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Hot football transfer gossip: Stones, Pogba, De Bruyne
Yes, Andy Carroll really will appear in this column somewhere © Getty
There are some things we have become conditioned to take for granted in transfer windows: Harry Redknapp winding down his car window, Arsene Wenger not buying a world class striker, Chelsea and Man City always getting their man in the end by bidding a stupid amount of money.
But it seems this one is different, and not just because there are no Sky Sports reporters asking Harry about his wheeler-dealing. Weirdly, it appears that John Stones might not be going to Chelsea after all.
The Independent reports that Chelsea’s most recent bid of £38m for the centre-back, who submitted a transfer request this week, will be their last. Everton have maintained their stance of point-blank refusing to sell the 21-year-old, so that’s the end of it. This might seem a bit of an anti-climax for gossip watchers accustomed to seeing a certain type of transfer story: one where the bids get higher and higher and higher until the little club caves in and the superstar player takes his rightful place in the Champions League. But it would be a moral victory for all clubs outside the top five if Everton manage to stand up to the financial might of Abramovich.
Anyway, at least Wenger his keeping up his side of the bargain: no world class strikers are being linked with Arsenal today.
In more encouraging news for the capitalists among you, Chelsea’s hopes of signing £70m man Paul Pogba are still alive, while Kevin de Bruyne is set to cost City a staggering £131m. That includes a £58m transfer fee, plus a £280,000 a week contract worth a total of £72.8m, says the Sun. Not sure what happened to all that Financial Fair Play stuff.
It wasn’t long ago that Lazar Markovic was a multi-million pound signing by a top four club, but his stock has fallen to such a degree in the last 12 months that former top four club Liverpool are shipping him off to Fenerbahce on loan, reports the Daily Mail.
The Reds also “expect” Fabio Borini to leave before the end of the window, claims the Liverpool Echo, although it’s unclear if they have a buyer in mind or whether this is just wishful thinking.
Another player reportedly on his way to Turkey is John Obi Mikel, who is a target for Besiktas after their move for Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva fell through, according to the Mirror.
And in the day’s most unlikely piece of hot football transfer gossip, the Mail claims Andy Carroll has missed out on a move to Sevilla “at the 11th hour" because they bought someone else instead. Well that was convenient.
