The Premier League has confirmed the summer transfer window in England will run for 12 weeks from Wednesday, June 9 and will close at 11 pm on Tuesday, August 31 hence leaving a 20 days window for clubs to transact.
As Messi signs a two-year contract at PSG with a one-year option to extend, Lukaku is on the other hand expected to sign a five-year contract at Chelsea, worth £200,000 a week. There’s also some mix-up at Stamford bridge as Tammy Abraham is currently available for today’s UEFA Super League final against Villarreal amid a projected move to Roma on a reported £34m permanent deal or a loan with an obligation to buy. It is said that Tammy would personally prefer a move to Arsenal with coach Tuchel admitting that he probably didn’t give Tammy Abraham enough game time last season and that he has currently been sharp in training. As of now, it’s for Tammy to decide where he wants to be this new season but it’s clear he doesn’t want a move to Italy.
Tuchel faces a selection dilemma for the clash with Villarreal as he chooses between first-team regulars who have recently returned from their summer breaks after featuring at Euro 2020, or fringe players such as Tammy Abraham who have undergone a full pre-season with flashes of brilliance.
Elsewhere, Raphael Varane is undergoing the first part of his Manchester United medical ahead of completing his transfer from Real Madrid. United, who hope to finalize the signing in the next 24 hours, reached an agreement with Real Madrid last month to sign the France defender for a fee believed to be in the region of £41m including add-ons. Varane, 28, travelled to Manchester last week after quarantine rules and paperwork issues delayed his arrival, before going through a period of quarantine. The center-back, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, will become United’s third summer signing following the arrival of England winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for £73m and the free transfer of goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
It is now clear that PSG will not make an offer for Paul Pogba this summer having added Messi to their ranks. To have any chance of signing Pogba as well, it is likely they would need to sell or loan around 10 players. PSG will however continue to monitor Pogba’s situation keenly as he has 1 year left on his contract with Paul stalling on a deal, thanks to his agent Mino Raiola who has been known to play dirty when it comes to big-money moves.
Pogba can sign a pre-contract with a foreign club in January but is relaxed about his situation and looking forward to the new season. The France international continues to enjoy a great working relationship with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the United manager and his coaches are equally positive about the player’s good attitude. Still matters United, Diogo Dalot will start the new season competing for the right-back spot with Aaron Wan-Bissaka after impressing Solskjaer and his coaches in pre-season. Dalot is back after enjoying a loan spell at Italian side AC Milan helping them to finish the Serie A league at 2nd spot behind rivals Inter Milan.
Raheem Sterling is set to hold fresh contract talks with Manchester City. The England star, 26, has two years remaining on his £300,000-a-week contract but has been linked with moves to both Tottenham and Arsenal. Sterling had a difficult end to last season and often found himself on the bench as the club won the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
The recent arrival of Jack Grealish,25, from Aston Villa for a British record £100million means competition for places is even higher, but Sterling shone at the Euros, scoring three times to help Gareth Southgate’s men go all the way to the final and he remains part of Pep Guardiola’s plans.
Sterling has been on Arsenal’s radar and was believed to be among the established stars that City were willing to send to Spurs in a players-plus-cash offer for Harry Kane. It is however strongly believed that a deal for Kane is unlikely to happen.
NOTE: Tammy Abraham Image courtesy of The Premier League.