Things that have got out of hand recently: Donald Trump, that Northern Ireland chant and this discussion about whether the Earth is round or flat. You can add Premier League transfer fees to that list. Of course this is, with the new television rights bunce knocking about, something we have known for a while, but has so far generally been applied to international transfer targets, to exotic sounding players like Xhaka or, er, Bailly.
Now, we are presented with reports that Burnley are turning down an offer of £15m for centre-back Michael Keane from the Premier League champions Leicester City. Now that’s a sentence the Mill didn’t envisage writing this time last year. But £15m: for a Manchester United reject who probably wouldn’t even make City’s XI, with Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and new signing Luis Hernández more likely to start.
Leicester aren’t done there: having seen their bid of £25m turned down, Claudio Ranieri has instructed some suit to carry an oversized cheque with £30m written on it down to Vicarage Road, in the hope that he might come back with Watford’s captain Troy Deeney, who scored that goal against Leicester in the 2013 Championship play-off semi-final. That is a potential deal that would make him the third most expensive English player of all time! He only scored 13 league goals last season, and six of those were penalties! What is the world coming to?
Mind you, Leicester are also benefiting from this recent price hike, and can now seriously look somebody in the eye, without laughing, asking for an eight-figure sum for Ben Chilwell, who at the age of 19, has yet to play a minute of league football for the club. Naturally, there are a few clubs interested in forking out £10m, not least Liverpool, who have already had a £7m offer turned down. Madness.
By those standards, the £28m that Manchester United have pushed in the direction of Borussia Dortmund for Henrikh Mkhitaryan looks like pocket change, bearing in mind the Armenia captain is already a world-class talent, already playing on the biggest stage.
“[Dortmund chief executive officer Hans-Joachim] Watzke walks 180 degrees into one direction and I 180 degrees into the other. But even though it does not look like it right now, I still hope for a sensible solution,” said Mkhitaryan’s Mr 15% Mino Raiola, who also represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Such an offer to join Manchester United might only come once in a lifetime for a player and nobody can guarantee us that the door will still be open for Micki next season. Manchester are Micki’s dream club, he wants to join them by any means.”
Dortmund have reportedly asked for £31m, which will no doubt give Ed Woodward a restless night or two, as he agonises over whether buying Troy Deeney or two Michael Keanes might be a better option.
Internazionale are interested in giving Pablo Zabaleta some black and blue stripes to wear, with the Argentinian not tipped to be in Pep Guardiola’s plans for next season. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his contract and made just 13 league appearances in the league last season for Manchester City.
In other Italy-related news, Tottenham have reportedly been quoted £11.5m for the Roma striker Antonio Sanabria, who excelled on loan at Sporting Gijón last season, and Swansea City’s manager Francesco Guidolin has batted his eyelids in the direction of Juventus’s Simone Zaza, who looks poised to start for the Azzurri against the Republic of Ireland today. “He is a player that I like a lot,” Guidolin told Sky Sport Italia. “A guy who is chomping at the bit because he is not playing much at his club.”
Chelsea have been told by Napoli they must cough up £30m if they want centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, having already seen a bid of £19.2m rejected. “I have not talked to [Antonio Conte] but that may be soon,” the Senegalese centre-back said. “The game in England could be suitable for me but I like Italy. I do not press for a transfer but I hope to sign a renewal with Napoli or we proceed to other solutions.”
