Football transfer rumours: Manchester United and Arsenal in for Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
LONDON. KAZINFORM - Paris Saint-Germain are to put Zlatan Ibrahimovic up for sale. Arsenal and Manchester United are already said to be vaguely interested, which is a start. Still a couple of weeks before the transfer window closes, so plenty of time for that interest to firm up into mild enthusiasm, and then blind panic when they fail to land Karim Benzema or Thomas Müller.
Everton are considering a bid for the Dynamo Kyiv winger Andriy Yarmolenko. His buy-out clause is £17.5m, though the Goodison giants reckon a £10m offer will suffice. If this one goes through, neighbours Liverpool may need to have a good think, seeing they've been after Yarmolenko since Bob Paisley was in short trousers, but have never been able to close the deal. Time to send Ian Ayre on a negotiation skills course. Aston Villa want Southampton's captain José Fonte, who having last year earned Dejan Lovren a big-money move may now think it's time to benefit from one himself. Southampton will replace him with either the Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly or the Celtic centre-half Virgil van Dijk. Ronald Koeman would prefer the latter, but much depends on whether Celtic get Artmedia'd by Malmo in the Champions League, and having witnessed that shambles against Everton, the Saints manager would prefer not to wait another week to find out, Kazinform has learnt from the Guardian. Chelsea are still trying to buy John Stones. WAKE UP. Everton sense José Mourinho's desperation right now - in fairness, it's not been too hard to read the signs, all household pets and farmyard animals within a 100-mile radius of the home counties can sense something's in the air - and are holding out for £40m. Everton will replace Stones with either Ashley Williams of Swansea City, or the Napoli defender Koulibaly, whose agent should be on good money, he's doing a fine job of putting his man out there today. Chelsea also want the Atlético Madrid winger Antoine Griezmann, who could cost anything between the £21m they've tabled or the £57m buyout clause on his contract. Strike up the band, let the dance begin. Manchester United are still attempting to prise Pedro from Barcelona. WAKE UP. Pedro has WAKE UP reservations about Louis van Gaal, while the United manager isn't convinced about Pedro's pace. Everyone should probably go away and have a good think about what it is they really want from life. Manchester City are still after the Valencia defender Nicolás Otamendi, but have now decided to withdraw the dangled carrot/sword of Damocles that is a loan ofEliaquim Mangala. The Marseille winger Florian Thauvin will become the latest player from the French league to join Newcastle United, become very good very quickly, then chip off elsewhere to the resigned sighs of the Gallowgate End. And Sunderland are looking to arrest their slide by re-signing Kieran Richardsonfrom Aston Villa. Already relegation-haunted two matches in; this must be some sort of record, right?