Transfer Round-up: Lamela-Gil, Locatelli, Lokonga

Tottenham Hotspur is on the brink of signing two players, Arsenal and Juventus are in the race for an Italy midfielder, Kerala Blasters revealed their first foreign recruit of the new campaign and lots more in our weekly transfer round-up from Europe’s top leagues and the Indian Super League (ISL).

A Loan & a Swap

Spurs, who finished a disappointing seventh in English Premier League last season, made two key appointments last month. They appointed Fabio Paratici, the former Juventus chief football officer, as the new managing director of football and signed former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo on a two-year deal. The duo identified two players – goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and winger Bryan Gil – and have managed to lure them to Spurs.

Gollini, who underwent a medical on Thursday, is likely to become the first signing of the Nuno era. Meanwhile, Spurs and Sevilla have reportedly agreed to a swap deal involving Gil and Erik Lamela. The 20-year-old, born in Barcelona, has already made three appearances for Spain and was part of the La Roja team, which won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2019.

Mission Locatelli

Manuel Locatelli’s stocks have been on the rise since his brilliant performances for Italy in Euro 2020. Juventus and Arsenal have shown interest in snapping up the defensive midfielder from Sassuolo. The 23-year-old is likely to prefer a move to Juventus over the London outfit, who will have to do without European football next season. According to Football Italia, Juventus could agree to a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy him for a price exceeding more than £30 million.

Lokonga, Ben White, Varane

Arsenal made their second signing of the summer after landing Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht. The youngster, an unused substitute in Belgium’s 1-1 draw against Greece in June, is a versatile midfielder and has racked up more than 50 appearances in the Belgian first division. Also, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White is likely to wear Arsenal colors next season. He was impressive in English Premier League last term and also earned a place in the England squad for the Euros.

According to The Guardian, Manchester United is preparing a bid for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane. The French defender, who has one year left on his contract, is yet to sign an extension and has indicated to the club’s hierarchy that he wants a fresh challenge. Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to comment on Varane rumors.

Kerala Blasters get going

ISL outfit Kerala Blasters have ended their fans’ long wait for the club’s first foreign recruit of the new campaign by signing Adrian Luna. The attacking midfielder, hailing from Uruguay, has plied his trade for clubs in Spain and Mexico and joined Melbourne City two years ago. The Kochi-based club had confirmed the arrival of former Bengaluru FC player Harmanjot Khabra a few days ago.

Last season’s bottom-placed side Odisha FC announced Kiko Ramirez as their new head coach. The Spaniard mostly managed clubs in lower divisions of Spanish football and had a stint with Polish first division club Wisla Krakow in 2017.

Bengaluru FC secured the signature of experienced midfielder Jayesh Rane and 19-year-old Harmanpreet Singh. Rane was part of the Chennaiyin FC squad, which won the second edition of ISL. Harmanpreet, meanwhile, made seven appearances for SC East Bengal in ISL 7.

Aniket Jadhav, who played for India in U17 World Cup in 2017, joined Hyderabad FC on a three-year contract. The 21-year-old, who wore Jamshedpur FC colors in the last two seasons, is the Nizams’ fifth signing of the 2021-22 campaign.