We are about to enter a very intense period of transfer activity, what with the World Cup coming to an end and everyone realising that the transfer window is shutting three weeks earlier than usual.
Liverpool have been particularly busy to now, and are on the verge of completing the signing of goalkeeper Alisson Becker from Roma. With Alisson set for his medical today, the club have elected to sell goalkeeper Danny Ward to Leicester City. Ward shone for Huddersfield in their Championship promotion season, and returned to Anfield at the end of his loan stint. He failed to make an impact at Liverpool, kept out of the matchday squads by Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet.
The fee is believed to be in the region of £12 million.
Leicester are adamant that he is competition for Kasper Schmeichel, rather than a replacement.
#lcfc have agreed a fee with Liverpool for goalkeeper Danny Ward. Coming in as competition for Kasper Schmeichel, not as a replacement. Ward set to meet with Leicester in next 24-48 hours #llfc
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) July 19, 2018
This may not happen, however, as Chelsea are believed to see Schmeichel as a replacement for Thibault Courtois, who is bound for Real Madrid.
Mignolet, meanwhile, is expected to leave Liverpool this summer having joined the club from Sunderland five years ago, leaving Karius as second choice.
Elsewhere, reports in Italy claim that Paul Pogba wants to return to Juventus, having left the club to, er, return to Manchester United. Tuttosport claim that the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo has partly contributed to Pogba's eagerness to return to Turin. Another factor is reportedly friction with Jose Mourinho.
The front page of the paper today screams "'Ronaldo effect on the market - Pogba calls Juve!".
United, however, are unsurprisingly loathe to allow him leave so you can probably file this one under 'fanciful'.
It’s all true: Pogba wants to join back Juventus. But at the moment Manchester United are not willing at all to open a negotiation about him, and hardly Juventus will get a discount on price as with Cristiano Ronaldo, considering Pogba is at his career peak
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) July 19, 2018
Elsewhere in Juventus-intersecting news, The Guardian claim that Gareth Bale will now stay at Real Madrid this summer following Ronaldo's exit, while Chelsea might sign Gonzalo Higuain.
