Transfer Gossip: Arsenal to bid £40m for England playmaker as £17.2m full-back signing nears; Liverpool to hijack agreed deal for free agent
Arsenal are to launch a £40m offer for James Maddison and are also closing on a new right-back, Liverpool are looking to steal a signing from under AC Milan’s noses, while Saturday’s Transfer Gossip claims Everton are bidding £27.5m for an 11-times capped England striker.
JAMES MADDISON BECOMES TOP ARSENAL TARGET
Arsenal are reportedly ready to launch an opening £40m bid to Leicester for midfielder James Maddison in the next few days.
The England star has just been relegated from the Premier League with the Foxes after a difficult campaign. However, he won’t be hanging around to play Championship football with the player hoping to be part of the England squad at the 2024 European Championships.
And with just a year left on his deal, Leicester know it will be virtually impossible to keep Maddison at the King Power.
It’s easy to see why the 26-year-old will be in such high demand. On a personal level, he enjoyed his best-ever season scoring 10 goals and adding nine assists for the doomed Foxes.
The likes of Tottenham and Newcastle are both reportedly on his trail, with Leicester looking for a fee of around £50m.
However, the star would be eager to play Champions League football, ruling Spurs out the equation.
And amid claims the player prefers a move to London over the North-East, trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared what he knows.
“Maddison is 100 per cent leaving the club,” Romano told the Here We Go podcast. “Let me mention Newcastle because Newcastle love the player, Newcastle really appreciate him. They are in the race again and he is another player appreciated by Arsenal.
These two clubs are interested in the situation of Maddison and I’m sure there will be a fight for this player.”
Arsenal want Maddison and Sacha Boey
Now the Daily Mirror claims Arsenal are ready to launch a bid worth £40m. And they plan to free up space in their squad by allowing Emile Smith Rowe to depart.
The homegrown academy talent – hugely popular among the Arsenal faithful – struggled for game-time this season, failing to start a single game in his 14 appearances. A move to Aston Villa is reportedly on the cards.
And while the signing of Maddison would be an obvious upgrade, Arsenal might need to raise their bid to see a deal accepted. Indeed, their opening £40m offer is likely to be waved off. And with Leicester seeking £50m, a fee in the region of £45m could see an agreement reached.
The Gunners are also want to sign a new right-back this summer and have long been on the trail of Ivan Fresneda.
However, competition for the Spanish teenager is tough, with Borussia Dortmund among those also keen.
Now, according to Turkish outlet Turkiye Gazetesi, the Gunners are launching a €20m (£17.2m) opening bid for Sacha Boey.
The France Under-21 international looks a huge talent, drawing interest from the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona.
However, it is the Gunners who have made the first move for the 22-year-old, who has appeared in 50 games this season.
And the report claims Arsenal are ‘determined to finalise the transfer’, making Boey their first signing of the summer.
LIVERPOOL LOOKING TO HIJACK DAICHI KAMADA DEAL
Reports in Italy claim Liverpool are making a late play to beat AC Milan to the signing of Daichi Kamada.
The Japan playmaker, 26, is leaving Eintracht Frankfurt this summer after falling out of contract at the Bundesliga club.
Demand for his services is high after a brilliant season saw him score 16 times and add another six assists.
After links to the likes of Barcelona, Newcastle and Tottenham, it appears a move to AC Milan looks likely instead.
And following talks, the star’s agent has reportedly reached an agreement to sign for the Rossoneri this summer.
He will reportedly sign a three-year deal at the San Siro, worth €3m a year – around £52,000 a week.
However, Milan are not in the clear yet and Calciomercato reports that Liverpool are looking to hijack the deal.
Claiming the deal is still awaiting finalisation, Liverpool have reportedly ‘not lost hope’ of signing Kamada themselves.
And noting that the Merseysiders are ‘capable of putting’ a ‘more important’ offer on the table, there appears a real fear in Milan that Liverpool will pinch his signing.
Jurgen Klopp is looking to add more goals to his midfield next season. And while they remain close on Alexis Mac Allister, there are claims that Kamada could well be next.
READ MORE: ‘He’s ready to go’ – Liverpool star backed to ditch Klopp with Tottenham, Brighton offers expected
EVERTON PLOTTING MOVE FOR TAMMY ABRAHAM
Everton want to add potency to their attack next season by sealing the £27.5m signing of England striker Tammy Abraham.
The striker has enjoyed an excellent couple of seasons with Roma. However, he could not prevent them losing Wednesday’s Europa League final, coming off in the second half.
All the same, the 25-year-old has registered 36 goals in 105 matches for Roma.
However, the bulk of those goals came last season when he netted 27 times. This season, his tally has failed to reach double figures, netting on just nine occasions.
As such, Roma are reportedly open to offers for the former Chelsea man.
Now, according to The Sun, Sean Dyche is keen to bring the 11-times capped England international to Everton.
The Toffees were the lowest scorers in the Premier League last season, scoring just 34 goals. No longer able to rely on injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dyche is desperate to bring more firepower to Goodison.
And with finances tight at Roma, they are reportedly open to the sale of Abraham.
A £27.5m (€32m) opening offer for Abraham, though, will likely get waved away.
They paid £34m to Chelsea for him two summers ago and will not want to make a loss. But an improved offer which matches Roma’s initial investment could yet clinch his signing.
READ MORE: Everton ‘make contact’ with 16-goal Brazilian striker as Sean Dyche begins squad rebuild
