Man Utd chief Woodward ready to green light £60m transfer, Chelsea swap deal, Arsenal

Thursday, February 6

• Jack Grealish has emerged as Manchester United’s priority ahead of the summer transfer window
• Real Madrid are set to offer Isco to Chelsea as part of a plan to sign N’Golo Kante
• Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is planning a major overhaul of his squad in the summer with several stars including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil facing an uncertain future
• Liverpool hero Steve McManamann has endorsed a move for Philippe Coutinho

Kai Havertz to Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho could improve Liverpool and Manchester United’s chances of signing Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Kai Havertz.

Havertz, 20, is considered one of the brightest prospects in European football and has been linked with mega-money moves to Liverpool and Manchester United.

He’s also a target for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

However, The Mirror claim they’ll only battle the Premier League duo for his services IF they decline to exercise Coutinho’s £101million purchase option from Barcelona.

£150m transfer kitty

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will be handed £150m to spend in the summer transfer window.

The Evening Standard say Lyon star Moussa Dembele is their top target for the end of the season.

The Blues wanted to sign a striker in January, however, a deals didn’t materialise for Edinson Cavani or Dries Mertens.

It’s claimed Chelsea would have to pay over £60m for Dembele, 23.

Arsenal budget worry…

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is disappointed by the club’s lack of progress since he arrived at the Emirates Stadium in December.

He plans on some big summer changes to the Gunners’ squad, but he may be missing out on £50million if the the club fail to qualify for a European competition next season.

Arsenal have already been linked with a number of players ahead of the summer transfer window with John Stones and Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes on the shortlist.

But those additions may not be possible because Arteta will lose out on £50m from the budget if they don’t finish at least seventh in the Premier League table, according to The Sun.

Jadon Sancho to Liverpool claim

Steve McManaman has urged Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp not to break the bank for Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho.

“I think he’d prefer to go somewhere where he will start week-in and week-out,” the former Liverpool midfielder said of Sancho during an interview with HorserRacing.net. “I don’t think there’s any problem with that.

“The other thing is the cost implications. How much is he going to cost?

“No doubt, he’s an extremely bright prospect, he’s doing really well in Dortmund, he plays regularly and he’s a star there.

“Whether Liverpool would go for him now is something that I don’t know and if he was available, he’d command big money and I presume that there’s a number of clubs that would go for him.

“Jadon could cost £60 million-£75 million and that’s a lot of money for somebody that young even though he looks a fantastic prospect.

“It’s a big outlay for a player and in all honesty, Liverpool’s young players are all doing well themselves and Jurgen Klopp seems to want to give them a go.”

Grealish to Barcelona or Real Madrid backed

Jack Grealish has all the attributes required to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, according to Sam Allardyce.

“Jack is the key element in everything Villa seem to do,” Allardyce said during an appearance on talkSPORT on Thursday morning.

“He’s scored more goals and got more assists this season, he’s looking like a real player and he’s handled the Premier League like he should have always been there.

“I think that’s going to create a massive interest across the European clubs because of the quality of play he shows on the ball, the calmness, the final pass and now the finish as well.

“It wouldn’t be beyond a clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid to look at him, the only is question is could he handle it at a club of that size?

“And I would like to think he could, based on how he has stepped up in the Premier League for Villa.”

Paul Pogba exit backed

Paul Pogba has already “checked out” of Manchester United and an agreement over him leaving in the summer will already be “done”, reckons former West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

“I think this is done, I think he’s checked out,” Hislop told ESPN FC.

“That being said I thought David de Gea had checked out some 12 months ago.

“But I just feel from Paul Pogba, given the inconsistent performances, this lengthy injury… listen you can’t blame anyone for being injured but you just start to wonder, I just feel there’s been so much talk, there’s been so much smoke, at some point we’ve got to start to believe that there’s a fire.”

Lionel Messi – free agent

Barcelona are sweating over the future of Lionel Messi.

And that’s because the Argentine superstar could potentially leave the Nou Camp for absolutely nothing later in the year.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claim Messi, who has a £593million release clause, only needs to give the club 30 days notice before walking away.

Messi, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner, had a public feud with the club’s technical director Eric Abidal and the situation is thought to be tense.

The publication speculates in a separate article that Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, PSG and Inter Milan are the only club’s capable of meeting his financial demands.

Ed Woodward identifies transfer priority

Jack Grealish has emerged as Manchester United’s priority ahead of the summer transfer window. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to sign a playmaker and the Aston Villa captain is top of their wishlist, reports have claimed.

The 24-year-old is attracting interest from a host of top clubs, as he bids to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the European Championships.

Grealish has seven Premier League goals to his name this season and is at the heart of Villa’s survival bid in their first season back in the top-flight.

According to The Sun, Manchester United are now prioritising the signing of Grealish over James Maddison.

Chelsea swap deal

Real Madrid are set to offer Isco to Chelsea as part of a plan to sign N’Golo Kante.

Bernabeu bigwig Florentino Perez is eager to use the playmaker to reduce the price for the World Cup winner.

According to El Desmarque, the former Leicester City midfielder is one of Zidane’s top targets in the summer window.

Perez, the club’s president, takes care of the transfer details and is already trying to work out how to get Kante on board.

He reportedly hopes to use Chelsea’s interest in Isco to reduce Kante’s price.

Arsenal exits

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is planning a major overhaul of his squad in the summer with several stars including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil facing an uncertain future at the club.

According to The Sun, the Gunners head of football, Raul Sanllehi, has made it clear to Arteta that nobody will be allowed to run down their deals and then leave as a free agent next year.

This decision affects six senior players, including Aubameyang and Ozil, who have less than 18 months remaining on their current contracts.

The report claims Arteta has been left unimpressed by the lack of improvement within his current squad since he took over in December.

Liverpool to re-sign Philippe Coutinho?

Liverpool hero Steve McManamann has endorsed a move for Philippe Coutinho.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Coutinho back. He’s a brilliant player but a lot of it is just down to economics,” he told HorceRacing.net.

“If they can bring Coutinho back for a reasonable fee and potentially sell a couple of players who aren’t playing regularly, then that could work.

“There are rumours that Xherdan Shaqiri may leave at the end of the season, and Adam Lallana may want to play more often.

“If there’s space available then I’d certainly like Coutinho back, as he was a wonderful player for Liverpool.

“He’s that type of player that when plan A isn’t working he can change the game.

“He scored some incredible goals for Liverpool and though he’d have to win the fans over after he asked to leave, I think that most fans would recognise how good he was for Liverpool.

“He seems to have lost his way a bit at the minute, he needs a bit of TLC and an arm around him doesn’t he?

“So if he wants to come back to Liverpool and the deal was good then I’d have no qualms taking him back because he’s a lovely player.”