Football Whispers 
16-05-2023 13:28
16-05-2023 13:28
EPL Transfer News Now
Take a read through the latest Premier League transfer news for today with Football Whispers! All possible transfers are rated out of 5, based on their likelihood. The January transfer window has now closed but teams across Europe will already be planning their summer transfers and we've gone through the very latest rumours to bring you our picks of the week.
Today's Premier League (EPL) Transfer News and Rumours Rice to Man United – 4/5 As each day passes the Premier League season heads towards its close and, with that, Declan Rice seemingly edges closer to the West Ham exit door. David Moyes has already admitted that the Hammers are resigned to losing their captain this summer with a fee of £100m looking likely to be enough to prise him away from the London Stadium. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been heavily linked with Rice but the Guardian suggest that it’s United who are ready to crank up their pursuit of him. It's certainly a move that fits. Casemiro joined United last summer from Real Madrid and has been a huge step up compared to the previous central midfield options. What has been evident though is how light Erik Ten Hag’s men look when Casemiro is injured, suspended or fatigued. Rice would be able to slide straight into United’s team and improve their XI. Of course, the other boxes that Rice ticks for Man United are the fact that he’s proven in the Premier League, will bring leadership to the squad and, if pushed, he can fill in at centre back too. With the fee involved, United will almost definitely be leading the chase – but they need to confirm a top four place to really cement their place at the front of that queue. Guendouzi to West Ham – 2/5 With West Ham expecting Rice to move on in the coming months the club are naturally looking at how they can replace their star man. The Daily Mirror are reporting that Matteo Guendouzi, who previously played for Arsenal, is currently on their radar. Guendouzi currently plays his football in Ligue 1 for Marseille; he joined the French club on loan in the summer of 2021 before penning a permanent deal there last season. The 24-year-old has impressed too with his displays earning him call ups to the French squad whilst he’s also captained Marseille in the Champions League. Whilst the appeal of Guendouzi to West Ham is clear to see, the big question mark is why Guendouzi would opt for West Ham. He’s a key player at Marseille and they’re looking good for a route to the Champions League again next year. If West Ham have any chance of tempting him away then winning the Europa Conference League – and thus earning Europa League football next year – might be crucial. Ibanez to Tottenham – 3/5 It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that Tottenham are in need of some major surgery this summer and, providing they keep the likes of Harry Kane, the bulk of those changes need to be made towards the other end of the pitch with the backline, in particular, having long been a problem dating back to at least Jose Mourinho’s tenure. Ironically, it’s from Mourinho’s Roma that Spurs’ first summer signing will come with La Repubblica reporting that Roger Ibanez is North London bound. The 24-year-old centre back has been a big player for Roma during Mourinho’s time at the club playing a key role last year as the Giallorossi won the inaugural Europa Conference League. That hasn’t changed this season either with Ibanez a regular starter. With that being said, Ibanez isn’t the “untouchable” player Mourinho once described with the Roma hierarchy reportedly now happy to use the Brazilian international to raise funds owing. With Gianluca Mancini Mourinho’s number one centre back, there could well be truth to that whispering. With a £26m fee being muted Ibanez is likely to have several sides sniffing around. Tottenham’s uncertainty in the managerial and sporting director roles though potentially mean they’ll miss the boat. Man United targeting new keeper – 5/5 Manchester United remain in contract talks with David De Gea but a series of high profile errors and limitations with the ball at his feet mean that his place as first choice keeper is very much under threat this summer. Where United turn for a keeper is unknown at present but there have been several links over the past 24 to 48 hours, which suggests a new shotstopper at Old Trafford come August is very likely. TyC Sports have United, Tottenham and Chelsea in market for Aston Villa keeper and World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez whilst the same trio are also said to be considering a £40m move for Brentford keeper David Raya. Beyond those two players, Ten Hag is also said to be an admirer of Everton’s Jordan Pickford with a move more likely to materialise if Everton suffer relegation. The other name currently linked with a move to the red half of Manchester is 20-year-old Bart Verbruggen. Should the Anderlecht keeper arrive at Old Trafford then it is perhaps more likely that De Gea holds on to his number one shirt for a little bit longer. Bellingham rebuffs Man City – 3/5 Our final piece of transfer news for this week relates to a player on the move but probably not to