Sunderland have been linked with interest in another Ligue 1 player who has impressed in the French league.

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Sunderland did an exceptional job last summer in revolutionising their squad after promotion to the Premier League.

Things have been a lot quieter this year – as you’d expect. But they’ll still want to make some important additions.

One player we’ve seen linked to the Black Cats in recent days is Dayann Methalie. Football Insider are among the publications connecting the Toulouse left back to a move to the Premier League.

Methali already ready to step up to Premier League from Ligue 1

Methalie played 28 times in Ligue 1 last season for a Toulouse team who did well. He looks ready for the step up to the Premier League. According to the Football Insider piece, Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris and his staff consider the youngster as someone ready to make the move to England.

Sunderland did especially well raiding Ligue 1 last season, so we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them wrap up this deal. The fact that they will be playing in the Europa League means they need to add depth as well as quality, and at the right price this deal looks like an obvious one to go forward with.

In other news…

Barcelona star Marc Casado is considering leaving the club this summer, and he has decided he wants one guarantee from his new team.

Diogo Costa remains a potential target for Chelsea, although we still have our doubts that they would actually spend the €60m required to sign him.

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Marc Casado is picking his new destination very carefully after a lack of minutes in Barcelona, meaning some Premier League teams will miss out.

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Marc Casado has long been talked about as one of the most promising young players who will be on the market this summer, and there is no shortage of interest in him.

But the 22 year old Barcelona star is being very picky about where he goes next. He’s highly rated in Catalonia, but isn’t getting the minutes he wants. That’s why he’s reluctant to respond to the interest from the likes of Chelsea and Man City. Man U are also interested, but their signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in the last couple of weeks have really closed off some avenues there.

Casado wants to play at all costs

Instead, according to a report from TeamTalk, Casado will consider teams slightly further down the Premier League, in order to guarantee playing time.

The likes of Newcastle, Everton, Fulham and Brighton are all named as destinations where he would be able ot play regularly and potentially shine.

He could also yet stay at Barcelona, with manager Hansi Flick trying to convince him of his importance to the squad, even when he’s not a regular starter.

In other news…

Diogo Costa remains a potential target for Chelsea, although we still have our doubts that they would actually spend the €60m required to sign him.

Fabrizio Romano says that Bournemouth are close to completing their latest impressive deal – a move for Antonio Silva from Benfica.

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Chelsea are still being linked with a top goalkeeper over a potential summer transfer – although it still feels unlikely.

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Chelsea’s stance on their goalkeeper situation this summer has seemed pretty clear – they’re going to stick with Robert Sanchez while bringing young talent Mike Penders back from loan to be his backup.

But rumours about the Blues wanting to spend big on on a ready made, elite option won’t go away. SportWitness today claim that a move for Diogo Costa of Porto is still on the cards.

Chelsea could be persuaded to change goalkeeper plan by one thing

The report claims that Chelsea are reluctant to pay the goalkeeper’s €60m release clause, instead aiming to pay around €40m.

That is a big gap, and one we don’t see being bridged easily.

We still don’t believe Chelsea will change their plans – there is only one thing that might have affected things. The appointment of Xabi Alonso, if he really insists he wants Costa, could be enough to get the Blues to consider a new approach.

Even at the full €60m, while expensive, it’s not insane for a player who could change the whole team’s prospects. It would be like Alejandro Garnacho plus Deivid Washington, for example…

In other news…

Fabrizio Romano says that Bournemouth are close to completing their latest impressive deal – a move for Antonio Silva from Benfica.

Coventry City are close to a deal for Aurele Amenda, the Frankfurt central defender who has just returned from a spell at the World Cup with Switzerland.

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Bournemouth’s ridiculous run of impressive transfers is set to continue, with Antonio Silva close to joining from Benfica.

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Benfica centre back Antonio Silva is close to agreeing a move to Bournemouth, Fabrizio Romano has claimed today. The Italian insider claims that there is an “agreement on personal terms” and that a club to club deal is “very close.”

