“The football world has gone mad – OFFICIAL!” So states this morning’s Mirror on the back page, citing Manchester City’s willingness to spend £22m on Jonny Evans by way of evidence. “Pep Guardiola is determined to land the 29-year-old on a £120,000-a-week contract because he needs to add a home-grown player to comply with Premier League and Uefa rules on the composition of his squad,” they report. (If they think that’s mad they should read the Mail, who say City will bid £25m, or the Sun, whose “exclusive” is that they will have to pay £35m. The Baggies, sensing which way the wind is blowing here, are already in talks over a £15m bid for Tottenham’s £20m-rated Kevin Wimmer). “He must first offload £42m flop Eliaquim Mangala,” concludes the Mirror – Internazionale are keen on the French defender but though City want £30m for him, they are unlikely to get it. Indeed, the paper suggest City will end up with half of what they paid for the 26-year-old.
And while Inter are refusing to pay one Manchester club’s price for a player they are at the same time refusing to accept another Manchester club’s offer for another, the hard-bargaining little mites. United are refusing to abandon their pursuit of Ivan Perisic despite the yawning gap between what they have so far offered - £39m – and what the Italian side will accept - £48m. Inter at least appear to be equal-opportunities negotiators, demanding precisely £9m more than United want to give while offering precisely £9m less than City want to accept. They are also pursuing alternative centre-backs, and have apparently enquired about Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi. Meanwhile, back to the subject of French flops, Stoke’s Giannelli Imbula – an £18.3m transfer record-smashing buy in January 2016 – is no longer wanted and may move to Monaco, who would like him on loan to start with, ideally.
The true cost of Antonio Conte’s summer text-message dismissal of Diego Costa will become apparent in the coming days, with this morning’s Sun declaring that Chelsea are “Singin’ the Blues” as it becomes obvious that instead of receiving the £50m they might have demanded for the stroppy Spaniard, they will receive just £30m. On the plus side, they are saving £140,000 every week that Costa spends awol in Brazil. But though the player yesterday announced that “I must return to Atlético Madrid” he can’t actually play for them until January, allowing Everton to dream about getting him on loan for a bit. “Of course you like to sign players for the future, but if you can get the best one that way, then why not?” mused Ronald Koeman.
Arsenal are mulling over a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s German winger Julian Draxler, who would cost about £32m. And talking about Germany and wingers, Crystal Palace want RB Leipzig’s Oliver Burke, partly in response to the knee injury that could keep Wilfried Zaha out of action for four weeks or more. The Scot joined Leipzig from Nottingham Forest for £13m just last year and has been scouted since by Bournemouth, Chelsea and Tottenham.