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Same again for reliable Man United ace as contract talks stall once more

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 10:40:46 +0000

With a couple of weeks until the start of the 2024/24 Premier League season, there are still some players at clubs, including Man United, that aren’t 100 percent sure that their immediate future will be at their current club or whether they’ll be suiting up for someone else before a ball is kicked.

For fringe players in particular it can be quite an unsettling experience as there isn’t just the financial element to think about.

It’s the upheaval of potentially moving hundreds of miles away, sometimes even to a different country, as well as the issue of whether the player actually wants to move to any of the clubs that may be interested in his services.

Man United ace will have a feeling of deja vu

Twelve months or so ago, reliable Man United midfielder, Scott McTominay, appeared to be the subject of serious interest from West Ham United.

Indeed, according to The Guardian (subscription required) at the time, the Hammers made a joint bid for him and his Red Devils colleague, Harry Maguire.

Scott McTominay celebrates a goal for Man United but he could be sold this summer

As it turned out, neither player moved to the London Stadium, despite a courtship that lasted a few weeks.

Here we are in summer 2024, and the Scottish international could be forgiven for getting a feeling of deja vu, only this time it’s Fulham who are the interested party.

According to Sky Sports, dialogue between the two clubs is ongoing, but the Cottagers won’t raise their £20m bid for McTominay, meaning those contract talks have stalled at present.

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Effectively, United would therefore have to come back to the negotiating table with an acceptable counter offer in order for Fulham to bite.

In the meantime, McTominay is stuck between a rock and a hard place, not knowing if he’ll be walking out at Old Trafford next season as a Man United player or an opponent.

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“Will be a revelation” – Stan Collymore is excited by Fulham’s move for international ace

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 10:27:22 +0000

With respect, Fulham Football Club are not generally seen as one of the Premier League’s more fashionable teams.

That’s not intended to do the Cottagers a disservice as some of the players that they’ve had over recent years wouldn’t disgrace themselves in any other side in the English top-flight.

It looks as if they’ve hit the jackpot again too, as Arsenal ace, Emile Smith Rowe, is set to make a move from the Emirates Stadium to Craven Cottage.

Smith Rowe to Fulham could be a revelation

Although some may perceive that to be a drop in quality and standards for the 24-year-old, Stan Collymore doesn’t believe that to be the case.

“Fulham’s a great club, they’ve got all of the facilities that a high profile player would want, and Emile Smith Rowe wouldn’t have to move very far,” he told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

Stan Collymore believes that Emile Smith Rowe could be a revelation for Fulham

“[…] I think Fulham will be a revelation for Smith Rowe, and as long as he doesn’t go “I’ve come down a step because I was at Arsenal, now I’m at Fulham,” everything is there for him to progress.

“From an England point of view, a new coach is coming in and you’ve got a player there that’s got undoubted ability, and who should be wounded enough leaving Arsenal to basically stick two fingers up to Arteta and show him what he’s missing.”

Proving Mikel Arteta wrong is likely to be a motivating factor for Smith Rowe, and if he’s able to get anywhere close to the form he showed before the Spaniard decided that the attacking midfielder didn’t form part of his future plans, then England honours will be a given.

His creativity, work rate and ability to pick a pass are all things that both Fulham and the Three Lions can benefit from, whilst Smith Rowe will simply benefit from playing more minutes on a weekly basis.

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Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano provides update on Arsenal & Man Utd stars’ potential transfers to PL club

Mark Brus — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:55:42 +0000

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has provided and update on the future of Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe and Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, who have both been linked with Fulham.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Smith Rowe looks likely to leave the Gunners for a move to Fulham, with the deal described as nearly being done after Fulham came back with an improved offer for the England international.

Having lost Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich earlier this summer, it makes sense that Fulham now seem to be making midfield a priority, with Romano noting that manager Marco Silva has also been key to the pursuit of Smith Rowe.

