Chelsea defender Levi Colwill in action for England under-21s in the European Championships
Tottenham have joined Liverpool in the chase for a top defender Chelsea are desperate not to lose this summer, while Friday’s Transfer Gossip claims Aston Villa are looking to snatch a £40million attacker from Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest.
SPURS TARGET LEVI COLWILL AS VAN DE VEN BACK UP
Tottenham have reportedly joined Levi Colwill‘s growing list of admirers despite Chelsea insisting the defender is not for sale.
The Blues have offered the 20-year-old a new contract to secure his long-term future, but it remains unsigned and the Stamford Bridge outfit have already shown that they have been ruthless with players who refuse to put pen to paper this summer – moving on from both Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to hand Colwill a first-team role in the coming season despite competition from Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah.
The 20-year-old is expected to fly out on Monday with his teammates for a pre-season tour of the United States after being afforded just a week-long break following his Under-21 European Championship victory with England.
However, while his future remains unresolved, links to other clubs are inevitable and Liverpool are also known to be big admirers.
The Evening Standard claims that Spurs’ interest stems from continued delays over their move for Wolfsburg star Micky Van de Ven, who has been their top centre-back target all summer.
Van de Ven talks progressing slowly
The Dutchman is regarded as one of the best young defenders in European football, but it’s thought that Wolfsburg are still holding out for £30million while Tottenham only want to pay £25m.
At this stage, however, it appears that Spurs have a much better chance of landing Van de Ven over Colwill, given Chelsea’s reluctance to sell one of their top young talents to a London rival.
There has also appeared to be a breakthrough in discussions for Van de Ven though as Ange Postecoglou looks to upgrade a Tottenham defence that conceded 63 Premier League goals last season.
TOP FOREST STAR KEEN ON VILLA SWITCH
Aston Villa are reportedly exploring a move for Brennan Johnson, with the Nottingham Forest winger keen on the switch to Villa Park.
The Daily Mail reports that conversations have taken place and that both parties are interested should a deal be viable. Brentford also retain a long-term interest in the 22-year-old.
Forest are willing to sell Johnson this summer amid concerns about Financial Fair Play, and a fee approaching £40million could be enough to see movement. Brentford had a £30m offer rejected just last month.
Villa are in the market for a new wide man have also been linked to Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby.
But Mail sources claim Johnson has serious admirers within Villa Park and they have been encouraged by word from the player’s camp.
He could be the third summer signing for Unai Emery after the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres.
Johnson enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Premier League, scoring eight times and appearing in all 38 matches as Steve Cooper’s men narrowly avoided the drop.
He is also an established Wales international and would be considered a tremendous addition to a Villa side who are back in Europe this season after qualifying for the Europa Conference League last term.
FULHAM LOOKING TO BEAT SIX CLUBS TO BRAZIL STAR
Fulham are hopeful of beating some of Europe’s biggest clubs to a deal for Brazil international midfielder Andre Trindade, as reported by 90min.
Andre Trindade in action for Fluminense
The Fluminense midfielder was a target for the Cottagers in January but they failed to get a deal over the line for the player.
The report states that a move was close at just under £20m during the winter transfer window. However, that price tag has now moved closer to £25m.
That price hike is due to the fact that Andre has since made his full debut for Brazil, while a number of clubs are also showing an interest in his signature.
90min adds that the likes of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham have all been spoken to by the player’s representatives in recent months.
However, Fulham are currently the only club making a concrete move for the player and are confident of finalising a deal.