a Premier League side. Jude Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world football right now. Bellingham is almost guaranteed to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and Premier League links have been coming thick and fast. One of those links has been to Manchester City. FourFourTwo are reporting that Bellingham have rebuffed their interest though. It is suggested that Bellingham – and more importantly his father – hold City in a somewhat poor light labelling them “plastic”. Instead, it is said that Bellingham favours a move to Real Madrid, who have a long history of glory and success. Past Premier League Transfer News Man United and Tottenham battle for Abraham – 3/5 Italian publication Calciomercato have claimed that two English clubs – Manchester United and Tottenham – are targeting Roma and England forward this summer along with French giants PSG. Roma, who are managed by former United and Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, are said to value him at £40m; some reports have reported their valuation of the striker at around double that though. Abraham joined Mourinho in Rome in the summer of 2021 and had a glittering first year in Italy scoring goals for fun and helping his side to the Europa Conference League title. This year his goal output has dropped significantly though as he has just nine goals in 46 appearances in all competitions whilst Paulo Dybala has become Roma’s star man. Will the drop off in goals and, as a result, playing time in combination of having his limelight taken by Dybala see Abraham look to leave? Who knows. The other question is whether the likes of United and Tottenham really see him as their first choice striking target to spearhead their revivals. All that said, Mourinho has always spoken positively of Abraham and his professionalism so perhaps there is a belief he could be a strong squad member without needing to be top dog. Newcastle target Raphina – 4/5 There has been a lot of talk about how Newcastle will handle the upcoming transfer window after a terrific season. The Sun are reporting that the Magpies are exploring a £70m deal for former Leeds man Raphina. Given his past experience of the Premier League and the undoubted X-Factor he can bring to games on the biggest stage, this rumour may well have some real legs to it. Raphina enjoyed a hugely successful period with Leeds becoming a fan favourite, scoring good goals and, generally, turning out solid performances. That all earned him a move to Barcelona. Despite some negative opinions on social media, his time at Barca has been a decent one with 21 goal contributions to his name this season across all competitions, however, it’s widely acknowledged that the Catalan club aren’t in a healthy position where finances are concerned. With all that considered, if Newcastle get their chequebook out to the tune of £70m then Barcelona are likely to want to do that deal. That will put things in Raphina’s court. Neymar to Newcastle – 1/5 From Raphina to Neymar; that is at least the story 90 min are pedalling. The report claims that Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners are keen to make a heavyweight signing in the summer ahead of what looks to be an inevitable first foray into the Champions League for a long, long time. With PSG in somewhat of a period of transition it is far from impossible that Neymar leaves the French club, however, we have serious reservations about links to Eddie Howe’s side. A tight knit group has been key to the Magpies success this season and the arrival of a Neymar would almost definitely break that. It would be a vanity signing and we’re not sure Howe would sanction such a deal. Messi to Chelsea – 2/5 Chelsea has been messy this season and, if you believe the word of Football London, Todd Boehly now wants to bring Lionel Messi to Stamford Bridge. The PSG experiment hasn’t worked out for Messi – although he’s still put up some good numbers this season – and after the club fined and suspended the Argentine World Cup hero earlier this week his future is now 100% going to be away from the French capital. Following Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia has been suggested as a realistic possibility for Messi whilst David Beckham is keen to bring him to Inter Miami, where Messi owns a property. Barcelona have also long been linked for one last hurrah. Chelsea’s interest in Messi is easy to believe with their seemingly scattergun approach to recruitment. What we cannot get our heads around is why Messi would want to join a basket case club that looks to be a complete rebuild of challenging at the top level again. Fati to Wolves – 3/5 Hold your hats, folks. This isn’t a transfer link you were likely expecting to see but Relevo – a Spanish media outlet – are reporting that Barcelona are interest in taking Ruben Neves from Wolves. The Portuguese midfielder is a seriously tidy footballer and does fit the mould of what Xavi is trying to develop at the Nou Camp. That’s not the question mark over this rumour though. That comes from what Wolves are reportedly looking for in exchange… That’s right, Wolves would seemingly be comfortable to let Neves, a key player, leave the club but only if Barcelona will send Ansu