di Maria's PSG unveiling this week, per Joe Short of the Express.
The former Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and AC Milan player has won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles in his time with PSG, scoring 106 goals in 130 outings for Laurent Blanc's side.
Believability Meter: High
Zlatan is the main main at PSG, and there seems little indication he will leave the French capital before his contract runs down.
Recently quoted in the Guardian, following a pre-season tie against Manchester United, the forward said, "I have another year on my contract with PSG and I am very happy. Things are getting better. We are a strong team, we can do much more than we have been doing so at the moment but I am very happy."
We're inclined to believe him—and also intrigued to see where he ends up next.
Manchester United Given New Hope in Signing Sergio Ramos
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Manchester United have been boosted by the news Sergio Ramos may still want to leave Real Madrid.
Spanish radio station Cadena SER (h/t James Cambridge in the Express) reported this week that Ramos has not yet signed a new contract—as previously thought—at the Bernabeu.
And as Cambridge added, "they claim the Spain international is still keen on a move to Old Trafford and is annoyed at reports suggesting he's signed a five-year deal."
Elsewhere, the Mirror’s Aaron Flanagan suggests, "The central defender is reportedly demanding £135,000-a-week from the Spanish giants, but Bernabeu bosses thought to be reluctant to pay up."
The 29-year-old has been the subject of intense speculation linking him with a move to Old Trafford, with a proposed swap deal with United goalkeeper David De Gea mooted for much of the summer.
Despite reports indicating that Ramos was ready to leave Madrid, per Sid Lowe in the Guardian, new Blancos manager Rafa Benitez has insisted the centre-back is staying at the club, as reported in a separate Guardian article).
The Spaniard’s current contract runs until 2017.
Believability Meter: Low
It's hard to know what or whom to believe with this particular piece of gossip. Just a few weeks ago, Marca (h/t Cambridge in the Express) was reporting that the centre-back had agreed a new five-year deal and it looked like the speculation was over.
However, it now seems these reports were untrue. Whether Ramos and his representatives are using the media to angle for a better deal or the club is using them to better their side of the bargain, we can only speculate.
At Old Trafford, United manager Louis van Gaal has been in the news of late, telling the board to sell De Gea, according to AS (h/t the Observer). Could a swap really, finally be on?
Old Trafford Beckoning for Nicolas Otamendi?
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Valencia's Nicolas Otamendi is ready to make a decision on his future, according to Joe Short in the Express.
The centre-back has long been linked with a move to Manchester United and the Premier League side were thought to have been in talks with his agent, Eugenio Lopez, before being told Otamendi was not for sale.
As Short reported (based on a story featured in Mundo Deportivo), Valencia legend and fellow Argentinian Mario Kempes said this week, "I think it's going to stay. The club has told me they are doing everything possible for him to stay. It is important for the club and for him. It will not be long before he decides to stay."
The 27-year-old permanently joined Los Che from FC Porto last summer after spending the previous six months on loan with Brasileirao side Atletico Mineiro.
Otamendi enjoyed a superb season in La Liga in 2014/15, playing a huge part in Valencia's fourth-place finish, notching six goals along the way.
Believability Meter: Low
The Otamendi-to-United story is one we have become used to. However, short on quotes that hint toward real interest from United's camp, we're not so sure.
Back in May, a switch looked very possible when Otamendi's agent, Eugenio Lopez, told Radio Valencia Cadena SER (h/t Sky Sports) his player wanted to leave the club and "is going to do everything possible to achieve it."
Since then, things seem to have quietened down, and we think that if a move was going to happen, it would have been wrapped up by now.
Also, Otamendi has become such a big player at the Mestalla over the last 12 months that surely the club would be loath to sell. Under the ownership of Peter Lim these days and no longer under intense pressure to sell off their best assets, we think the Buenos Aires-born defender is staying exactly where he is.
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