SHOW ME THE MANE
Liverpool have slapped a £35-million price tag on Sadio Mane, who is expected to leave Anfield this summer in search of a new challenge. The Senegal star has just one year remaining on his contract and is reportedly ready to leave instead of running it down and leaving for free next year or signing a new deal. The Mail report that Bayern Munich are the front-runners in the pursuit of Mane, who is the Bavarian club’s “key transfer target” this summer. There has also been long-term interest from Liga duo Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Paper Round’s view: Mane to Bayern would be very interesting. There are rumours that Serge Gnabry could leave this summer after failing to agree a contract extension, which would open up a spot for Mane on the wing. Bayern could also lose their main goal threat in Robert Lewandowski, which would give Mane the challenge of being the main man in Munich. It would be interesting to see if talks with Bayern could open up the opportunity for former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp to reunite with Lewandowski at Liverpool. The Reds are clearly lacking a focal point in their attack and a couple of years of Lewandowski could be the solution. Mane for Lewandowski in a straight player swap?
LIVERPOOL PLANNED SON TRANSFER
Liverpool were planning to try and tempt Son Heung-min to move to Merseyside this summer before Tottenham Hotspur claimed the final Champions League spot. Football London reveal that Jurgen Klopp is a long-term admirer of the 29-year-old, and Liverpool were considering the chance to “test Tottenham’s financial resolve” with a big-money bid for Son if Spurs had failed to qualify for the Champions League. The Korea international would have been brought in to replace Sadio Mane, who is expected to depart Anfield this summer.
Paper Round’s view: Son at Liverpool would be incredible. The Reds should still try and test the waters this summer. There’s an argument that Son was the best player in the Premier League this season and we saw Liverpool miss out on completing an unprecedented quadruple by the finest of margins. Imagine if they had Son in their squad this year. The 29-year-old would be the ideal replacement for Mane once he leaves this summer – but it is unlikely that Spurs would allow him to leave for anything under £100 million. It would be tough to see Liverpool part with that kind of money for a 29-year-old.
SPURS SET TO IMPROVE DEFENCE
Tottenham Hotspur are prioritising improving their defence in the summer transfer window. Spurs boss Antonio Conte is keen to add depth to his defensive options and has already met with the club’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici to lay out his transfer demands. Football London reveal that Inter Milan wing-back Ivan Perisic is expected to join on a free transfer, which will result in the sale of Sergio Reguilon. Djed Spence is the top target at right wing-back, while Conte will look to raid former club Inter for highly-rated centre-back Alessandro Bastoni. Spurs are also interested in RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, but he is likely to remain in Germany.
Paper Round’s view: Tottenham aren’t wasting any time in the summer transfer window. The north London club are making some very typical Conte signings – which we have seen in the past at Chelsea and Inter. The Italian is very specific about his playing style and the types of characters he wants to work with… and, to be fair to him, he has been very successful in the past. It looks like Tottenham are building a solid squad this summer and Conte could be the manager who finally wins silverware with Spurs again.
LENO LIKELY TO LEAVE ARSENAL THIS SUMMER
Arsenal are attempting to offload Bernd Leno this summer in a bid to raise transfer funds. The Sun report that the Gunners will sell five more first-team players, including Leno, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pablo Mari, following the confirmed sales of Matteo Guendouzi and Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Gunners value Leno at £8.5 million and have attracted interest from Benfica. However, the Portuguese club are hesitant due to the asking price, which is “proving to be a stumbling block”.
Paper Round’s view: Leno has become surplus to requirements in north London. Aaron Ramsdale’s arrival at Arsenal last summer was questioned by a large percentage of Gooners, but he quickly took the number one spot from his German team-mate. Leno is clearly keen to leave in pursuit of first-team football and a transfer would suit Arsenal. £8.5 million is probably a fair fee for the 30-year-old. It’s surprising that there is only interest from Benfica as he would be a solid signing for quite a few Premier League sides if he wanted to stay in England.
