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Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Still, it will also be interesting to see if the likes of Fulham and Villa try again for the teenager, who has also been scouted at times by Tottenham and West Ham.

It would be exciting to see this talented young forward in the Premier League and there’s clearly no shortage of suitors in him.

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“It’s a real shame” – Arsenal expert responds to Gunners flop’s criticism of the club

Mark Brus — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 10:31:59 +0000

Arsenal expert Charles Watts has provided some insight and his opinion on Nicolas Pepe and where it all went wrong for him at the Emirates Stadium following his public criticism of his former club last week.

Pepe looked an exciting signing when he first joined the Gunners back in 2019, but it quickly became apparent that he was struggling to settle and show his best form in the Premier League.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest column for the Daily Briefing, Watts expressed his view that Pepe’s struggles really began once Mikel Arteta took over as manager and started to reshape the side, with the team quite quickly outgrowing the Ivory Coast international.

Pepe is now without a club and Watts admits it’s sad to see him struggling like he has in recent times, with the player clearly lacking confidence after speaking publicly about his difficult time at Arsenal.

Pepe’s Arsenal struggles were overblown, says Watts

Watts is not entirely clear who Pepe was referring to in his interview, but he also suggested that a lot of the criticism that came his way was over the top anyway.

“Nicolas Pepe’s comments were pretty eye opening. They certainly shone a light on the type of pressure and scrutiny that top players have to deal with,” Watts said.

Nicolas Pepe during his time at Arsenal

“It was hard not to feel sorry for him when you heard what he had to say. I do think some of the criticism he got was harsh. I said it at the time, he may not have been able to live up to his lofty price tag, but It was laughable for some to describe him as the biggest flop in Premier League history, because there is no way that was true.

“Was he a £72m player? No, and it didn’t take long to work that out after he arrived. But he was still a good player and he showed that during his first two seasons at the club.

“Pepe did some decent things at Arsenal and was very influential in them winning the FA Cup in 2020. It wasn’t his fault that he cost £72m.

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“I can’t say that I know what or who he was talking about when he said that certain people in the club didn’t help him amid all the criticism. In terms of what went wrong for him at Arsenal, the team just very quickly outgrew him as Mikel Arteta’s overhaul took shape.

“Pepe just didn’t have the attributes needed to be a success under Arteta. For all his talents going forward, he was pretty one dimensional and his defensive side of the game just wasn’t good enough to live up to Arteta’s demands.

“It’s a real shame to see him without a club now. He’s only 29 and should still be playing. Hopefully he can find somewhere soon and can enjoy a decent end to his career.”

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Exclusive: Arsenal would ideally like to keep this player despite transfer interest, says expert

Mark Brus — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 10:11:08 +0000

Arsenal would ideally like to keep Emile Smith Rowe, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts in his latest exclusive column for the Daily Briefing.

Speaking to CaughtOffside for this week’s column, Watts discussed the current situation regarding Smith Rowe and interest from Fulham and Crystal Palace, while he also provided some insight into what’s going on with Eddie Nketiah and a possible move to Marseille.

Arsenal fans will no doubt be keen to have these players’ situations resolved soon, so they have a clearer idea of what kind of squad Mikel Arteta will be working with next season in what could be a hugely important campaign for the club.

Having come so close to winning the Premier League title last term, Arsenal now urgently need to have a good transfer window, and that will likely require some player sales to help fund new signings.

Smith Rowe and Nketiah make sense as candidates for the exit door after a lack of recent playing time, and Watts has given us his latest understanding of their situations, admitting that Smith Rowe is perhaps a player Arteta could try to keep if he gets his way.

Arsenal transfer update from Charles Watts

Emile Smith Rowe in action for Arsenal

“There has been a bid from Fulham for Smith Rowe, but that has been rejected. A second bid is expected, but Crystal Palace are also expected to make an offer soon having made their interest in the playmaker known,” Watts said.

“In an ideal world, Mikel Arteta would keep Smith Rowe. This time last year he made it clear that he would not be sold and I think his stance would be the same this time around if it was just down to a footballing decision. But Smith Rowe now has just two years left on his contract and has a strong desire to be playing regular football having sat on the bench for much of the last two seasons.

“So Arsenal would reluctantly let him leave should a good offer arrive from Fulham, Palace or anyone else. But at the moment that offer has not arrived and that is why Smith Rowe has flown with the squad to the United States. It’s certainly not a case that Arsenal will be forcing him out of the door.”

