Days after Lionel Messi's dispute with Barcelona was settled, the Blaugranas have decided to jump in the market to land as many as two Dutch players ahead of the 2020/21 La Liga season. Their new manager, Ronald Koeman, is keen on strengthening his squad in order to bring his side back on the top.
Meanwhile, Juventus are preparing to bring their former player, while Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for another midfielder; here are the latest stories from the transfer market from around Europe.
Barcelona hunting two Dutch players
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that apart from selling the deadwood, Barcelona are working on bringing the likes of Memphis Depay from Lyon and Gini Wijnaldum from Liverpool. He further states that the club hopes to land both the players for less than €50/55m.
If Liverpool will decide to sell Wijnaldum [no clubs agreement yet, waiting for official bid], they’ll push again to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Münich. Contacts still on with his agent. 🔴 #LFC #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 6, 2020
📲 More details about Gini/Thiago situation: https://t.co/RJtCFKvOdf
Wijnaldum, an underrated equity at Liverpool, has entered the final year of his current Liverpool contract, and sources have it that the negotiations over a new deal has hit a rock. For Liverpool, there has been no confirmation whatsoever about whether they will sell the midfielder or not, but as things stand, they are waiting for an official bid. And if Wijnaldum does move to Barcelona, the Reds will contact Bayern Munich for Thiago Alcantara.
As far as Depay is concerned, it is said that a fee of around €25 million will be enough to land the former PSV and Manchester United winger. Koeman, as mentioned, is keen on working with these two players on club level and expect Barca to make an official bid in coming days.
Juve to consider Morata
Serie A champions Juventus are currently assessing their options, and reports have it that if they fail to acquire Luis Suarez from Barcelona, they will approach Atletico Madrid for the availability of Alvaro Morata. The club from Turin is keen on acquiring a centre-forward and reportedly have an agreement in place with the Uruguayan. But the striker himself is yet to reach a settlement with Barcelona or even sort out the issue of his passport.
The other option they are considering is AS Roma's Eden Dzeko, but the club from the capital city are unwilling to do the business until they sign Arkadiusz Milik from Napoli. Juventus are aware of all the possibilities and thus, they are reportedly willing to offer their former striker, Alvaro Morata, a way back home. To sweeten the deal, AS reports that the Old Lady might include any one from Federico Bernardeschi, Aaron Ramsey or Douglas Costa as part of the transfer.
Tottenham linked with Will Hughes
Tottenham Hotspur have made subtle business in the transfer market so far, having acquired the likes of Matt Doherty from Wolves, Joe Hart from Burnely and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton. And now, Watford midfielder Will Hughes has become a sudden target for Jose Mourinho, with reports claiming that the midfielder could be available for £13million.
Mourinho is keen on rebuilding his side, and this is the reason why he is willing to allow the likes of Juan Foyth, Serge Aurier, Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga to leave. The capital acquired will be invested in someone like Hughes who will provide significant competition for a place in the first team. Given his versatility, Hughes will be a handy option for Mourinho as they head into the new season.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Phil Noble
