With the exception of Belarus, South Korea and now, Germany, global football is currently suspended. The Premier League has been given the all clear by the government to restart in June, behind closed doors, and now teams will resume training, albeit in small groups only.
However, there are still plenty of questions to be answered when it comes to Project Restart, and we’ll learn more as the days and weeks go by. Until football actually returns, we still have plenty of transfer news items to cover. So let’s take a spin through the Arsenal rumor mill in cyberspace.
We start with Lyon, and their 21-year-old star midfielder Houssem Aouar.
He may indeed have played his final game with his current club, but where he moves next remains to be seen.
Arsenal, along with a very long list of teams, are said to be keen. The list includes both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Juventus and now Paris Saint-Germain according to Le10sport.
And when you have so many teams interested, what kind of figure could this bidding war yield in the end? Calciomercato believes it will be in the neighborhood of €70 million.
Another target, of both Arsenal and United, is Borussia Monchengladbach striker Alassane Plea, according to Bild. So if you’re looking for another reason to watch the Bundesliga this weekend, or watch it a little more closely, there you go.
In addition to Old Trafford and the Emirates, Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be keen on the 27-year-old.
It is conceivable that Plea coming in would mean Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang going out, as the current Gunners scorer has been strongly linked with a move away this spring. Then again, maybe not, depending on what happens with another Arsenal forward, Alexandre Lacazette.
He’s been caught doing some things off the pitch, which Arsenal warned him previously not to do, again. We’ll see how much leeway they’re willing to give him, and for how long. It is thought that acquiring Plea would ultimately cost said suitor about €35-40 million.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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