Chelsea

With Petr Cech having moved on to Arsenal, one of Jose Mourinho’s chief objectives this summer is to bring in a solid number 2. It should come as no surprise, then, that Sky Sports are reporting that Chelsea’s first major signing of the summer will be Asmir Begovic from Stoke. The 28 year old Bosnian only has 1 year left on his contract, so Chelsea are hopeful they can pick him up for something in the region of £8 million.

After weeks worth of rumours, the Blues have finally managed to land Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco. Mourinho is confident he can get the Colombian back to his best, so Chelsea also have an option to buy him at the end of the year long loan. The deal has seen Chelsea’s 20 year old Croatian midfielder Mario Pasalic head in the other direction for the year.

Finally, The Guardian reckon that Chelsea have bid £20 million for Real Madrid’s 23 year old silky attacking midfielder Isco. The signing of the Spaniard could see the departure of Chelsea’s Oscar, with Juventus extremely interested in the Brazilian.

Manchester City

City have been quite happy to stoke the fire of discontent in Raheem Sterling’s life before sitting back and watching the fireworks go off, reportedly unwilling to offer Liverpool any more money until the situation with the Jamaican born England winger has sorted itself out.

It seems as though this week is more about City backing away from targets rather than going after them harder, with The Telegraph saying that the Manchester club have backed away from Paul Pogba due to his £71 million price tag. Pellegrini had hoped to bring the Juventus star in as Yaya Toure’s long term replacement, but the fee is currently far beyond even the deep pockets of Sheikh Mansour.

Goal.com are also reporting that Wolfsburg have yet to receive a bid from City for Kevin De Bruyne. The former Chelsea man has 4 years left on his current contract so he won’t come cheap, but City are willing to pay up to €49 million for the 24 year old Belgian international. It’s a persistent enough rumour to suggest that the deal will be done sooner rather than later, but as things stand City seem to be circling the player in the water rather than going in for the kill.

The last bit of City news comes from The Guardian who reckon that the Sky Blues are monitoring the situation of Augsburg’s left back Baba Rahman. The Ghanaian international would cost the Premier League runners up around £14 million and they’d have to do battle with both Arsenal and Chelsea for his signature. At the age of 21 Manuel Pellegrini sees Rahman as a long term solution to his left back problem, with the manager never having been convinced by either Gael Clichy nor Aleksandar Kolarov.

Arsenal

Arsenal fans were already delighted by the signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea, yet they may well have wet themselves with excitement this week when The Telegraph reported that Arsene Wenger had been on the phone to Karim Benzema about a possible move to The Emirates. It seems that the Frenchman has no intention of leaving of Real Madrid, but if he did his little chat with Wenger has put Arsenal in pole position ahead of Manchester United as his likely destination.

Another rumour that could get Gunners fans jumping out of their deckchairs comes from TalkSport, with everyone’s favourite motormouth radio station claiming that Arsenal could be ready to make a shocking swoop for Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria. The Old Trafford record signing has disappointed since his £59.7 million move to Manchester and Louis Van Gaal wouldn’t be overly disappointed if he recoup a large part of his fee. The Argentine would have to take a cut in his wages, though, as there’s no way Wenger would green light £280,000 a week for someone that looks a bit like a rat with human ears attached.

Finally The Daily Star say that Gonzalo Higuain has told Napoli he wants to join Arsenal. The Argentinian striker nearly joined the Gunners 2 years ago when he left Real Madrid, but he opted to go to the Italian club instead. The front man has netted 51 goals in 98 appearances and would be a welcome addition at The Emirates, though Arsenal are unlikely to pay the full price of his £67.5 million release clause.

Manchester United

It’s been a strange window so far for Manchester United. Linked with virtually every big name that is available this summer, yet they haven’t actually signed any of them since the capture of Memphis Depay. Yet that could all be about to change, with The Manchester Evening News quoting the Spanish newspaper AS regarding the potential signing of Nicolas Otamendi. The reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid are refusing to bid for the Valencia centre back as he’s already decided to go to Old Trafford and they don’t want to be embarrassed in the market. The 27 year old has long been on United’s radar, but Louis Van Gaal would rather bring in Sergio Ramos from Real.

