Today’s fluff is riding a unicycle
It’s been a quiet summer thus far for Folarin Balogun, so why not stir up some controversy by signing for the arch rivals of your boyhood club? The Monaco striker, who started his career at Arsenal, is being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, who need a goalscorer to ensure they do not finish 17th again. The American’s agents have offered him up to Roberto De Zerbi’s side to see if they are willing to bite. One forward certainly of interest to the Italian manager is Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson but no bid has been made.
This seems like a sensible point to put some Tottenham and Manchester City gossip in. If Savinho heads down south, as has been discussed for a long old while, Enzo Maresca would like Pedro Neto to replace him as a wing demon, having worked with the Portugal international at Chelsea. In further Spurs winger news, Manor Solomon was close to leaving for West Ham but Hull have entered the race as part of their accelerated transfer activity as they seek to ascertain if the Israeli is a Housemartins fan.
Tijjani Reijnders has never fully settled at Manchester City because finding a role for him is difficult. Nottingham Forest seem to have a cunning plan for the midfielder but, again, where he fits in at the City Ground is one to ponder, especially with a £55m being bandied about. Meanwhile, Manchester United believe Morgan Gibbs-White is an ideal candidate to replace Bruno Fernandes, if the Portuguese decides to depart Old Trafford, but that will take a while.
A more likely bit of business at the Etihad Stadium is the signing of goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli from Marseille. The Argentinian is seen as an ideal replacement for James Trafford who is packing his bags for Leeds.
It is quiet no more around the Crystal Palace chequebook as Steve Parish is eager to spend some cash on Zavier Gozo of Real Salt Lake. The teenage winger is highly-thought of in MLS and could see south-east London as the ideal next step in his development.
Jadon Sancho supposedly has loads of offers on the table but he just needs to choose the right one. Clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia are keen on landing the former England international who is available for nothing after leaving Manchester United in the summer.
After completing the signing of Freddie Potts from West Ham, Club Brugge have their eyes on another Londoner. Crystal Palace’s Romain Esse, from Lambeth, has made it on to the Belgian side’s radar after his loan spell with Coventry. Speaking of wingers in the English capital, Abdul Abdulmalik of Boreham Wood is wanted by Swedish side Djurgårdens. A bid totalling £1m has been rejected but another could be coming to really test the National League side’s resolve.
And Romelu Lukaku’s time in Europe could be coming to an end. After being prolific yet underrated for much of his career, Atlanta United want him to try his hand in MLS. The Napoli striker is, inexplicably, still only 33 and, despite suffering from fitness problems in recent times, was still a handful at the World Cup.
