Today’s fluff is taking out the bins
With Manchester United’s front players still unfussed about actually scoring goals – Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Højlund and Anthony Martial have the grand total of five between them in the Premier League this season – no wonder the Red Devils are being linked with that fella who can’t stop finding the net in the Bundesliga. No, not Harry Kane; that ship sailed in the summer. We’re talking Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy (17 goals in the German top flight this season; second only to Kane’s 21).
United are in the race, as are Premier League rivals Newcastle and Tottenham. The only snag is that Bayern Munich also appear to have noticed the Guinea striker banging them in every week and latest reports suggest they may be shuffling towards the front of the queue to pay the £15.1m release clause in his contract. A Kane and Guirassy front two sounds mouthwatering although that may take the form of jealous drooling if you’re a United fan.
Perhaps some more likely Manchester United-Bundesliga dealings concern Jadon Sancho, with the England winger being heavily linked with a return to Borussia Dortmund. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says the move is advancing to “key stages” as talks continue and Dortmund want to wrap it up quickly. As for the detail, United are now willing to accept a loan deal although they’d have to pay part of Sancho’s hefty salary. Dortmund will take care of the loan fee. The 23-year-old scored 38 league goals in 104 appearances during his first spell with the German club. He’d managed nine in 58 for United in the Premier League before falling out with boss Erik ten Hag and being indefinitely naughty-stepped.
Arsenal need a boost after back-to-back Premier League defeats and perhaps they’ll get one by snapping up the man described as the “next Rodri”. That would be Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, whose chances of being lured by fellow Spaniard Mikel Arteta appear to have gone up a notch after reports that Barcelona have cooled their interest. Arteta tried to sign Zubimendi last summer. The midfielder, who has been capped four times by Spain, has a £53m release clause.
Surely the Gunners should be thinking about a new striker you cry and, inevitably, names are being flung around more easily than William Saliba ragdolling Bryan Gil out of the way from a corner. While a move for Ivan Toney seems more likely in the summer, the right here, right now deal could be Nigerian international Victor Boniface. The Bayer Leverkusen frontman has 16 goals and eight assists in 23 games this season and is valued around £35m.
Liverpool are losing Mo Salah and Wataru Endo to international duty and it’s the latter’s position where rumours are doing the rounds. Back to Munich and the Reds are reportedly going to battle Manchester United for German midfielder Joshua Kimmich although that would be a summer tussle. And there’s also a Liverpool link with Endo’s Japanese compatriot Ko Itakura. The Borussia Mönchengladbach defender has Joe Gomez-style versatility across the backline and Jürgen Klopp’s team of scouts are believed to have monitored Itakura numerous times. A valuation of £15m adds to his appeal as a potential squad player. Itakura was previously on Manchester City’s books but didn’t make an appearance.
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In manager news, there are no reports yet of Wayne Rooney’s next exciting adventure, although a former Evertonian has made some headlines. Carlo Ancelotti has stated he wants to remain at Real Madrid beyond 2026 after signing a two-year contract with the Spanish giants last week. “I’d like to be Madrid coach until 2026, and hopefully I can continue to be here in 2027 and 2028 because I want to stay here,” said the 64-year-old, presumably after noting that Roy Hodgson is still going strong at 76.
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