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Latest on Emile Smith Rowe’s future and Arsenal links with Premier League star
Emile Smith Rowe’s future continues to be the subject of some speculation after a lack of playing time for Arsenal this season, while we also know there was interest from West Ham United back in January.
In terms of what will happen in the summer, I think a lot depends on these final two months, how much he will play and be involved…and then Arsenal will make final decision together with the player. This is not something clear yet, so let’s wait and see how the situation looks after the final stages of the season.
As I said, Smith Rowe was on West Ham’s list in January but at that time he really wanted to stay at Arsenal, and also Mikel Arteta wanted to keep him. This was the clear decision of both parties, then let’s see if it changes for the summer, but there’s nothing concrete to report as of now.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been linked with Arsenal by some outlets, but I’m not aware of anything imminent or concrete honestly. They appreciate the player as many other clubs do as well, but at the moment they haven’t made contact with Nottingham Forest so we have to be patient on this one; it’s also going to be key to understand if Forest will still be in the Premier League or not.
Barcelona hope to keep Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the intention to continue with Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix next season. The feeling at the club is that they want to continue with both players, currently on loan at Barca, and that is also the feeling of the two players themselves.
Felix and Cancelo are waiting to understand who will be the new manager as that’s always an important point, but they would both be super happy to continue at Barcelona. They are both convinced that it would be for the best for them to continue there, but the agent of the two players, Jorge Mendes, will speak to Atletico Madrid and Manchester City again about their futures.
Still, Barca are optimistic about keeping them. It’s still a bit early to know what will happen in negotiations between the clubs, but for sure the idea for Barca is to work hard to keep both players at the club.
At the moment I have zero information on other clubs as the full focus is on Barca for present and future. When a player’s desire is so strong, it’s very common to focus just on that club and that negotiation. It’s still March, it’s early, but all parties are focused on Barcelona deal. It will be one to discuss in the summer.
Kylian Mbappe not planning talks with any other clubs
I can say once again that Kylian Mbappe has no intention to hold talks or negotiations with any other club. This is the best news possible for Real Madrid as everything remains advanced, everything is being prepared.
So why did Mbappe say, in his latest press conference, that he doesn’t have anything to announce? Because the plan has always been for him to announce his decision together with Paris Saint-Germain as soon as he signs the official contract with Real Madrid.
At that moment, we will have an announcement, so we have to be patient but everything is heading in that direction.
Truth about Juventus links with Koopmeiners and Amrabat
Juventus are the favourites to sign Teun Koopmeiners as he has been their top target for a long time, they want him and the relationship with Atalanta is very good. Liverpool have been scouting him but again, a lot will depend on the decision on who will replace Jurgen Klopp as manager – it’s too early to mention Liverpool’s plans without a decision on the manager.
There’s also been some talk of Juventus, as well as AC Milan, being interested in Sofyan Amrabat this summer, but nothing has been prepared, nothing is concrete or imminent. This is one for June/July, it’s all quiet with Juventus and Milan despite links.
The first step will be to receive a message from Man United on the future and then Amrabat will decide in the summer his next step. It is possible that United will decide not to keep Amrabat, but nothing has been formally communicated yet.
Chelsea monitoring Brazil’s next big thing
Remember the name Estevao Willian, playing at Palmeiras and on the list of big clubs around Europe for a long time. His release clause is around €60m – this is the value of the clause, but I can guarantee once again that scouts from all over Europe, including Chelsea for a long time now, are travelling to scout this boy.
Chelsea scouts have been in attendance since all the way back in October – the interest is there, even if there haven’t been any negotiations yet. It’s not easy to pay that kind of money of course, and that is why even though Barcelona are interested, they might not find it easy as they also recently invested big money in signing another Brazilian gem Vitor Roque.
Can Jobe Bellingham emulate his brother?
Another name to watch is surely going to be Jude Bellingham’s younger brother Jobe Bellingham, who is impressing at Sunderland.
I really like him. I personally view him as an excellent talent – he’s a serious guy and a hard worker as well. I’m sure his future will be bright.
For him to be similar to Jude is going to be difficult, as it would be for everyone as he’s a generational player, but Jobe is really talented and good. We will see what happens in the summer, it’s quiet so far but scouts are obviously monitoring him closely.