TRANSFER ROUNDUP: Leicester City To Sign Former United Keeper, Lewandowski To Leave Bayern, And More
Zlatan Ibrahimovic May Not Necessarily Move To Man United, Claims Agent
Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not necessarily move to Manchester United this summer, his agent Mino Raiola has revealed.
Ever since his contract with Paris Saint Germain expired, Zlatan has been the hottest free agent in the transfer market, and is being linked with clubs from all over the world – including outfits from the Premier League, Serie A, MLS and the Chinese Super League. However, with Manchester United appointing Jose Mourinho as their new manager, almost every news source has reported that the Swede star will be heading to the Theatre of Dreams and reunite with the Special One.
The 34-year-old’s agent, however, begs to differ. As per Mino Raiola, Ibrahimovic may very well join another club, and that his transfer will come as a ‘surprise’ to everyone. Speaking to Expressen, Raiola said: “We have not decided anything yet. I think it will be a surprise in the end. Everyone is harping on about only United, United, United. There are some clubs in England, a few clubs in Europe, clubs outside Europe, but everyone assumes that he must go to Manchester United, but it is not true.”
Robert Lewandowski Could Head To Real Madrid This Summer
Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski may very well be on his way to Real Madrid this summer.
Lewandowski joined Bayern Munich for free in 2014, as soon as his contract with former club Borussia Dortmund expired. The Polish international has since scored 67 goals in 100 games for the Bavarians, establishing himself as one of the best strikers in the world in the process. His lethal nature in front of goal has attracted interest from top European clubs, and he has been linked with potential moves to Arsenal, both the Manchester clubs, and even the eleven time European Champions Real Madrid.
The Los Blancos, however, seem to be leading the race for the 27-year-old’s signature, after Lewandowski’s agent Cezary Kucharski revealed that he has held initial talks with the Madrid-based club. Kucharski said: “Real Madrid contacted us a few weeks ago, we listened to everything they said. It’s a big and exciting club. We have informed FC Bayern that we’ve held talks with Madrid.”
Lewandowski himself added fuel to the fire, by stating: “Contracts are not a holy relic in football. You can like this attitude or not but it’s the truth. Sometimes you have to think about if it is meaningful to try out a new impulse.” He also added: “I’ve been in Germany for six years, have won everything here. Sometimes you have to consider whether it makes sense to try something new.”
Michael Carrick Says He Is Hoping To Sign A New Contract With Manchester United
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has stated that he is hoping to sign a new contract with the Old Trafford club in the coming week.
Carrick’s contract with the Red Devils is set to expire this summer, and the veteran is now being linked with free transfers to other English clubs, viz. Arsenal, West Ham United, and Newcastle United, to name a few. However, the Englishman intends to stay at the Theatre of Dreams, and is hopeful that United’s new manager Jose Mourinho will offer him a new deal that will keep him at his beloved club for at least one more season, despite younger and swifter midfielders such as Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger already present in the squad. And to make matters worse, United are also rumoured to be interested in bringing in world-class midfielders like Paul Pogba and Toni Kroos.
However, the 34-year-old still hasn’t given up hope. Speaking to the reporters, he stated: “I’m hopeful, but there’s no news yet. We’ll have to wait and see this week. I haven’t got a timetable on it. This week’s been a bit crazy with the new manager so I’ve come away (to the Monaco Grand Prix) to get away from it all.”
James Rodriguez Reveals His Surprising Decision To Stay At Real Madrid
James Rodriguez has surprisingly revealed that he intends to stay at Real Madrid.
The Colombian sensation was believed to be unhappy at the Madrid based club due to being repeatedly dropped by manager Zinedine Zidane for almost all of their crucial games. In fact, the 24-year-old played no part whatsoever in Real Madrid’s victory over inter-city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final, which crowned them as European champions for a record 11th time.
But following the Los Blancos’ UCL win, Rodriguez seems to have changed his mind. He told Fox Sport: “The season was a little strange but when you have bad things you learn too, eventually you learn every day. You never know in football but I want to stay here and my idea is to be here for many more years. I think I need to look forward. I’m happy here. All my people are happy. This is the ideal club and I want to be here. I’m happy, everyone played a great game and in the end it was good. I wanted the team to win, what’s best is I get another Champions League (winner’s medal).”
Former Manchester United Goalkeeper Set To Join Leicester City
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler is set to hold talks with Leicester City over a potential summer move, as per reports.
Zieler currently plays for German club Hannover, which got relegated from the Bundesliga this season. The 27-year-old, who previously played for Manchester United’s reserves, is now set to return to England and join Premier League champions Leicester City. The Foxes will have to activate a €3.5 million release clause in the German’s contract to sign him, and a deal is expected to take place soon, according to rumours.
Hannover’s managing director Martin Bader gave confirmation regarding Zieler’s negotiations on the club’s official website, wherein he stated: “We have always been aware that Ron would want to play in a top division with his outstanding qualities. Should the negotiations prove positive for him, we wish him all the best. Ron will always be welcome back at Hannover.”