Fati in the other direction. That sounds like a bold ask from Wolves but Fati has only played 90 minutes in La Liga once all season. Bitty football isn’t necessarily what a young player wants and therefore the opportunity to be first name on the team sheet in the English top tier might appeal. This isn’t going to be a deal that happens quickly – if at all – but there are at least elements to the reports that stack up to meaning something. Muani to Man United – 4/5 We started with a Manchester United striker link and we end with one too. This time the man linked to Old Trafford is Randal Kolo Muani of Frankfurt. FourFourTwo have made the link whilst Le10 Sport, who are based in France, have also put Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the hunt for the French striker. There are a lot of things about Muani that will boxes for Ten Hag as he looks to bolster his attacking options. Muani has produced a tidy set of numbers in the Bundesliga this season too with 13 goals and 12 assists from 28 games. Muani won’t come cheap though and if either of those other European giants make a move that could kill off United’s chances – especially if they blow their top four place between now and the summer. Historic Premier League transfer news In the spirit of the transfer window being open once again, we figured we’d have some fun and look back at some of the more historic transfers to ever occur in the Premier League. Thierry Henry to Arsenal – 1999 It’s almost hard to believe that this was more than 20 years ago, but in terms of historic transfers, this is one of our all-time favourites. Henry made the move from Juventus to Arsenal for a fee of just over £14 million – one of the bargains of the century looking back. Wenger turned Henry from a dangerous winger into one of the best strikers of all time! Cristiano Ronaldo to Man Utd – 2003 (& 2021!) Come on, we had to mention the birth of one of the greatest strikers there has ever been, whether in the EPL or anywhere else. Back in 2003, Ronaldo moved from Sporting Lisbon to join United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, of course. And as they say, the rest is history! Paul Pogba to Man Utd – 2016 This one is a little more recent, but the transfer fee at the time set a brand new record when Pogba moved from Juventus to United for £89 million. Sure, there are many other transfers today that have broken this record, but this was incredible news at the time. Didier Drogba to Chelsea – 2004 Finally – Droga is one of the icons of the Premier League, yet it wasn’t always this way. Chelsea signed the Ivory Coast man in 2004, and he ultimately became one of the best strikers the EPL has ever seen, not to mention the number of trophies he won during his time there. last update : May 2023
Published on May 13, 2023 , Updated May 14, 2023
By
Ash Munson
Today's Premier League (EPL) Transfer News and Rumours Rice to Man United – 4/5 As each day passes the Premier League season heads towards its close and, with that, Declan Rice seemingly edges closer to the West Ham exit door. David Moyes has already admitted that the Hammers are resigned to losing their captain this summer with a fee of £100m looking likely to be enough to prise him away from the London Stadium. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been heavily linked with Rice but the Guardian suggest that it’s United who are ready to crank up their pursuit of him. It's certainly a move that fits. Casemiro joined United last summer from Real Madrid and has been a huge step up compared to the previous central midfield options. What has been evident though is how light Erik Ten Hag’s men look when Casemiro is injured, suspended or fatigued. Rice would be able to slide straight into United’s team and improve their XI. Of course, the other boxes that Rice ticks for Man United are the fact that he’s proven in the Premier League, will bring leadership to the squad and, if pushed, he can fill in at centre back too. With the fee involved, United will almost definitely be leading the chase – but they need to confirm a top four place to really cement their place at the front of that queue. Guendouzi to West Ham – 2/5 With West Ham expecting Rice to move on in the coming months the club are naturally looking at how they can replace their star man. The Daily Mirror are reporting that Matteo Guendouzi, who previously played for Arsenal, is currently on their radar. Guendouzi currently plays his football in Ligue 1 for Marseille; he joined the French club on loan in the summer of 2021 before penning a permanent deal there last season. The 24-year-old has impressed too with his displays earning him call ups to the French squad whilst he’s also captained Marseille in the Champions League. Whilst the appeal of Guendouzi to West Ham is clear to see, the big question mark is why Guendouzi would opt for West Ham. He’s a key player at Marseille and they’re looking good for a route to the Champions League again next year. If West Ham have any chance of tempting him away then winning the Europa Conference League – and thus earning Europa League football next year – might be crucial. Ibanez to Tottenham – 3/5 It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that Tottenham are in