Hello and welcome to another edition of our transfer newsletter, brought exclusively to you.
My name is Simon Jones and, as well as writing regularly for the Daily Mail and MailOnline, I’m aiming to give you insight, news and the latest chat from across the globe on all the deals taking shape in this summer’s transfer window.
It promises to be busy once again in the Premier League as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea look to splash further millions in a bid to close the gap on champions Manchester City while those teams who were relegated will be in fear of the proverbial vultures preparing to swoop for their best players.
Below, I bring you the latest news from across the globe.
Saudi Pro League to make a further pitch to Wilfried Zaha
It could be a pivotal week in the life of Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha as the Saudi Pro League try once again to tempt him.
The 30-year-old, who is out of contract this summer, has a number of offers on the table not least the one from Palace which is reputed to be worth £200,000 a week plus a hefty signing on fee.
Paris St Germain, Marseille and Lazio have all made a pitch to the Ivory Coast international while he initially rejected a proposal from Al Nassr.
However, emissaries from the Saudi Pro League will hold further meetings with his agents this week in an effort to convince him to follow Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves and Co.
It’s a busy time for Zaha as he plans to marry long-time girlfriend Paige Bannister. He was pictured en route to his stag do at the weekend, resplendent in a ‘Game Over’ T-shirt picturing a bride and groom with ball and chain.
Wilfried Zaha’s agents will meet with Saudi Pro League officials this week to hear their offer
Liverpool fan favourite weighs up a lucrative Al Ahli offer
Al Ahli supporters may be passing round the songsheet of Liverpool chant ‘Si Senor’ as the Saudi Arabian club courts former Anfield favourite Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool fans serenaded the emotional Brazilian with the song on his farewell from the club and footage brought his mother to tears.
Firmino left Liverpool as a free agent and has been assessing options amid interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, but the ambitious Saudis are pushing for him to sign up to their project this week and are offering a three year contract with option for a fourth year.
Al Ahli were promoted from the second division at the end of last season and expect to sign Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy following a medical on Monday for around £17m. To add 31-year-old Firmino though would really hit the right note.
Roberto Firmino has been offered an initial three-year deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli
Relegation clauses leave Leeds exposed to an exodus
Leeds United have some clause for concern.
The club’s relegation has triggered clauses in a number of contracts which allows some players to even leave on loan. USA international midfielder Brenden Aaronson is one of those. He cost £24.7million from Red Bull Salzburg but can leave on a temporary basis, following the drop to the Championship, with Fulham making an initial approach.
Full-back Rasmus Kristensen is discussing a loan to Roma along with club mate Diego Llorente while Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville are attracting interest from Everton.
Midfielder Tyler Adams and goalkeeper Illan Meslier are also understood to have drop clauses. As Confidential readers will know, USA international Adams is a target for Brighton, Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest but West Ham also appreciate the 24-year-old.
Leeds are still ambitious to invest in new players and get out of the division but the clauses expose them to becoming severely depleted.
German international defender Robin Koch, meanwhile, is wanted by Eintracht Frankfurt while striker Georginio Rutter is wanted back at Hoffenheim. Rodrigo has interest from Sevilla while Jack Harrison will also have offers to consider.
Fulham have made an initial approach to Leeds for their midfielder Brenden Aaronson
Everton hold an interest in both Crysencio Summerville, left, and Willy Gnonto, right
Aston Villa hope to secure a cut price £35m deal for Pau Torres
Aston Villa are looking to drive a bargain with Villarreal for their ‘Rolls-Royce’ defender Pau Torres.
The stylish left-footed centre-back is well known to manager Unai Emery of course but the issue has been the 26-year-old’s buyout clause of 65million euro – or £55.5m by today’s exchange rate.
That’s considered too rich by Villa so they are trying to see if a deal can be done around £35m.
Fernando Roig Negueroles, son of Villarreal’s owner and de facto ‘big boss’ of the club, has confirmed to Spanish media that the club are at their limit on wages and need to lessen the load. To break even without Champions League football they have to sell.
Naturally, they don’t want to undersell a player that has been admired by Tottenham, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, but, pushed on 26-year-old Torres, Negueroles said: ‘Pau is a special case. He is a very loved boy at the club so to leave it has to be something that improves him, something that is good for everyone.’
Aston Villa are hopeful of pushing down the price required to sign Villarreal’s Pau Torres
Arsenal to double Timber’s wages as Ajax defender nears move
Arsenal are closing on agreement with Ajax for defender Jurrien Timber after making a second proposal worth around £41million.
The 22-year-old is expected to double his salary to around £6.8m a year. Timber, whose twin brother Quinten is a midfielder with Feyenoord, has three older brothers too, including 23-year-old Dylan, a centre-back with Jong Utrecht who has been capped by Curacao.
Arsenal are expected to improve their offer for West Ham’s Declan Rice this week while Kai Havertz will complete his medical and join from Chelsea after his detour to Marbella for the wedding of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Arsenal are closing in on sealing a £41million deal with Ajax for defender Jurrien Timber
Newcastle consider Walker-Peters to boost full back options
Newcastle United are maintaining an interest in Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
Much will depend on what they have left of their budget. Following Sandro Tonali’s move from AC Milan, Newcastle still intend to see if they can prise James Maddison away from Leicester City and out of Tottenham’s clutches. They also want a centre-back, such as Joachim Andersen from Crystal Palace.
