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Manchester City are still favorites for the title at the moment, and they also have an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United to look forward to. As ever, the standards have been really high for City this season, so how do they improve on this summer’s squad?
My current understanding is that midfield will be a key area to improve in the summer for Manchester City, this is the plan. They still like West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, but he is not the only name on the list. Then the young Brazilian, Savio, will do pre-season with Manchester City, so it will be an important opportunity for him after playing for the City Group team Girona.
I also know that the City player who once made headlines was Ilkay Gundogan. However, I can assure you that it is not true that Gundogan’s future at Barcelona is in doubt – he is not thinking about anything at the moment. Gundogan remains an important player for Barca, Xavi is very happy with him.
I would also say that it is important to clarify that there were no major problems between Gundogan and his Barca teammates – Gundogan and Ronald Araujo had a public discussion, but they clarified the situation between them so the topic is completely over.
Despite the reports, it is not true that Antonio Conte has committed to Chelsea. There are no advanced discussions with English clubs – it is simply not true. We know Conte is open to new opportunities, and Napoli could be a possibility, but it’s not done or agreed, so let’s see what Napoli decide to do.
Conte is waiting for an opportunity, he is looking everywhere in Europe, but he will only look for a job if he thinks it is the right opportunity for him. There is no truth in him committing to Chelsea.
There have been talks about Ruben Amorim and Chelsea, but as I have always said, they will take their time to decide on Mauricio Pochettino, so that will come at the end of the season, not now. So let’s not forget about anything agreed with other coaches at this moment.
The priority for Amorim is to wait for an opportunity – he had contact with Liverpool, but no deal was done as some outlets said, and he had talks with West Ham but this is not happening. However, Amorim dreams of working in the Premier League, so he is waiting for an opportunity with the English team, but to say that he is in advanced talks with Chelsea is not true at the moment, because we have to wait until the end. season to understand Chelsea’s position on Pochettino.
Finally for Chelsea, I know there have been reports of interest in signing Jordan Pickford this summer. My understanding is that Pickford’s situation may be viewed in general terms, but it depends on Everton. I have not contacted Chelsea yet but let’s see what they decide to do in the goalkeeper position; and Kepa will return, so there are now three important goalkeepers at the club and this will be the subject before bringing in a new one.
Leon Goretzka could leave Bayern in the summer, but it will depend on the manager. We have to wait. Kimmich, Goretzka, Sane… many players are waiting to talk to the future coach before deciding on their future, and Bayern are waiting to hear from their new manager to decide on certain players.
Dayot Upamecano is another option to leave Bayern if they receive an offer, but so far there are no talks, no talks, no contacts. I can’t name specific clubs now as it’s very quiet, but we’ll see in the summer.
Tosin Adarabioyo is set to become one of the most interesting free agents available on the market this summer, especially in England. As I revealed last Friday, the defender will leave Fulham at the end of his contract this summer. It is over between him and Fulham, there is no chance for him to sign a new contract at Craven Cottage.
We are now hearing reports of a deal being done for Adarabioyo to join Newcastle, but my understanding is that the race is still open. Newcastle are interested in the player, but nothing has been signed or agreed for him to join the Magpies. He is one of the players on their list, and they will certainly look at free agent opportunities, with Lloyd Kelly at Bournemouth another target.
Newcastle like Adarabioyo and he could be an option, but it’s not done yet, so let’s see how he develops and if other clubs start making a run.
There were reports in Germany a few days ago about Virgil van Dijk possibly going to Borussia Dortmund, but what I hear from sources is not true.
My understanding is that Dortmund are focused on different names – they will try to keep Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen, but the links to Van Dijk are not real or tangible at this time. Contacts are not made, it does not happen.
Incoming Liverpool manager Arne Slot will hold a direct interview with Van Dijk, and will try to keep the experienced Dutch defender at the club as part of his project. Slot would like to keep Van Dijk at the club, so the conversation between them will be important.
Teun Koopmeiners has been linked with Liverpool as a player that Slot likes, but Slot has not discussed any words with Liverpool so far when it comes to transfer targets. It is obvious now to link the Dutch players with Liverpool, but the truth is that nothing has been developed or concrete now, it is too early. It is also worth mentioning that Juventus are considering Koopmeiners as one of their top targets in the summer window.
Some fans also asked me about Marc Guehi, who was in excellent form for Crystal Palace before his injury. Recent reports include interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, but I cannot confirm these links yet.
However, Guehi has a realistic chance of leaving Crystal Palace this summer. I can’t confirm the clubs yet, as it’s still very early – there is interest from several clubs, but nothing concrete yet.
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