Transfer Rumours: Arsenal Eye Balanta, Man Utd Want Trippier, West Ham Bid Again for Gomes & More
That's it. The Champions League is over! There's no more football to be played. Well, except for the Nations League, Women's World Cup and the many very meaningful and not at all excessive summer exhibition tournaments.
Anyway, now the bulk of the football is out of the way for another campaign what else is there to do but wallow in #thegoss?
Answer: nothing.
Here are some of today's rumours that we corralled into one handy breakdown...
Arsenal 'Offered' £4m-Rated Colombia International
Arsenal have been 'offered the chance' to sign Eder Balanta from Basel for just £4m.
'Oooo that sounds like a bargain,' I hear you cry. 'But, errm, who is he again exactly?'
Well, Balanta is (and I definitely didn't have to google him) a 26-year-old Colombian defender who has spent his entire senior career at River Plate (where he won the Copa Libertadores in 2015) and then Basel in Switzerland (where he has won the Swiss Super League and two Swiss Cups).
The centre back, who can also play on the left, is 'on Arsenal's radar' according to the Mirror due to his (comparatively) low price tag and the fact that the Gunners' reported transfer budget is roughly two Freddos, a packet of Panini stickers and some old hair clippings from Emmanuel Petit.
Arsenal Also Keen on €10m-Rated Morocco Star
Meanwhile, Arsenal could, in fact, be close to their first signing of the summer window with Leganes striker Youssef En-Nesyri possibly on the way.
Fox Sports cite Assahifa on this one, claiming that the Morocco international has been made a 'prime target' by the Gunners.
They claim that the 22-year-old former Malaga forward, who scored 11 in La Liga last season, could be available for just €10m this summer - again fitting Unai Emery's remit for economical options.
Fox give it a probability rating of 3/5, so they have absolutely no idea if this is on the cards or not.
Unfit Eliaquim Mangala Stuck at Man City as Porto Pull Interest
Meanwhile, Manchester City's hopes of finally getting shot of Eliaquim Mangala (yes, he's still technically there) took a hit, with former club Porto supposedly unconvinced of the Frenchman's fitness - so say A Bola.
The 28-year-old defender had an operation on knee ligaments several months ago and is still in rehabilitation.
Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is instead turning to alternative defensive targets, with Mangala likely to sit out the remaining year of his contract in Manchester.
Manchester United Possibly Priced Out of Kieran Trippier Move
On the other side of the city, Manchester United are worried they could be priced out of a move for Tottenham full back Kieran Trippier, as Red Devils fans everywhere scream 'oh thank the Lord!'
Right back is a priority position for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side this summer, with Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier also mooted targets.
The Mail claims that Trippier is also of interest to United, but his £30m price tag is quite off-putting.
28-year-old Trippier has endured a largely disappointing season for Spurs, following an impressive World Cup, and is expected to move on this summer, with Serie A giants Juventus and Napoli (apparently both oblivious to his recent form) keen on a switch.
While Trippier may be too pricey for United, Meunier is ready to stay in Paris, helpfully telling reporters, "I'm ready to stay in Paris."
West Ham Make Second Bid for Everton Loan Star Andre Gomes
West Ham are hell-bent on stealing Andre Gomes away from Everton this summer and have returned to Barcelona with a £20m offer for the Portuguese midfielder, according to the Guardian.
The Hammers had an opening bid of £18m swiftly rejected by Barça, but the Spanish club are happy to sell for a price closer to £25m.
They hope that they can engineer an auction for Gomes, who revitalised his career at Everton in 2018/19, with the Toffees and Tottenham also interested in a permanent switch.
The report notes that West Ham are unlikely to make it rain again this summer, but do want another striker. Alaves centre back Guillermo Maripan is also being tracked in a way that only animals and footballers in transfer windows are.