The 22 year old came through the Eagles academy and has been a regular for their first team since 2022. After turning down their offer of a new contract, he’s opened the door to a big move. The transfer fee isn’t yet known – but given AC Milan’s €20m offer was rejected out of hand, we can only assume it’s €30m or more.

Silva ready for Premier League move

There’s no doubt that, after years of being linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, this is a bit of a step down for Silva. He’s also trading Champions League football and potential titles in Lisbon for a quieter life on the South Coast of England.

But it’s also clear that Bournemouth are a great shop window for players looking to break into the Premier League, and Silva’s stay could be pretty short if he impresses.

In other news…

Coventry City are close to a deal for Aurele Amenda, the Frankfurt central defender who has just returned from a spell at the World Cup with Switzerland.

One defender who came to the fore at the World Cup is already a major target for Bournemouth and Southampton – although Leeds look to have the lead in the chase for his signature.

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Swiss centre back Aurele Amenda is set to join Coventry for almost 20m according to the BBC’s report today.

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It’s been a slow start to the transfer window from newly-promoted Coventry, but they’re about to get into gear with a huge deal by their standards.

Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC is reporting that the Sky Blues are close to a £17m deal for Eintracht Frankfurt defender Aurele Amenda.

The Swiss centre back has just got back from the World Cup and is now able to engage fully with a potential deal. He will cost £15.4m up front, with another £1.7m in add-ons, and will sign a four year contract.

He has apparently been persuaded by a “strong pitch” from manager Frank Lampard.

Coventry add more quality in key position – but still lack goalkeeper deal

Coventry completed an even bigger deal for Burnley’s Loum Tchaouna this week, and made Frank Onyeka’s loan from Brentford permanent earlier this summer.

Once they get Amenda over the line, their priority will be securing goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, who was excellent on loan from Brighton last season. The Seagulls are asking for big money, however, and Coventry may have to turn to Chelsea backup Filip Jorgensen as an alternative, according to this report.

In other news…

One defender who came to the fore at the World Cup is already a major target for Bournemouth and Southampton – although Leeds look to have the lead in the chase for his signature.

Newcastle have locked in on a Fiorentina full back who is available at a bargain price this summer.

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Leeds are advancing strongly to pick up one of the World Cup’s breakout young players for a hefty fee.

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Leeds United’s big move of the summer so far was signing Harry Wilson on a free transfer, but the Whites are closing in on a far higher priced deal.

MOTLeeds says that Tarik Muharemovic is close to joining for £34m. Half of that fee will go to his current club Sassuolo, and the other half to Juventus.

The young centre back impressed with Bosnia at the World Cup, and will be one of the big transfer winners of this summer’s tournament. Sunderland and Bournemouth are also linked, but it seems Leeds are further ahead in their arrangements.

Shea Charles wanted by Leeds despite big bids for Bosnia man

The piece stresses that any deal for Muharemovic won’t affect Daniel Farke’s team’s long standing interest in Shea Charles of Southampton.

Their bidding is up to £30m for the midfielder, but they are able to buy both if their offers are accepted. The sale of Pascal Struijk to Brighton has freed up some liquid spending money which will allow them to continue to reshape their squad.

Get both deals over the line and Leeds will be looking a very interesting prospect for next season.

In other news…

Newcastle have locked in on a Fiorentina full back who is available at a bargain price this summer.

Trevoh Chalobah and Maxence Lacroix could end up swapping clubs this summer, with rumour about both moving in opposite directions.

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Newcastle are front of the queue for Dodo, the flying Brazilian full back from Fiorentina wanted by Nottingham Forest.

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Newcastle have been selling big players this summer, and definitely need to start bringing some new blood in to make up for it.

One very interesting deal they’re being linked with is one for Fiorentina full back Dodo. The Brazilian is full of talent, if a little inconsistent, but is available at a low enough price to get teams interesting in taking a risk. A report from SportWitness today puts Newcastle at the front of the queue, ahead of Nottingham Forest, and says they would only have to pay €16m.

Fiorentina offering full back to teams around Europe

The key factor behind the former Shakhtar man’s low price is his contract situation. He only had a year left on his deal with the Serie A side, so they know they need to sell now if they want any money back for him.

