Transfer Gossip: Arsenal to miss out on Declan Rice as double Man Utd swap offer entices West Ham; Newcastle in spectacular triple swoop with one deal to make Wolves weep
Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal to the signing of Declan Rice after tempting West Ham with a triple swap, Newcastle are set to sign three stars, including a cunning Ruben Neves swoop, while Thursday’s Transfer Gossip claims Conor Gallagher could leave Chelsea for Germany.
MAN UTD SURGE AHEAD OF ARSENAL INTO DECLAN RICE TRANSFER LEAD
Manchester United are reportedly now right at the front of the queue to sign Declan Rice after piecing together a tempting triple swap offer.
The West Ham star is a man in serious demand this summer after making clear hisn wish to play at the next level. Although the 24-year-old’s love for the Hammers is clear, he will leave the club a hero and with everyone’s best wishes after steering them to UEFA Conference League success.
As a result, Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move, given they can offer Rice the Champions League football he craves. Indeed, the Gunners have seen two offers already knocked back by West Ham, the second of which was said to total £90m.
And while West Ham are holding out for a minimum £100m, the belief is that Arsenal will eventually get their man.
However, the Daily Telegraph claims that Manchester United have now blasted their way to the front of the queue for Rice.
And their offer of two players in part-exchange for Rice now looks the most desirable offer for the Hammers and David Moyes.
Per the report, United are offering both Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay to West Ham for Rice.
The duo are both free to leave Old Trafford this summer after falling down the pecking order. United signed Maguire for £80m, but now know he will relialistically only fetch around £35m. McTominay, meanwhile, is valued at nearer the £45m mark. He has been linked with a move to Newcastle though it seems their interest has cooled.
Rice to Man Utd as part of three-way swap
West Ham, though, appear keen on taking on both players in return for Rice. That would leave United having to add a further £20m to the Hammers in addition to both players to get Rice on board.
However, that certainly looks far easier to manage that Arsenal, who continue to haggle over the fee.
United’s move now seemingly puts them firmly in control of the Rice situation.
Erik ten Hag is a firm admirer of the player having been blown away by Rice’s performance against them last month. On the day, a Said Benrahma goal earned the Hammers a 1-0 win. But it was the performance of Rice in midfield that had Ten Hag licking his lips.
Now the spectacular deal looks set to bear fruit for United.
The Hammers want to instantly fill the hole left behind by Rice. They are tracking Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, but his staggering £90m valuation means they have little chance.
As a result, they have shortlisted Kalvin Phillips and Scott McTominay as alternatives. But with Phillips pushing to stay at Man City, a move for McTominay appears to make more sense.
READ MORE ~ Exclusive: Arsenal warned of ’embarrassing’ Declan Rice repeat as West Ham continue to bat off Gunners
NEWCASTLE WANT TONALI, MANE AND RUBEN NEVES
Newcastle are closing in on the £60m signing of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, per reports.
The Italy maestro and his agent flew into London for talks on Wednesday with officials of the Newcastle.
Per The Athletic, Newcastle had originally submitted an opening €60m (£51m) offer to Milan for the 23-year-old.
That was initially waved away – but they have since made progress on the potential deal.
And with Milan seeking a fee of around €65m – €70m (£55m – £60m) it seems a deal is now closing in.
And now they claim that, subject to final negotiations, a deal to bring the Italy international to St James’ is closing in.
He looks set to be the first of a spectacular triple coup for the Magpies, per reports.
And the next through the door will be former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane.
The Senegalese winger moved to Bayern Munich last summer for a fee of around £35m. However, his time in Bavaria has quickly turned sour and he is now free to leave.
Mane has seemingly instructed his agent to secure him a move back to the Premier League. And Bild reports that it is Newcastle who are most keen.
Newcastle looking to sign Ruben Neves in crafty loan
Newcastle’s final business will reportedly be for Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves.
The 26-year-old departed Wolves this week, signing in a blockbuster £47m move to Al Hilal. Signing a three-year deal with the Saudis, the move has certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.
However, according to Football Insider, Newcastle are looking to sign Neves on a two-season loan deal.
And they report there is a belief on Tyneside that there is a good chance of the move going through.
That’s because Al Hilal have been taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PiF), who own an 80% stake in Newcastle.
The move would cause plenty of surprise, not least for Wolves, who will be distraught to see their star man turning out for a Premier League rival.
DORTMUND MAKE MOVE FOR CONOR GALLAGHER
German giants Borussia Dortmund have made an enquiry with Chelsea over the possibility of signing Conor Gallagher.
The England midfielder finds himself the subject of plenty of speculation this summer with his career at a bit of a crossroads. Having shone on loan for Crystal Palace in the 2021/22 season, he spent the following year back at his parent club looking to make an impression.
However, he found himself in and out of the side as Chelsea went through three different managers.
Now with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, he is waiting to see if he figures in the new manager’s plans.
As a result, a string of clubs are being linked with the 23-year-old. To that end, Newcastle, West Ham, Crystal Palace and even Liverpool have all been linked with the seven-times capped star.
However, the Daily Mail now claims that Dortmund are putting in calls to see if Chelsea are willing to sell.
And they could use a big portion of their Jude Bellingham windfall to push through a deal if they give the green light.
Chelsea are in the process of offloading several stars as they look to trim down their squad. To that end, Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech are all likely to soon finalise moves away.
Whether Gallagher is next remains to be seen. But Dortmund hope the courtesy call will put them in a very strong position if Chelsea do decide to sell.
They reportedly value Gallagher at around the £40m mark, though an auction could push up his price.
