Football transfer rumours: Leicester or Leeds to land Azzedine Ounahi?
With Dean Henderson sidelined and the transfer window inching inexorably shut, Nottingham Forest are eager to sign a replacement goalkeeper on loan. A peripheral figure at Paris SaintGermain these days, Keylor Navas has been identified as their main target. A three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, the Costa Rica international plays second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma at PSG and has yet to start a Ligue 1 or Champions League game for the French club this season.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers wants to freshen up his squad and is ready to sanction a surprise move for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison, who has 18 months left on his contract and has also been linked with potential moves to Arsenal and Newcastle. Rodgers is also hoping to bolster his back line by signing Harry Soutar, the Stoke centre-half who was such a rock in the heart of Australia’s defence during the World Cup. Leicester have also been linked with Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, but will have to duke it out with Leeds if they are to land the Morocco international.
The word from Germany is that Liverpool are in the box-seat to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, despite strong interest in the midfielder from Manchester City and Real Madrid. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg claims Jürgen Klopp is “pushing, pushing, pushing” to sign the 19-year-old, who might think twice about moving to Merseyside if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Having already missed out on strikers Danny Ings, Kevin Schade and Georginio
Rutter, getting their eyes wiped by West Ham, Brentford and Leeds respectively, managerless and rudderless Everton have had their loan move for Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjumahijacked by Tottenham. Andy Hunter, our man on the Merseyside beat, reports that the former Bournemouth striker refused to submit his registration to the Goodison Park HR department, despite agreeing a move and posing for media shots in his Everton finery over the weekend. He will instead be unveiled as a beaming loanee at White Hart Lane shortly.
In other frustrating news for Evertonians, Anthony Gordon looks hellbent on moving to Newcastle although Eddie Howe was predictably coy when quizzed about the winger’s situation on Tuesday night.
Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis could be heading stateside, with MLS side Atlanta United reported to be in talks with the Scottish champions with a view to bringing him to the MercedesBenz Stadium as a designated player. Sleep-deprived transfer boffin Fabrizio Romano reports Atlanta have emerged as late contenders to sign the Greek, who had looked to be on his way to Japan to play for Urawa Red Diamonds. The newshound also reports that Brighton have made an opening bid of around £10m for Shakhtar Donetsk central defender Mykola Matvienko, but will have to increase their offer to have any chance of landing the 26-year-old.