Aston Villa are among the clubs keeping an eye on Liverpool defender Joe Gomez following his opening day ouster.
England international Gomez’s career at Anfield is once again in doubt after he was left out of the squad for his first Premier League game under new manager Arne Slot at Ipswich on Saturday.
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Villa boss Unai Emery is looking to bolster his defence ahead of next Friday’s transfer deadline and the versatile Liverpool centre-back/full-back Gomez is among the options.
Any move is likely to depend on the future of Villa centre-back Diego Carlos, who is being courted by Fulham.
The Pitch Prospect has learned that Gomez was close to joining Newcastle for £45m at the start of the transfer window, but there is currently nothing to suggest the Magpies, who are still hoping to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, will express their interest again.
Take it easy, Eddie!
Nottingham Forest need to make Eddie Nketiah their highest paid player to lure him away from Arsenal.
The Pitch Prospect exclusively revealed last week that Forest were planning a transfer for Nketiah and an initial offer of £25 million has now been rejected.
Nketiah – valued at £50m at the start of the transfer window – earns £120,000-a-week at the Emirates Stadium and is unwilling to take a pay cut, despite not playing as a substitute in the Gunners’ opening win over Wolves.
As well as Nketiah, Forest are also in talks with Feyenoord over the transfer of Mexican international Santiago Gimenez and a mystery third striker, so expect the City Ground to be a hive of activity in the final two weeks of the transfer window.
Lots going on in Brighton… and it’s not over yet
Brighton’s summer shopping spree shows no signs of stopping – thanks in large part to Todd Boehly!
Ambitious Seagulls owner Tony Bloom has already spent more than £140 million on players for his new manager Fabian Hurzeler in his quest to compete in Europe again this season.
The Sussexes remain keen on Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, provided they can reach a compromise with the Scottish champions on the £30 million transfer fee.
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Brighton have also held advanced talks with Fenerbahce over a transfer of Turkish left-back Ferdi Kadioglu.
The irony is that even if the Seagulls break the £200m barrier, they would still be getting change from the £225m they received from Chelsea in recent seasons for Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez and manager Graham Potter.
Boehly is clearly aware of what Bloom is up to, with Chelsea snapping up the transfer of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester to Brighton and also showing interest in Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh before he moved to Amex from Newcastle for £33 million.
Another Chelsea exit?
It went unnoticed amid the excitement surrounding Raheem Sterling, but midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka was also left out of the squad for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against champions Manchester City.
When new manager Enzo Maresca was asked about the £20million man’s absence, he pointed to Chukwuemeka’s injury last season.
This seems a somewhat strange assessment from Maresca, considering that the former England U19 international played almost eight times more minutes than Romeo Lavia and only 302 minutes less than Christopher Nkunku, both of whom started the 2-0 home defeat to City.
Due to a serious knee injury, Wesley Fofana did not play a single minute in the Premier League, but was still called up to play in Maresca’s defense in the game against the champions.
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Chukwuemeka’s signing came ahead of the arrival of co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. The former Aston Villa youth player was considered one of England’s most promising young talents when Chelsea won the race for his signature, and his contract even included a £40 million release clause.
FC Barcelona have long been admirers of Chukwuemeka and remain interested in signing him, as have clubs in the Premier League, including Crystal Palace, and across Europe.