The Daily Star, meanwhile reckon that United are close to landing Thomas Muller for £60 million, clearing the way for Robin Van Persie to depart Old Trafford. Bayern Munich are reluctant to let their German forward leave, but given that United only have Wayne Rooney and youngster James Wilson to call on – given Javier Hernandez’s broken collar bone – it seems likely that they’ll do what it takes to bring someone experience in this summer.

The last bit of United news concerns their defence, with the club on the verge of signing Matteo Darmian, according to The Daily Mirror. The right back is ready to sign a £90,000 a week deal to join the Manchester club, with Van Gaal happy to give Torino £12.9 million for the 25 year old.

Spurs

Toby Alderweireld rejected the chance to head back to Southampton, where he spent last season on loan, in order to join Tottenham Hotspur this week. The Belgian international, who was named Ajax Talent Of The Year in 2010, has signed a 5 year contract with the London club.

Italian newspaper Sport Mediaset are reporting that Fernando Llorente is ready to sign for Spurs, having been informed by those in the know that Real Madrid are not going to come in for him. He had been waiting for Los Blancos to take him away from Juventus, but he’s finally accepted a move to the English capital is more likely for him.

The London Evening Standard, meanwhile, are quoting Daniel Levy saying that Spurs fans should expect more signings this summer. The White Hart Lane outfit have already brought in defenders Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld, and Levy has given Tottenham fans plenty of reasons to be excited as the sun shines and August approaches.

 

Liverpool

Leaving the rather pathetic antics of a slightly poorly Raheem Sterling to one side for a minute, the biggest news for Liverpool this week comes in the form of Jordan Henderson being confirmed as their permanent captain after the departure of Steven Gerrard. The 25 year old was close to leaving Liverpool not long after Brendan Rodgers’s arrival at Anfield, with the Northern Irishman apparently keen to swap him and £3 million for Clint Dempsey. What a transformation it’s been, then, for the former Sunderland midfielder.

Turkish-Football.com are reporting that Galatasaray have pulled out of the race to sign Mario Gomez from Fiorentina. The 29 year old has scored 166 goals in 308 games across his career and could be available for around €9 million. His wages could be a problem, but with Christan Benteke likely to cost the Reds £32.5 million it could still be better to go for the German international.

Finally the Daily Express are claiming that Liverpool will battle Arsenal and Paris St. Germain for the signature of Barcelona’s Pedro. The 27 year old is seen as a natural replacement for Raheem Sterling, with the Liverpool winger destined to join Manchester City, even if it means him buying a replica top from the club shop and just turning up at training one day.

Southampton

With Toby Alderweireld having chosen to join Spurs over the Saints, The Mirror reckon that the South coast club are going to turn to Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar to solve their defensive problems. Koeman tried to sign Vlaar last summer, but feels a lot more confident about landing the Dutch international this time around as he’s on a free transfer, having refused to sign a new contract with the Midlands club.

A random source for football news, now, as The International Business Times think that Southampton are gearing up to sign Jordy Clasie from Feyenoord as a replacement for Old Trafford bound Morgan Schneirderlin. The 24 year old Dutchman is believed to be the ideal replacement for Schneiderlin and Ronald Koeman believes his compatriot is ready to take the step up to the Premier League.

Swansea

The best news for Swansea fans so far this summer comes in the form of Gary Monk agreeing to a new 3 year contract at the Welsh club. The 36 year old has impressed since taking over from Brendan Rodgers, becoming only the 3^rd manager to do the double over both Arsenal and Manchester United in the same season during the Premier League era.

The Swans have also convinced Jonjo Shelvey to sign a new contract, and boy did he look excited about it. The 23 year old has dedicated the next four years of his professional life to the Welsh club, meaning he’ll be there in his prime as the current deal comes to a close.

Finally The Daily Mirror are reporting that Gary Monk wants to add Hal Robson-Kanu to his squad. The Reading winger has just one year left on his contract meaning Monk thinks he can get the Welsh international to return to his homeland for a small fee. The Royals have valued him at £4 million, however, so there could still be a bit more to this tale.

