Dortmund ready to sell Arsenal transfer target Henrikh Mkhitaryan after failing to agree contract extension
The Gunners are favourites to land attacker who is set to leave his
German club because they refuse to include a release clause in any new
deal
Mkhitaryan (right) is also on the radars of Chelsea and Tottenham but seems keener on Arsenal
Arsenal have been given a huge boost in their chase for Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Borussia Dortmund set to admit defeat in their fight to keep him.
The German club have failed to persuade the 27-year-old Armenian to sign a new deal.
He has flatly refused to commit himself without a release clause being included in any fresh contract.
Dortmund
no longer allow players to include such fees in their deals after
Germany forward Mario Gotze’s was triggered by their big rivals Bayern
Munich three years ago.
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It means the German Cup finalists are now ready to sell Mkhitaryan, who has just a year left on his contract.
Spurs and Chelsea are also interested in the attacker, who scored 18 goals in all competitions this season.
But
he has indicated a willingness to move to the Emirates, where Arsenal
boss Arsene Wenger is embarking on an overhaul of his squad.
Wenger has already signed Granit Xhaka
from Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchengladbach for £30m and
is aiming to land Leicester striker’s Jamie Vardy, having triggered the
England international’s £22m release clause.
Gonzalo Higuain of Napoli celebrates after scoring his team's 4th
goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Frosinone Calcio at
Stadio San Paolo on May 14, 2016 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio
Lagana/Getty Images)
Argentinian goal machine Gonzalo Higuain could be about to hand
Liverpool a massive boost by offering the Reds the chance to make him
the major signing of Jurgen Klopp's first summer in charge at Anfield.
According
to the Mirror, the prolific Napoli striker, who averaged better than a
goal a game last season by plundering 36 times in 35 Serie A matches, is
interested in joining Liverpool as he looks to force an exit from his
Italian club.
The 28-year-old hot shot led Napoli to runners-up
spot this year behind champions Juventus but is willing to turn down
offers from clubs in the Champions League and Europa League to join
Klopp's Anfield revolution.
A successful capture of Higuain would
represent a massive coup for the Reds with Jose Mourinho supposedly
having identified him as one of his top targets at arch rivals
Manchester United while Arsenal are also an interested party.
Klopp
could be planning a major overhaul of Liverpool's attack this summer
with £32.5million flop Christian Benteke out of favour and question
marks over Daniel Sturridge's future with concerns over how the talented
but physically fragile frontman fits into the German's hard-pressing
style.
Higuain, who was born in Brest, France, the son of
Argentine footballer Jorge Higuain, started his career with River Plate
before netting 121 times in 264 games for Real Madrid.
As Klopp
looks to reshape his forward line, Southampton are ready to offer Shane
Long a bumper new contract in an attempt to ward off interest from
Anfield.
The hard-working Long is a typical 'Klopp striker' and
the Daily Star say the Reds boss tried to take him from St Mary's back
in January. Republic of Ireland's Shane Long celebrates scoring Brian Lawless/PA Wire
The Republic of Ireland man is in high demand after hitting
double figures in the Premier League for the first time and Tottenham
Hotspur have also been keeping tabs on his progress.
Long, 29,
was one of Ronald Koeman's first signings, joining the Saints from Hull
City in an £11million deal and still has two years remaining on his
current deal.
Meanwhile, according to Goal, Liverpool will go all out to sign Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud this summer.
Klopp
has identified the 20-year-old as the perfect player to bolster his
options in the Reds engine room with Dahoud described as “a box-to-box
dynamo with a supreme work rate and expert range of passing.” Yaya Toure of Manchester City holds off Mahmoud Dahoud of Borussia Moenchengladbach (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The Syrian-born Germany Under-21 international scored four
goals and made seven assists in 37 games last season and Liverpool would
face stiff competition for his signature from both Tottenham Hotspur
and Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund.
Dahoud could cost in
the region of £25million and 'Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl
recently said of him: “Mahmoud is an exceptional player and we have no
need to sell.”
Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte
Pep Guardiola's Manchester
City revolution is under way but is Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte
the answer to their defensive woes? The French defender looks a good
fit, writes Nick Wright.
Sky Bet
Pep Guardiola counts Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa as one of
his biggest influences, so perhaps it is not surprising that he shares
his idol's admiration for Aymeric Laporte. The French centre-back was
schooled by Bielsa as a teenager at Athletic Bilbao, and Guardiola is
eager to continue his education at Manchester City next season.
