NEWCASTLE
The weekend headlines were dominated by suggestions Rafael Benitez was ready to walk away from St James’ Park, but as this morning’s Northern Echo outlines, the Magpies manager won’t be leaving his current position.
Nevertheless, tensions are becomingly increasingly evident with Newcastle struggling to land a number of their leading transfer targets.
Will Florian Lejeune finally be confirmed as a Newcastle player in the next couple of days? The bones of an £8.7m agreement are in place with Eibar, but that has been the case for a while now. Perhaps this weekend’s headlines will prompt Lee Charnley to make a final push to complete the deal.
Jacob Murphy is another player in Newcastle’s sights, but their interest has not gone unnoticed, and Norwich City have slapped a £12m price tag on the England Under-21 international’s head in an attempt to ward off his suitors.
The goalkeeper position has already received a lot of attention this summer, and having failed with early efforts to sign Pepe Reina and Willy Caballero, the Spanish media claim the Magpies have turned their attentions to Real Madrid number two Kiko Casilla.
MIDDLESBROUGH
Garry Monk wants to sign Britt Assombalonga this summer, but as this morning’s Northern Echo reveals, the Boro boss will have to battle with Huddersfield Town to land the Nottingham Forest striker.
Forest will want more than £10m for Assombalonga, but it is understood both Boro and Huddersfield are willing to go to an eight-figure fee for the forward.
Boro have lost Alvaro Negredo since the end of last season, and while Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford both boast a proven track record in the Championship, Monk wants another established forward to help bolster his side’s promotion push.
It remains to be seen who leaves the Riverside this summer, although Stewart Downing has already been told he is free to look for alternative employers.
The England international is aware of interest from Brighton and the MLS, but Sheffield Wednesday became the latest club to inquire about the 32-year-old’s situation over the weekend.
SUNDERLAND
Takeover talk continues to dominate at the Stadium of Light, with the next couple of days likely to be crucial as an unnamed German consortium attempt to strike an agreement with Ellis Short.
The German group are understood to be willing to pay around £85 for Short’s 100 per cent stake, but a number of important issues still have to be resolved and the clock is ticking.
In terms of transfers, Fabio Borini’s Sunderland career could be drawing to an end with Lazio pushing hard for a deal for the Italian.
Lazio officials are due on Wearside within the next 24 hours, and are keen to strike an agreement that would see them loan Borini for a season, with the option of a permanent deal next summer.
Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain would rather have a permanent transfer now, although the option of an initial loan remains on the table.
AC Milan have also been tracking Borini this summer, but Lazio will hope their attempts to push through an early deal are rewarded.
OTHER CLUBS
Tottenham have laughed off speculation linking Manchester United with a summer bid for Harry Kane, with the Independent claiming Spurs chairman Daniel Levy values the England striker at £200m.
United boss Jose Mourinho is understood to be a keen admirer of Kane, who scored 29 Premier League goals last season, but even a £100m approach would be rejected out of hand by Tottenham.
The Daily Star claims that Arsenal and Manchester City are weighing up the possibility of completing a straight swap deal for Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero.
Both clubs have been linked with the other's star striker and, with no current movement on any one-way deal, an exchange could be the perfect solution. Sanchez is also said to be attracting glances from Bayern Munich, so City might have to move fast to capture the Chilean.
The Daily Mirror reports that Swansea have rejected a £30m bid from Everton for Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Toffees boss Ronald Koeman is unlikely to be dissuaded, however, as he targets a player who scored nine goals to help the Swans survive in the top-flight last season.
Following the Icelandic schemer out of the door could be underachieving striker Borja Baston, the £15m record buy from Atletico Madrid who looks set to return to Spain with Malaga.
Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has reassured Wayne Rooney that he would have a "positive experience" if he moved to the Chinese Super League, the Swede has told the Daily Mail. The 31-year-old is considering leaving Manchester United after losing his place in the starting XI.
Crystal Palace have entered the race to sign Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City, writes the Daily Mirror. The young Nigerian striker has emerged as a transfer target for West Ham and Leicester in recent weeks and now the ambitious Eagles are ready to swoop. Crystal Palace will confirm Frank de Boer as their new manager later today.
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