Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal are the talk of the papers today.
All the transfer news and gossip you need to know from the last 24 hours…
Chelsea are preparing one more final bid for Wigan ace Victor Moses if the Mail is to be believed. Moses is keen on leaving the Latics after a successful season, and a move to Chelsea would suit him nicely, but Wigan owner Dave Whelan is playing hardball over price – wanting as close to £10 million as possible. Chelsea’s latest offer is suggested to be £7.5 million – and has a ‘take it or leave it’ approach. The report adds that even though Moses has one year left on his contract, Wigan would still be entitled to compensation next year thanks to his age.
There is potentially bad news for Tottenham and their pursuit of Joao Moutinho – with the Mirror’s report that Barcelona are keen on adding the Portuguese midfielder to their ranks. The good news is that Barcelona are unlikely to reach Porto‘s £30 million valuation of the player, and if Spurs use the expected Luka Modric money wisely they may yet have a chance of bringing Moutinho to White Hart Lane.
Liverpool are poised to make a signing, but perhaps fans shouldn’t get too over-excited at this one. The man in question is Dorus de Vries, who previously played under Brendan Rodgers at Swansea. He left to join Wolves last summer, and now finds himself in the Championship. It was reported yesterday that the Reds are ready to let reserve goalkeeper Brad Jones leave, and De Vries would join Alexander Doni as back-up for Pepe Reina. The sticking point in the deal, report The Sun, is Wolves’ reluctance to sell until they find a replacement.
A player who Liverpool have high hopes for is Raheem Sterling. The 17-year-old winger was subject of a loan link with QPR last week, and today the Mail claim that Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a £7.5 million offer to attempt to sign the player. We suspect Liverpool will reject the offer, but it could get Sterling thinking. He is from London, and a move back down south will only appear more tempting if he does not make the Liverpool first team soon. Spurs successfully tempted Zeki Fryers away from Manchester United and are hoping for similar success here as they look to the future.
Another club looking to the future is Bolton Wanderers whose relegation to the Championship seemed unlikely at this point last year. Owen Coyle remains as boss, and it is reported that he is keen to sign Arsenal youngster Benik Afobe on a season long loan. Afobe joined Reading at the end of last season, and a year in the Championship will be key for the England under-19 international’s development. The Mail report that the Trotters are also close to signing Colombian international midfielder Carlos Sanchez on a free transfer.
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