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B/R Football Ranks Transfer Rumours: Dybala, Gueye, Zaha, Sarr and Bale
July 26, 2019
The B/R Football Ranks transfer column is your guide to which rumours are legit and which ones you can dismiss.
Our secret sources have top intelligence on the inside stories, and our informants have details on the delicate dealings of talks between top clubs and superstar names.
The aim here is to open up the truths inside this transfer window—we kick off this week with a man who is about to add steel to the midfield at Paris Saint-Germain...
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Nailed On: Idrissa Gueye to PSG
When negotiations over this transfer began at the start of the year, it seemed Idrissa Gueye might prove out of reach.
Paris Saint-Germain couldn't land the 29-year-old in January after failing to convince Everton to sell him—even though the player handed in a transfer request.
Back then, they were looking at a £21 million switch, but talks continued and now there seems to be more acceptance from Everton's end that an improved offer is fairer.
Gueye is on the verge of completing a switch to Paris, and a £28 million transfer should be finalised once medical checks have been carried out.
Looking Likely: Ismaila Sarr to Watford
The pieces have been falling into place, and in the coming days, Watford are expected to complete a club-record deal for Rennes winger Ismaila Sarr.
Sources close to the deal told B/R that the French side expect an agreement to be announced soon—possibly at the weekend.
There have been other clubs in for the 21-year-old, including Arsenal, but Watford are believed to be the front-runners.
The Senegal international would cost just under £30 million, and if the transfer goes through, Sarr will surpass £22 million Andre Gray as the most expensive signing in the Hornets' history.
Don't Rule It Out: Wilfried Zaha to Everton
Make no mistake about it, Wilfried Zaha would prefer a move to Arsenal.
But if the Gunners fail to make a new offer that measures up to Crystal Palace's £80 million valuation, then the 26-year-old will begin to consider other offers.
Zaha is due to return to training at Crystal Palace next week, when it is expected to become clear that he remains intent on a transfer before the August 8 deadline.
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has high ambitions—that's why you are also seeing them linked with Juventus striker Moise Kean this week—and sources around Goodison Park insist he would be willing to make a big offer in terms of a transfer fee and wages.
Big Doubts About: Paulo Dybala to Tottenham Hotspur
There is plenty to like about this potential transfer: An Argentinian player who appears to be on the fringes at his current club joining a Premier League side desperately searching for the missing piece to their trophy jigsaw.
For Mauricio Pochettino, a former Argentina international, Paulo Dybala would be a fantastic option to help Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in the goal stakes next term. But there are factors to be wary of as Spurs prepare to begin talks about an £80 million deal.
Firstly, they have also been negotiating a £67 million transfer for Giovani Lo Celso and would surely not make two such significant purchases at this late stage.
Secondly, Italian insiders suggest Dybala has been given some hope that manager Maurizio Sarri will use him as part of a three-man front line with Cristiano Ronaldo and Douglas Costa next term, so Juventus might not be as keen to flog him as some might think.
Hard to believe: Gareth Bale to Jiangsu Suning
There are many warning sirens around this deal. All summer, Gareth Bale's camp have been adamant he is not prepared to leave Real Madrid, even when there was real interest from Bayern Munich.
To go from that stance to now moving to China is almost unthinkable—even if he is clearly unwanted in Spain and able to earn £1 million per week with the switch.
The fact that the transfer window in China closes on Wednesday would mean this transfer needs to be rushed through.