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He added: “It’s a similar situation for Nketiah. Marseille’s interest is interesting. It would be a bold and exciting move for Nketiah to make. But for Arsenal to let him go, then Marseille would have to commit to stumping up some serious cash. Whether they can hit the type of number that Arsenal are holding out for is up for debate.

“I don’t believe a bid has arrived yet from the French club. The interest is there, but as far as I’ve been told it hasn’t materialised into anything concrete yet.”

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Exclusive: Arsenal’s imminent signing will be scary for the rest of the Premier League – expert

Mark Brus — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 09:18:39 +0000

Arsenal FC expert Charles Watts has heaped praise onto the Gunners for their patient approach over the incoming signing of Riccardo Calafiori, with the journalist also stating that he expects the Italy international’s presence in Mikel Arteta’s squad to prove a pretty frightening prospect for the rest of the Premier League.

Calafiori looked superb for Bologna last season and also impressed for Italy at Euro 2024, and now it looks to have earned him a big move to the Emirates Stadium, which Watts feels was never really in doubt despite the saga dragging on for a while.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his weekly column for the Daily Briefing, Watts gave us his insight into what he’s expecting from Calafiori as his move to Arsenal edges closer to completion.

Arsenal fans will certainly be excited by this arrival, which looks like just what Mikel Arteta needs as an upgrade on unconvincing duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior on the left-hand side of his defence.

Calafiori transfer: Arsenal expert on this exciting deal

“Arsenal have had to stay patient when it comes to their move for Riccardo Calafiori. But that is something they have shown they are willing to be when it comes to landing players they really want,” Watts said.

Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal looks an exciting signing

“You just have to look at when they signed Martin Odegaard on a permanent basis from Real Madrid in 2021 as a prime example of that.

“They were made to wait all summer by Madrid and could easily have grown frustrated and moved on to other targets. But they were happy to play the waiting game because Mikel Arteta and Edu were convinced Odegaard was a player who could take the team to the next level and they have been rewarded for that patience.

“They have not had to wait as long for Calafiori as they did for Odegaard and I don’t think they were ever worried that the deal would not get done. It feels like talks with Bologna have gone relatively well. It’s the massive sell-on fee that Basel will be due for the deal that has made things a bit tricky.”

He added: “I think it’s a really exciting signing for Arsenal. Left-back was one of two positions in the team last season where there was no real consistency. Arteta was having to mix and match throughout the season, with the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakob Kiwior all filling in there.

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Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

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“When you look at Calafiori and where his strengths are, he looks like a really smart signing. He has the qualities to invert into midfield from left-back thanks to how comfortable he is with the ball when he drives forward. But if Arteta wants to use Ben White as his inverted full-back on the right, then Calafiori can just move more centrally and make up a three with Gabriel and William Saliba.

“Arsenal were so strong defensively last season and you have to think the addition of the 22-year-old is only going to make them even better at the back. That’s a pretty scary scenario for the rest of the Premier League.”

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Exclusive: Nothing concrete between Liverpool and 23-year-old talent with €60m release clause

Darren Looney — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:35:29 +0000

Liverpool are not expected to make a move for Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo in the coming weeks despite recent reports linking the Premier League giants to the Japanese talent.

Japanese outlet Sports Nippon claimed that Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign the 23-year-old for a fee in the region of £50m, but that is not believed to be the case according to transfer expert Matteo Moretto.

The Merseyside club were linked to Kubo back in January but Moretto states that this latest story is just an old one being dug up again.

The transfer journalist is not aware of anything imminent between the Merseyside club and the Real Sociedad winger and nothing should be expected between the parties throughout the rest of the transfer window as things stand.

Kubo has been with the La Liga club since 2022 and has impressed many during his time in San Sebastián.

With Mohamed Salah having turned 32 this summer, Liverpool will be on the lookout for his replacement in the future and that may lead them to Kubo. However, the Japanese star is likely to be playing his football with Sociedad this season, where he has a contract until 2029.

Liverpool are not expected to make a move for Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo

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Nothing concrete between Liverpool and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo

Writing in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing, Moretto addressed the latest links between the Merseyside club and the Japanese international, playing down the Premier League club’s links to the winger.

“Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo was linked with Liverpool during the winter transfer window, and this week fresh reports have emerged about Liverpool potentially activating his €60m release clause,” the transfer expert said.

“My information on this is that there is nothing concrete in the works, and I’m not aware of any talks with him over a move either.

“It’s an old topic that has come up again, and from what I’ve been told, in recent hours, and in recent days, we should not expect anything imminent for Kubo.”

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Exclusive: AS Roma looking to hijack Leicester City’s move for 21-year-old Serie A talent

Darren Looney — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:59:58 +0000

AS Roma are trying to hijack Leicester City’s move for Juventus star Matias Soule as the Italian giants have submitted a higher offer than the one tabled by the Premier League club.

CaughtOffside previously reported that Leicester have submitted a €24m proposal for the Argentine winger and that Juventus were ready to accept that offer and allow Soule to move to the English top flight.

Personal terms have already been agreed between Leicester and the Juventus player with the 21-year-old set to receive a contract at the King Power Stadium until 2028/29.

However, things have changed, as Roma are now leading the race to sign Soule having made an offer of €29m plus add-ons to Juve for the Argentine talent.

Sources have told CaughtOffside that the Turin club will accept the best offer that arrives for the winger and that Leicester City have already been informed that they will lose the race for Soule following Roma’s latest move.

It remains to be seen if the Foxes will respond with a higher bid and if they do, that could bring the Premier League club back to the front of the race.

Roma plan to talk to the Juventus player’s agents soon as they continue to make moves to get a deal for the winger over the line.

AS Roma have submitted an offer for Leicester City target Matias Soule

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Leicester City target Matias Soule has attracted a lot of interest this summer

Soule spent last season on loan with Frosinone and impressed with the Italian club across the 39 appearances he made. The Argentine scored 11 goals and assisted a further three, which caught the attention of several clubs ahead of the current transfer window.

Napoli, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Brentford have all been linked with the 21-year-old this summer; however, the race is currently between Roma and Leicester.

It looks like Soule will be playing his football in the Italian capital this season, but it is not over until the Premier League club decide what they want to do in response to the Giallorossi offer.

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“Congratulations to Man United” – Fabrizio Romano responds to “really surprising” transfer deal

Mark Brus — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:36:45 +0000

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has congratulated Manchester United on what he felt was a “really surprising” move to sign Leny Yoro from Lille this summer.

The talented young Frenchman shone in Ligue 1 to establish himself as one of the top young players in Europe, attracting strong interest from Real Madrid and also coming to pretty much a full agreement with the Spanish giants, according to Romano as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest episode of The Debrief Podcast.

Romano praised Man Utd and congratulated them for this surprise deal, as he admits he fully expected Yoro to end up at Real Madrid until a few days before the Red Devils had the deal wrapped up, following a strong approach for the 18-year-old.

Yoro has now gone on to play for United in pre-season, and fans will no doubt be excited by his immense potential as the club finally starts to smarten up its recruitment with the signings of some superb long-term additions like Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee.

Yoro transfer surprised Fabrizio Romano

Leny Yoro looks an exciting signing by Manchester United

Discussing how the Yoro deal ended up going, Romano said: “Honestly, yes (it was surprising). “Not in the final days, because since that Tuesday when Manchester United were able to agree the fee with Lille, I understood that they were really entering strong in the race and with a good chance to make it happen. Maybe a 30-35%, but still a good chance.

“But before that, absolutely yes. If you asked me in June, in May or in April, the answer was absolutely Real Madrid. And I think if you asked Leny Yoro in that moment of the year, it was Real Madrid, absolutely. He wanted to go to Real Madrid, he agreed everything perfectly with Real Madrid, his project at Real Madrid was ready.

“So it was really surprising. And congratulations to Man United because to enter the race in that way and to be able to close the deal in almost ten days has been really, really fantastic, surprising in a positive way.

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“Yoro wanted to fulfil his dream to go to Real Madrid, but then at the end of the day, they didn’t want to pay the same amount of money invested by Manchester United. So their strategy to attack on club side before and then try to convince the player was the winning strategy, while Real Madrid were convinced of Leny Yoro waiting for them probably also till next year when his contract was due to expire.

“So, yes, it was surprising, not in the final days, but I would say in terms of general feeling of the transfer window, a really surprising and fantastic signing.”