 Stoke

We spoke to Stoke fan Rob Doolan about their work so far in the transfer window the other day, and he felt that the Potters still had a bit of work to do in the summer. His main concern was whether the club would be able to hang on to Steven Nzonzi, so he’ll have been disappointed to hear of the Frenchman’s departure to Sevilla this week.

He probably also won’t be overly happy about the impending departure of Asmir Begovic to Chelsea, though news of Marco Van Ginkel arriving as part of the deal might cheer him up a bit. 22 year old Van Ginkel spent last year on loan at AC Milan and could now join Stoke for the pre-season tour.

Meanwhile The Stoke Sentinel are reporting that their local club are in talks to sign Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu from Udinese. The 24 year old confirmed in a television interview that he is considering joining the Midlanders, though Stoke have yet to actually place a bit for him.

Crystal Palace

The big news for Eagles fans this week is the confirmation from the club that they have signed Yohan Cabaye from Paris St. Germain. The French international has endured a torrid time in the French capital and has opted to leave his homeland in order to be reunited with his former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew. Palace are understood to have paid a club record £10 million plus for the 29 year old in what is being described as one of the transfer coups of the summer.

The Daily Mail reckon that Palace are hoping to tie up a deal for QPR’s Charlie Austin in the coming days. The Mail say that Palace will offer the Championship club £6 million plus a player in exchange for the England striker. They also say that Loic Remy is Palace’s top target, but that Chelsea want £15 million for their front man who only joined last summer and that that is too much for the Eagles to pay out.

Everton

Linking the former club we wrote about with the current one, Crystal Palace reportedly want Everton to double their offer for Scott Dann, so say The Liverpool Echo. The Blues offered £8 million for the centre back, but Palace believe he is worth more like £16 million.

The only other bit of news for the Blue half of Merseyside comes in the form of Arsenal ‘keeper David Ospinna confirming he would be interested in joining Everton if he chose to leave the Gunners this summer. The Express are suggesting that the Frenchman could yet join Roberto Martinez’s team, though his first choice would be to stick it out at The Emirates and challenge Petr Cech for the number 1 spot.

West Ham

The BBC don’t often weigh in on transfer stories unless they’re fairly confident, so West Ham fans could bet the house on the arrival of Angelo Ogbonna from Juventus in the coming days. The 27 year old centre back is set to become the Hammers’ 5^th signing of the summer, with the London club having agreed a fee of £10 million with the Italian giants.

They have also been able to bring in Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal on a season long loan. The 23 year old made 29 appearances for the Hammers last season, so Slaven Bilic wasted no time in agreeing a deal to bring him back to The Emirates this season.

West Brom

Tony Pulis loves defenders. He just loves them, more than he loves food and breathing. So it should be of no surprise that he’s keen on brining one in during this transfer window. The player in question is Manchester United’s Johnny Evans, who Pulis would love to bring in and build his defence around. The problem is likely to be the price, with The Mirror reporting that United want £10 million for a player who only has one year left on his contract (and is a bit rubbish).

Meanwhile The Birmingham Mail reckon that Pulis is prepared to step up his interest in Queens Park Rangers defender Steven Caulker. The England international is one of the highest paid players at Loftus Road and, even though Chris Ramsey would like to keep him, the club needs him off the books.

Leicester

We spoke to @FIRST4LCFC about Leicester’s summer so far and, as well as having a few choice words to say about the sacking of Nigel Pearson, the lads told us that the Foxes really need to get a new midfielder and a central defender. They particularly wanted the club to get a deal for Esteban Cambiasso tied up as soon as possible. Whether a winger ticks the midfield box that the lads were talking about remains to be seen, but The Express reckon that Leicester are favourites to sign Wolves winger Bakary Sako on a free transfer. He scored 15 and got 10 assists in the Championship last season and now he’d like to test himself in the Premier League.

The Leicester Mercury have told of another twist in the tale of the Foxes attempts to sign N’Golo Kante from SM Caen. The French midfielder wants to move to Marseille, but they have only offered €4 million for his services whilst Caen have accepted a €9 million offer from Leicester. The player doesn’t fancy the move, though, and his current employer thinks he’s now more likely to remain with them next season.

