Chelsea chasing Dembele
Chelsea are looking at the possibility of signing Celtic‘s Moussa Dembele before the transfer window closes, according to the Guardian. The paper claims that the Premier League club are weighing up whether to make a £30m bid for the 20-year-old, who only joined Celtic in the summer on a four-year deal from Fulham.
Paper Round’s view: £30m according to the Guardian, while Sky Sports are quoting £40m. It appears we have our transfer talking point for deadline day and that is some serious money for the 20-year-old. 20 goals in 38 games highlights his quality, while a decent showing in the Champions League against Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach proves the Frenchman can cope against high-quality opposition. But to Chelsea so soon? Not a great move. Players of this age need to develop while also playing consistently – and he would merely warm the bench at Chelsea while waiting for Diego Costa to injure himself or get sent off…
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Conte wants Serie A star Biabiany
Reports in Italy claim Antonio Conte is keen to push through a loan deal for Inter Milan winger Jonathan Biabiany. Chelsea have also been linked with Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac to replace the outgoing Branislav Ivanovic, and also with a move for Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon – but both of those deals are now in doubt.
Paper Round’s view: Who’d have thought Chelsea would be one of the busiest Premier League clubs on deadline day? Or so it would seem according to the papers. Important to note that all talk is of fringe players, who will offer Conte an extra pair of fresh legs in their push for the title as opposed to becoming a defining factor for it.
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Arsenal agree terms with Chelsea target
Elsewhere, it appears Arsenal are set to beat Chelsea to a bit of business, the Express have reported, who claim Kostas Manolas is edging towards a £47m move to the Gunners this summer. The Roma defender has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs, but the 25-year-old has reportedly agreed personal terms with Arsenal.
Paper Round’s view: The defences of both Arsenal and Chelsea are bordering into veteran territory, with John Terry, Gary Cahill and (the soon to be leaving?) Branislav Ivanovic at the Blues, while the Gunners have Per Mertesacker at 32 and Laurent Koscielny at 31. Expect both to move for defenders in the summer – talk of a £47m deal for Manolas shows just how far Arsenal are willing to go.
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Ulloa on strike
A story which unfolded on Monday but could rumble on throughout Tuesday. Leonardo Ulloa’s threat to not play for Leicester has dominated some of the back pages. The striker admits he feels betrayed by Claudio Ranieri and wants to force through a move in a bid to get more game-time.
Paper Round’s view: Clubs in Leicester’s position can ill-afford to lose a striker without a replacement lined up. Naturally, this sparks a chain reaction and it appears to be too late in the month for the Foxes to line up a decent replacement. The problem is, given Ulloa’s public display of discontent, Leicester look set to be down a striker whether he leaves or not.
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China or bust for Ighalo
Odion Ighalo will be blocked from moving to another Premier League club, with Watford looking to push through his £21m move to Chinese club Changchun Yatai – reports the Express. West Brom are said to be interested in bringing the Nigerian over on loan, but the Hornets are reluctant to let the forward join another club in the English top-flight – despite Ighalo wanting to remain in England
Paper Round’s view: You can’t blame Watford for their stance – but you have to think about the player here. If Ighalo is reluctant to leave England, then just let him stay. Ensure he can’t play against you if he’s on loan at West Brom and let him regain some confidence. Shipping him off to China will hardly help.
