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Chelsea desperate for Lukaku sale and have outside chance with Kudus
Chelsea remain desperate to sell Romelu Lukaku. If a deal isn’t reached with Juventus, or any other European club in August, Chelsea will insist Lukaku accepts an offer from a Saudi in September.
Chelsea want around €45m, but could come down slightly on price should the right opportunity present itself. Al-Hilal were the side pushing for Lukaku but they have just added Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham and currently have filled their foreign-player quota.
But with these high-profile Saudi deals, especially the PIF-led ones, the club is often allocated last. The Saudi top-flight window doesn’t close until September 7 and if Lukaku enters into that month without a new club then Saudi could end up being his only viable option.
Chelsea believe the Lukaku issue is as much on the player as them. He hasn’t engaged significantly with Mauricio Pochettino this summer. It’s not just Chelsea who want to sell. Lukaku also doesn’t view the club as an option.
MORE: Don’t miss this week’s the Debrief podcast
With Christopher Nkunku sidelined and Armando Broja returning from an ACL injury, Chelsea would ideally like another striker, but it’s about finding the right profile, and whether that’s a traditional No.9 or just a creative-minded attacker. If the former, Broja is going to feel pushed down the pecking order.
Brennan Johnson and Bradley Barcola are two to watch, and there’s still an outside chance of Mohammed Kudus, who West Ham have failed to date to agree a deal for.
Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun is another name who has been discussed, but it’s Monaco who are currently more advanced. Balogun would be open to a move to Chelsea, though. Inter would also love Balogun, but Arsenal would need to drop their £45-50m asking price by about £10m. There is no reason for them to do so in the current market and with plenty of late window interest.
The players Arsenal have considered as Jurrien Timber cover
Arsenal are still deciding whether to bring in a replacement for the injured Jurrien Timber. Although Arsenal have not yet revealed how long the Dutch defender will be out for, sources indicate he’s unlikely to be back before late March.
The advantage of Timber is he can play centre-back or right-back and if Arsenal do move in the market they will want someone equally as versatile.
Despite links with Ivan Fresneda – a player Arsenal pursued in January – I am told there is nothing advanced, whereas Sporting are closing in on a deal.
Benjamin Pavard has been considered by Edu, but Inter have pretty much completed that transfer. And this is the challenge at this stage of the window, especially when doing unplanned business. A lot of targets just aren’t attainable, and we know Arsenal hate to scramble. They are usually very considered in their approach, even late in windows.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal ‘revisit’ a player like Timothy Castagne, who wants to leave Leicester. He was discussed internally a few months ago. He may not be allowed to leave, and it’s Fulham who are the most active Premier League club at the moment. But that type of player – one who adds depth and doesn’t break the bank – is the kind of profile Arsenal may look at.
Why Liverpool signed Endo and other midfield deals to keep an eye on
Wataru Endo’s arrival at Liverpool from Stuttgart was certainly a surprise. But Liverpool’s recruitment team tends to work discreetly.
Signing Endo for £16m might seem underwhelming to some fans, especially when the week before Liverpool were trying for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, losing out on both to Chelsea. But Endo isn’t some consolation prize. From what I am told Jurgen Klopp played a big part in the deal, and he had to because Liverpool don’t usually pay fees for players in their late 20s or above.
Endo might not excite the fanbase in the same way as Caicedo or Lavia would have, but the Japan international proved reliable during a difficult debut against Bournemouth, coming off the bench to help ten-man Liverpool hold on to three points. He looked assured on the ball.
Liverpool do still want another midfielder, but not necessarily a No.6 unless the right opportunity presents itself. That’s partly because Stefan Bajcetic is back in the squad.
Keep an eye on long-standing target Ryan Gravenberch, though, who is a more versatile midfielder. Bayern’s position all summer has been that they don’t want to sell, but the player is open to Liverpool having endured a tough first season in Germany. Let’s see if Bayern’s position changes in the final few days of the window.
Liverpool have also been linked with Kalvin Phillips. I have been told all summer Phillips wants to stay at Manchester City and fight for his place. Nonetheless, this one could still be one to keep an eye on, because Liverpool did look at Phillips when he was still at Leeds.
Tottenham remain calm in race to replace Kane
Tottenham aren’t panicking about replacing Harry Kane. Ange Postecoglou has brought a real sense of calmness to the club. The new Spurs boss has impressed to date with his level-headed attitude.
Spurs are going to be busy between now and when the window shuts because they have some outgoings to resolve to ensure the squad side is manageable.
As far as replacing Kane is concerned, Jonathan David was a concrete target under Fabio Paratici, but so much has changed since then. It won’t be easy doing business with Lille either with so little time left in the window. David’s asking price is now as high as €65m, and this has put off many interested clubs.
Gent’s Gift Orban has also been considered, although Spurs are yet to table a formal bid. Orban has a lot of qualities to like but is ultimately unproven at Premier League level.
Spurs would love Lautaro Martinez, but Inter have been telling suitors all summer he’s not for sale. And I don’t think Spurs will move for Dusan Vlahovic either despite some summer links.
What is clear is Postecoglou doesn’t want to panic buy, and the type of profile he is looking for is different to the type of players Paratici was looking for when Antonio Conte was still at the club. That’s why directly replacing Kane (if that’s even possible!) may take some time.
I can still see Spurs adding a striker in the final days of the window but the question is whether they save some of that Kane fee in order to take their time for a flagship signing in the windows that follow, or spend big now.