The new City boss has already made his first signing in midfielder Ilkay Gundogan - and another Borussia Dortmund player, striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, could soon follow, according to Sky sources - but Guardiola has identified central defence as City's most pressing area in need of attention.
Last
season, they conceded more Premier League goals (41) than in any of the
previous five, with Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala struggling to
meet expectations and Vincent Kompany repeatedly falling victim to injuries.
Major changes are required, and while Sky sources
say Everton's John Stones is also on the wanted list, Laporte appears
to be the priority for Guardiola. City's sporting director Txiki
Bergiristain has already flown to Bilbao to discuss the deal with
Athletic, and reports in Spain have suggested City are willing to pay
his £39m buy-out clause.
It is a huge sum for a 21-year-old still recovering from a broken leg suffered playing for France's U21s in March,
but he is due to return in August and the feeling in Spain is that he
is worth the investment. Laporte has developed a burgeoning reputation
over the course of four seasons in Athletic's first team and has already
amassed over 100 La Liga appearances despite his tender age.
Basque
journalist Endika Río has followed his progress from the start. "He is a
central defender with the profile that Pep Guardiola likes," he tells Sky Sports.
"He's strong, tall and powerful but what characterises him most is
playing out from the back. He makes the central midfielders' jobs
easier. He has good distribution and he has quality with the ball at his
feet."
Watch some of Aymeric Laporte's best moments for Athletic Bilbao
That technical ability is invaluable to Guardiola, whose attacking
philosophy requires modern, ball-playing centre-backs who can build
quickly and fluently from the back. The role was fulfilled by Gerard
Pique at Barcelona and David Alaba at Bayern Munich, and Laporte, it
seems, will be the man for the job at Manchester City.
A
money-spinning transfer to the Etihad would cap a rapid rise for
Laporte, who was only 18 when Bielsa promoted him to Athletic Bilbao's
first team in November 2012. "It was quite a difficult year for
Athletic," recalls Río. "Javi Martinez had left and they were having
trouble renewing Fernando Amorebieta's contract, so Bielsa promoted
Laporte even though he had hardly played for the reserves."
Laporte was thrust into the heart of a struggling side, but the 6ft
2ins teenager swiftly established himself as a regular starter in
central defence. "Bielsa saw characteristics in him that fit with his
style of football," says Río. "He soon filled the gap left by
Amorebieta. He was a boom."
Bielsa loved Laporte - "I
don't remember a single fault I could tell you about," he said in 2015 -
and he made 17 appearances before the 60-year-old was replaced by
Ernesto Valverde in the summer of 2013. Bielsa's gruelling training
methods had taken a heavy toll as Athletic finished 12th in 2012/13 but
the squad were reinvigorated by Valverde. Laporte, in particular, went
from strength to strength.
Laporte battles for the ball with Barcelona's Luis Suarez and Marc Bartra
"Laporte's second year in the first team was Valverde's first in
charge," says Río. "The team finished fourth in La Liga and qualified
for the Champions League. Laporte was part of the spine of the team and
became the líder of the defence. He was still 19 but no one disputed it despite his age. Bit by bit, he has improved a lot in very little time."
Laporte
has come out on top in duels with the likes of Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo since breaking into the Athletic team. He helped them
reach the final of last year's Copa del Rey and played every minute of their historic 5-1 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup in August.
"Laporte is a great player with every
quality. I don’t remember a single fault that I could tell you about.
He’s fast, he has character, he is competitive, he has very good
technique and he is very intelligent."
Marcelo Bielsa on Aymeric Laporte in 2015
Laporte is an accomplished one-on-one defender who doesn't shy
away from physical challenges, but he prefers to rely on his fine
reading of the game and intelligent positioning rather than gung-ho
tackling. He has an excellent range of passing and averages more per
game than any other Athletic player with the exception of central
midfielder Beñat, while he is also a goal threat, having scored five
times this season alone before he was injured in March.
As for
weaknesses, there is little to cause alarm. "In some games you can still
see his youth and inexperience," says Río. "There have been some errors
and he has been sent off for inexperienced fouls, but with time he has
got better. You can see that he learns very fast for a player so young,
and it's not surprising that some of the biggest clubs in Europe want
him."
Laporte in action for Athletic Bilbao against Espanyol
Like Bielsa before him, Valverde is a huge admirer. "He's young and
he has to improve some things but he's already the real deal," he said
in October. "He is a player who is mature, despite his youth. On the
pitch you see that because he takes responsibility for his position.