need of some major surgery this summer and, providing they keep the likes of Harry Kane, the bulk of those changes need to be made towards the other end of the pitch with the backline, in particular, having long been a problem dating back to at least Jose Mourinho’s tenure. Ironically, it’s from Mourinho’s Roma that Spurs’ first summer signing will come with La Repubblica reporting that Roger Ibanez is North London bound. The 24-year-old centre back has been a big player for Roma during Mourinho’s time at the club playing a key role last year as the Giallorossi won the inaugural Europa Conference League. That hasn’t changed this season either with Ibanez a regular starter. With that being said, Ibanez isn’t the “untouchable” player Mourinho once described with the Roma hierarchy reportedly now happy to use the Brazilian international to raise funds owing. With Gianluca Mancini Mourinho’s number one centre back, there could well be truth to that whispering. With a £26m fee being muted Ibanez is likely to have several sides sniffing around. Tottenham’s uncertainty in the managerial and sporting director roles though potentially mean they’ll miss the boat. Man United targeting new keeper – 5/5 Manchester United remain in contract talks with David De Gea but a series of high profile errors and limitations with the ball at his feet mean that his place as first choice keeper is very much under threat this summer. Where United turn for a keeper is unknown at present but there have been several links over the past 24 to 48 hours, which suggests a new shotstopper at Old Trafford come August is very likely. TyC Sports have United, Tottenham and Chelsea in market for Aston Villa keeper and World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez whilst the same trio are also said to be considering a £40m move for Brentford keeper David Raya. Beyond those two players, Ten Hag is also said to be an admirer of Everton’s Jordan Pickford with a move more likely to materialise if Everton suffer relegation. The other name currently linked with a move to the red half of Manchester is 20-year-old Bart Verbruggen. Should the Anderlecht keeper arrive at Old Trafford then it is perhaps more likely that De Gea holds on to his number one shirt for a little bit longer. Bellingham rebuffs Man City – 3/5 Our final piece of transfer news for this week relates to a player on the move but probably not to a Premier League side. Jude Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world football right now. Bellingham is almost guaranteed to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and Premier League links have been coming thick and fast. One of those links has been to Manchester City. FourFourTwo are reporting that Bellingham have rebuffed their interest though. It is suggested that Bellingham – and more importantly his father – hold City in a somewhat poor light labelling them “plastic”. Instead, it is said that Bellingham favours a move to Real Madrid, who have a long history of glory and success. Past Premier League Transfer News Man United and Tottenham battle for Abraham – 3/5 Italian publication Calciomercato have claimed that two English clubs – Manchester United and Tottenham – are targeting Roma and England forward this summer along with French giants PSG. Roma, who are managed by former United and Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, are said to value him at £40m; some reports have reported their valuation of the striker at around double that though. Abraham joined Mourinho in Rome in the summer of 2021 and had a glittering first year in Italy scoring goals for fun and helping his side to the Europa Conference League title. This year his goal output has dropped significantly though as he has just nine goals in 46 appearances in all competitions whilst Paulo Dybala has become Roma’s star man. Will the drop off in goals and, as a result, playing time in combination of having his limelight taken by Dybala see Abraham look to leave? Who knows. The other question is whether the likes of United and Tottenham really see him as their first choice striking target to spearhead their revivals. All that said, Mourinho has always spoken positively of Abraham and his professionalism so perhaps there is a belief he could be a strong squad member without needing to be top dog. Newcastle target Raphina – 4/5 There has been a lot of talk about how Newcastle will handle the upcoming transfer window after a terrific season. The Sun are reporting that the Magpies are exploring a £70m deal for former Leeds man Raphina. Given his past experience of the Premier League and the undoubted X-Factor he can bring to games on the biggest stage, this rumour may well have some real legs to it. Raphina enjoyed a hugely successful period with Leeds becoming a fan favourite, scoring good goals and, generally, turning out solid performances. That all earned him a move to Barcelona. Despite some negative opinions on social media, his time at Barca has been a decent one with 21 goal contributions to his name this season across all competitions, however, it’s widely acknowledged that the Catalan club aren’t in a healthy position where finances are concerned. With all that considered, if Newcastle get their