Transfer Gossip: Lukaku, Rooney, Morata

Gremio striker Luan, who has been branded the “next Ronaldinho”, is all set to join Brazilian colleagues Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, and Lucas at the Merseyside club.

The Daily Mirror reports that the two clubs are close to agreeing a 26 million move

RATING: 8/10

SPORT360 VERDICT: The rumour has more or less come out of nowhere, but the first news on the move makes it sound almost like a done deal, with just the formalities left to complete.

Luan reportedly only committed to playing 11-a-side football at the age of 18, but six years later he’s set for a big-money move to the Premier League.

Liverpool and Gremio have history in completing transfers, with midfielder Lucas having moved to the Premier League from the Brazilian club back in 2007.

This will likely be wrapped up pretty quickly, given that it seems Liverpool have stolen a march on any other interested clubs, with rumours suggesting that the deal was more or less wrapped up when the player’s representatives met the club in April.

ROMELU LUKAKU AND WAYNE ROONEY

The Lukaku to United rumours have been growing stronger in recent days, but the Daily Mail have introduced a new wrinkle.

With Everton reportedly demanding 100 million for their striker, the Mail suggests Manchester United will offer club captain Wayne Rooney as a way of driving the fee down.

United value Rooney at 17 million, but player and club are likely to agree some sort of pay-off that will cover Rooney’s 250,000-a-week contract, with Everton unlikely to be able to match the striker’s wage demands otherwise.

Given that Rooney-to-Everton rumours have been rumbling since January, and Lukaku-to-United has been gathering steam ever since the Everton striker refused to sign a new contract, it’s not surprising to see the two transfers combined into one rumour.

RATING: 4/10

SPORT360 VERDICT: It’s quite likely that both Rooney and Lukaku will be central figures in transfer sagas that could last the entire summer.

Lukaku will be in demand, so United will have plenty of competition for his signature. Chelsea have also been rumoured to be a likely destination, with Antonio Conte a keen admirer of the Belgian, so a move to United will be far from straight-forward.

Similarly, Rooney’s future is uncertain, with there being mixed signals on whether or not the striker is even interested in a move away from Old Trafford. Given that he has been little more than a squad player for Manchester United this season, the club may take that particular decision out of his hands, but Rooney has also been linked with moves to the MLS and China, so while a return to his boyhood club is not out of the question the striker will have plenty of options to weigh.

This story seems to one of convenience – United want Lukaku, Everton have expressed interest in Rooney, so it’s not altogether surprising that the two have been combined into one rumoured deal.

Rooney’s wages will be a stumbling block for a move to most Premier League clubs, given that United likely wouldn’t sell him to the few that could afford his salary, so that is one big hurdle to cross in a return to Everton.

And United will also have to decide if Lukaku is worth a world-record fee. The striker is the front-runner for this year’s Golden Boot and this season has by far his best in the Premier League, but is that enough to justify a 100 million outlay?

These are both transfers that could go down to the end of the window before being resolved.

ALVARO MORATA

Spanish publication Diario Gol claim that Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata has reached an agreement with Premier League champions Chelsea.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is a known admirer of the Spaniard, and Morata revealed recently that he spoke to Conte a few years ago when he was going through a rough patch in his career.

Morata has delivered whenever he’s been called upon at Madrid, but has been unable to force his way into Zinedine Zidane’s first-choice XI, and rumours of a move away have been doing the rounds throughout this season.

However, there are also suggestions that Conte is having to fight the Chelsea hierarchy to get this move done.

RATING: 7/10

SPORT360 VERDICT: Yep, we can believe this rumour. Morata and Conte have established a good relationship despite having never worked together.

In the same interview where Morata revealed that Conte helped him through a low phase of his career, the Spaniard also said he expects to work under Conte sooner or later.

Morata also has a good relationship with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, but Chelsea have long seemed the frontrunners for the 24-year-old.

Arsenal and Manchester United have also been linked with Morata, but with Conte seemingly making the striker one of his top targets this summer, expect the Spaniard to be wearing Chelsea blue next season.

RYAN BERTRAND

Liverpool are rumoured to be sniffing around Southampton yet again – although this time, they’re not alone.

Both the Reds and Manchester City are in the market for a left-back, and Saints man Ryan Bertrand has developed into one of the Premier League’s best at that position.

ESPN sources say Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are both admirers of the 27-year-old, who would slot right in at either club.

Southampton will be loathe to let the Englishman go, but with the money both clubs can offer, it’s difficult to see how the Saints will be able to hold onto Bertrand.

RATING: 6/10

SPORT360 VERDICT: Left-back has been a troublesome position for Liverpool for quite a while, with Spaniard Alberto Moreno never quite looking up to scratch. James Milner has done an excellent job, but he moved to Liverpool to play in midfield, not remain a utility man.

It’s quite easy to see Bertrand becoming the latest player to make the switch from Southampton to Liverpool.

However, if Manchester City are interested, and it becomes a question of money, they will win any bidding war. And City are just as much in need of a left-back as Liverpool are.

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