All the rumour, gossip, and news you need to know from the last 24 hours
Ba to sign for West Ham - but don't get super excited Hammers fans, it's not their former striker. It is in fact Abdoulaye Ba, a Senegalese international defender. Ba plays for Porto, but spent last season on loan at Academia, and Talksport are reporting that he wants a Premier League move. He made 22 appearances last season, scoring one, picking up 10 bookings. A problem for West Ham is their cross London rivals QPR, who are also monitoring the situation.
Newcastle's Demba Ba's future is still unresolved, and the club have been handed mixed news in their search for a potential replacement in case he does leave. They are chasing Luuk de Jong, but his boss at Twente, a certain Steve McClaren, is digging his heels in. He says he wants 'crazy money' for his striker - in the region of £16 million. He scored 25 goals for the Dutch side last season, and his agent said last night he is ready for the next step in his career, at odds with McClaren who says he is under no pressure to sell. One thing is for sure, and that is that Mike Ashley won't overpay, and Newcastle may walk away from this one.
Spanish daily newspaper AS is reporting that Manchester United are leading the race for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente. The striker would cost £30 million, and United know all about him after he scored against them in two games last season. Whether United would actually part with huge money for the striker is another matter, with their midfield in desperate need of reinforcements. Arsenal may also join the race if Robin Van Persie does end up leaving.
Good news for Sunderland fans, Asamoah Gyan is about to seal his exit from the Wearside club. He has been on loan at UAE side Al Ain all season, and the Black Cats want to take the money and run and spend it on players that actually want to play for them. Both club and player hope a deal can be reached within the next 24 hours. As far as replacements go, Sunderland have been linked with a move for Wolves striker Steven Fletcher, but at £10 million the Black Country club seem to be pricing him out of a move.
Arsenal and Liverpool will have to step up their pursuit of Younes Belhanda, with Montpellier preparing to offer the playmaker a new deal. The French champions have just lost Olivier Giroud to Arsenal, and with PSG buying expensive targets, retaining Belhanda will be absolutely key if they are to have a chance of retaining their title. The Metro say the 22-year-old French Young Player of the Year is to be offered a contract at treble his current wages in an attempt to keep him.
image: © Alfonso Jimenez
Dan Coombs
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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.
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