Newcastle

We’re not sure if we’re one of Newcastle United’s official media partners, so you’ll have to take everything we say here with a pinch of salt. The Daily Mirror definitely are allowed to report on Newcaslte without Kim Jong Ashley getting upset, so you should believe them when they say that Georginio Wijnaldum has left PSV’s training camp in order to fly to Newcastle for a medical with the club. The Dutch international will cost the Magpies £14 million.

It won’t be the last big signing, according to Steve McClaren, with the Newcastle boss confirming that the club will bid big for at least 3 more top class players. That will include £15 million being splashed on Anderlecht’s Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who Newcastle are expected to bid on in the coming days.

Sunderland

Staying in the North East and London24.com reckon that Sunderland are working hard to bring in former Middlesbrough man Stewart Downing from West Ham. The winger has been deemed surplus to requirements at The Boleyn Ground by Slaven Bilic and Dick Advocaat is hoping to convince him to head to The Stadium Of Light.

The Sunderland Echo feel that that could just be the start of things for Advocaat, however, with the Black Cats manager hoping to get the club’s transfer business heated up in the next couple of weeks. The paper understand that Sunderland are in advanced talks with Zenit St. Petersburg for centre half Nicolas Lombaerts and with Dynamo Kiev for their winger Jeremain Lens.

Aston Villa

The Daily Star are reporting that Aston Villa have signed Mark Bunn on a free transfer as a replacement for the 39 year old Shay Given. The former Norwich ‘keeper has signed a 2 year deal with the Midlands club.

Having already signed Micah Richards, The Express are saying that Tim Sherwood would now like to bring in Jordan Amavi from Nice. The 21 year old would cost Tactics Tim about £9 million.

Bournemouth

The Mirror reckon that The Cherries are close to signing Max Gredel for £6 million. The Saint-Etienne winger, who used to play for Leeds and Leicester, has already agreed terms with Bournemouth and is set to become their 6^th summer signing. He scored 17 goals in 31 appearances in Ligue 1 last season and is now ready to test himself in the Premier League.

Meanwhile The Metro are reporting that the odds have been slashed on Charlie Austin joining Bournemouth in the coming days. The QPR striker is wanted by West Ham and Chelsea, but apparently he really loves a relegation battle and is likely to sign for the South coast club if the bookies are to be believed.

Watford

From the Cherries to the Hornets, and news that 18 year old Dennon Lewis has signed his first professional contract with the club this week. The academy graduate has yet to make a first team appearance for Watford, but he’s hoping that their promotion to the Premier League will give him the chance to do just that.

The Daily Mail are reporting that one player who won’t be signing a contract with the London club any time soon is Davide Santon. Watford have been in talks with Inter Milan over a move for the 24 year old full back, but he’s turned down a chance to swap the San Siro for Vicarage Road. Which is weird.

And speaking of weird, Eienne Capoue has decided that the bright lights of White Hart Lane are no longer for him, instead opting for a £6.3 million switch to Watford. Granted it’s not quite up there with Xherdan Shaqiri’s mooted move to Stoke, but it’s still pretty odd. The midfielder played 24 times for Spurs last time out, but he obviously feels his future is at the bottom of the table rather than in the middle of it.

Norwich

Bless Norwich City. Whilst the other Premier League new boys are signing players left right and centre, the Canaries have been told to make do with a Delia Smith cookery book. Ok so that’s a slight exaggeration, seeing as though Alex Neil has already added Graham Dorrans and Youssouf Mulumbu to his ranks, but still, it’s not that exciting for Norwich fans.

The main bit of transfer news surrounding the club is that regarding their attempts to sign Robbie Brady from Hull. Steve Bruce has labelled their approach “embarrassing”, though presumably that’s because he hasn’t seen photos of himself on holiday recently when locals tried to harpoon him. Not only have Hull rejected Norwich’s £3 million bid for the former Man United trainee, they’re also trying to get him to sign a new contract to stop Delia’s interest once and for all. Until next time, Canaries fans.