Freewheeling Liverpool don’t need defenders any more, particularly a centre-back whose only headline contribution this season came at 3am on Snapchat. And so it is that Mamadou Sakho finds himself encased in ice and shunted to the sidelines looking in frustratedly at the steamy displays at Anfield with no way of getting involved. Which is why Tony Pulis fancies taking a pick-axe to the Frenchman’s ice-tomb and reanimating him again at West Brom. Jürgen Klopp would wave the French controversy-magnet a cheery farewell. But Pulis may have to do battle with Nice for the big man’s signature. Apparently, Mario Balotelli is making cooing noises down the phone at Sakho and knows from experience that a place in the Ligue 1 leaders’ starting XI has restorative powers – particularly for an Anfield outcast. So, the French Riviera or Pulisball, what’s it to be?
Barcelona are still having trouble filling that Dani Alves-shaped hole in their team. Having been sized-up for the job, Héctor Bellerín has turned his nose up at the chance of showing scant regard for defending at Camp Nou by signing a new Arsenal deal. So instead, Barça are going to do what any big club does these days when looking for a suitable player: sign one from Southampton. In this case it’s Cédric Soares, the former Sporting player who can actually defend. He’ll cost them a fair bit more than the bargain price of £4m he that Saints paid for him, mind.
Marseille and Roma are the latest clubs who reckon they can jump-start the career of Manchester United misfit Memphis Depay. But hang on, who’s this with a set of leads and a look of wild enthusiasm on his face? It’s Ronald Koeman. So add Everton to that list. Meanwhile, the Dutchman has been busy pleasing Evertonians by flapping his gums freely about Romelu Lukaku’s prospects of hanging around at Goodison Park. “His potential is greater and higher than Everton as a final destination,” he said, prompting a moody stare from the Dixie Dean statue.
Despite having figured out a way for Chelsea to score bucketloads of goals and never concede any, Antonio Conte wants to add a little more oomph to his forward line just to ensure those games are put to bed nice and early. And his preference would be if said oomph came in the shape of 25-year-old Sampdoria striker Luis Muriel. The Colombian is known for imitating some of the real Ronaldo’s moves, including scoring goals, which is handy. But he would set them back £30.9m, because that’s his release clause. Napoli are sniffing around too. Marco Verratti is also high up on Conte’s gift list. But the tricky PSG midfielder has popped up on Manchester United’s radar too because, you know, Manchester United. One player who looks like he will escape Chelsea’s grasp is Milan Badelj, the Croatia midfielder who is so enamoured by life at Fiorentina that he is willing to buy out his contract in order to find his way out of Florence. And where would he like to go? Colour his first name red and black. There you go.
And because Rafa Benítez loves a player with European pedigree so much he’s going to jump all over Aston Villa’s hopes of signing Dundalk’s Daryl Horgan and whisk him away to Newcastle instead.
