Gianluigi Donnarumma would be most people’s pick as the best goalkeeper in the world, playing for the best team in the world (not now, Chelsea fans), the Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. So while the French club’s decision to sign a new goalkeeper – and a very good goalkeeper in Lucas Horslier from Lille – is an eyebrow-raising one, it simply felt like an expensive exercise in keeping Donnarumma on his toes. Imagine the Mill’s surprise that Donnarumma is now being linked with an exit from PSG … to Manchester United! Just why an elite keeper would want to join a team that finished 15th in the Premier League, is not playing in Europe and has no serious ambition for a league title is beyond comprehension, particularly as the usual answer is money. Donnarumma already earns €12m per year after tax, and United have spent the last couple of years pleading poverty. But L’Équipe seem fairly convinced of the rumours and we are just here to translate.
Borussia Dortmund are light on wingers after Jamie Gittens left for Chelsea and Jadon Sancho has again been mooted as a potential replacement. The Englishman has twice signed for the German club – most recently on loan in January last year – and the 25-year-old could complete a permanent switch with Manchester United asking for just £20m. Any deal would be dependent on Sancho taking a substantial pay cut.
Idrissa GueyeMetz’s 18-year-old forward rather than the veteran Everton midfielder, is a more left-field option for Dortmund, although Premier League quartet Manchester United, Burnley, Brentford and Southampton are also in the mix for the teenager.
Anthony Elanga is one of the quickest players in the league, and having lost the Sweden international to Newcastle, Nottingham Forest are in the market for a pacy replacement: Adama Traoré fits the bill. Just how much the Fulham winger will cost is anyone’s guess, given he has flickered between a bench warmer to gamechanger in the last few seasons. Traoré is 29 and has one year remaining on his contract, so Fulham could be tempted into a sale, while the Spaniard might be keen on reuniting with Nuno Espírito Santo, his former manager at Wolves.
Should Fulham lose the muscly Spaniard, Reiss Nelson – now of Lyon – could be an option for the Cottagers. A loan move with an option to buy has reportedly been lined up. Another former Arsenal winger, Raheem Sterlingwho is collecting dust and £325,000 per week at Chelsea, has also been linked to Fulham.
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Nick Woltemade was one of the stars of the Under-21 European Championships and his club Stuttgart have reportedly rejected two bids from Bayern Munich for the German striker, the latter said to be worth around €50m. The Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth told Sky: “There is no new position. Nick will very likely be part of our squad this season as well. We have communicated this clearly and unequivocally to the public. An early transfer for Nick under the current circumstances is simply not relevant.”
