Real Madrid are willing to sell Aurelien Tchouameni, and Manchester United are first in the queue. For a club that has been serially botching its midfield recruitment for the better part of a decade, landing a 26-year-old France international from the European champions would be a genuine statement — assuming they can actually get it done.
Tchouameni isn't the only name on United's midfield shopping list. Manu Kone at Roma and Brighton's Carlos Baleba are also in the frame, while Tyler Adams of Bournemouth — valued at around £35m — represents the more pragmatic option. Three quite different profiles, which suggests United haven't quite decided what kind of midfielder they actually need. That lack of clarity is a problem.
Arsenal's defensive crisis opens some interesting doors
William Saliba picking up an injury has forced Arsenal to scramble, and the names they're reportedly turning to are telling: John Stones, 32, and Ezri Konsa, 28. Both England internationals, both familiar with high-tempo football. Stones brings Champions League pedigree; Konsa brings form and physicality. Neither is cheap, and neither is 24.
Arsenal's title odds have already taken a hit with Saliba out — he's been their best defender for two seasons running. The speed at which they move on a replacement will say a lot about where this club actually is right now.
The rest of Friday's noise
- Chelsea are favourites to sign 18-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic from Bosnia-Herzegovina. They've also already agreed a deal for 15-year-old American winger Benji Flowers from FC Dallas, though he won't arrive until he turns 18. Chelsea are very much in their academy-hoarding era.
- Leverkusen are in talks with Crystal Palace over centre-back Axel Disasi, 28, going the other way.
- Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger at RB Leipzig who Leipzig turned down a £69m Liverpool bid for, is back on Premier League radars — Arsenal and City among them. At that price last time around, he won't come cheap.
- Daizen Maeda is heading to Ipswich. The Celtic striker will undergo a medical on Friday to complete a £10m move. Straightforward business for a player who deserves a Premier League shot.
- Jack Harrison is closing in on a move to New England Revolution in MLS. Leeds fans won't lose much sleep over that one.
- Everton want Celtic's Alistair Johnston at right-back after Seamus Coleman's departure. The Canadian impressed at the World Cup and fits the profile.
- Aston Villa are interested in Everton's James Garner, 25. A quietly consistent midfielder who has never quite got his run in the top flight.
- Enzo Maresca apparently wants Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto from his former club Chelsea. Raiding your old employer is bold. Chelsea letting them go to a direct competitor would be bolder.
Liverpool's young defender Amara Nallo, 19, will spend next season on loan at Finnish club HJK Helsinki — a sensible step for a player who needs minutes, not headlines.
