Antony of Ajax and PSV’s Cody Gakpo remain firmly on the radar. Erik ten Hag has made Antony a priority target but the Eredivisie club are playing hardball with the fee and want €100m (£85m), having sold key players this summer. Anthony’s agent, Emerson Santos, set tongues wagging on Monday night with an Instagram story showing his client watching United beat Liverpool on TV. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Gakpo is available for less than half the advertised fee for Anthony – and reports suggest United have even agreed personal terms with the winger. Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest – a player Ten Hag worked with at Ajax – has essentially been told by Xavi to drop his hook, so it’s not impossible the full-backs head to Old Trafford before the month is out. For United departures and it looks like Eric Bey will be heading to Marseille: reports in France suggest he will join the Ligue 1 club for an initial fee of £8.4m. Marseille had also been linked with Cristiano Ronaldo – notably omitted for the thrilling win over Liverpool – but the French club are now said to have dropped the idea. But there may still be hope for Ronaldo’s dream of leaving Old Trafford: Sporting Lisbon remain in the mix as a possible destination, although the Portuguese club are unwilling to pay a transfer fee, which sounds like a potential hurdle. The Times report that Chelsea are confident of completing a deal for Everton’s Anthony Gordon this week – while Sky Sports News claim this morning that Todd Boely and co are willing to pay up to £60m for to prize the striker away from Goodison Park. Chelsea may also rekindle their interest in AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, according to PA: the 23-year-old has failed to agree a new contract with the Rossoneri, but a hefty €150m release clause has been reported. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea’s talks with Barcelona over a deal for Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang are progressing well, with personal terms agreed. Memphis Depay will also leave Barcelona – a move to Juventus is a possibility, although he may opt to recruit ex-Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik. Important hours ahead for Aubameyang and Depay bids. 🚨🔵 #FCB ▫️ Barca want €30m for Aubameyang, talks ongoing with Chelsea – personal terms agreed. ▫️ Depay ready to break contract with Barca, but wait for Juve to decide as Arkadiusz Milik is the other option. pic.twitter.com/oV11dTHb28 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 23, 2022 Glances of admiration are said to be being cast from Tottenham in north London in the direction of Daniel James at Leeds. With Bryan Gil set to move to Valencia, Spurs chief executive Fabio Paratici is keen to bolster Antonio Conte’s attacking options and is said to be a fan of the hard-hitting former Manchester United winger. Another Leeds player who is reportedly being targeted by a rival club is Jack Harrison. Newcastle have tabled a second bid in excess of £20million, Athletic reckon, but Jesse Marsh and his team are determined to keep hold of a player who most recently impressed at the weekend for Chelsea. Fulham may look to France and Paris Saint-Germain’s Lavigne Kurzaua for cover at left-back. L’Équipe reports that they have made inquiries about a possible deal. While his large wage package may prove problematic, PSG may be willing to continue paying a portion of it to get him off the books.
