United set for £100m double swoop
Manchester United could spend more than £100 million to land two of Erik ten Hag’s main summer transfer targets, reports The Mirror. First up is 25-year-old Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who cost Barcelona £64m from Ajax, and the other is 22-year-old wide player Antony, with the Brazilian forward set to be subject of a £40m bid, giving Ten Hag two of his former players.
Paper Round’s view: Jadon Sancho failed to set the Premier League alight but after just one season at United that can still be considered a temporary blip. But Marcus Rashford’s underperformance now appears to be chronic, and Mason Greenwood may never play football again. With Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani leaving, there is room for a replacement.
Milan drop out of Botman race
AC Milan have dropped out of the race for Sven Botman after his current club Lille said he would cost £47m. Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham could now move for the 22-year-old Dutch international, while there is a chance that whoever misses out on the player will move onto Roma’s Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez. The Sun says the 23-year-old could cost £30m.
Paper Round’s view: Ibanez is fresh off a Europa Conference League triumph that will have helped the Italian side feel more optimistic about their chances with Jose Mourinho next season, but Roma may still consider it good business to sell him on for decent money. As for Botman, it has seemed inevitable that he will be joining Newcastle this summer as they have chased him for so long.
Bologna lurking for Ramsay
Calvin Ramsay is the subject of interest from Liverpool but Aberdeen are hoping for £1m more up front than the £4m offered, with £8.5m wanted when it comes to potential add-ons. The 18-year-old right-back wants to join Liverpool, reports the Mail, but one factor to consider is Bologna. The Italians may come back in with their own offer if they sell Aaron Hickey, who could join Brentfordfor £18m or more.
Paper Round’s view: Ramsay clearly has huge potential with the number of clubs who are currently following him, and he could be the long-term replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, especially with the physical demands placed on modern full-backs. However given Hickey’s success in Italy, perhaps he could consider which is the best move to get the most first-team football.
Everton make Richarlison demands
The Telegraph reports that Everton will push hard for a hefty sum if they are to sign their Brazilian striker Richarlison. The 25-year-old forward has been linked with a summer transfer to fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, who are looking to reward Antonio Conte for Champions League football. However Frank Lampard’s side don’t want to take less than £50m for him.
Paper Round’s view: Everton have no need to sell for a bargain price and if they are able to get £50m for Richarlison, then that means that they are more likely to be able to hold onto their other senior striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Lampard needs funds in order to rebuild the squad to aid Premier League survival, so the more they raise in sales the better they will do to push Spurs hard.
Source: Euro Sports