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A later newsletter today so we can keep things as current as possible:

• City hijack Arsenal’s Rice deal 🙈 

• Sandro Tonali’s shock transfer to Northumberland 🔲 

• Gundogan makes his decision 🤔 

• Rapid-fire transfer news (too much to fit in) 💥 

CITY HIJACK ARSENAL’S RICE DEAL 🙈 

After having two bids £80MM & £90MM for Declan Rice rejected by West Ham, Arsenal now have Manchester City to worry about. City are going to bid for Declan Rice in an attempt to lure him to the Etihad.

The story so far 📖 

Last week (6/15): Arsenal made an opening bid of £80MM to West Ham for Declan Rice, which was promptly rejected.

Tuesday (6/20): Arsenal upped their offer to a total package of £90MM, which was also immediately rejected by West Ham. This apparently came as a surprise to Arsenal’s negotiators, who thought it was a good offer.

Since then, it’s been reported that West Ham want more of the money up front. Usually, transfer fees are paid over many installments. West Ham know they have one of England’s gems, so are hoping for huge offers.

Today (6/22): Manchester City are reportedly seriously interested in Rice, and will make a bid soon.

What’s next? 💭 

This news has (obviously) thrown Arsenal fans through a loop. That being said, it was always unlikely that they would have a free run at one of England’s and the PL’s top talents.

Arsenal will bid again as well, in hopes of striking an agreement with West Ham. Reports from the past month have painted the picture that Rice was convinced by Arsenal, and wanted to join them. Though, if Arsenal cannot reach an agreement with West Ham but City do— he could easily change his mind.

TLDR; Arsenal & City will put in their bids, and we will see what West Ham accept! From there, it could be up to the player.

SANDRO TONALI’S SHOCK TRANSFER TO NORTHUMBERLAND 🔲 

Out of absolutely nowhere last night, it was reported that Newcastle were close to agreeing on a fee for the transfer of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan.

After having been linked to Nicolo Barella last week, it looks like Newcastle have found their Italian midfielder on the other side of Milan. They have nearly closed on a deal for Sandro Tonali. The fee is reported to be between €70-80MM.

This one truly came out of the blue. It’s not often that young Italian talent leaves the Serie A!

Tonali is a feisty midfielder who may look like Pirlo, but plays a lot more like Gattuso or De Rossi. He carries that ball upfield well, defends tenaciously, & is very physical. Sounds like the perfect Newcastle midfielder under Eddie Howe!

GUNDOGAN MAKES HIS DECISION 🤔 

After a few weeks of thought, Ilkay Gundogan has decided to leave Manchester City on a free transfer this summer to join Barcelona. This is a big domino in the midfield market, as City now need a midfielder (see: Declan Rice).

In the end, City only offered a 1+1 year deal, while Barcelona offered a 2+1 year deal.

This is a big deal for Barcelona, who now have a player perfectly capable of bridging the gap between Busquets and his eventual sucessor (whoever that may be). If Barca can’t buy a direct replacement for Busquets this summer, Gundogan can play the role until they find one next year. He is an elite #8 and very serviceable in the pivot role.

RAPID-FIRE TRANSFER NEWS (TOO MUCH TO FIT IN) 💥

Milik stays at Juve! It always looked likely, but now it’s official. Could this free up Vlahovic for a transfer away if the right offer comes in? Bayern are reportedly interested, as well as Chelsea.

Marcus Thuram looks likely to join Milan. The striker was being tracked by a number of clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, and PSG because he is a free agent this summer. With Divock Origi looking likely to leave Milan after 1 year at the club, Thuram is an upgrade.

Quick scouting report: He is a big left-footer who is technical for his size, and can play both striker and left wing.

This Turkish wunderkind has been compared to Mesut Ozil for his velvet touch & creative passing. Available for only €17.5MM, many clubs are keeping tabs. PSG & AC Milan are two of the clubs linked to a move. Let’s see!

After being seemingly priced out of a move for David Raya, Tottenham have turned to Guglielmo Vicario as their alternative. The fee would be half of Raya’s, at around €20MM. This looks to be moving quickly.

Son of footballing legend Patrick Kluivert, the former Ajax academy starlet Justin Kluivert has signed with Bournemouth. He has had a tough go of it since moving to Roma from Amsterdam in 2018/19, with 3 loans in 4 years. He adds some oomph to Bournemouth’s frontline.

Just a few weeks after starting for Inter Milan in the UCL Final, Edin Dzeko leaves on a free transfer for Fenerbahce.

There was lots of excitement for Gosens at Inter when he signed 18 months ago. The left wingback was explosive for Gasperini at Atalanta. Since his arrival, he has not been able to get ahead of Federico DiMarco in the pecking order. He may leave for Union Berlin in search of more playing time. One to watch.

Arsenal fans are probably not focused on this, but they are closing in on the purchase of Jurrien Timber. The versatile defender can play RCB, RB, and even some defensive midfield.

Juventus want to buy Thomas Partey. It looks like they would want to offer around €20MM, while Saudi clubs have offered double that. This will likely come down to player preference.

West Ham are preparing for life after Declan Rice. Zakaria is one of many defensive midfielders they have been linked to as a replacement— as well as Joao Palhinha, Scott McTominay, & more. This deal could help facilitate Thomas Partey moving to Juventus.

MEME TIME

It’s hard to keep up with all of these transfers… we’re doing our best! More tomorrow.

✌️ ,

—The Gaffer