A look at the transfer dealings away from Arsenal, with Bayern set to submit another bid for Harry Kane and Manchester City considering Josko Gvardiol alternatives.
Manchester City may face a testing wait to welcome a new central defender as they begin preparations to face Arsenal in the Community Shield this Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s side have lost some key first-team stars in the summer window with Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez both departing to seal moves to Barcelona and Al Ahli, respectively.
Mateo Kovacic remains as the only incoming ahead of the 2023/24 campaign set for an immediate role at the club, with Man City failing to sign Jude Bellingham, James Maddison and Declan Rice. Improving defensively has been the focus for Guardiola in the last few weeks with Josko Gvardiol as his top target.
An agreement appeared to have been reached earlier this month, but Leipzig raised some concerns about the move which has seen it stall. €100million (£86.7million) was the reported fee but the move could now collapse and those concerns appear to be reflected by Man City.
According to The Secret Scout, the Premier League champions are now looking at alternatives to Gvardiol with Guardiola planning to keep Aymeric Laporte at the club if a new signing is not made. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Liverpool have begun talks with Paris Saint-Germain in an attempt to secure the services of Kylian Mbappe on a season-long loan, according to the Mirror.
Numerous Premier League clubs have been suggested as potential suitors for Mbappe with Chelsea also exploring a move. The World Cup winner has already rejected a permanent transfer to Al Hilal who had submitted a €300milllion (£259m) proposal that was accepted by PSG. The French club are said to not be against a loan departure for Mbappe as they would be able to generate some funds before he likely seals a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer.
Possible outgoings from England are also taking place with Harry Kane’s potential transfer to Bayern Munich edging closer. Chairman Daniel Levy is set to meet with members of Bayern’s hierarchy on Monday to discuss the transfer of Kane.
The German champions have already put forward two bids for Kane that have been rebuffed by Spurs, although there is belief at Bayern they can meet Levy’s demands. An exact asking price on Kane has not been made clear but Bayern are still confident they can eventually reach an agreement for Kane.
While Chelsea have mostly been focused on sealing summer exits, a double transfer looks to have been completed by Mauricio Pochettino in a matter of two days. Lesley Ugochukwu will be joining the Blues from Rennes for £23.5million while his fellow France international Alex Disasi looks to be the Wesley Fofana replacement after Chelsea reached an agreement for his transfer with Monaco.
The Blues are set to pay £38million with Disasi to sign a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge. The 25-year-old has been on the Blues’ radar for a long time now, football.london understands, and he was even considered last summer but instead Fofana was brought in from Leicester City.
