Players on the move: Razeen Gutta rounds up the biggest deals taking place around South Africa and Europe.
From reports of Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid being done all the way through to a possible move for Bukayo Saka to Manchester City being on the cards and Amakhosi looking to break the bank for a striker — we’ve got it all for you.
Europe
Real Madrid have secured midfielder Tchouaméni for a fee in the region of €100 million (R1.6 billion) from AS Monaco.
The 22-year-old’s future has been in the news after a fantastic season in Ligue 1 and if reports are to be believed, the European champions will bring the Frenchman to Spain on a five-year deal.
Arsenal should fear the possibility of losing their English starlet Saka to the Premier League champions with the Daily Mail reporting that Pep Guardiola’s side have stepped up their interest in the 20-year-old.
On a brighter note for the North London side, Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans could be on Arsenal’s radar.
The Belgian has spent the past three years at Leicester, scoring 18 goals, and said while on international duty that a move away “is not out of the question”.
The ongoing Uefa Nations League may provide European clubs with major scouting opportunities, considering managers are fielding their best sides for the summer leg of the competition.
One player who is apparently on the radar of the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur could be the former Spurs man Christian Eriksen.
The Dane is back in international action for the first time since his cardiac arrest at the European Championships last year; and a return to a big six Premier League club or even North London may well be on the cards, according to the Daily Express.
While Spurs are eyeing incomings, they may also see a significant outgoing in the form of Steven Bergwijn. Multiple reports state the Dutch winger’s price tag has been set, with Everton eyeing him following their survival in the Premier League last season.
South Africa
In local news, Kaizer Chiefs are on the move in the transfer market as they look to fill the void set by the release of nine of their players; and according to Goal, Amakhosi are looking at bringing in a new striker.
Three players managed by Prosport International’s Mike Makaab are being looked at with Cameroonian striker Franck Mbell Etouga reportedly one of them.
Makaab, however, has refused to reveal the identity of the players being looked at, telling iDiski Times that he is “not only in the process of offering a West African striker but also another African striker to Kaizer Chiefs”.
One of Chiefs’ outgoings that has been in the news lately has been Dumisani Zuma. With AmaZulu emerging as the frontrunners to sign the 27-year-old, KickOff have now reported that Royal AM could be in the running for the Pietermaritzburg-born striker as well.
“Remember Royal AM and AmaZulu are the biggest spending teams in KZN. The problem is that sometimes, you find an agreement in principle with the player initially. But then you may differ with them on the finer details,” a source told KickOff.
“Royal AM are going to be competing in Africa next season too, so they are prepared to pay a lot of money.”
