Here’s a roundup of the latest news and transfer rumors surrounding which players could be joining new teams in the coming months.
Thursday’s transfer rumors are headlined by Monaco’s Thomas Lemar, who The Mirror reports is Arsenal’s top target to fill the wide attacking role potentially vacated by Alexis Sanchez.
After getting manager Arsene Wenger’s attention prior to his 2015 move from Caen to Monaco, Lemar’s performances for the Ligue 1 leaders this season have only intensified the Gunners boss’ interest.
Despite being just 21 years old, Lemar has tallied 14 goals and 13 assists for a majestic Monaco side that finally crashed out of the Champions League this week.
While Arsenal flaunt the finances to make a bid of well over £25 million for Lemar, Monaco’s recent high-priced departures leave them with plenty of cash on hand, which, coupled with the team’s success, may restrict the amount of players they sell this summer.
If Monaco decide to sell, Lemar’s transfer fee could approach that of Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches, who went for €35 million last summer at the tender age of 18.
However, in his first season abroad, the Portuguese midfielder has found playing time tough to come by in a senior-laden squad, evidenced by his mere 615 minutes in the Bundesliga.
Now, as the Metro relays from German publication Kicker, Bayern may be willing to move on from Sanches this summer.
That would only happen if another club were willing to reimburse the price they paid for the Euro 2016 Young Player of the Tournament, which could reportedly peak Manchester United’s interest.
The Red Devils narrowly missed out on Sanches’ services last year, and manager Jose Mourinho could return for his countryman this time around.
Should that indeed occur, the report states Schalke’s Leon Goretzka would be Bayern’s preferred option to replace Sanches in their setup.
Kicker also has news regarding Red Bull Leipzig’s summer transfer plans, which center on another influx of young attacking talent.
Specifically, RB Leipzig will target a trio of fast-rising Germans: Hoffenheim’s Nadiem Amiri, Werder Bremen’s Serge Gnabry and Ajax’s Amin Younes.
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The latter is the eldest of the group at 23 years old, yet Amiri, Gnabry and Younes have combined to produce 16 goals and 15 assists in domestic competition this season.
Amiri and Younes have contracts currently set to expire in 2018, giving RB Leipzig the opportunity to sign them on bargain deals this summer, while Gnabry’s previously reported €8 million release clause represents another potential steal.
A player with a wealth of experience that’s out of contract after this season, Yaya Toure could be destined for a Manchester City exit this offseason, according to Turkish publication Fanatik.
That’s because along with local giants Galatasaray, West Ham have also expressed an interest in signing Toure.
The Ivorian has reportedly declined taking a 50 percent pay cut to remain at City, where he’s started only 19 of the Citizens’ 35 Premier League outings this season.
Although being 33 years old has understandably impacted his role at the club, Toure would embody a marquee signing for West Ham, and would reportedly be made the face of Galatasaray should he opt for a Turkish adventure.
To conclude, ESPN details how Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shot down speculation linking star midfielder Philippe Coutinho with a transfer to Barcelona.
While the Spanish press has relentlessly chronicled Coutinho’s supposed desire to join Barca, Klopp fired back this week, saying, “there are absolutely no plans” to sell Coutinho.
With the backing of Liverpool’s American ownership group, Coutinho signed a five-year extension back in January, reportedly making him the club’s highest-earning player at £150,000 per week.
Fresh off that agreement, Klopp joked that it would take Barcelona meeting a £400 million clause to get Coutinho.