The Hard Tackle takes a look at the latest transfer news surrounding Premier League giants Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.
With the 2021/22 season less than a month away, things are starting to speed up with regard to preparations for the upcoming campaign, meaning there has been a ramp-up in transfer activities across clubs in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Liverpool have already completed a transfer each, while Tottenham Hotspur are also seemingly kicking things up a notch following the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo and Fabio Paratici as manager and sporting director, respectively. Arsenal, too, have been quite active, bringing in two players already with a third on the way.
As for Chelsea and Manchester City, things seem to be going slow, as they continue to push for big-money transfers in the No. 9 position. Nonetheless, things are starting to get exciting in the transfer market as we move closer and closer to the start of the new season. As the buildup to the campaign continues, The Hard Tackles takes a look at some of the transfer stories revolving around the top clubs in the Premier League.
Liverpool defender Ben Davies on the exit ramp
Just six months after arriving at Anfield, Ben Davies could be on his way out of Liverpool without even kicking a ball for the Reds. Indeed, as per The Sun, the centre-back, who signed from Preston North End in January following a spate of injuries to Liverpool’s frontline defenders, could be on his way back to the EFL Championship.
After arriving at Liverpool, Davies himself struggled with injuries in the second half of the campaign, meaning he did not play a single minute of football. Now with the Reds having signed Ibrahima Konate this summer and with Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip all back from injuries, Davies’ chances have taken a huge hit.
An exit, therefore, is on the cards, with recently relegated outfit Sheffield United keen on signing the defender on loan owing to his experience in the EFL Championship, as they look to bounce back to the top-flight immediately.
Newcastle United eyeing Axel Tuanzebe loan swoop
Moving from Liverpool to their arch-rivals Manchester United, the Red Devils are also staring at the prospect of losing one of their centre-backs this summer. Indeed, the Daily Mail claims that academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe could be sent out on loan for the 2021/22 term, with Newcastle United among the clubs interested.
Tuanzebe has had a stop-start career at Manchester United, with injuries and competition for places meaning that he has found it hard to get regular game-time. Furthermore, with the Red Devils closing in on the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, the young defender’s chances of featuring regularly will take an even bigger hit.
Newcastle United are hoping to provide the youngster with a way out by signing him on loan for the campaign, with manager Steve Bruce aware of Tuanzebe’s capabilities, having briefly worked with him at Aston Villa not very long ago.
Tottenham lead race to sign Pierluigi Gollini
As iterated earlier, things seem to be picking up steam for Tottenham in the transfers front as Italian publication Calciomercato claims that they are in the lead to sign Atalanta BC goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini in the current transfer window.
The interest is being driven by the Lilywhites’ new sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is working towards a two-year loan deal with an option of making the transfer permanent. Atalanta, meanwhile, want an outright transfer, although they would be open to a one-season loan stay with an obligation to buy.
Tottenham face competition from Atletico Madrid as well as Inter Milan in pursuit of Gollini. However, with talks ongoing with Atalanta, the Lilywhites seem to be ahead of their fellow suitors in the race to sign the 26-year-old who previously spent time at the Manchester United academy and represented Aston Villa as well.
Jack Grealish backtracking on Manchester City move
Even as reports emerged claiming that Manchester City had struck an agreement over personal terms with top transfer target Jack Grealish, it seems like the Aston Villa captain is having second thoughts about a transfer. Indeed, talkSPORT reports that the England international is backtracking on a potential move to the Etihad Stadium and may sign a new contract at Villa Park.
Manchester City have been hot on the trails of Grealish this summer with manager Pep Guardiola a huge admirer of the 25-year-old. The reigning Premier League champions were also said to be readying a monstrous offer to try and secure the signing of the Villans’ skipper this summer.
With doubts now creeping in over a switch to Manchester City, the report further adds that Grealish may end up staying at Aston Vikka and sign a new contract with the Midlands outfit, even though his current deal runs till the summer of 2025.
Tottenham open to selling Harry Kane to Chelsea in a part-exchange deal
Rounding things off with a story from The Athletic, which claims that Tottenham Hotspur would be open to doing a deal with bitter rivals Chelsea over Manchester City this summer for star striker Harry Kane. It is no secret at this point that the 27-year-old England captain wants out, and it is the Cityzens that have shown the greatest amount of interest in him.
However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has already rejected an offer of a player plus cash deal from Manchester City. However, the report claims that the Spurs supremo could be open to such an arrangement with Chelsea this summer despite the soured relationships between the two clubs.
This is because Levy is of the opinion that the players that Chelsea would be offering, like Tammy Abraham or Kurt Zouma or Andreas Christensen, would address key deficiencies in the squad and be more affordable with regard to wages in comparison to the stars that Manchester City were willing to offer in Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte among others.