That means Dodo is being “offered around,” and if Newcastle don’t take him, it seems likely someone else will. The report says that Serie A teams have thus far not been interested, but if Fiorentina continue to struggle to sell and the price comes down further, that may change.

In other news…

Trevoh Chalobah and Maxence Lacroix could end up swapping clubs this summer, with rumour about both moving in opposite directions.

Another experienced Premier League defender could be on the move, with West Ham likely forced into a sale after their relegation.

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Chelsea want Crystal Palace’s centre back and Palace may want Chelsea’s as a replacement. The solution is obvious.

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Chelsea and Crystal Palace have done a fair bit of business over the last few years, and that doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon.

The two clubs are both locked in talks over central defenders that could see them effectively change players. Chelsea insider Simon Phillips’ piece about the Blues’ plans for Trevoh Chalobah reveals all.

Chelsea and Palace have transfer arrangement fall into their lap

The defender was at Palace on loan two years ago and really impressed, before being recalled. Chelsea are now willing to sell permanently, while they’re keen to sign Maxence Lacroix from the Eagles.

The obvious solution is for each to sign the defender from the other. They can even mutually inflate the asking prices as a nice little PSR boost. Of course it’s not easy to pull off, and it would require both players to be keen on the move, but we can well imagine both sides are exploring that idea.

Lacroix was only eliminated at the World Cup last night, while Chalobah is still with England. That has slowed things, but the next couple of weeks will be very interesting.

In other news…

Another experienced Premier League defender could be on the move, with West Ham likely forced into a sale after their relegation.

Christos Tzolis is a major target for Arsenal, and he’s available at what sounds like a pretty reasonable price for a player with that much talent.

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West Ham will do all they can to keep hold of their fan favourite defender – but growing interest will make that very hard.

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West Ham’s relegation was always going to mean sales, and some of their best and brightest players have already gone.

There is still more damage to be done however, and a report today from Football Insider says that the next to go could be a defender who made himself into something of a cult hero over the last 12 months.

Konsantinos Mavropanos wasn’t able to stop the Hammers going down, but his efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The 28 year old earned himself a good reputation with the fans – and with other teams who are interested in buying him.

Mavropanos wanted by teams across Europe

The report claims that West Ham wikll do “everything in their power” to keep hold of him, but Premier League and Bundesliga teams want him. It’s judged to be “very difficult” to keep hold of him.

The strong, experienced defender would be key to any effort West Ham wanted to make to come straight back up – the next few weeks are likely to be crucial if they want to persuade him.

In other news…

Christos Tzolis is a major target for Arsenal, and he’s available at what sounds like a pretty reasonable price for a player with that much talent.

Everton want to re-sign Jack Grealish after his successes in the first half of last season, but are struggling to put together an offer that will convince Man City.

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Arsenal are stepping up their chase for Christos Tzolis, with the attacker looking the perfect replacement for Leandro Trossard.

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Leandro Trossard’s move from Arsenal to Besiktas has been confirmed – and now it’s the turn of the Gunners to accelerate plans for his replacement.

That’s just what they’re about to do, according to Ben Jacobs. He says that the Gunners are moving for Christos Tzolis of Club Brugge, and are being told to pay something between £30m and £35m. Jacobs says the Belgian side are “willing to sell this summer.”

The player has “informed Arsenal he wants to join.”

Tzolis has shown he’s ready for big step up

If Arsenal really can get him for £30m, that would seem like an exceptional bargain. Given how much Premier League teams are paying for totally unproven youngsters these days, that’s a very reasonable fee for someone who has proved to be incredibly productive.

Of course he will be stepping up a level, but he’s shown more than enough to indicate he’s ready for that. If Arsenal don’t take the plunge, it feels a lot like someone else will.

Their pursuit of Morgan Rogers, at a far higher price point, is unrelated, according to Jacobs.

In other news…

Everton want to re-sign Jack Grealish after his successes in the first half of last season, but are struggling to put together an offer that will convince Man City.

Manchester United are considering reigniting their interest in Carlos Baleba, who Brighton are increasingly willing to sell at the right price.

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