Transfer Talk: Barcelona eye City’s Silva once Dembele joins PSG
Credit to Author: Nick Judd| Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2023 20:14:12 EST
The summer transfer window is now open in Europe, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Barcelona have made Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva their top priority for when Ousmane Dembele‘s move to Paris Saint-Germain is confirmed.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who believe that Blaugrana boss Xavi Hernandez is desperate to land City’s wantaway 28-year-old midfielder, and wants the club to make him their top priority. Silva is also keen on moving to Barcelona, and he is hoping that City boss Pep Guardiola sticks to the promise he made of allowing Silva to leave, should the club receive the right offer.
It’s now up to the Catalan club to assemble an offer good enough to persuade City to part with the Portuguese star.
City have so far been reluctant for Silva to leave following the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, but Barca might now be able to match City’s proposed asking price of €87 million thanks to the imminent transfer of Dembele.
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– Nottingham Forest are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the new Premier League season with the addition of Brazilian defender Roger Ibañez from AS Roma. Fabrizio Romano reports that Forest have submitted an official bid believed to be worth around £25m, and that negotiations between the two clubs are underway. Twenty-four-year-old Ibanez has this summer been linked to moves to Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
– AC Milan have now entered the race to sign Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport. The report states the Rossoneri want the 28-year-old defender to replace the outgoing Matteo Gabbia in order to strengthen Stefano Pioli’s backline in what would be the club’s eighth signing of the summer. Lenglet doesn’t feature in Barca’s plans, and the Blaugrana are looking to recoup €15m for him. Lenglet has so far been unwilling to consider an offer by Al-Nassr, and had seemingly preferred a permanent move to Tottenham Hotspur. The London club has yet to submit a tangible bid, leaving the door open for Milan to swoop.
– Gianluca Scamacca is looking to end his disappointing spell at West Ham United by signing a five-year deal with Internazionale. Gianluca di Marzio says that the 24-year-old forward is seen by Inter as a strong contender to fill the void left by striker duo Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko, and the Nerazzurri are prepared to offer around €27m to €28m. Scamacca still has a strong reputation in Italy despite his disappointing spell at West Ham, and Inter are keen to see him partner with new signing Marcus Thuram. Scamacca is keen on the move to San Siro and is believed to have agreed terms.
– Arsenal have submitted an opening bid of £20m plus add-ons for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, according to Fabrizio Romano. Raya has rejected two offers to stay with the Bees and has instead agreed personal terms with the Gunners, and is now pushing for the move. The bid is half the amount that Brentford were hoping to recoup for their star stopper, but with his contract due to finish at the end of the season, they could be forced to lower their expectations. Raya kept 12 clean sheets last season, and has also been a target for Bayern Munich.
– Galatasaray considering Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele as a midfield option, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Turkish club look to have failed in their efforts to sign Fred from Manchester United and so are now looking into other options, with Spurs willing to let the 26-year-old leave for £11m. Ndombele has spent much of the past two seasons on loan (at OGC Nice and Napoli), and he’s now one of 10 players new Spurs boss Postecoglou wants to cut from his squad.