Transfers and gossip up to July 12th
We catch up with some of the transfers and gossip up to July 12th, with the help of reputable sources such as Fabrizio Romano.
Following the media’s many transfers and gossip stories can be tiresome. The majority either fall through or have been tactically planted by one of the parties involved. Yet those that do come to fruition can have a huge effect on Fantasy Premier League, UCL Fantasy or even both.
Here are a few of the more interesting rumours from the last few days.
Transfers and gossip
Harvey Barnes (from Leicester to Newcastle)
Leading on from the weekend noise that Barnes to Newcastle was imminent, The Times believe a £35m deal is significantly closer.
The Magpies enquired about the winger last summer but were put off by Leicester’s larger demands. Now relegated, this asking price has been lowered to a more acceptable amount and the 25-year-old will be hoping to build on his 13 goals of 2022/23.
Amongst midfielders, he ranked an impressive joint-fourth for shots on target (34) and fifth for big chances (17) – better than Bruno Fernandes and all Arsenal options in both instances. Somehow he avoided all bonus points.
If this deal is completed, there’s the difficulty of possible rotation and tough early fixtures. He’d likely be priced at either £6.5m or £7.0m.
Moussa Diaby (from Leverkusen to Aston Villa)
A player often linked with Newcastle is Moussa Diaby but it sounds like they’re looking elsewhere. In steps Aston Villa to continue their brilliant recruitment.
Pau Torres has been confirmed, as has Youri Tielemans, yet this capture would be remarkable. According to L’Equipe, the French winger could be tempted into the move and a fee of £50m is required.
Unai Emery will hope it turns out better than the club’s last signing from Leverkusen. Leon Bailey arrived for around £30m two years ago but has struggled massively with injuries.
With Villa back in Europe, a squad with more bodies and higher quality is needed. Diaby is certainly the latter.
Tahith Chong (from Birmingham to Luton)
This afternoon brought breaking news that Luton are about to pay a club record £4m fee for Birmingham’s Tahith Chong.
As no Luton midfielder scored more than three goals in their promotion season, none of them are on the horizon for the FPL community. The Dutchman netted just four times himself but assisted on five other occasions.
Each current Luton midfielder is priced at either £4.5m or £5.0m, so it should be the same for Chong. We can assess during pre-season how he fits into Rob Edwards’ 3-5-2 formation.
Vitor Roque (from Athletico Paranaense to Barcelona)
Meanwhile, Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque for an initial €30m that could rise to €61m.
In March, this 18-year-old became the youngest debutant of their senior national team since the great Ronaldo. A Brazilian forward who started at Cruzeiro and was soon at Barcelona, the uncanny comparisons will no doubt continue until his arrival in the summer of 2024.
The Spanish champions were blown away by his time at Athletico Paranaense, as 22 goals have arrived in 66 outings so far. Having seen Real Madrid’s success with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, Barca would’ve been nervous about the Endrick hype – another superstar set to move from Brazil to the Bernabeu.
In Vitor Roque, they have a response.
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