JAY’S FIRST IN BAGG
KEANE ON BLUES
AIDY BOOTHROYD h has emerged a as a candidate to replace Simon G Grayson at PRESTON NORTH END. Grayson left to take charge of Sunderland last week and the England Under-21s manager is in the frame. Boothroyd (left), 46, led Watford to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2006 and managed Colchester, Coventry and Northampton before joining the England set-up. JAY RODRIGUEZ has agreed to join WEST BROM for £12million.
The SOUTHAMPTON striker is heading for the Hawthorns as chief Tony Pulis kicks-off his summer spending spree.
Rodriguez (right) has suffered with a string of long-term injuries at St Mary’s and is heading for a fresh start in the Black Country.
The forward, 27, capped once by England, was plagued by knee and ankle ligament issues and his arrival signals the end of a patient chase by Pulis, who first tried to sign him last August.
The Baggies are also understood to be tracking Holger Badstuber. The defender has been let go on a free transfer by BAYERN MUNICH.
WATFORD have moved into the market, adding two more players to Marco Silva’s cosmopolitan mix at Vicarage Road.
Right-back Kiko Femenia has been captured on a four-year deal from ALAVES while Austria Under-21 international keeper Daniel Bachmann has agreed to move from fellow Premier League outfit STOKE CITY. ROQUE MESA will fly to the UK in the next 24 hours to seal an £11million move to Swansea City.
The Las Palmas midfielder is due to join the Swans after a late bid from Atletico Madrid failed to secure his services.
Swansea had agreed a deal with the La Liga outfit for the 28-year-old.
But Atletico boss Diego Simeone stepped in and, according to sources in Spain, was prepared to gazump the Swans – despite a transfer embargo.
The plan of former Argentina international Simeone was for his club to buy the player and then loan him back until such time that the ban was lifted.
However, People Sport understands that the move with the Swans was rubber-stamped before the weekend and Mesa (right) is due in Wales to complete the paperwork today.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pellegrino has made his first signing as SOUTHAMPTON boss snapping up Poland Under- 21 defender Jan Bednarek.
The 21-year-old will cost £5m and is due to link up with the Saints later this month due to his involvement at Euro 2017.
Dreams
The centre-back, who joins from Lech Poznan, said: “This is the moment I have worked for that makes my dreams come true.
“It only gives me motivation to work hard, to show my skills and to help Southampton to get better and better.
“I think it’s a good step for me, because I have heard Southampton is such a good club for young players, so I can improve here.”
Fellow defender Jack Stephens has also signed a new five-year deal at St Mary’s.
The 23- year- old impressed after nailing down a first-team place following Virgil van Dijk’s injury in January.
NEWCASTLE would have to smash their transfer record to land Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu.
Toon boss Rafa Benitez is hoping to make a breakthrough in his search for new blood with the capture of French centre-back Florian Lejeune, 26, from Spanish side Eibar for £8.7m.
Benitez, whose only signing so far this summer is £6m Ghana winger Christian Atsu, 25, from Chelsea, also wants to boost his firepower and is interested in 26-year-old Bakambu.
But WEST HAM have already been knocked back with a bid of £22m for the French-born DR Congo forward, an MICHAEL KEANE will fly back from holiday today to seal a £25million move to EVERTON.
The 24-year-old defender’s move from BURNLEY will be rubber-stamped this week after the clubs reached an agreement on Thursday.
Personal terms were thrashed out last week and Keane (right) is set for a medical tomorrow.
Manchester United will receive around £5.5m as part of a sell-on clause in the deal which took him to Turf Moor from Old Trafford.
He hopes the Blues move will lift his chances of going to Russia with England next summer.