WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s move from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal appears to hinge on one thing – the release of Olivier Giroud to Chelsea, according to the Mirror.
Arsene Wenger may have to be prepared to lose the French striker to a rival in order to secure Aubameyang’s move, it says, with the German club pushing for a replacement.
Described as a “transfer merry-go-round” by some of the papers, it appears Dortmund have their eye on the Blues’ 24-year-old Michy Batshuayi and will only formally tie up the reported £60million Aubameyang deal if they get their pick of the Stamford Bridge striker.
Meanwhile, if Chelsea are unsuccessful in obtaining Giroud, the team are expected to target Fernando Llorente as a back-up, the Sun says. It comes as Antonio Conte looks to strengthen his attacking options, with Llorente long admired by the Chelsea boss.
He was among his targets last summer before the 32 year-old’s move to Tottenham and it is thought Spurs would be able to recoup the £12million they paid for the striker last summer.
According to the Daily Star, however, Chelsea are so keen on landing Giroud, they would be willing to let David Luiz transfer to Arsenal as part of a swap deal. The impending arrival of left-back Emerson Palmieri is thought to have given Chelsea the room to potentially let Luiz move away from the club and gain a much-needed striker.
Elsewhere, Emre Can looks set to move away from the Premier League as Juventus aim to bring the Liverpool midfielder to Serie A, the Daily Mail reports. Chief executive Giuseppe Marotta is quoted a saying that talks are “well under way” as the 24-year-old stalls over a new deal at Anfield.
Burnley are hoping to persuade Nottingham Forest to sell centre-half Joe Worrall for £10million, the Sun reports. Boss Sean Dyche has been impressed by the England Under-20 captain and has made the move for the defender, the paper says, with negotiations of payment structure said to be ongoing. Worrall has emerged as a young talent, scoring in Forest’s 3-2 win over Bolton last month.
Players to watch
Davy Klaassen: Sam Allardyce has suggested that the midfielder should seek a loan deal to ensure his future at Everton. After few appearances in the starting XI – or even on the bench – since his move to Goodison Park last summer, Allardyce seems to believe his game would benefit from more play time elsewhere.
Marouane Fellaini: The 30-year-old’s contract is set to expire this summer but boss Jose Mourinho has indicated he is keen to keep the midfielder at Old Trafford, the Mirror says. He has been offered a two-year extension to his contract but the Belgian is said to want a year longer than that and agreement over wages is yet to reached, the paper says.
