Transfer news: Gyokeres over Osimhen for Arsenal, Man Utd contract talks, winger to Liverpool & more

Posted Thursday, April 18, 2024 by Caughtoffside.com

Why Arsenal have cooled Osimhen interest, plus Heinze update

I've had some fans asking me about reports in Italy suggesting that Arsenal have cooled their interest in Victor Osimhen because he could be too expensive, or that they are concerned about entering into difficult and lengthy negotiations with Napoli.

Osimhen has always been appreciated, but many clubs are cautious now waiting to understand the salary/commission package, as there's already a very expensive release clause to take into consideration. This is why Arsenal are looking at other strikers, including Viktor Gyokeres who remains on their shortlist.

Another Arsenal story to watch could be with former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze joining Mikel Arteta's coaching staff. He has a very good relationship with some members of Arteta's staff, but it's up to Heinze. He has to decide whether he wants to continue as a first-team coach or join a coaching staff.

At the moment, nothing is decided yet, with Arsenal or any other club, but he's really appreciated around the world as a coach, for sure.

Julian Nagelsmann to decide on Bayern Munich job before the Euros

I want to confirm once again that Julian Nagelsmann is the frontrunner for the Bayern Munich job, ahead of Roberto de Zerbi and Ralf Rangnick, who are two alternatives. What will be important now, in the next few days, will be for Bayern to understand what will happen between Nagelsmann and the German national team.

My understanding is that the German federation want to keep Nagelsmann until 2026, and they have already prepared a new contract proposal for him. They want him to commit to the national team. Nagelsmann himself wants to decide his future before the Euros this summer, and he knows now that Bayern's interest is strong and concrete.

Bayern have an idea of what they want their project to be with Nagelsmann, and now it's about entering into the crucial stages of the conversation. Conversations took place with his agents in recent weeks, he's the big favourite for the job.

De Zerbi is still there with a release clause at Brighton, and waiting for opportunities around Europe, so let's see what's going to happen there, but while he's appreciated by Bayern and there were some direct contacts, he was never really close to the job. That's the situation as of now but then let's see what's going to happen with him and also with Rangnick, who denied the Bayern links publicly, but who remains one of the names discussed internally at the Allianz Arena.

Is Xabi Alonso really guaranteed to be Real Madrid manager one day?

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has been very clear, telling the Spanish press that he 100% expects Xabi Alonso to become Real Madrid manager one day. Carro was very strong in his statement, saying he has no doubts that Alonso will be Real Madrid manager in the future.

Carro knows that Alonso is super attracted to a future with Real Madrid – this is the reality, as Alonso still loves all his former clubs, such as Bayern and Liverpool, but the feeling with Real Madrid, as a Spanish guy, is really special.

You might also remember that when I told you about Alonso rejecting Bayern and Liverpool to stay at Leverkusen this summer, I told you that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is a big fan of Alonso – this is an important point. Perez is a big fan of Alonso as a person, and as a manager. He also believes he has the perfect style for Real Madrid and that his skills as a coach are fantastic.

Perez is a super big fan of Alonso and this is why the feeling is that one day he will become Real Madrid manager.

Kobbie Mainoo contract talks moving in the right direction

We have confirmation of the contract talks between Manchester United and Kobbie Mainoo. Despite reports about other clubs, the conversations between the agents of Mainoo and Man United are ongoing, and INEOS are really pushing to keep the young midfielder at the club with a long-term contract.

Mainoo is already on a long-term contract until 2027 with an option until 2028, so this is why it's not something imminent or urgent – the situation is not worrying at all for Manchester United, but they want to give the player a higher salary and include several add-ons in his contract to give him the best salary possible in the future if his growth will continue like it has this season.

Talks will continue, and United want to make it happen in the next months. Conversations are ongoing and everything is going in the right direction, with INEOS convinced about making Mainoo one of the faces of their project for the present and future.

Unai Emery focused on Aston Villa despite interest

We're hearing a lot at the moment about some fantastic managers who could be on the move this summer as big clubs like Liverpool, Bayern and Barcelona could be looking for new head coaches, but one name we're not hearing much about is Unai Emery.

Emery has done a hugely impressive job at Aston Villa, and I'm aware some media pundits have been discussing and debating if he should be someone Liverpool are looking at to replace Jurgen Klopp. So why aren't we seeing Emery linked with some of the top jobs available this summer?

My understanding is that this is because Emery is fully focused on Aston Villa. Emery with Monchi, Damian Vidagany, are all together focusing on Villa's European campaign this season and of course on a Champions League spot for next season. Nothing is concrete at this stage with other jobs; there's interest for sure in Emery but he's focusing on Villa now.

In other news…

Rayan Ait-Nouri – In my opinion he could be very good option for any top club as he's linked with Manchester City by some reports. But at this point, Man City have not even planned for potential signing in that position; it's something that they will discuss close to the end of the season and Wolves won't make it easy for sure.

Kim Min-jae – From my understanding, there's nothing in the reports of Kim Min-jae potentially returning to Napoli this summer. He wants to play more of course but he's prepared to fight for his place at Bayern. The situation could only change in case the new head coach tells him to leave the club.

Omar Marmoush – The Egyptian winger has been linked with Liverpool, and I'm aware they have scouted Eintracht in general to monitor some players, but there is nothing imminent or close at this stage with Marmoush or any other player. Eintracht have not communicated a price yet for Marmoush, so we are at really early stages of this story.