Transfer rumor roundup 8/1: Iheanacho has Leicester medical
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.
Tuesday’s transfer news is headlined by Sky Sports’ report that Kelechi Iheanacho has a medical scheduled with Leicester ahead of a £25 million move from Manchester City.
The 20-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements at Man City, which has resulted in him searching for a new Premier League club this summer.
Previously linked to West Ham, Iheanacho’s sale has been delayed by Citizens boss Pep Guardiola’s insistence that a buy-back clause be included in a sale.
At last, it appears Leicester have agreed to that request, setting the stage for the Nigerian international to join the Foxes ahead of next Friday’s season opener against Arsenal.
In 1,278 Premiership minutes since landing in England in 2015, Iheanacho has impressively been credited with 12 goals and five assists.
Another young center-forward drawing interest is Ajax’s Kasper Dolberg, who Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet reports is being targeted by Monaco to potentially replace Kylian Mbappe.
Of course, Mbappe is anticipated to complete a world-record transfer to Real Madrid this summer, which would bolster Monaco’s hefty allowance to secure a new wave of talent.
Leading the reigning French champions’ list of possible additions is Dolberg, who Monaco would reportedly be willing to shell out €45 million to secure.
Like Mbappe, the 19-year-old Dolberg enjoyed his breakthrough senior season last term, registering 23 goals and eight assists across all competitions.
Given that production, the Dane is rightfully at the heart of Ajax’s plans for the coming campaign, so it’d be interesting to see if Monaco’s supreme finances could force a sale or not.
Elsewhere in Europe, a switch that’s been confirmed is defender Emanuel Mammana’s transfer from Lyon to Zenit St. Petersburg.
After Sebastian Driussi and Leandro Paredes before him, Mammana becomes the third young Argentine to sign for Zenit this summer.
The 21-year-old’s move north comes after arriving at Lyon only last year. In his first season abroad, Mammana started 17 Ligue 1 matches, winning 65 percent of his headed duels and 43 percent of his tackle attempts along the way, according to Squawka.
Reportedly costing Zenit €16 million, Mammana has signed a five-year contract with the Roberto Mancini-managed Russian outfit.
Next: How will Manchester United line up with Nemanja Matic?
Meanwhile, back in Mancini’s home country, two of his former clubs are set to do business over midfielder Matias Vecino.
Inter Milan confirmed Tuesday that the Uruguayan was undergoing a medical with them ahead of a transfer from Fiorentina.
That comes after the Viola confirmed Monday that Inter had activated Vecino’s release clause, clearing him to travel for his evaluation.
The 25-year-old is fresh off a campaign in which he ranked in Fiorentina’s top three in assists (four) as well as average tackles (2) and passes (59.2) per game, according to WhoScored.
Following his initial €2.3 million signing for Fiorentina, Vecino’s €24 million release clause is slated to garner the club a significant profit.
Vecino’s departure comes in the wake of starlet Federico Bernardeschi leaving for Juventus for €40 million, and Fiorentina are now prepared to reinvest some of those funds into their setup.
Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla reports the Viola are in advanced talks with Borussia Dortmund over the acquisition of attacker Emre Mor.
Despite joining Dortmund last summer, the 20-year-old went on to play just 475 Bundesliga minutes, and could now be sold by new manager Peter Bosz.
According to the report, Mor has been slapped with a €20 million price tag, which Fiorentina are willing to meet in their quest to replace Bernardeshi with a bright offensive threat.