Experience is always important, but if you already have that experience
when you are 22, then imagine…"
Laporte's rare combination of
technical ability, physical prowess and youthful experience has thrust
him to the forefront of Manchester City's plans. Their defensive
problems have been costly this season, but as they prepare to usher in a
new era at the Etihad Stadium, Bielsa's pupil looks ready to make his
next step up with Guardiola.
The Barcelona centre-back joined Old Trafford as a
17-year-old in 2004 and admits he had a tough time when he was trying to
break through into the club's first-team
Gerard Pique claims Manchester United’s senior players were “a**holes” during his time at Old Trafford.
The
Barcelona centre-back joined United at the age of 17 in 2004 and spent
four years with Sir Alex Ferguson before returning to Barcelona.
Pique
was asked about the young players integrating into Spain’s Euro 2016
squad and the centre-back admits they are given an easier time than when
he was trying to break through.
“They adapt very well, it’s not like before,” the defender told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.
“When I was seventeen, eighteen years old and tried to make the
jump to the first team at Manchester, it was much more difficult,
senior players were a**holes.
“Now you make a little joke and it seems to be a crime. I remember when
Gerard Deulofeu went to the first team, and he was going to sit at a
dinner, I removed the chair, he fell and I got a scolding. They did it
to us everyday!”
Nainggolan is currently on international duty with Belgium at the European Championships GettyRadja Nainggolan, the Roma midfielder, has admitted that he is considering a move to Chelsea having spoken with international team-mates Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois.
The 28-year-old is thought to be high on the wishlist of Antonio Conte, Chelsea's incoming head coach, as the Italian seeks to bolster his new club’s options in midfield.
Hazard and Courtois, two of Nainggolan’s Belgium team-mates, are also
eager for their compatriot to join them at club level and have urged
him to consider the move.
Nainggolan, however, has insisted that he will only consider leaving Serie A if the transfer is right for him.
“He [Conte] already wanted me when he was the Juventus manager, but
I’d already said I would never leave Roma for Juve,” he said. “Now he
tries to get me to Chelsea.
“They (Hazard and Courtois) have told me to join them. I know Chelsea
are a big club, but I have to take several things into account.
“It’s not easy to leave Italy behind after 12 years. I need to become
better because of the transfer. In all ways. I won’t leave for a small
difference,” Nainggolan added.
The Belgium international, who is currently on duty with Marc
Wilmots' side at the European Championships, has four years remaining on
his contract at Roma, having signed for the club from Cagliari in 2014.
“People have been talking for 10 years that I will be joining another
team, but I’ve only played for three clubs so far,” he added.
“You could say ‘why not try it in England?’ But you can ask the
question the other way too – ‘why would I leave everything behind to
fail over there’.
“Conte told me what he expects from me and what type of player I can
be for him. I’ll never be a player who’ll score 20 goals or give 20
assists. I’m not the one who’ll be in the picture all the time, but I
can be important for a team. A manager who appreciates that is important
for me.”
Nainggolan will come up against Conte in Belgium’s opening game of the Euro 2016 on Monday, when his side face Italy in Lyon.
Conte will assume control at Chelsea once he has fulfilled his duties
as Italy’s head coach and their participation in this summer’s
tournament is over.
Liverpool FC transfer rumours: Reds plot Arsenal raid for Kieran Gibbs
Kieran Gibbs of Arsenal celebrates scoring his side's first goal
during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham
Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on November 8, 2015 in London, England.
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs has emerged as a surprise new candidate to solve Liverpool's troublesome left-back spot.
The
Reds have struggled in the position for many years now and the patience
of many fans was tested to its limit with current incumbent Alberto
Moreno after his Europa League final horror show against former club
Sevilla with his side surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose 3-1 in Basel.
According
to Football Insider, the Gunners will listen to offers for 26-year-old
Gibbs this summer after he lost his place to Spanish left-back Nacho
Monreal.
Liverpool, who are also monitoring Leicester City's
teenage left-back Ben Chilwell – who has made just three senior
appearances for the Premier League champions – could turn to Gibbs
instead as a more experienced alternative.
Born in Lambeth,
Gibbs, who has been capped 10 times by England, has spent his entire
career to date with the Gunners apart from a loan spell at Norwich City
in 2007/08 when he turned out seven times for the Canaries.
He has played over 200 times for Arsenal and played in the 2014 FA Cup-winning side.