However, it seems Romano is less convinced by the links with Man Utd’s McTominay for the moment, even if he has once again stated that the Red Devils could consider selling the Scotland international for the right price.

McTominay and Smith Rowe in action

Smith Rowe and McTominay to Fulham – latest from Romano

On Smith Rowe to Fulham, Romano said: “Fulham have returned with a new proposal for Emile Smith Rowe and now the deal is close. It’s not done yet but could be completed soon if the two clubs agree on details. Crystal Palace wanted Smith Rowe too but Fulham are pushing now, with manager Marco Silva fully involved.”

Brilliant Arsenal ace open to £35m switch to Premier League rivals

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 06:40:48 +0000

As the new Premier League season appears over the horizon, so Mikel Arteta will be getting his Arsenal side ready for another title tilt.

They’ve gradually edged closer to Man City over the past few seasons, and the Spaniard will surely be hoping that with a few studious transfer deals, the Gunners will finally get over the line.

It would be their first title in over 20 years should they land it, and it’d stop Pep Guardiola becoming the first manager in the English top-flight to win five titles in a row. Incredibly, it would be their seventh in eight years if they could achieve it.

There’s no secret to what will be required from the North Londoners; hard work, desire, goals and a bit of luck along the way.

Fulham set to land Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal

Every single player needs to be at it every week, and if they can retain their high level throughout 2024/25, there’s no reason why the trophy won’t be held aloft at the Emirates Stadium next May.

One player that’s unlikely to be basking in any potential glory, however, is brilliant attacking midfielder, Emile Smith Rowe.

? EXCLUSIVE: Fulham close to reaching agreement with Arsenal to sign Emile Smith Rowe. Talks over move worth up to £35m; would be record recruit for #FFC + match biggest #AFC sale. If deal struck 23yo expected to do medical & finalise terms @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/NGElac5XXD

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 24, 2024

As The Athletic’s transfer expert, David Ornstein, noted on X (formerly Twitter), the 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical and finalise terms with London rivals, Fulham, after the Cottagers made a bid for his services worth up to £35m.

Given that the player didn’t complete a single 90 minutes during 2023/24 (WhoScored), there’s a cogent argument that he won’t be missed by the Gunners, but he’s still a supreme young talent who, if he stays free of injury, could have a real impact at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal might well end up regretting letting a player with so much of his career ahead of him leave at this point.

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Exclusive: Fulham readying €20m bid for exciting 18-year-old

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 10:52:01 +0000

There’s likely to be a fair bit of transfer movement around Fulham this summer.

It’s believed that Bayern Munich are still trying hard to get Joao Palhinha to join them, whilst CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of Fulham’s transfer plans suggest that the West Londoners are preparing to make an opening bid of €20m for Besiktas’s Turkish striker, Semih Kilicsoy.

The Premier League club’s scouts were apparently hoping to follow the 18-year-old’s progress at the European Championship, but he only played for a single minute against the Netherlands according to WhoScored.

Fulham want Semih Kilicsoy

Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham scouts had previously followed the player’s performances, but none have come forward with a confirmed bid for his services.

Nonetheless, it’s understood that the striker wants a move to the Premier League as a priority, and his representatives are believed to have told Besiktas to accept the offer for Kilicsoy.

That would appear to be a foregone conclusion, as transfermarkt suggest his market value at present is actually much lower, at €12m.

In any event, negotiations haven’t yet taken place and until Fulham have the player’s signature on a contract, the move can’t be considered as closed.

Manager, Marco Silva, has done a brilliant job whilst at Craven Cottage, and despite also losing Tosin Adarabioyo this summer to near neighbours Chelsea, he’ll still be expecting his squad to be competitive.

Landing a talent such as Semih Kilicsoy would strengthen the notion that Silva is continuing to build something special for now and in future for the club, and if the player is able to hit the ground running as and when he signs, there’s every chance that his value will quickly soar.