Tonali’s deal is expected to cost around £52m plus bonuses and a sell-on percentage. Milan had been looking for much more after previously discussing a potential deal with Chelsea for the Italy U21 international which would have involved players in return.
Newcastle want options at full-back and, while they are keen on Kieran Tierney of Arsenal, Walker-Peters’ ability to play well on both flanks may tick more boxes. The 26-year-old won’t come cheap but prices may drop as the window progresses.
Newcastle could move for Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters if their budget allows
For their part, Southampton will hold a recruitment meeting on Monday afternoon.
Manager Russell Martin is keen to bring in Swansea City’s £12million-rated striker Joel Piroe. However, acrimony between the clubs over Martin’s compensation following his switch from Swansea could well hinder negotiations. Piroe also has an offer from abroad.
Fulham and West Ham are among several clubs waiting on Southampton to fix a price on midfielder James Ward-Prowse. Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all have varying levels of interest in £50m-rated Romeo Lavia.
Frimpong visits Manchester but is not United’s top choice
Tongues were wagging in Manchester at the weekend when Bayer Leverkusen full-back Jeremie Frimpong was spotted in popular Italian eaterie San Carlo.
A well-known celebrity haunt, it is a favourite with the football fraternity and Frimpong was spotted alongside friends and agents Dirk Hebel and Jeffrey Lemmert.
The 22-year-old is no stranger to Manchester after spending his formative years there with Manchester City. He has been linked with a move to United, and indeed his representatives held talks with the club in April, but club sources say he is not top of their list.
United have other priorities to deal with though they still have interest from Premier League clubs in Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Fulham all enquired about the 25-year-old earlier this year but are looking at cheaper options.
Jeremie Frimpong has been linked with Man United but is not top of their list of transfer targets
Man United track Utrecht star as Ten Hag seeks midfield depth
Erik ten Hag is a known admirer of FC Utrecht midfielder Taylor Booth. The Manchester United boss maintains strong links to his former club and watches their progress so has been impressed by the impact of USA international Booth.
United’s focus is still on Chelsea’s Mason Mount after leaving their £55m offer on the table and, though they are exploring other possible midfielders, they have yet to make an approach for skilful 22-year-old Booth. However, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Lyon are extremely interested with offers thought to be pending.
Celta want a couple of midfielders particularly as they expect bids to come in for Gabri Veiga.
Liverpool were linked with a bid at the weekend but though they like the 21-year-old with a £30m clause, and they do like a clause, the Anfield club have not made a move yet. Chelsea remain keen on Veiga who is now represented by Pini Zahavi.
As Confidential readers know from previous columns, Liverpool have made reports on the merits of £50m-rated Romeo Lavia with Nice’s Khephren Thuram also still on the agenda.
Erik ten Hag is a known admirer of US international and FC Utrecht midfielder Taylor Booth
Championship clubs chase Everton forward Simms
Everton striker Ellis Simms is attracting enquiries from Championship clubs Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Swansea City.
The 22-year-old was recalled from a loan at Sunderland last season to add his considerable presence to Everton’s relegation fight. He scored a crucial equaliser away at Chelsea in March but, like all Everton’s forwards, struggled to make much impact after that.
Everton have an interest in Coventry’s popular striker Viktor Gyokeres, which may open doors to a possible exchange plus cash, but the Sweden international has strong interest from Sporting Lisbon and the likes of Brentford, Wolves and West Ham. Sporting have made the most effort so far but have been falling short of Coventry’s valuation.
Everton have still been talking around Almeria’s speedy striker El Bilal Toure but with an offer not forthcoming, Atalanta have stepped in.
The Italian side are aware they could lose 32-year-old Duvan Zapata or Manchester United target Rasmus Hojlund so are looking for ready-made replacements.
Everton have interest building in defenders Jarrad Branthwaite and Mason Holgate while Demarai Gray is considering his future amid enquiries from Al Hilal and Fulham. Midfielder Amadou Onana, who missed out on a £50m move to Chelsea in January, is also on the back-up lists of a number of top clubs.
Everton have already seen Tom Davies depart, who has interest from Monza, and free agent Yerry Mina who has offers from Besiktas and Lens.
Several Championship clubs are interested in signing Everton striker Ellis Simms this summer
Turkish Messi attracts interest of European giants
Arda Guler, aka the Turkish Messi and Fenerbahce’s boy wonder, has a clause that allows him to leave for under £15m after he clocked up 1500 first team minutes.
The 18-year-old, who scored a brilliant individual goal for Turkey against Wales earlier this month, would have been allowed to leave for a steal at just £4.3m if he had failed to hit the mark.
He was on 1,457 minutes prior to the Turkish Cup final against Basaksehir on June 11 but turned in a man of the match performance as Fenerbahce won 2-0 and lasted into injury time before being substituted, subsequently boosting his price in the process.
All the top sides in Europe have been studying Guler, notably Ajax and Real Madrid, while Liverpool, Newcastle United and Manchester City are well aware of his talent. However, Fenerbahce believe he may stay for another season following their Champions League qualification.
Turkey and Fenerbahce youngster Arda Guler is being chased by Europe’s top clubs
