Gossip: Everyone wants Antoine Griezmann
Date published: Monday 19th September 2016 8:43
ALL FOR ONE…
…and Antoine for all. Everyone wants Antoine Griezmann. That is news brought to you exclusively by the Daily Star on Monday morning. You are bloody welcome.
‘EXCLUSIVE: Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal locked in battle for £80m striker,’ writes Paul Hetherington. The claim appears to emanate from Diego Simeone’s recent renewal of his contract, with the Argentinean now expected to leave Atletico Madrid at the end of next season.
That, coupled with the fact that Griezmann has parted company with his agent and will represent himself at transfer negotiations, will ‘spark the Premier League’s biggest transfer battle’.
United are long-term admirers, while Hetherington throws Manchester City’s name into the hat. Because why not? Chelsea are also interested, while ‘Starsport has been told’ that Arsenal want him too. Groundbreaking.
POOR SCHWEINI
After losing their third consecutive game in a week, Manchester United are struggling. It seems clear that they could do with a midfield enforcer – an experienced head with vast knowledge of the game. A World Cup winner, perhaps? A former European champion for his club, maybe?
But there is no route back for poor Bastian Schweinsteiger. United could be bottom of the Premier League and the German would be consigned to playing golf in Cheshire with his wife. The Daily Mail claim that he is hardly bothered with said fate – why would he be? – with Joe Bernstein writing that, ‘the former Bayern Munich star has so far shown no inclination to let himself be forced out’.
United, of course, remain keen to offload him. His £6.7m transfer valuation was written off in the latest club accounts, his basic wage is structured so that it falls year-by-year, and he has little to no chance of ever appearing in the first team again. Yet the club are allowing Schweinsteiger to ‘make the first move in any attempt to reach a settlement that would let him leave’. Considering the club would owe him £7m in wages, that’s understandable.
Either way, United are welcome to literally any approach for Schweinsteiger, including any free transfer deal. Best of luck getting it, guys.
AND THE REST
Joey Barton’s time at Rangers is set to come an end this week, with the midfielder to meet with manager Mark Warburton on Monday following his fall out with the club… Mark Hughes is now strong favourite to suffer the first Premier League managerial sacking of the season after his Stoke side continued their winless start to the season at Crystal Palace… West Ham’s hopes of keeping centre back Reece Oxford, whose current deal expires at the end of the season, look bleak as Manchester United plot a move for the 17-year-old… Newcastle will spend £10m to sign Brentford and Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan Judge, 27, in a deal that could be worth £2m in sell-on fees to his former club Blackburn… Caretaker manager Mike Phelan is analysing Hull City’s contract offer and hopes to make a decision about becoming Steve Bruce’s permanent successor on Monday… Former Manchester United coach Phelan is set to be confirmed as Hull City’s manager early this week.
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