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Transfer news: Liverpool midfielder talks, Chelsea done deal, Arsenal shock goalkeeper links, and more

Fabrizio Romano — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:40:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Pedro Lima to Chelsea agreed, Jhon Duran talks ongoing, plus an update on Conor Gallagher

Pedro Lima will be a new Chelsea player. The young right-back from Sport Recife will first go via Strasbourg, the other side of the BlueCo Group. The deal is verbally agreed for €7m plus €3.5m in add-ons, which is a record sale for the club, and the agent of the player will be in London this week to finalise the deal.

Lima was also on the list of other clubs around Europe, including some big clubs in Spain, but he will play for Chelsea in the future after first going to Strasbourg. This is partly because of Financial Fair Play reasons, so for now it’s a deal for Strasbourg but his future will be at Chelsea.

Chelsea are continuing to work on the deal for Jhon Duran. While it’s true that Aston Villa are advancing in talks with Juventus over the deal to sell Douglas Luiz and also sign Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior from the Italian club, they have also been in talks with Chelsea. The two clubs are talking, with Duran one of the names on Chelsea’s list for a new striker.

Chelsea want to bring in a new signing up front as soon as possible, they don’t want an important new addition like this coming at the end of August, so talks are ongoing with Aston Villa to find a solution. Duran is super keen on the move, but other important clubs around Europe are also interested in the young Colombian striker, so now calls are arriving after clubs became aware of the possibility to sign the player because of Aston Villa’s financial situation.

So, there is movement around the Duran situation, but Chelsea are talking to Villa, and talking on the player side – direct conversations are taking place and Duran wants the move to Chelsea. So now it’s on Chelsea to decide when and how to close this deal, with Duran the favourite for the striker position at Stamford Bridge.

Conor Gallagher, meanwhile, only wants to focus on the Euros, so at the moment it’s quiet with Aston Villa. They are still interested in the player, as well as Tottenham, but at the moment nothing is advancing as Gallagher wants to focus on England and he’s not desperate to leave Chelsea. It would have to be the right opportunity, but he’s still really happy at the club.

Manchester United considered Marco Silva to replace Erik ten Hag

As reported yesterday, Erik ten Hag will be staying as Manchester United manager, and now the two parties are also advancing in talks over a new contract for the Dutch coach. What I’m hearing at the moment is that there is more than a 90% possibility to see Ten Hag extending his contract at Man United.

As for the length of the contract, discussions are still ongoing, but the conversation is about a deal until 2027, so two more years on top of the year he already has left on his current contract. The offer is on the table, and it’s a positive discussion because Ten Hag, despite all the rumours on his future and his situation, respected Manchester United’s decision to have a long review and consider all the options and take their time before deciding the future of the manager.

Ten Hag knows now that he’s staying at Manchester United, and he will be involved in discussions for the future, but now it’s about discussing his contract, and from what I’m hearing a potential new deal until 2027 is really concrete. It’s 90% confirmed, both parties want to make it happen, with Ten Hag happy to have a long-term vision together with the owners and directors, and also to avoid potential media problems after the first few games of the season. Sometimes a few bad results can lead to reports that a manager’s job is already in danger, and so Man United want to protect Ten Hag as he’s considered a really important part of their project.

Man United considered to change the manager – that’s the reality, it was a possibility for this summer but it was never 100% decided. That’s why has always been an open story with many factors. Personally, I think giving Ten Hag a new contract is important to show strong confidence in his job, this could look like a detail but in my opinion is the crucial factor of this story: a new contract for Ten Hag is a really, really important step to protect him.

There were five or six names United considered for the job, and Marco Silva of Fulham is one of them, but not the only one. As previously reported, Thomas Tuchel had a meeting and was in talks with Man United then they decided not to advance in negotiations. Marco Silva was an option discussed internally but was not so close to the job.

Busy summer for Juventus

Juventus are busy this summer, with the Douglas Luiz deal already mentioned, while they also have an interest in Mason Greenwood, and also Teun Koopmeiners has long been a top target of theirs.

