Transfer Rumours: Fernandes to Man City, Maupay to Villa, Llorente to Everton and More
Another day, another raft of fresh* transfer rumours coming right your way.
This time, we've got the Manchester clubs doing battle over yet another player, Aston Villa spending big, and a man called Llorente (no, not that one) being linked with a move to Goodison Park.
*denotes probably not actually that fresh.
Bruno Fernandes Speaks Out on Future Amid Interest From Manchester Clubs
Would it be a 90min transfer rumours roundup without the Manchester clubs going 'head to head' to sign a player? It decidedly would not.
This time it's Sporting CP's Bruno Fernandes, as Record say (via Sport Witness) that City are 'best positioned' to sign him, after he admitted he has 'dreams to realise', alluding to a move away.
"The financial aspect always weights a lot, we have a short career. But staying here, I will always be able to raise money, it's not a financial issue," he told Portuguese channel SIC. "It's a matter of having dreams left to realise. It's a difficult choice, we never know what's going to happen."
Aston Villa to Mark Promotion With £20m Bid for Brentford Marksman
One year ago, Aston Villa were struggling financially, and were rumoured to be considering the sale of Jack Grealish just to keep the club afloat. Now, they've been promoted to the Premier League after winning the 'Richest Game in Football', so it seems they have a bit of cash to burn.
And burn it they will, it seems. With it seeming increasingly unlikely that they will be able to secure Tammy Abraham's return, the Sun report that they are prepared to spend a club record £20m fee on Brentford's 22-year-old striker Neal Maupay, who hit 25 Championship goals last season - putting him behind only Abraham and Teemu Pukki.
Their previous record was the £18m spent on Darren Bent back in 2011. Oh how times have changed.
Everton 'Favourites' to Sign Diego Llorente Amid Liverpool Interest
Everton are reported to have stolen a march on their Merseyside rivals to land Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente, with the early workings of a €30m deal believed to be in the pipeline.
Liverpool have been loosely linked with the Spaniard throughout the season, but it seems unlikely they will opt to spend such a fee on another senior central defender (considering they have four of those at present) unless they see significant outgoings. Basque-based newspaper Noticias de Gipuzkoa back that assertion, claiming Everton are 'the most interested' in getting a deal done, with Sociedad waiting on an offer that meets their asking price.
No official bids have been submitted yet, however, so this may be a slow burner.
Newcastle to Make Big Money Offer for Juventus Left-Back
In 2016, Juventus signed Brazilian left-back Rogerio from Sassuolo for €2m. Three years and exactly zero first team appearances later, they could be about to sell him for a fee north of €20m.
He has spent the last two seasons loaned back to Sassuolo, developing into a pretty decent left-back, and Tuttosport say (again, via Sport Witness) that Newcastle see him as the long-term solution to their left-back troubles, and having failed to land him in January, they will table a bid in the region of €20-25m.
Considering the Magpies don't even know who their owners will be in the long-run at this stage, however, transfer rumours should really be taken with a pinch of salt for the time being.
Barcelona Could Move for Valencia Duo
Ernesto Valverde's future at Barcelona is very much up in the air, having crashed out of the Champions League against Liverpool and lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia, but SPORT source Superdeporte in reporting that he is pressing on with his transfer plans regardless, and is keen to land two of the players who starred against his side in that final.
There isn't much to go on with this one, with the report mentioning simply that Barcelona 'could' move for both striker Rodrigo and midfielder Dani Parejo this summer, with Valverde having shown an interest in both players.
Rodrigo, who netted eight La Liga goals last term, would likely serve as the experienced alternative to Luis Suarez that Kevin-Prince Boateng was supposed to be, while Parejo is touted as an alternative 'defensive pivot' to Sergio Busquets. Hardly the most exciting pair of rumours from a Barcelona perspective, but they do need some fresh blood.
West Ham Target 'Hoping' for Premier League Move as Hammers Make Bid
West Ham are reported to have made an €11.5m move for Deportivo Alaves defender Guillermo Maripan.
Mundo Deportivo bring this one to the table, saying that the Hammers bid comes in at half of what Alaves are asking for, but they believe that a deal can be done at a fee similar to what is on offer at present, provided West Ham stay strong in negotiations.
When asked about a Premier League move, he said “I’ve always liked the Premier League, I’ve always wanted to play there. I hope that when the transfer window opens in the European summer, some situations may occur.
“Since childhood I have always liked what the Premier League is. I would like to go there, it is a great challenge on a personal level."