Alexis wants Pep reunion

Alexis Sanchez's desire to play for Pep Guardiola has given Manchester City hope of striking a £50 million deal for the Arsenal forward, against Arsene Wenger's wishes, the Guardian reports.

Wenger would prefer to keep Sanchez for the final year of his contract, or at worst not sell to a Premier League rival, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich both preferred over City. But the Chile international's wish to link up with Guardiola and sign a deal that would see him earn almost £300,000 a week is likely to force Arsenal's hand.

Earning £50m for a player in the final year of their contract is not terrible news for Arsenal, especially considering they may have already found someone to replace him in Monaco's Thomas Lemar.

Signing Lemar may not prove straightforward though, with a second Guardian report claiming a €35m bid has been rejected by the Ligue 1 champions, who are determined not to sell. However, the left winger, who is under contract until 2020, is said to be keen to work under Wenger.

Compounding matters, according to the BBC, is Lyon rejecting a bid from the North London club for striker Alexandre Lacazette. On the bright side, though, negotiations between the two clubs remain open.

Real want Ceballos in Madrid next year

AS reckons that Spain under-21 star Dani Ceballos had been set to join Real Madrid before returning to Real Betis on loan for the 2017-18 campaign, but after catching the eye at the European Under-21 Championship this summer he could become a part of Zinedine Zidane's squad next season.

Ceballos has a €15m release clause but Madrid are happy to pay over the odds to ensure a deal is not struck with Atletico Madrid, who are also interested. The 20-year-old's arrival would continue Los Blancos' current trend of focusing on young talent, with Marco Asensio, Borja Mayoral, Marcos Llorente and Jesus Vallejo also involved in La Roja's U21 squad.

Aubameyang set for Chinese payday

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will leave Borussia Dortmund to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian where he will earn €30m a year, according to Sport Bild.

The 28-year-old finished as the Bundesliga's top scorer last season and had been linked to Liverpool, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, but their interest looks set to be blown away due to the involvement of billionaire Shu Yuhui, who could pay a transfer fee in excess of €80m to seal the move.

Tap-ins

- Chelsea's search for a new central defender has seen them turn their attention to Roma's Kostas Manolas, the Mirror claims. Leonardo Bonucci and Virgil van Dijk have been long-term targets for the Premier League champions, but they now hope to sign 26-year-old Greece international Manolas after his £26m move to Zenit St Petersburg stalled.

- Manolas' arrival could mean more competition for Kurt Zouma, who is wanted on loan by Crystal Palace, according to the Mirror. Zouma is said to be highly rated by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, but the option of regular football could be a good one for all parties as Zouma continues his comeback from a knee injury that saw him miss most of last season.

- Another name on Palace's shopping list is Ajax defender Joel Veltman, but Tottenham are also keen on the £10m-rated central defender, reports the London Evening Standard. The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and could face the choice of linking up with his former manager Frank de Boer at Palace, or ex-Ajax teammates Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen at Spurs.

- The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will run the rule over Joe Gomez during preseason before deciding whether to send him on loan. Brighton, Huddersfield and Bournemouth are credited with an interest in the 20-year-old defender, but he will feature for Liverpool in preseason ahead of any decision being made.

- Newcastle are set to beat Burnley and Middlesbrough to the loan signing of Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo, according to the Independent, as the player prefers a move to St James' Park. Klopp is said to be happy to loan the 20-year-old to former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who wants to add pace to his newly promoted Newcastle squad.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by MICHAEL WADE

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