There is one issue for Juve at the moment, however, and that’s with Wojciech Szczesny, whose move to Al Nassr has run into problems. There are issues there, not with the player, but between Juventus and Al Nassr, so at the moment there is still no green light to proceed with this deal for €5m. Let’s see what will happen there, but it will be one to follow in the next days.

In other news…

Ederson – The Atalanta midfielder has responded to the links with Liverpool, but what’s the situation? Liverpool made contact with his agents weeks ago but never started any negotiation, they didn’t send a bid so far, there are no talks ongoing at this stage. We have to see if they will include Ederson in their shortlist or not, it’s really early for this and there are no meaningful changes to the situation so far. Atalanta, meanwhile, don’t want to lose both Ederson and Koopmeiners.

Raphael Varane – A free agent this summer after leaving Manchester United, Inter Miami are one of several clubs who have called Raphael Varane’s agents to ask for information about Varane and his situation. At the moment, that’s it – nothing more concrete or advanced than this, from what I heard.

Andriy Lunin – Some surprise reports have linked the Real Madrid goalkeeper with Arsenal, but Arsenal are only focused on David Raya staying on a permanent deal, I’m not aware of this Lunin to Arsenal story to be honest. Real Madrid still consider their new contract proposal to the player valid, and so it’s up to Lunin now to decide.

The post Transfer news: Liverpool midfielder talks, Chelsea done deal, Arsenal shock goalkeeper links, and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Exclusive: Man United discussed PL manager as possible Ten Hag replacement, says Fabrizio Romano

Mark Brus — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:26:18 +0000

Manchester United held internal discussions about the possibility of hiring Fulham manager Marco Silva to replace Erik ten Hag, according to transfer news journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest column for the Daily Briefing, Romano explained that Silva was one option Man Utd considered when they took their time to explore their options with the manager position this summer.

Things never advanced beyond that, so Fulham fans probably don’t need to worry too much about possibly losing their manager as he never got into concrete discussions about taking another job.

In the end, United decided to stick with Ten Hag despite considering Silva and a few other names on their list of other potential candidates, and it will be interesting to see the reaction of Red Devils fans to this somewhat surprise decision.

Marco Silva to Manchester United?

Although Ten Hag ended last season on a high by winning the FA Cup final against bitter rivals Manchester City, there are surely few who would argue there were many other positives from last season.

Would Marco Silva have been an upgrade for Manchester United?

Sticking with Ten Hag seems a risk, though in fairness we’re not sure many fans would view someone like Silva as enough of an upgrade, while there’s perhaps a shortage of other particularly exciting options out there as well.

Discussing the situation, Romano said: “Man United considered to change the manager – that’s the reality, it was a possibility for this summer but it was never 100% decided. That’s why has always been an open story with many factors.

Exclusive: Fulham’s bid to invest in new signing thanks to cost saving on Tosin’s wages set to fail

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:26:26 +0000

There was always going to be a chance that Tosin Adarabioyo moved on from Fulham this summer, so it was no real surprise when he was announced as a new Chelsea player.

The way in which football has evolved means that players and their agents have clawed back some of the power in terms of negotiation tactics, given that anyone with a year or less on their contracts can determine what happens next.

Ultimately, clubs can still decide to sell players of course, however, if they prefer that those players stay put, then arguably they need to match any figures that the player might be capable of acquiring by moving elsewhere.

Fulham want to sign Silas

With Tosin available on a free transfer because Fulham were never going to be able to compete financially, Chelsea were the beneficiaries, and with no transfer fee to pay either, the Blues have been able to offer the 26-year-old a significant uplift on the £40,000 p/w wages (Capology) he received from the Cottagers.

According to talkSPORT, he even turned down £100,000 per week from Newcastle, so the expectation is that he’s getting more from the Blues.

