Top 5 Transfer Stories Of The Day – May 24, 2018
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
It’s the season to be paranoid, as transfer stories regarding club favorites are running galore left, right, and center. Numerous managers will be hoping to wrap things up well in advance rather than meet the cold embrace of panic that is deadline day drama.
Here are the top transfer sagas of the day:
Iniesta’s New Club
The Barcelona legend announced that he would leave the La Liga side recently. Several anticipated that the Spaniard would be headed to the financially attractive Chinese Super League.
However, Iniesta has instead elected to join Japanese club Vissel Kobe, where his apparent annual salary is around £22.39 million.
Iniesta stated: “I had a lot of offers, other clubs showed an interest in me. I chose Vissel Kobe because it was an interesting project. There was also a lot of trust and confidence in me as a person and also as a player – that was a big reason.”
Juventus Want Paul Pogba?
Tuttosport believes that Juventus will seek to re-sign Paul Pogba, as the midfielder could do wonders to their goal of attaining European glory next season. This seems in line with Pogba’s stance that a move can always occur.
He recently opined: “Stay at Manchester United? You’re never sure of anything. Contractually, it’s on, yes.”
But it seems likely that Jose Mourinho won’t allow the Frenchman to leave as, despite their apparent differences, his midfield prowess is remarkable.
Barcelona Player To Return To Former Club
Barcelona could be all set to lose one of their strikers, or at least that is what Onda Cero (via Football Espana) believes. The report claims that 24-year-old Paco Alcacer is making preparations ahead of an anticipated return to Valencia following a failed spell at Camp Nou.
The Spaniard is said to be frustrated with the front-line he has to compete with in order to grab a starting spot, and will thus prefer a move to his former club.
In 50 appearances for the giants, he had found the back of the net on 15 occasions.
Valencia Sign Midfielder
Incidentally, Valencia’s own transfer endeavors are making positive strides. The Spanish club have officially signed Geoffrey Kondogbia on a permanent deal.
The 25-year-old Frenchman was on loan from Inter, and the purchase will mean that he now has a four-year deal with the La Liga club.
The entire deal is believed to have cost €25 million, and the defensive midfielder has a new release clause that will amount to €80 million.
Real Madrid To Sell Isco?
Real Madrid are open to selling Isco, according to Don Balon, although the talented Spaniard is believed to have a price tag of £70 million.
The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with Manchester United over the past few weeks, and it goes without saying that his arrival would bring some much-needed creativity into United’s often lackluster attack.
However, the report adds that Manchester City and Juventus are heavily interested as well, and as of such, a bidding war could ensure that will surely make the deal a tough bet for Mourinho to ensure.