Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester United are all involved with comings and/or goings in the most recent roundup of transfer gossip.
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What will become of Mario Balotelli? The incredibly-gifted but mercurial Italian striker is not with Liverpool on their preseason tour, instead training back at club headquarters. Brendan Rodgers said the player’s future “is up to Mario”, and several sources say Inter Milan is not interested in bringing Balo back to Italy. But Fiorentina might want the striker, and Liverpool is interested in a swap for Mario Gomez.
Newcastle’s French revolution under Alan Pardew and Graham Carr had a Dutch taste with Daryl Janmaat, Vurnon Anita and Tim Krul in the fold, and the Carr/Steve McClaren combination has already seen Giorginio Wijnaldum arrive (and score last night against Timbers2). Twenty-one-year-old Feyenoord winger Jean-Paul Boetius could be in play, while newly-singed Aleksandar Mitrovic could be joined on Tyneside by ex-Anderlecht teammate Chancel Mbemba.
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique said he can’t do much if Manchester United triggers Pedro’s $33 million release clause. “If he wants to go, a club will have to meet his release clause. I have talked with Pedro to discuss his situation. I have told him how I think about it and he told me how he feels about it, but I obviously won’t reveal the exact content of the conversation we had.”
Could Wojciech Szczesny be a loan target for AS Roma? The young keeper is behind Petr Cech in the pecking order and the Italians are said to be interested.