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The winter transfer window is closed — but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around following the Jan. 31 deadline day:
– Transfer grades: Man United get a ‘D’ for Ighalo
– Miller: The good, the bad, and … Man United
– O’Hanlon: How Liverpool dominate transfer ‘value’
TOP STORY: Arsenal to resume chase for Umtiti in the summer
While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was successful in bringing in two new defenders in the January transfer window, he’ll have to wait until the summer to resume his quest to sign Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti, says Le Parisien.
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The Gunners’ boss added Pablo Mari from Flamengo and Cedric Soares from Southampton to his dwindling defensive ranks, but Arteta was also keen for some proven quality with Champions League experience.
He turned to Barca’s Umtiti, who turned down the Gunners in this transfer window in the hope of securing more first-team football in the second half of the season under new boss Quique Setien.
Umtiti, 26, has played just 10 games this season but he believes he can work his way back into what he says is the best club in Europe.
LIVE BLOG
23.30 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours for this summer. Goodnight!
23.17 GMT: Man United are reportedly set to up their pursuit of “No. 1 target” Kalidou Koulibaly.
A report in The Mirror suggests that Man United remain determined to land the Senegal international and pair him with record signing Harry Maguire.The report says the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Koulibaly is the perfect partner for Maguire and would be willing to spend the better part of £90 million on the Napoli man.
With Napoli unlikely to qualify for Europe, Koulibaly is expected to be on the move this summer with Barcelona, Real Madrid and United all linked with the imperious defender.
22.52 GMT: Was Mesut Ozil nearly on the move in an 11th-hour move on deadline day?
The Mirror writes that Ozil had an offer from an unknown Qatari club but that it fell through because Arsenal did not have a suitable amount of time to try and replace the German midfielder. The report also adds that Ozil and Arteta would have been willing to listen to the proposal had it come earlier in the window.
RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo and Atletico Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco were reportedly targets for the Gunners before they made their respective moves.
22.27 GMT: After fending off suitors from the Championship for star striker Ronan Curtis, Portsmouth are close to agreeing to a new contract with the Republic of Ireland international, according to The News.
Curtis, 23, has 11 goals in 24 League One games this season for Pompey, who after a win over Sunderland are back in the division’s top six. The Irish forward’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and a new deal signifies Pompey’s ambition as a club.
Our Ian Darke is sure to be delighted with the news.
21.50 GMT: Gervinho, remember him?
The former Arsenal and Roma man was reportedly set to move from Italy to Qatar before a deal fell through on deadline day. The Ivorian was supposed to join Xavi’s side Al Sadd but Parma reportedly registered his paperwork too late in the process, according to Xavi.
Xavi admitted interest in the 32-year-old whom he described as “an excellent player” and hopes to still make a run for him in the summer.
“What I heard from the club’s management is that it is difficult to register Gervinho in the squad as the transfer window was closed yesterday,” Xavi said.
“If he is registered, he will only register for the next season. He is an excellent player.
“We will try to search for a fifth foreign player during the coming period, as long as he is a free agent not linked to any club.
“I would have liked to have this player (Gervinho), but it is difficult now to register him in the team.”
<img alt class="floatleft" src="https://espnmediazone.com/us/files/2018/03/App-Icon-Android-7.png&w=126&site=espnfc(122 kB)
https://espnmediazone.com/us/files/2018/03/App-Icon-Android-7.png&w=126&site=espnfc
” width=”40″>21.00 GMT: Edinson Cavani ended up staying put at PSG this window and potential suitors Atletico Madrid are not happy about it, sources tell ESPN.
“I think it’s shameful the situation of some players with their agents and relatives” Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo said, speaking after Atletico’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Madrid derby on Saturday. “We’re not here to be robbed.”
Sources have told ESPN that Atletico were unwilling to meet Paris Saint-Germain’s €20 million asking price for the Uruguayan centre-forward, who is out of contract this summer.
Cavani, 32, had been heavily linked with a move to the Spanish capital, with Chelsea and Inter Miami also reportedly interested.
20.19 GMT:Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare was a trendy name during the winter window but ultimately, stayed put.
The French midfielder,20, was linked with a handful of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle. How in demand was Soumare? Newcastle reportedly bid £45 million for the player, only for Soumare to turn down a move to Tyneside.
According to journalist Robin Bairner via L’Equipe, the Lille man rejected the opportunity to join Premier League side Newcastle United even after a FaceTime call with Toon winger Allan Saint-Maximin. In the same publication, Soumare finally lifted the lid on his future:
“I do not see myself leaving. I feel good here. I am learning, we have big objectives to attain, like qualification for the Champions League. A departure is not on the cards.
“I want to do a full season, yes. I am not saying that I am in the starting XI, but the place that I have in the team today, I worked hard to get through the work that I put in, I won it. I cannot see myself leaving without seeing this through.
“I feel good. My team-mates help me. It is not the time to leave. I do not want to leave with any regrets.”
We’ll see if a whole lot of cash…
Read more at this link (News Source).
