Rudy's Rumour Mill: Rabiot prefers Premier League, Slot & Liverpool planning light touch
Rabiot dreaming of England
Adrien Rabiot has left Juventus after five years and now he's a free agent. To date, his main goal is to maximize the next contract - probably his last as a top player - in terms of salary.
For this reason, he refused the renewal with Juventus, who offered a three-year contract at the same wage that did not satisfy either him or his mother, who serves as his agent. Now, they are looking for more economically advantageous proposals, with some clubs in the Premier League interested in him.
Manchester United - with the potential exit of Casemiro - put him among their preferred profiles to strengthen the midfield, with Erik ten Hag liking him a lot. Newcastle, as Bruno Guimaraes could leave in the summer, have included him on their huge list. Also, Aston Villa are interested, as Unai Emery asked for a new player with specific skills - that Rabiot has - to strengthen the midfield.
Also across the rest of Europe Rabiot is attracting interest: PSG had contact with his mother to talk about his possible return and Galatasaray are concretely following him. However, he prefers a move to the Premier League.
In the next few days, Rabiot will make his final decision, always with the aim of maximizing his possible last contract as a top player.
James up for grabs after brilliant Copa América
Despite having a contract until June 2025 with Sao Paulo, James Rodriguez's adventure in Brazil is over. The parties decided to conclude the agreement early and now the Colombian player - the star of a splendid Copa América - is ready to return to Europe, as he has always wanted.
One possibility is his return to Everton, even if - to date - the option seems complicated. There is no movement from Porto, despite some rumours circulating in recent days. At the moment, in fact, concrete proposals for him come from Spain.
There are 3 clubs that have shown interest and made moves for him: Atletico Madrid, Celta and Real Betis. All the Spanish clubs are aiming to convince James to return to La Liga after his adventure - years ago - with Real Madrid. Real Betis have also asked for help from their coach Manuel Pellegrini who has already contacted James, pushing him.
Currently, no definitive choice has been made by Rodriguez, who wants to evaluate all the possibilities on the table before making a decision. At 33 years old, the Colombian player is ready for a second youth in Europe.
Saudi Pro League seeking young talent
The Saudi League is also working hard this summer to strengthen its squads with world-class players.
The arrival of Bento at Al Nassr from Athletico Paranaense and Moussa Diaby at Al Ittihad from Aston Villa confirm once again the Saudis' desire to be big players during this transfer window. But that's not all: in light of the new rules regarding foreign players which have changed slightly, the role of U21 players now becomes very important.
In addition to the eight slots available for foreign players, it will be possible to use two more additional slots for those born after 2003. For this reason, the PIF is looking for young talents for its teams: talks are now ongoing with Vitor Roque and Johan Bakayoko.
As for Johan, the PIF approached PSV, sending an offer of around 32 million euros for the Belgian right-winger. The Dutch club rejected the offer, asking for at least double that amount to start evaluating his possible departure.
For Vitor Roque, however, developments are expected soon. In any case, even if PIF is unable to reach an agreement for the two main targets, it is already planning to approach new young talent soon.
No revolution expected at Liverpool
Liverpool will not make any major changes to the squad this summer, but Arne Slot has asked for targeted signings to strengthen a squad that he believes is already very competitive. For this reason, he would like just a few reinforcements.
Starting with the defence, a new centre-back should arrive: Goncalo Inacio remains the most prominent profile, even if things are currently going at a slow pace for him. Competition for the Portuguese player is very high.
In recent days, information on costs and conditions have been requested on Bremer, who Juventus could decide to let go for €70m. The Brazilian defender has been included on the list, also in light of the possible exit of Virgil van Dijk, as the Saudis are pushing hard for him.
In midfield, interest in Teun Koopmeiners remains alive, despite Atalanta's request for 60 million euros being deemed too high. This is why other profiles, such as Quinten Timber - much appreciated by the Reds coach - remain a concrete option.
No big move is expected in attack despite Liverpool, in a recent meeting with the agent, showing tentative interest in Federico Chiesa. The Italian player is looking for a €8m/year contract, too high for the Reds. Chelsea and Tottenham are monitoring him as well.
Alex Sandro has admirers
Months ago, we talked about the future of Alex Sandro, who was on the verge of leaving Juventus as a free agent. So it was and now the Brazilian left-back is looking for a new destination. At first, it was Al Hilal who approached the player to explore his demands.
Then some European clubs were interested in Alex Sandro, including Porto, a club where the Brazilian played years ago. Contacts with the Portuguese team and the player's entourage began back in May and are still ongoing. It seems positive, even if no choice has yet been made by the former Juventus player who would like to stay in Europe but who is highly courted - as we had already revealed - also by Sao Paolo.
The big news in their position is that Alex Sandro has informed the club that, should he decide to return to Brazil, priority will be given to SPFC. However, everything is still to be nailed down. Portuguese sources confirm that they are confident in convincing him to return to Porto, sources close to San Paolo believe, however, that they will be successful. What is certain is that the choice of the Brazilian defender will come very soon.