As the Mill read today’s edition of L’Equipe during a high-powered breakfast with other influential figures in football, we turned to the Liverpool big cheese John W Henry and asked: “Say, did you ever find out what they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?” Henry didn’t reply because he was still on the telephone to Jürgen Klopp, who had rung five and a half hours earlier just to say good morning.
So the Mill asked the other football svengalis around the table for their opinions, but the best suggestion that anyone could offer was that Arsenal’s IT system had been hacked. That seemed to be the only explanation for the lack of cringe-inducing selfies posted by the club yesterday and also for the shockingly uncharacteristic big-money bid for a world class player, Kylian Mbappé. According to L’Equipe, Arsenal have joined Real Madrid and Manchester City in pursuing the teenage striker and actually gone so far as to submit a reasonable-in-football-terms bid of “around €100m”, which is worth £87m at the time of writing. Make that £86m. Sorry, try £85m. No, £84m … tell you what, let’s just move on as if everything’s OK, shall we?
Wenger will seek to entice Mbappé by assuring him that not only will he get regular action at Arsenal but the whole team will be built around him; and that team will include Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil, who have reportedly been told of Arsenal’s summer targets and been suitably impressed. Of course, they’ve probably also been told that the team will be built around them but, hey, that’s just one of those things that managers sometimes have to say, like “we don’t know how to play for a draw, we go into every match looking to win” and “I don’t like to criticise referees because they have a difficult job but that plonker loves himself and was desperate to make sure all the cameras were on him today.”
On which note, let’s move on to José Mourinho. He’s said to be formulating a bid for Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, whose mooted move to Atlético Madrid has been torpedoed by the club’s transfer ban, which has also shot down Antoine Griezmann’s potential switch to Manchester United. Romelu Lukaku is still being linked with Old Trafford, too, as has the Werder Bremen striker Max Kruse and the Benfica centre-back Victor Lindelof.
Meanwhile, once Klopp had finished saying good morning, cracked a few jokes and flitted through a variety of other topics that crossed his mind, he had words with Henry about Liverpool’s transfer targets. They include Roma’s Mohamed Salah, who is said to be keen to try his luck in the Premier League again. All it remains for Liverpool to do is agree a fee with Roma. Liverpool also want to make their traditional pilgrimage to St Mary’s, but Southampton are warning that if they intend taking back Virgil van Dijk as a souvenir, it’ll cost at least £70m.
Rafa Benítez likes the look of the Metz winger Ismaïla Sarr and has convinced Newcastle to make an offer of a around £10m for the Senegalese.
The Chelsea coach Eddie Newton has emerged as a person of interest in Sunderland’s hunt for a new manager. But it could be several years before an appointment is made if the club are intent on talking to everyone who could do a better job than David Moyes did.
Meanwhile, before heading to Cardiff to watch his team win the Women’s Champions League final last night, the Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas swung by Stamford Bridge to discuss two potential recruits to his men’s outfit, namely Kurt Zouma and Bertrand Traoré. Chelsea, meanwhile, expressed their interest in Lyon’s midfielder Corentin Tolisso.
Watford fancy the Le Havre full-back Ferland Mendy, who is also courted by Marseille.
Sandro Ramírez is a Málaga striker, but not for much longer if Everton have anything to do with it.
Leeds are keen to hook up again with Jonny Howson, who has turned down a new contract offer at Norwich. As for Leeds’ next manager, word is Aitor Karanka is keen to bring a bit of excitement and stability to Elland Road. Wonder who he’ll recommend as manager then?
