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BBC Gossip Column Debunked – Issue 57

Another morning and another hatful of gossip which is led by whether or not Philippe Coutinho will move to Barcelona, that’s not the only rumour though as there are plenty more to digest. So feel free to tuck in to the serving below.

Gossip in standard font, my thoughts are in bold

Barcelona want to sign Liverpool’s Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho, 25, by the end of the week. (Mirror) With the Spanish season set to start next week, Barcelona will not want to give up any ground to Real Madrid whatsoever therefore they will look to conclude a deal as soon as possible

But Liverpool are refusing to sell Coutinho, as a Barcelona delegation flew to England to negotiate a deal. The La Liga club are willing to up their bid to £120m. (Star) I’ve heard conflicting stories in regarding to this, apparently it is meant to be nonsense

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has told the media in a public statement that the club have no plans to sell Gareth Bale, 28, following interest from Manchester United. (Star) As things stand, Gareth Bale will be at Real Madrid by the end of the transfer window. The only thing that might change that is the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.

But privately Perez has told Jose Mourinho that he would be willing to let the Welshman leave. (Diario Gol via Daily Express) If the above scenario happens then yes

Chelsea have launched a £25m bid for Arsenal’s England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 23. (Mail) Would Arsene Wenger be prepared to sell to one of his nearest rivals, then again “The Ox” is another player whose future is uncertain, so there may be a small amount of mileage in this one

Manchester City have made enquiries about the availability of Barcelona’s 29-year-old midfielder, Sergio Busquets. (Onda Sera via Manchester Evening News) I think they will be politely told no, Barcelona will not be looking to shed any more key players

Inter Milan have joined the race for Leicester’s playmaker Riyad Mahrez, after Roma had a £32m bid for the 26-year-old turned down. The Foxes want £50m for the Algeria winger. (Mirror) Truth be told, I don’t think anyone is willing to pay £50m. Mahrez is not at the peak of his powers, I think a fee nearer £40m is more realistic

Paris St-Germain are ready to offer £80m for Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, as they try to beat Manchester City for the Arsenal star. (Independent) A fee that would blow Manchester City out of the water, would that be enough to convince Arsene Wenger to sell?

Chelsea and Manchester United have received encouragement to pursue a deal to sign Serge Aurier after PSG decided to put the 24-year-old Ivory Coast right-back up for sale. (Telegraph) So maybe the Visa issues that I mentioned yesterday are not a thing after all. With Dani Alves now at PSG, Aurier has become surplus to requirements so a deal could be on the cards

Southampton are prepared to let Virgil van Dijk, 26, ‘rot in the stands’ than sell the Dutch defender. (Express) They won’t though, they will cash in eventually, too much money just to sit in the stands

Negotiations between Everton and Swansea over a deal for Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, 27, have broken down but any suggestion the deal is completely off is nonsense. (Sky Sports) I think this one will go right to the end of the window

Brighton are prepared to break their transfer record again this summer to bring in a striker, having paid PSV Eindhoven £10m for midfielder Davy Propper, 25. (Brighton Argus) This is certainly an area Brighton could do with strengthening as although they have hard working forwards they need just a bit more quality up top

Stoke’s Spanish defender Marc Muniesa, 25, is nearing a transfer to La Liga side Girona. (Stoke Sentinel) Girona are newly promoted and will be looking to kick on after last season, this could be a solid signing for them

Liverpool are set to turn down a request from Hannover to take 17-year-old forward Ben Woodburn on loan. (Mail) I think Woodburn is going to feature in Jurgen Klopp’s plans this season, therefore a loan move is not going to entertained

Leicester City striker Ahmed Musa, 24, is now being tipped to join Hull City. (Leicester Mercury) His time at Leicester has not necessarily been a flop but it has been quite uninspiring at the same time, so a move away does not surprise me

Birmingham have rejected a £3m bid from Derby for striker Che Adams with Blues boss Harry Redknapp keen to hang on to the 21-year-old. (Birmingham Mail) Triffic

Marseille are hoping to finalise a deal to sign defender Jordan Amavi, 23, from Aston Villa before the end of the week. (L’Equipe – in French) Not in favour under Steve Bruce, a return to France seems imminent

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has been told to offload players before he considers adding to his £30m summer spending. (Times) Not the news that Rafa Benitez would have wanted to hear

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