There have been points when you wonder: where can the Mill go next? We’ve had the tug-of-loves between the massive clubs, the mega-moves, the all-summer-long “Him to Them?” blockbusters. How can the Mill top all that? We’ll tell you how: tittle-tattle isn’t just about clubs anymore. It’s about entire countries.
So welcome to the battle of the super powers: it’s China v United States for the services of … Wayne Rooney. The Chinese Super League want Rooney to be their “poster boy” according to the Mail and are prepared to hand the Manchester United striker £75m over three years in order to make it happen. Shanghai SIPL would be the most likely destination, managed as they are by Rooney’s former England mentor Sven-Göran Eriksson.
MLS is also interested though and would perhaps offer Rooney a lifestyle not available in China, although the Americans haven’t got £75m burning a hole in their pockets. (The Chinese Super League are also keen on John Terry, which suggests that someone has just been going through the England squad list for the 2006 World Cup – expect Jermaine Jenas, Peter Crouch and Scott Carson to be linked with a move soon).
And speaking of the 2006 World Cup, Ashley Cole is on the January shopping list of Aston Villa. Rémi Garde wants his former Arsenal team-mate to sure up the left-hand side of his defence and fancies his chances of tempting him back to the Premier League seeing as he’s well and truly frozen out at Roma.
Arsenal have scribbled the name Victor Wanyama at the top of their list of targets but it’ll take more than £15m to prise the midfielder away from Southampton. They’ll face competition from across north London for the Kenyan’s signature as Spurs are still smarting from missing out in the summer.
In other upper-mid-table-Premier-League-clubs-struggling-to-hold-on-to-their-prized-asset news, Everton are braced for a £50m bid from Manchester United for England defender John Stones. Don’t get too excited though – nothing is happening here until the summer. It could be a busy summer for Louis van Gaal – Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane are all mentioned in dispatches today, which, the Mill is sure, is nothing to do with the club exiting the Champions League and attempting to distract the detractors with a bit of juicy gossip, no sirree.
There’s a battle brewing between Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal over Charlton youngster Ademola Lookman.
Who is going to be the next Swansea City manager? Ostersunds boss Graham Potter is the surprise name in the frame according to the Mail, while the Manchester Evening News reckons Ryan Giggs wouldn’t be averse to swapping Old Trafford for the Liberty Stadium.
And in other managerial news, Real Madrid want José Mourinho back again.
