A round-up of the day’s most interesting stories surrounding the London clubs in the Premier League, including Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham.
Tottenham’s midfield enforcer Mousa Dembele has revealed he will not sign an extension with the club before the World Cup, according to the Evening Standard.
Dembele’s current deal is set to expire in 12-months time, but he is said to be contemplating his future in north London after starting just 21 of 38 games last term.
The physical demands of the Premier League are seemingly overwhelming the Belgian, who turns 31 in July, and injury problems are beginning to persist.
In other Spurs news, Sevilla are reportedly interested in potentially acquiring the services of Premier League flop Vincent Janssen, who is said to be keen on an exit from the club, according to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo.
The 23-year-old striker managed just six goals during the 2016/17 campaign, having originally been touted as quality forward depth and competition for 41 goal striker Harry Kane. He arrived from Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £17million.
News coming from the rival side of north London suggests that new Arsenal boss Unai Emery is planning on building his new outfit around star striker Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and midfield maestro Aaron Ramsay, according to Sky Sports News.
The Spaniard is said to see the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s attacking prowess as a pivotal ingredient to the side he wants to build – having netted 12 in 10 Premier League games since his arrival.
He is also particularly keen on Ramsay for his versatility and technical quality in possession, although his contract situation will have to be quickly addressed.
Now over to West London.
Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri is nearing a move to take over as Chelsea manager from his fellow countryman Antonio Conte, and is hoping that the club will activate his £7million release clause imminently, according to the Daily Mail.
Sarri became the favourite to take over at Stamford Bridge, after former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique dropped out of negotiations due to a disagreement over wage demands. The move could notably see former Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti take over at Napoli, with talks said to be currently ongoing.
Across the city, West Ham are looking to back new manager Manuel Pellegrini by giving him record funds to improve the Hammers’ squad this season, according to a report from BBC Sport.
The Chilean is said to be given the licence to spend more this summer than “any window in the past”, as stated by co-owner David Gold.
Pellegrini is now lining up “four or five” players to add to the current crop, in pursuit of a more ambitious season after the World Cup’s conclusion.
The first addition to join the ranks at the London stadium could very well be Manchester City’s highly coveted starlet Phil Foden, according to the Daily Mail.
The Hammers realistically know that they will only be able to secure the 17-year-old’s services on-loan, but even so the prospect of unearthing this future gem is an incredibly exciting prospect in East London.
Pellegrini has already promised to play “attacking football” next term, and Foden linking up with Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini certainly isn’t a bad place to start.
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