chequebook out to the tune of £70m then Barcelona are likely to want to do that deal. That will put things in Raphina’s court. Neymar to Newcastle – 1/5 From Raphina to Neymar; that is at least the story 90 min are pedalling. The report claims that Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners are keen to make a heavyweight signing in the summer ahead of what looks to be an inevitable first foray into the Champions League for a long, long time. With PSG in somewhat of a period of transition it is far from impossible that Neymar leaves the French club, however, we have serious reservations about links to Eddie Howe’s side. A tight knit group has been key to the Magpies success this season and the arrival of a Neymar would almost definitely break that. It would be a vanity signing and we’re not sure Howe would sanction such a deal. Messi to Chelsea – 2/5 Chelsea has been messy this season and, if you believe the word of Football London, Todd Boehly now wants to bring Lionel Messi to Stamford Bridge. The PSG experiment hasn’t worked out for Messi – although he’s still put up some good numbers this season – and after the club fined and suspended the Argentine World Cup hero earlier this week his future is now 100% going to be away from the French capital. Following Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia has been suggested as a realistic possibility for Messi whilst David Beckham is keen to bring him to Inter Miami, where Messi owns a property. Barcelona have also long been linked for one last hurrah. Chelsea’s interest in Messi is easy to believe with their seemingly scattergun approach to recruitment. What we cannot get our heads around is why Messi would want to join a basket case club that looks to be a complete rebuild of challenging at the top level again. Fati to Wolves – 3/5 Hold your hats, folks. This isn’t a transfer link you were likely expecting to see but Relevo – a Spanish media outlet – are reporting that Barcelona are interest in taking Ruben Neves from Wolves. The Portuguese midfielder is a seriously tidy footballer and does fit the mould of what Xavi is trying to develop at the Nou Camp. That’s not the question mark over this rumour though. That comes from what Wolves are reportedly looking for in exchange… That’s right, Wolves would seemingly be comfortable to let Neves, a key player, leave the club but only if Barcelona will send Ansu Fati in the other direction. That sounds like a bold ask from Wolves but Fati has only played 90 minutes in La Liga once all season. Bitty football isn’t necessarily what a young player wants and therefore the opportunity to be first name on the team sheet in the English top tier might appeal. This isn’t going to be a deal that happens quickly – if at all – but there are at least elements to the reports that stack up to meaning something. Muani to Man United – 4/5 We started with a Manchester United striker link and we end with one too. This time the man linked to Old Trafford is Randal Kolo Muani of Frankfurt. FourFourTwo have made the link whilst Le10 Sport, who are based in France, have also put Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the hunt for the French striker. There are a lot of things about Muani that will boxes for Ten Hag as he looks to bolster his attacking options. Muani has produced a tidy set of numbers in the Bundesliga this season too with 13 goals and 12 assists from 28 games. Muani won’t come cheap though and if either of those other European giants make a move that could kill off United’s chances – especially if they blow their top four place between now and the summer. Historic Premier League transfer news In the spirit of the transfer window being open once again, we figured we’d have some fun and look back at some of the more historic transfers to ever occur in the Premier League. Thierry Henry to Arsenal – 1999 It’s almost hard to believe that this was more than 20 years ago, but in terms of historic transfers, this is one of our all-time favourites. Henry made the move from Juventus to Arsenal for a fee of just over £14 million – one of the bargains of the century looking back. Wenger turned Henry from a dangerous winger into one of the best strikers of all time! Cristiano Ronaldo to Man Utd – 2003 (& 2021!) Come on, we had to mention the birth of one of the greatest strikers there has ever been, whether in the EPL or anywhere else. Back in 2003, Ronaldo moved from Sporting Lisbon to join United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, of course. And as they say, the rest is history! Paul Pogba to Man Utd – 2016 This one is a little more recent, but the transfer fee at the time set a brand new record when Pogba moved from Juventus to United for £89 million. Sure, there are many other transfers today that have broken this record, but this was incredible news at the time. Didier Drogba to Chelsea – 2004 Finally – Droga is one of the icons of the Premier League, yet it wasn’t always this way. Chelsea signed the Ivory Coast man in 2004, and he ultimately became one of the best strikers the EPL has ever seen, not to mention the number of trophies he won during his time there. last update : May 2023
Published on May 13, 2023 , Updated May 14, 2023
By
Ash Munson