TRANSFER RUMOURS! 2nd July
StrumSolo > 02/07/2014, 17:25
After what's seemed like months, years even, it's finally happened. Diego Costa is a Chelsea player. £32m, but you knew that already.
Is anyone actually excited though? After a nightmare World Cup, relief of not having to hear about it any more is probably as good as it gets. Besides, if it's excitement you're after, Liverpool and Barcelona are actually holding talks regarding Luis Suarez. The Scousers want £80m, Barca might only be willing to go as far as £60m (ban and that), but it'll most likely come down to whether or not Alexis Sanchez fancies going the other way. Word is he'd prefer Arsenal.
Mario Balotelli is a target for both as well and the Gunners' striker ranks could be swelled further yet after Jackson Martinez, in the style of Robbie Keane, waxed lyrical about how he used to have Cristopher Wreh posters all over his bedroom wall and never left the house without his Giles Grimandi replica shirt (or something).
Michu fancies returning to Spain with Atletico Madrid (Costa replacement), and the La Liga champions have also bid for Costa Rica keeper Keylar Navas (Courtois replacement). The latter is a target for, you guessed it, Arsenal and Liverpool too. There's a pattern emerging here...
While we're at it, Brendan Rodgers wants Dejan Lovren, Wenger Mathieu Debuchy and they'll both be pleased to hear that Micah Richards is available on the cheap.
Man Utd will bid £20m for Mats Hummels this week, and could move for Feyenoord centre half Stefan de Vrij too. Fiorentina's £30m-rated Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado is also on the radar, though with Arsenal and Liverpool (FFS) making eyes at him as well they'd better move fast.
Swansea want Gylfi Sigurdsson included in any Spurs bid for Ben Davies, Southampton are closing in on a £9m deal for Serbian winger Dusan Tadic and Newcastle have signed Ajax skipper Siem de Jong. Undisclosed fee, but they've given him a six year deal! Here's hoping he's more successful at St James' than his brother was last season.