Author: Amrit Santlani
The transfer window never ceases to amaze and, after weeks of speculation, some big moves should be completed, including a merry-go-round in the Premier League. The biggest news came on Thursday night, when Manchester City midfielder and club captain Ilkay Gundogan reportedly agreed to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
City’s first signing of the Pep Guardiola era, the 32-year-old has reportedly agreed a two-year contract with Barça. The German midfielder’s contract is due to expire at the end of June and he has already held talks with City and will soon sign a successful deal with the Catalans.
On Monday, Guardiola was asked about Gundogan’s departure from Manchester City, and the coach replied: “We’re interested in renewing his contract and [o Barcelona] is also interested. I hope he stays with us. We’re still fighting for him to stay with us. He’s a player we want to keep – and we’ll do everything we can – but we know Barça want him.“
The Premier League champions could also lose Bernardo Silva, who has been strongly linked with Paris Saint-Germain, and the 28-year-old Portuguese midfielder has also received a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian club.
Thus, two of City‘s mainstays, who helped them win the league title three times this season, are on the verge of leaving, but the club is not sitting back and has acted quickly to sign Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for a fee of 25 million pounds plus 5 million pounds in add-ons.
It could be a shrewd signing, as the Croatian has a very similar style to Gundogan, only he doesn’t score as many goals, but he brings creativity to the midfield. On Thursday, it was also reported that City are likely to make a strong offer for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
Arsenal are currently leading the race to sign the Englishman, although his parent club recently turned down an offer of 90 million pounds from Arsenal, as they are waiting for a higher figure. Any possible deal for Rice would make him the north London club’s record signing.
Mikel Arteta’s side are closing in on a £65 million transfer for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz. The German striker was also on Bayern Munich‘s radar, but gave the green light to Arsenal. Initially, the two London clubs were split in terms of valuation, but a fee has been agreed, and the transfer could be completed before Arsenal leave for Germany to start their pre-season next month.
It seems that Arteta is really planning to challenge City next season, as the team is also close to agreeing the transfer of defender Jurrein Timber from Ajax. The Dutchman was also on Manchester United’s radar, but Arsenal are well placed to sign him.
Chelsea have also had a fruitful transfer window so far. After spending record amounts under new owner Todd Boehly in the last two windows, the Blues have managed to get rid of many dead players, such as N’Golo Kante, Eduard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech and Kalidou Koulibaly, who are all set to join clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Havertz is close to joining Arsenal, while players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Connor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Although it has been a relatively quiet window so far for Manchester United, Tottenham are expected to sign Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in a deal worth £16.4 million, after Brentford knocked Spurs’ price off a deal for David Raya, as they were hoping for £40 million.