Fulham want Silas

With Tosin no longer Fulham’s concern, they have been concentrating on securing other signings to strengthen the squad and according to CaughtOffside sources, Bundesliga outfit, Stuttgart, have rejected Fulham’s €8m bid for 25-year-old Congolese attacker, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, known simply as Silas.

Fulham are planning to make a new offer for the player and it’s expected to be around the €15m mark – almost double their opening gambit.

The West Londoners will, in the meantime, continue to hold talks with alternative names as it’s understood that the Congolese won’t prioritise leaving Stuttgart due to the fact that they will play in the Champions League next season.

If a good offer arrives, however, his opinion may change.

Fulham are also preparing to renegotiate the transfer of Chelsea’s 24-year-old centre-back, Trevoh Chalobah, with the first offer for the player – a direct replacement for Tosin – expected to be on loan.

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Exclusive: €35m Chelsea ace set for transfer tug-of-war as Man United consider bid

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:47:55 +0000

It was always expected that Chelsea would be busy during the summer transfer window, and one player in particular could be part of a transfer tug-of-war ahead of next season.

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Trevoh Chalobah has long been out-of-favour at Stamford Bridge, and whilst it’s believed that he had turned down the chance to leave the club before now, with no realistic prospect of regular first-team football, the player is apparently and reluctantly willing to accept that his future is elsewhere.

West London neighbours, Fulham, are continuing negotiations with alternative names to replace Tosin Adarabioyo, and they are understood to have prioritised a loan move for Chelsea’s 24-year-old English defender, according to CaughtOffside sources close to the Blues.

Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah set to spark transfer tug-of-war

However, the Cottagers may not get things all their own way as many clubs from the Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A are interested in taking Chalobah on a permanent deal, which will surely have more appeal to Chelsea given their widely-reported Financial Fair Play issues.

Although Manchester United are going after the transfer of 21-year-old English defender, Jarrad Branthwaite, they are still far away from any deal with Everton because of the finances involved.

Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave Chelsea.

With Jonny Evans also likely to leave the club when his contract expires, the Red Devils will consider making a move for Chalobah.

West Ham United and Tottenham also shouldn’t be ruled out as both have been linked with a move for the Chelsea defender and can offer him the opportunity of joining an exciting project whilst staying in London.

CaughtOffside sources understand that Chelsea want €35m for Chalobah, and whilst the final fee may be less than that, it’s in the Blues best interests to get the player off the wage bill sooner rather than later.

No teams are likely to want to get involved in a bidding war for his services either, but that might just end up being the case because Chalobah is now, evidently, a player in demand.

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Exclusive: Fulham make €8m bid for transfer of Bundesliga star

Mark Brus — Sun, 26 May 2024 10:07:51 +0000

Fulham have made an €8million bid for the transfer of Stuttgart ace Silas, though they may have to increase their offer to reach an agreement with the Bundesliga club.

CaughtOffside understands that Stuttgart would like something closer to €15-16m for Silas, who shone for the club this season as they surprisingly finished second in the German top flight, securing Champions League football for next season.

Fulham have been keen to sign Silas and have now tabled an offer, with negotiations ongoing for the two clubs to strike a deal.

It seems Stuttgart are open to letting the 25-year-old leave this summer, with some search already ongoing for a possible replacement.

Silas celebrates a goal for Stuttgart

Still, it remains to be seen how close we are to a breakthrough in negotiations as Fulham are seemingly still some way off meeting Stuttgart’s demands for Silas.

Fulham working on signing to replace Tosin Adarabioyo

As mentioned earlier today, Tosin Adarabioyo is closing in on leaving Fulham for a free transfer to Newcastle United.

A deal is almost in place for Adarabioyo to move to St James’ Park, and Fulham are understood to be searching for a replacement in defence.

Silas could be another useful signing to strengthen Marco Silva’s squad, but Stuttgart will surely hope they can keep much of this team together after their superb season under manager Sebastian Hoeness, who has also been the subject of interest from other clubs, including Chelsea.

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