Transfer Round-Up: Newcastle target keen on move to England

NICOLAI JORGENSEN has left the door open for a renewed approach from Newcastle United this summer, despite admitting his intense disappointment at the collapse of January’s transfer talks.

Jorgensen was Rafael Benitez’s top transfer target at the turn of the year, but Feyenoord turned down two bids from the Magpies, the second of which is understood to have been worth £15m.

Newcastle turned to Islam Slimani instead, but the Leicester striker’s loan move did not prove a success and Benitez will not be pursuing him again this summer.

He remains determined to land a new centre-forward though, and Jorgensen, who is set to represent Denmark at this summer’s World Cup finals, is expected to once again feature prominently on his wanted list.

That is music to the ears of Jorgensen, who remains keen to test himself in the Premier League after scoring 32 goals in 76 matches in a Feyenoord shirt.

Jorgensen said: “The plan was that I should be in Feyenoord for two years and develop myself as a football player. I think I’ve done that.

“The Premier League is the biggest challenge for all football players. It is the league where the pace is very high and it could also be fun to try to play there one day. If that happens, I do not know. But it is clear that it could be incredibly cool to try.”

However, Jorgensen will approach things rather differently to January, when he was intensely disappointed at the way events played out.

Speaking to Danish sports website bold.dk, he said: “A lot of things happened. There was something personal and there was a transfer that went into the sink.

“It caused some annoyances I had not gone through before, and maybe I was not prepared to handle things properly. It took some time to get up again, but I did, and I finished and scored in the cup final, so it was great.

“It had nothing to do with Feyenoord. I was and am really happy to be there. But I also dream, and I’m not 22 more. That’s why I felt it was a good time because I had achieved a lot in Feyenoord.”

MIDDLESBROUGH

Middlesbrough are set to be interested in a range of different targets this summer, from players who are ready for the first team to youngsters who could improve the standard of the club’s academy sides.

At the latter end of the scale, the Teessiders have been credited with an interest in teenager AFC Fylde midfielder Serhat Tasdemir.

Tasdemir, who is a 17-year-old who played for Fylde in the National League last season, made 26 senior appearances after breaking into the non-league club’s senior set-up.

He was scouted extensively in the second half of last season, and Middlesbrough are understood to regard him as an exciting prospect.

However, they are far from the only team to have been linked with the youngster as Leicester City, Stoke City and Leeds United also sent delegations to watch him in person last term.

Meanwhile, Darren Randolph has withdrawn from international duty with the Republic of Ireland in order to undergo minor abdominal surgery.

SUNDERLAND

Today should finally be the day in terms of formal confirmation of Jack Ross’ appointment as Sunderland’s new manager.

Ross is set to be formally announced as Chris Coleman’s successor after agreeing a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12-month extension, and the Scottish media are reporting that his current number two, James Fowler, will accompany him to Wearside as assistant boss.

Ross’ appointment will help kick-start Sunderland’s preparations for life in League One, although off the field, new owner Stewart Donald has already begun pruning the club’s wage bill by announcing a number of planned redundancies.

In terms of on-the-field issues, one of Ross’ first key decisions will be to determine the fate of the Sunderland players that are due to become free agents at the end of next month.

John O’Shea, Marc Wilson, Billy Jones and Kazenga LuaLua are all approaching the final month of the current contract, and as things stand, will be leaving at the end of June.

Ross will have to decide whether he wants to offer any of the quartet new terms, with O’Shea’s future a particularly sensitive issue.

The 37-year-old skipper recently confirmed his desire to continue playing for another season, and despite the disappointments of the last two seasons, his preference would be to remain at the Stadium of Light.

Speaking recently, O’Shea said: “For the moment, my contract is up in June and I want to continue playing for another season.

“Where it will be, we will have to wait and see, and we will see what happens with things at Sunderland, but yes, I would like to stay.

“There are so many good people at the club, great supporters, amazing travelling support who always turn up in great numbers away from home, no matter how things are going.”

OTHER CLUBS

Liverpool are aiming to seal a £60m deal for Lyon attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir after the Champions League final, according to reports.

The Liverpool Echo says the Frenchman refused to rule out a move to Anfield on Thursday, with speculation growing over a transfer early in the window.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the 24-year-old is seen as a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who left the Kop for Barcelona in January. Fekir, whose impressive form in Ligue 1 has seen him called up for World Cup duties, has also been linked to Arsenal.

Manchester United are homing in on Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazil midfielder Fred, the Guardian reports.

The Reds are said to be in advanced talks with the Ukraine club and the 25-year-old’s people over a €50m (£43.7m) transfer that could be finalised in days.

Meanwhile, an attempt to grab Lazio playmaker Sergej Milinkovic‑Savic has stalled after the Serie A club set the 23-year-old’s asking price at an eye-watering €100m (£87.4m), the paper says.

The Serbia international, along with his Latin American counterpart, are tipped to be long-term replacements for the retired Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini, who is said to be a potential mover.

Manchester United are also ready to pay the £79m required to take on Brazil winger Douglas Costa, the Sun reports.

On loan to Juventus from Bayern Munich, the Reds are said to be poised to splurge on the 27-year-old if the Serie A champions decline to take him on permanently.

Juve paid a reported £7m to take him on a temporary basis, with a further £33m required to complete ownership. The Italian giants are expected to take Costa on, although they may ultimately choose to beef-up other areas, the Sun says.

On Wednesday, Chelsea’s £60m striker Alvaro Morata was reportedly spotted talking to Juve’s sporting director in Milan, fuelling speculation he may be on his way back to the continent.

Manchester City have held “positive” talks with Napoli over a deal for Italy midfielder Jorginho, the Daily Mail reports.

The Serie A runners-up are said to be pushing for around £53m to release the 26-year-old to Pep Guardiola. There remains a chance that Chelsea could intervene with a bid, should former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri replace Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

The pair are said to have a close working relationship and the player is reported to have told friends the boss hopes to take him with him to the Premier League. City are said to have pulled out of a pursuit for Fred in March and have turned their attention to Jorginho.

Mauricio Pochettino has asked for £100m to spend on summer transfers after signing a new deal with Tottenham, the Daily Mail reports.

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, Manchester United forward Anthony Martial and Fulham winger Ryan Sessegnon are said to be among the targets for Spurs.

After missing out on trophies in the last season – and a move to a new stadium set for the next – Spurs are reportedly looking for a big signing.

But their top picks may be hard to land; Palace are desperate to hang on to Ivorian Zaha, United do not want to sell France star Marital to another UK club and Sessegnon has attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs, the paper says. Ajax’s Dutch centre-back Mattjias de Ligt, 18, is also tipped as a target.