Liverpool and Arsenal set for £70m Joao battle
EXCLUSIVE: Brighton have slapped a whopping £70million price tag on striker Joao Pedro.
Interest in the Brazilian, 23, has heightened as it appears the Seagulls are willing to do business.
But they will only be listening to offers around that figure, a huge mark-up on a player who joined in a £35m deal from Watford in July 2023.
Newcastle, Liverpool Arsenal and Aston Villa are thought to be keen.
Pedro hit ten goals in 27 Prem games last term.
But he was left out of the last two games of the season by boss Fabian Hurzeler after a training-ground bust-up with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke.
One Kell of a fight
Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has been tipped for a shock move to Manchester United.
United’s goalkeeper crisis means they could look to sell Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir and release Tom Heaton this summer.
Onana and No 2 stopper Bayindir are both prone to howlers, with United eyeing a complete reset.
Meanwhile Kelleher, capped 22 times for Ireland already, is understood to want to compete for regular minutes.
Kelleher secured his second Premier League title with Liverpool this season but only started 10 games with Alisson ahead of him in the pecking order.
Prominent United reporter at ESPN Mark Ogden has put Kelleher on his shortlist of potential goalkeepers to replace Onana.
Ogden said: “Kelleher wants to move, he wants to play football.
“It would be good deal at such a low price to get someone with proven experience in English football.”
Liverpool value the 26-year-old in excess of £20million.
Zidane says no
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Zinedine Zidane has REJECTED a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia.
The former Real Madrid boss has reportedly turned down a €100MILLION (£84m), one-year deal.
He is said to be waiting for the France national team job to become available.
Crunch talks over Antony future
Real Betis are considering a bold strategy to keep Manchester United flop Antony at the club after a stunning loan stint in Seville.
Marca say the LaLiga club will hold talks with Old Trafford officials over the winger’s future next week.
The Red Devils will not accept a cut-price deal and the LaLiga outfit may therefore struggle to afford him permanently.
They will instead offer to take the Brazil international on loan again and even have plans to co-own him with Man Utd.
In a rarely-seen move, Betis could agree to purchase just a percentage of the 25-year-old’s rights.
It means both teams could benefit from any future sale but the scheme still relies on Antony cutting his £200,000-a-week salary, which Man Utd have been covering 16 per cent of.
Diaz to stay?
Luis Diaz has been strongly linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer, with the likes of Barcelona and Al-Hilal great admirers.
But the Colombian himself seems like he wants to stay.
In an interview with the club website, he said: “I feel I’m going through a really good period.
“I’m really happy to be here, to be part of this great institution, this great club and to have great team-mates around me.
“From the moment I arrived, I felt great pride. I always tried to work hard for this, and to see that nowadays things are working out for me fills me with pride and I’m really happy because that’s what I work for.
“[But] we are nobodies without our team-mates. We are a team. The forwards and wingers always try to help with goals and assists, and right now I’ve achieved good numbers to back that up.
“It’s about playing and then playing well, supporting the team in the way I play and enjoying it, like always.”
Battle for Sesko hots up
Manchester United and Arsenal could fight it out for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
According to Bild’s transfer insider Christian Falk, the Gunners are already in talks to try and strike a deal for Sesko which could climb to as high as £85million.
However, Falk indicates that the North Londoners will not be allowed to complete the move without competition.
That comes in the form of United, who are also looking to land a new striker.
But Man Utd are said to have a secret weapon in trying to convince the Slovenia international about a deal, and that is their director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.
The 22-year-old was personally watched by Vivell back in April, with Sun Sport revealing how he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Leipzig to leave for around £60m if a top club tables an offer.
Vivell has already brought Sesko once before, to Red Bull Salzburg as a 16-year-old in 2019.
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