A number of big deals have already been completed this summer, and the transfer market has progressed to the point where rumors that have dragged on for weeks now look to be completed.
There are a host of such deals involving players who have been in the newspapers for some time now.
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Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho has been rumored to be on his way to Barcelona for months. The 28-year-old moved to Chinese club Guanzhou Evergrande two summers ago, but with Barcelona looking to retool its midfield, he’s resurfaced. Yesterday, reports suggested the Guanzhou could be considering legal action against the Catalan club for tapping their player up, and the deal seemed less likely than ever to be completed with Guanzhou apparently breaking off all communication with Barcelona.
Still, speaking to the media at Nelson Semedo’s unveiling, Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez said that a deal for Paulinho could still be completed.
Asked if the Paulinho transfer was dead in the water, Fernandez said, “It doesn’t have to be. Barca have to be vigilant, and when a player from a particular League comes up and you’re interested, you know what you have to do, and from there you have to do the deal.”
On Thursday it was announced that Gylfi Sigurdsson would not travel to the United States for Swansea City’s preseason tour, thanks to the transfer speculation surrounding the Icelandic playmaker. Still, the club is doing its best to hold firm.
Speaking with WalesOnline on Friday, American owners Steve Kaplan and James Levian made a joint statement, saying, “We will not be bullied or forced into a decision until a club meets our valuation of the player.” Reports over the weeks have suggested they have tagged Sigurdsson at $65 million and will not budge from that amount.
The two owners continued, saying they hoped Sigurdsson would stay and that he still could join the team if his future is sorted out in the next week or two.
“We have the ultimate respect for Gylfi as a person and a player and we are optimistic that he will reconsider his decision and join his team-mates.”
Manchester City is still in need of full-backs despite the completion of a deal for Tottenham’s Kyle Walker. With any potential agreement for Dani Alves scuttled by PSG, they have reportedly turned their sights towards the Ligue 1 champions.
According to a host of reports, City is nearing a deal for Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy. The 22-year-old has shown fantastic ability to move forward up the flanks and now could help City solve its full-back deficiency.
Reports on social media in both France and England suggest that the two clubs have agreed on a deal of $51 million for Mendy, and that the player is traveling to Manchester to complete a medical. Should this deal be completed, it would mean City will have spent $120 million on a pair of full-backs this summer.
Newcastle is looking for reinforcements now that they have been shot straight back up into the Premier League. Dwight Gayle currently leads the Magpies attack after a stellar Championship campaign last season that saw him rack up 23 goals, but Rafa Benitez apparently wants more.
According to reports in his native Uruguay, Bordeaux striker Diego Rolan is a player that Benitez is after. The reports say that Newcastle was given permission to speak with the 24-year-old, who has 25 caps for Uruguay.
The biggest roadblock for Newcastle in this deal is Championship side Fulham, who have been reportedly chasing Rolan for weeks. Rolan has apparently been waffling on whether he wants to drop down to the Championship to a club where he will immediately become the first-choice striker, or join Newcastle and battle for a starting spot in the Premier League. The player reportedly traveled to London on earlier in the week to meet with Fulham but left without making a decision.