Antoine Griezmann has struck fear into the hearts of idle rumourmongers everywhere by hinting that he might stay at Atlético Madrid after all, because he wants to "win trophies with this team". Encouragingly, the news hasn't held anyone back, with news of his imminent departure, as part of what the Times' big headline describes as "United's £200m spree", on most of Friday's back pages.
It turns out the details of the "£200m spree" in Friday's paper are very much identical to the details of United's less fully-costed spree that have been all over the same newspapers for months now. The Star features Griezmann prominently in its list of the players United have identified to correct "a lack of swagger and stardust" in their current side and insist his £86m buyout clause "will not stop United from writing a cheque".
Football transfer rumours: Manchester United chasing Bayern Munich duo?
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Also on their shoping list: Real Madrid's Raphaël Varane, Monaco's Tiemoué Bakayoko, Chelsea's Willian, Romelu Lukaku of Everton, Eric Dier of Tottenham and Burnley's Michael Keane. The Independent agrees, saying a move to sign Griezmann is "well under way", with United honchos "confident" of success and "determined to avoid a long public saga". Given that this one has already been going for at least eight months, they've already made a right hash of that. The BBC says that "United are likely to limit their summer spending to three or four key signings", so just a third of an entirely new team, while the Times says "up to four" new arrivals – signed at a cost of some £200m – will include "a defender, a central midfielder, a forward and possibly a No9".
Milan aren't hanging around: having already convinced Álvaro Morata to agree a £7.5m-a-year (after tax) contract, leaving the Rossoneri to simply rummage around the back of the sofa in search of £35m or so they need in order to convince Real Madrid to play ball, they are now working on target No2. And that target is a certain Marko Arnautovic, who both Milan and Paris Saint-Germain consider worth the £15m Stoke are asking and believe – to use the Sun's phrase – he is "a special talent capable of changing games with his off-the-cuff skills". Mark Hughes has meanwhile taken a fancy to the £3.5m Nancy centre-back Modou Diagne, who "would relish the chance to move to the Premier League", according to the aforementioned tabloid.
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Wayne Rooney has decided to swap Britain for Beijing – or somewhere else in China that doesn't alliterate quite so nicely – with the Mirror announcing that the deal could be done in a matter of days; the transfer window is due to open on 19 June. "Rooney's advisers expect to negotiate a £600,000-a-week deal for him," it announces. That's six hundred thousand pounds a week. The Mail knows of "at least two £50m offers" for the pug-faced poacher, though it thinks that works out at a relatively meagre £480,000 a week. Or he can join Everton on a little under a third of that, a possibility that "could persuade him to stay" in this green and pleasant land. Diego Costa's £60m move to the same country could be scuppered by a new 100% tax on enormous international transfer fees being imposed by the Chinese FA, which would turn it into a £120m move that represents particularly poor value for money, even for China's soccer spendthrifts.
Alexis Sánchez is mulling over yet another contract offer, with Arsenal's latest proposition being that they pay him only £270,000 a week. "However," the Mail notes, and happily for the charming Chilean, "the offer is loaded with incentives." Alternatively he could just go to Bayern Munich, Juventus or Paris St-Germain.
West Bromwich, Leicester and Everton are all interested in Troy Deeney, or at least they will be until they hear that Watford want £35m for him. The Mail has uncovered an escape clause in the striker's contract that allows him to leave if the Hornets can bank a clean £25m as a result, but given the amount of money they will have to pass on to his former club, Walsall, any offer will need to comfortably exceed that amount if his departure is to be green-lit.
Watch out Glasgow! News is a-breakin' that Rangers want to sign the midfielder Carlos Peña, who is known in his native Mexico as "Gullit" – after examining several photographs the Mill can only assume this is because Mexicans have forgotten what Ruud Gullit looked like – and has something of a reputation for his hard-partying ways. "They tell so many lies about me," Peña says of the media. "I have just started to ignore all the things coming out. It's gossip. They say I'm a drunk and chase women. I don't care. It doesn't hurt me because I know they are lies." The media is full of gossip, you say? Never!
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