Liverpool FC join Arsenal in race for Rodrygo as Arne Slot 'drives interest' in £69m Real Madrid star
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Clock ticking on Jack Grealish move as he returns to Manchester City to train alone
Jack Grealish has agreed to return to Manchester City to train individually as he waits on a move away from the club. As first revealed by Telegraph Sport, Grealish was left out of Man City 's squad for the Fifa Club World Cup so that he could prepare himself for a summer transfer. That is yet to materialise and Grealish has been working with a personal trainer, Jamie Reynolds, in a bid to make sure he is in the best possible condition. City's main group of players do not return for pre-season training until July 28, but Grealish agreed to return this week to start getting ready for the new season. Grealish will train individually at City – at least until the main group return – while he waits for offers. Here, Telegraph Sport assesses his situation... Why hasn't Grealish moved yet? It is over six weeks since Grealish was effectively told he could leave City this summer by being omitted from the Club World Cup squad. But the expectation was always that it would take some time for a move to materialise. While City would prefer to secure a permanent deal, the finances involved in that mean clubs are likely to see if the fee drops or for City to consider loan offers. City's participation in the Club World Cup also complicated matters, so the next six weeks will be crucial. Has there been any interest in Grealish? Grealish has attracted interest from the Premier League and overseas. Figures at West Ham United have discussed a loan move for the former Aston Villa captain, but an offer may depend on the future of Lucas Paqueta and the opinion of head coach Graham Potter. Napoli manager Antonio Conte likes Grealish and wants to sign a left-sided attacker, but the player's salary would be an issue for the Italian club and Napoli also have other targets. Napoli have already signed Grealish's former City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne. Everton have been linked with an ambitious loan offer. What does Grealish want? Grealish has remained silent on his future away from City. He was filmed at an Oasis concert telling fans he still loves the club and its supporters, which may suggest he is not quite ready to cut ties permanently. Just as potential bidders may prefer a loan move, Grealish may also prefer to initially leave City on loan for the season. He is desperate to win back his England place in time for the World Cup and head coach Thomas Tuchel has suggested he may need to join a club in European competition to do that. Grealish will feel that he has plenty to offer teams in Europe and those who hope to compete for trophies. How is Grealish's relationship with City? Good. The decision for him to return to train individually is not a punishment from the club and all decisions so far have been taken in collaboration between City and the player. The 29-year-old remains a well-liked figure at the club and both parties agreed that it was best for him to miss the Club World Cup and focus on preparing himself for a move to play regular first-team football. That remains the case and Grealish will benefit from returning to pre-season training and using City's facilities. Who is Grealish's personal trainer? Jamie Reynolds has worked with a host of big-name sports stars, including Marcus Rashford. Grealish worked with Reynolds last summer and has trained with him again this year in an attempt to get into peak condition. On his Instagram account, Reynolds posted a picture of himself running alongside Grealish with the message: 'Another great off season in the bank with this legend @jackgrealish. Solid week of work in Dubai to start laying the foundations for another epic season.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jamie Reynolds (@jamie_velocity) What about a romantic Villa return? Earlier this week, William Hill reported that they had slashed the odds on Grealish returning to Villa to 5/4. This mystified those around the player and it seems the betting was not based on any imminent move. Villa have been quiet in the transfer window so far and any big arrivals, even on loan, look to be dependent on outgoings. Nottingham Forest's interest in Jacob Ramsey would create an interesting situation, as Villa may then have to look for a new ball carrier who can play from the left or centrally. Ramsey is currently Villa's only club-trained player in Europe and Grealish would qualify as a club-trained player were he to return.
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Former Liverpool star strongly warns against Bayern Munich signing Luis Diaz
Liverpool rejected a £58.5million transfer bid from Bayern Munich amid Luis Diaz's desire to leave Anfield but the Bundesliga champions have been warned about signing him Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Dietmar Hamann has warned his old club to abandon their pursuit of Luis Diaz. The Colombian is understood to have told Liverpool that he wants to leave the club and would be open to joining Bayern. But that didn't stop the Reds from rejecting a £58.5million bid from the German giants earlier this week. Diaz, 28, has two more years on his contract and remains an important player for Arne Slot, having made 50 appearances last season. Despite Barcelona being heavily linked with the left winger, Bayern made the first move by submitting an offer. The Bundesliga champions want to sign at least one forward this summer, having seen Leroy Sane depart for Galatasaray upon the expiry of his contract and Jamal Musiala suffer a broken leg and dislocated ankle during a horrific incident at the Club World Cup. But they should avoid Diaz, according to Hamann. Speaking to Sky Germany, the ex-Liverpool and Bayern midfielder voiced his concerns over signing the former Porto star, who moved to Anfield in January 2022 for £37.5m. Hamann asked: "To now bring in Luis Diaz, a 28-year-old South American who played 50 games per season for four or five years and has those long flights home - which are also a problem - to pay 70 or 80 million for that, while the sale value is zero because he would be 32 at the end of his contract, I wonder what they even have the campus [academy] for?" Instead of Diaz, Hamann recommends that Bayern sign ex-Brighton right winger Brajan Gruda. The 21-year-old joined Mainz last summer and has impressed in both the Bundesliga and the recent under-21 European Championship for Germany. "I would get Gruda," Hamann, who came through Bayern's academy before making over 100 appearances at senior level, declared. "For me, he's one of the best German players. He was injured for a long time, but played very well towards the end of the season. Gruda can play on the outside and in the middle. He would be my first option." Although Diaz is open to joining Bayern, his agent has reportedly met with Barcelona's sporting director, Deco. During an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1, Deco confirmed their interest in both the Liverpool forward and Marcus Rashford. "We like Luis, we like Rashford, and we like other players," Deco said. "Out of respect, talking about players who are under contract with other clubs is complicated. When we go to the market, there are names we know that could improve the team." Barca manager Hansi Flick also commented towards the end of last season: "I don't want to speak about players which are not in my team, but of course Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford are fantastic players. I like them and we'll see what happens." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