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Exclusive: Man Utd add new option to midfielder search as big name available for just €20m transfer fee

Mark Brus — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:17:48 +0000

Manchester United have added Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana to their list of potential midfield transfer targets this summer if they fail to reach an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over Manuel Ugarte.

Sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Man Utd now plan to check on Fofana’s situation as they look for a cheaper option on the market, with the Frenchman understood to be available for as little as €20m.

Fofana impressed in Ligue 1 last season and looks like he could be a good fit for a number of other top clubs, particularly United as they need a new midfielder this summer to come in as an upgrade on the ageing Casemiro, while Sofyan Amrabat’s future looks uncertain after his loan spell at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils had been prioritising a move for Ugarte, but it looks like Fofana could be more affordable, and CaughtOffside understands AC Milan’s pursuit of the player has also gone cold, which could allow other clubs back into the race.

Youssouf Fofana is on Manchester United’s radar

Fofana transfer: Too good an opportunity for Manchester United?

Milan had an offer of €12m for Fofana turned down by Monaco, and it will take something in the region of €18-20m to convince them to sell.

Even if that’s a bit pricey for Milan, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for United, so it will be interesting to see if they match that price to try and get a deal done quickly, or if they still try to negotiate it down slightly.

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It may also be that Ugarte will remain the priority, but it makes sense that the club are also exploring alternatives, with Fofana known to be on the market this summer as Monaco are under financial pressure to sell big names almost every summer.

Fofana looks like he could also benefit from a new challenge and it would be exciting to see if he could take his game to the next level in the Premier League.

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Talks continue as Man United keep trying to reach agreement over potential €50m transfer

Mark Brus — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:56:04 +0000

Negotiations are reportedly set to continue between Manchester United and Bayern Munich over a potential transfer deal for Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt.

The Red Devils recently signed Leny Yoro from Lille to come in at centre-back, raising some questions about whether or not they’d still go for someone like De Ligt as well.

Still, it seems Man Utd are still pursuing De Ligt, with the Netherlands international available, but only for a fairly steep price of around €50million, plus potential further add-ons on top of that.

See below for the latest details from Christian Falk on his official account on X (formerly Twitter)…

Manchester United offer €35 Mio for Matthijs de Ligt (24). FC Bayern has rejected the offer
?? FC Bayern demand €50 Mio plus add-ons
?? Bayern have to sell players to buy new players
?? Negotiations between the clubs continue@BILD_Sport @altobelli13

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) July 22, 2024

Falk says United have failed with an initial offer of €35m for De Ligt, but, interestingly, it also seems that Bayern are under pressure to sell some players this summer before they can make signings, so MUFC could use that to their advantage in negotiations.

It will be interesting to see if some kind of compromise can be reached, but United fans will surely hope that they can see Erik ten Hag’s side lining up with both De Ligt and Yoro in central defence next season.

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Those would be two hugely important signings for United, who lost Lisandro Martinez to injury for much of the 2023/24 campaign, and who will surely want an upgrade on the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in that area of the pitch.

Matthijs de Ligt remains a transfer target for Manchester United

De Ligt may not quite have shown his best form in a Bayern shirt, but he’s previously looked like a player with enormous potential, having made the breakthrough at Ajax a few years ago when Ten Hag was still manager there.

It could be that being reunited with Ten Hag at Old Trafford is just what De Ligt needs to get back to his best for this next important stage of his career.

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Man United star close to agreeing transfer away despite club now being keen to keep him

Magnus Eriksen — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:27:47 +0000

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain, who will next look to hold talks with the Red Devils later this week, according to the Daily Briefing.

Sancho spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and looked back to his best in his second spell in German football, helping BVB reach the Champions League final.

It seems Sancho is now firmly on the radar of PSG, who have held talks with the player’s representatives and who will hope to negotiate with Man Utd next, though it could end up costing them as much as €50-60m.

The Daily Briefing report that United are now open to keeping Sancho, citing Erik ten Hag’s public comments about the England international, whom he’s praised as a fine player.

Jadon Sancho to PSG?

Sancho transfer: Will Man Utd star be Mbappe replacement?

The Daily Briefing’s report claims that PSG boss Luis Enrique is personally pushing for Sancho as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe on the left-hand side of his attack.

Of course, Sancho is not in the same category as Mbappe, but on his day he can be another dangerous option in attack, combining pace, skill and a goal threat from out wide, whilst also being able to drift centrally or play on the right flank as well.

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Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

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