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Given his current employers’ well-documented interest in securing the services of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Leandro Trossard is understandably reluctant to sign a contract extension with Arsenal until he has a better idea of how likely he is to get game time at the Emirates Stadium next season. The Belgian winger is the subject of interest from Borussia Dortmund, while at least two unnamed Premier League clubs are reported to have made “concrete offers”. Exactly how much concrete we’re talking about is unknown, but it seems Arsenal wouldn’t be adverse to cashing in on a player they bought from Brighton for £27m two years ago. Following a summer influx that isn’t necessarily over, the club are also believed to be open to offers for some or all of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The mass exodus of Bournemouth defenders shows no sign of abating, with Paris Saint-Germain apparently determined to lure Illia Zabarnyi to the French capital. A fan favourite who is regularly serenaded with a cleverly reworked chorus of Whitney Houston’s dancefloor filler I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), the 22-year-old Ukrainian could join Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (Arsenal via parent club Chelsea) in heading for the exit and is reported to have been the subject of an initial £50m bid from the Champions League winners, which Bournemouth have rejected. Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with a move for the centre-back.
While Aaron Ramsdale may not be among the more glamorous targets to have been approached by Newcastle this summer, the Southampton goalkeeper does look to be on the verge of signing for Eddie Howe’s side, in a state of affairs that may prompt Manchester United to bid for his fellow England understudy Nick Pope. In the final year of his contract on Tyneside, the prospect of losing Pope is unlikely to get Newcastle fans as exercised as that of a certain in-demand and possibly Liverpool-bound Swedish striker, but the word from St James’ Park appears to be that Howe is bringing Ramsdale in to compete with, rather than replace his current first-choice keeper.
Ollie Watkins is reported to be open to a move to Old Trafford but Aston Villa’s £60m valuation for the England striker is apparently too rich for Jim Ratcliffe’s blood. The Manchester United beancounters are hoping they can barter Villa down to a more palatable fee with their outcast winger Alejandro Garnacho thrown in to help grease the wheels of commercial progress. In other Villa news, Àlex Moreno could become a gentleman of Girona if the Spanish side’s manager Michel is successful in his bid to be reunited with a player he previously coached at Rayo Vallecano. Having spent last season on an underwhelming loan spell at Nottingham Forest, the 32-year-old is surplus to requirements at Villa Park and eager to leave.
After his summer departure from Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller is MLS-bound and, despite interest from FC Cincinnati, looks likely to sign for Vancouver Whitecaps in a deal dependent on such romantic niceties as “targeted allocation money” and the successful negotiation of “discovery rights”. Set to become the Whitecaps’ most high-profile acquisition since one-time Brechin City Boys Club graduate Ryan Gauld, the German international will join a club that sits one point off top spot in the Western Conference with a game in hand over leaders San Diego.
