Players on the move: join Razeen Gutta for a weekly roundup of all the biggest deals taking place around South Africa and Europe.
With Nunez landing in Liverpool and Bissouma seemingly on his way to Spurs, there’s also excitement on a local front as Pirates have secured two top notch centre backs ahead of the new season.
Europe
The highly rated 22-year-old Darwin Nunez has completed his record £85 million (R1.7 billion) move from Benfica to Liverpool, the Portuguese side have announced.
The Uruguay international has been branded the new Luis Suarez after scoring 32 times in 57 Benfica appearances, including two Champions League goals against his new side Liverpool last season.
Another big Premier League move that looks set to be complete is Tottenham Hotspur’s £25 million (R500 million) move for Yves Bissouma from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 25-year-old midfielder is set to become Spurs’ third signing of what has started off as a busy summer with the arrivals of Fraser Forster and Ivan Perisic.
Antonio Conte’s side may well still have some business to be done with Everton’s Richarlison being heavily linked to a move away from Merseyside.
Apart from Spurs – Manchester United, Bayern Munich, PSG and even Real Madrid have been reported to have shown interest in the Brazilian. The 25-year-old is under contract with the Toffees until 2024, meaning that Frank Lampard’s side will not be compelled to sell.
The arrival of Erik ten Hag as Manchester United boss has sparked rumours of him reuniting with former Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The 25-year-old Dutchman, currently at Barcelona, is reportedly ready to make the move to Old Trafford. Barcelona, however, have already rejected a £60 million (R1.2 billion) bid for de Jong, with Xavi’s side spending significantly more than that when they signed the player in 2019.
Another manager who has reunited with a former player this week is Jose Mourinho, with the AS Roma boss completing the signing of Nemanja Matic.
The Serbian will play under Mourinho for the third time in his career, this time joining Roma on a free transfer after the expiration of his Manchester United contract.
South Africa
In local news, Amazulu have completed the signings of Gabadinho Mhango and Dumisani Zuma from Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs respectively.
The two big transfers come after a flurry of releases by Usuthu, with Zuma signing after his release from Amakhosi.
Multiple reports this week have stated that Chiefs are on the verge of signing Bafana Bafana international Yusuf Maart, following their squad revamp. The three year deal is set to be worth close to R5 million.
Mhango’s deal with Amazulu included a swap that will see centre back Tapelo Xoki going the other way, with Pirates also signing Nkosinathi Sibisi from Golden Arrows to complete their new partnership at centre back.