The problem with Chelsea's transfer masterplan
It could be deemed the most successful transfer policy in the global game. Cole Palmer, the flagship coup of Chelsea's recruitment in the new era, scored twice in the Club World Cup final and was named player of the tournament. The other goal in the demolition of Paris Saint-Germain went to Joao Pedro: 11 days into his Chelsea career, the Brazilian had already scored twice in the semi-final. The Golden Glove was awarded to the much-maligned Robert Sanchez, the unlikely scourge of PSG's feared forward line. Of 15 players used in the final, three were academy graduates and the other 12 all bought under the new regime. Now Chelsea have a rare lull in the football, they can get back to their actual business: transfer business. After proof of the mastery of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, they have another chance to demonstrate it. Or, putting sarcasm aside, after the evidence that Chelsea's outlay on players – now around £1.4bn under their current owners – has brought some quality and some return on the pitch, the Club World Cup winners have more trading to do. This time, the revolving door needs more departures than arrivals. Part of it is a rather basic but still accurate element: Chelsea have far too many players. Another ought to be obvious: the savings Chelsea claim they make with lower basic wages is offset by the size of the squad and it is a waste of money to pay players not to play. Yet there is now another imperative. Chelsea were fined €20m by Uefa for breaching squad cost control, which could rise by up to another €60m. Unless they demonstrate they have generated a cost-saving through sales, they could be unable to register new signings for the Champions League. Some of those new faces debuted for Chelsea in the United States, in Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo. Others played for other clubs there but are now Blues, in Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian. Then there is Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez, while Geovany Quenda is due to arrive next year. The good news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that they have so many players that there are a host of possible ways to generate money. Indeed, they have already started. They have reduced their stockpile of goalkeepers by selling Djordje Petrovic to Bournemouth, Kepa Arrizabalaga to Arsenal and Marcus Bettinelli to Manchester City. Bashir Humphreys' loan to Burnley became permanent and, in the accounts, counts as pure profit. Mathis Amougou has gone to sister club Strasbourg; there are suggestions Ishe Samuels-Smith will follow suit. The bad news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that it would still seem to leave a significant shortfall. Even Noni Madueke's move to Arsenal, while for a far bigger fee, would leave them with a substantial net spend this window. Another problem is the probability that the players they most want to sell are among the hardest to offload, particularly for sizeable sums. The Stamford Bridge version of the bomb squad would seem to include Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, none of whom went to the Club World Cup and thus, presumably, have fewer medals from it than Donald Trump. Perhaps Christopher Nkunku, though he did come on in the final, and Armando Broja may be honorary members of it. There is the further complication that they include several of the bigger earners. The great unsellable could be Sterling, whose loan to Arsenal last season was both subsidised and unsuccessful, thus rendering it less likely anyone will buy him now. Chilwell went to Crystal Palace, but they have just bought a left-back, Borna Sosa, on presumably smaller wages. Disasi could now be approximately an eighth-choice centre-back. Joao Felix was an oddity, bought a year after an underwhelming loan but only to pocket the pure profit from Conor Gallagher's departure. Perhaps Benfica will prove an escape route, but probably at a loss for Chelsea. Then there is Nkunku; available for a while, offered to various other clubs, a player of pedigree, but whose route into Enzo Maresca's strongest side is blocked. Chelsea have tried to sell Broja before but have overpriced an injury-prone attacker. There is a further category: the young players bought by the new regime, but without a clear plan or path to the team. Chelsea could do with cashing in on some. Carney Chukwuemeka could be among the most sellable and Chelsea's battalion of new midfielders might render him surplus to requirements. So, too, Lesley Ugochukwu. Maybe even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, too. The new influx of strikers makes it still harder to see David Datro Fofana or Deivid Washington, currently on loan at Santos, in the team; indeed, Nicolas Jackson's descent from first-choice centre-forward means he offers the possibility of proving a money-making sale. Others can testify to Chelsea's ruthlessness. Trevoh Chalobah has long looked at risk, as an academy graduate, but ought to have proved his (footballing) value enough to be safe; younger homegrown players such as Tyrique George or Josh Acheampong should nevertheless consider themselves warned. The sheer volume of footballers means Chelsea have multiple options. Perhaps few would notice if, say, Omari Kellyman or Caleb Wiley or Marc Guiu or Gabriel Slonina went. Renato Veiga at least made more of an impact. Perhaps the size of the squad explains why Chelsea need so many sporting directors. They could all be busy looking to offload players. Indeed, they have shown creativity in finding homes for the unwanted. But temporary deals could be less suitable if they need to make a profit. And, in any case, they can only loan out six players abroad, apart from club-trained and Under-21 players. Which, as some of their youthful recruits are 21 or 22, becomes more of an issue, especially if some of those loan spots have to be saved for a couple of the senior players who have no buyers. If part of the rationale behind Chelsea's remarkable recruitment was that they were creating value, now they need to extract some of it, to turn the hypothetical prices of players on the balance sheet into funds. Call it an exodus or a clearout but there has long been a case that Chelsea had to shed players. Now, in the glow of success, after being anointed by Fifa and punished by Uefa, is the time to do it.
