Transfer rumor roundup 6/7: Bellerin reaches Barcelona agreement
By Nick Pitner
Here’s a roundup of the latest news and transfer rumors surrounding which players could be joining new teams in the coming months.
Wednesday’s transfer news is spearheaded by a report from Spanish outlet RAC1’s Gerard Romero, who states Hector Bellerin has reached an agreement to return to Barcelona.
As is well-documented, Bellerin was plucked from Barcelona’s academy as a 16-year-old in search of a faster path to first-team soccer.
Under Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Bellerin has blossomed into one of the world’s brightest, young right-backs since making his Gunners debut in 2013.
Now 22, Bellerin has long been linked with a transfer to his boyhood club, particularly after Barcelona allowed Dani Alves to leave last summer.
In the past week, Bellerin has admitted he misses his family, which recently moved back to Spain, fueling speculation he could follow them home.
According to the report, the player will soon meet with Wenger to inform him of his desire to leave, but after Bellerin signed a new six-and-a-half-year contract back in November, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will entertain the idea of selling him.
Another player in Bellerin’s age group that could be on the move is Sporting Lisbon’s Gelson Martins.
A Bola reports Liverpool are in talks with the Portuguese club over the winger, who tallied seven goals and 14 assists in 44 appearances this past season.
While the Reds have also been heavily linked with Roma wideman Mohamed Salah since the season ended, they’ve yet to reach an agreement for the Egyptian, which may cause them to intensify negotiations for Martins.
However, compared to Roma’s €40 million asking price for Salah, Martins is said to have a €60 million buyout clause in his contract. Although the report suggests Sporting may be willing to do business for €50 million, that transfer fee would still obviously trump Salah’s mooted price tag.
What’s clear is that Jurgen Klopp is very keen to upgrade his depth in attack, and creative wingers like Martins and Salah would certainly fit the bill.
Across Merseyside, Everton star Romelu Lukaku has told Sky Sports that he already has “an agreement” with another Premier League club.
While not specifically naming that club, which is rumored to most likely be Chelsea, Lukaku did reveal that the team will partake in the Champions League next season.
Elaborating on his claim, Lukaku said, “My agent knows what’s going to happen and I know as well.”
Of course, Lukaku started his career abroad at Chelsea, but after seeing playing time hard to come by under then-manager Jose Mourinho, the Belgian spent time on loan at West Brom and Everton before ultimately signing a permanent deal with the Toffees in 2014.
Since then, the prolific 24-year-old has 53 goals in 110 Premier League appearances.
Elsewhere in Europe, German publication Sport Bild reports Hoffenheim have secured a transfer for Werder Bremen’s Serge Gnabry.
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The 21-year-old, who joined Bremen last summer after an injury-plagued stint at Arsenal, is fresh off a season in which he registered 11 goals and an assist.
However, with his sights on being involved in European competition, Gnabry will apparently make the switch to Hoffenheim before long.
Managed by 29-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, Hoffenheim stunningly climbed from their 15th-place finish in 2015-16 to place fourth in the Bundesliga this past year, earning them a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.
According to the report, Hoffenheim are simply waiting for Bremen to identify a replacement for Gnabry before announcing his signing.
Finally, it appears Monaco are close to adding yet another highly regarded youngster to their ranks, as Toulouse-based newspaper Le Depeche du Midi reports they’ve advanced their efforts to ink defender Issa Diop.
The 20-year-old, who already boasts 51 senior appearances, is being eyed to compete with Kamil Glik and Jemerson for minutes at center-back, and is anticipated to cost Monaco between €15 million and €20 million.
Standing 6-foot-4, Diop impressively won 55 percent of his duels this past season, including 62 percent of his headed duels, 82 percent of his take-on attempts and 47 percent of his tackles, per Squawka.