Transfer news round-up: Cristiano Ronaldo to make shock return to Manchester United; Stoke want Scott Sinclair; Roberto Soldado keen on Gareth Bale link-up
We select today's top transfer stories plus bring you a club-by-club guide to the latest rumours
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Your support makes all the difference.The transfer window is open which means it's that time of year when stories of clubs spending ludicrous sums of money on players you've never heard of is par for the course. Here, we take a look at some of today's more intriguing rumours...
Liverpool have launched a move for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, tabling a £21m bid for the 24-year-old Brazilian. The news could point to the exit of the unsettled Luis Suarez, who has been the subject of intense interest from Arsenal, but Liverpool are adamant that this is not the case and Costa is seen as a new strike partner, not a replacement, for the Uruguayan.
Newcastle United, whose failure to make a dent in the transfer market is starting to wear thin with the fans, are edging closer to bolstering their strikeforce as a deal for Lyon’s Bafetimbi Gomis nears completion. This is a coup for the Magpies, as their hardball tactics look to have paid dividends. But negotiations to secure QPR forward Loic Remy are moving less smoothly, with Newcastle seeking a loan move but Rangers wanting to be rid of the Frenchman for good.
For a player who was hardly made to feel welcome at Manchester City, Scott Sinclair can feel somewhat better as another club joins the chase to secure his services. Stoke City are the latest to register an interest in the winger, who joined City last year from Swansea, but will have to outdo Everton, Newcastle and West Brom if they want to bring him to the Britannia Stadium.
New Tottenham acquisition Roberto Soldado has quickly adapted to life at White Hart Lane, adding his voice to the north London chorus urging Gareth Bale not to fly the nest for Real Madrid. The £26m forward says he would love nothing more than forging a partnership with the Welsh attacker.
Following ex-Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon’s comments that the Spanish giants’ determined pursuit of Bale is inspired by a fear of losing Cristiano Ronaldo, reports have surfaced linking the Portugese winger with a spectacular return to Old Trafford. In a complex deal to reclaim the superstar, Manchester United would pay around £80m, the amount they received for him in 2009, and it has been suggested that their very public pursuit of Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas is simply an elaborate smokescreen.
Click the links below for the latest transfer rumours and completed deals at your club...
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