DONE DEAL: Arsenal complete the signing of another £60m Striker as a backup option for Gyokeres,deal signed last night as announcement will be done today – Congratulations Arsenal fans
DONE DEAL: Arsenal complete the signing of another £60m Striker as a backup option for Gyokeres,deal signed last night as announcement will be done today – Congratulations Arsenal fans
Caught Offside suggest that the Gunners are “keeping an eye” on Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Díaz with the former Manchester City man yet to agree a new contract at the Bernabeu.
The 25-year-old’s deal concludes in 2027 but he hasn’t committed his future to Real despite reports that an agreement had been reached. As a result, both Arsenal and AC Milan are monitoring developments, although their interest is described as being “at a very early stage” with no negotiations imminent.
The report dovetails with a story from Fichajes, who suggested on Thursday that an unspecified Saudi Arabian side had offered €65m (£56.6m) for Díaz’s services, although it must be acknowledged that we generally ignore Fichajes given their track record with rumours.
The 3AM Verdict: It sounds as though it’s most likely that Díaz remains with Real for the foreseeable future, while Arsenal are far more focussed on signing Rodrygo and Eberechi Eze. Should those deals fall through and Díaz’s situation remains unchanged, perhaps this rumour comes back around.
Chelsea’s ‘background checks’ as Manchester United deal nears
Over to a story for Chelsea and Manchester United fans, now, which comes from The Daily Telegraph – who say that Chelsea have completed a series of “background checks” on United’s Alejandro Garnacho and have “no character concerns” ahead of a likely move.
The Blues are “expected” to bid for the Argentine before the end of the window with United just as keen to get rid of Garnacho and he is to leave. It’s implied, however, that Chelsea will wait to sell some of their own outcasts such as Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku before they make a move.
Garnacho has been the subject of bids from overseas, but apparently his “preference is to remain in the Premier League”, with Chelsea looking among his most likely options as it stands. The article goes on to contradict some prior press reports by suggesting that Chelsea have yet to make a formal offer for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, again likely because they are trying to sell some players first.
The 3AM Verdict: It does look as though this long-rumoured move really will happen this summer, although there are some hurdles to clear yet – not that the player’s willingness to go to Stamford Bridge seems likely to be one of them. We believe this one probably gets done before the end of August.
Everton ready second bid for Championship star
Let’s round things off with a story from Football Insider, who suggest that Everton haven’t been dissuaded from their pursuit of Tyler Dibling after their first bid was rejected – and will “ready a new offer” for a player they view as “ideal”. Apparently they are still interested in Manchester City’s Jack Grealish but with the move “not a simple one” they are turning to Southampton’s rising star instead, although the Saints “won’t let [Dibling] leave without a fight.”
