Arrivals
Fulham FC have announced the signing of Bayer 04 transfer target Joao Palhinha from Sporting CP for a fee of €22m including bonuses. The 26-year-old defensive midfielder signs a 5 year deal with the London side, saying it was always his dream to play in the Premier League. Whilst he would have certainly been a luxury signing and a clear upgrade to our midfield, perhaps his decision to choose a newly promoted side from the Premier League shows his character, or that Leverkusen were never that serious to begin with.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also tweets that Feyenoord's Luis Sinisterra has agreed personal terms with Leeds United, with the Dutch club to receive a record fee. At one stage, the Colombian winger, who managed 23 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last season, seemed to be Leverkusen's number one transfer target. With Sinisterra now seemingly out of the picture, we are left with Mudryk and Edozie, the latter, again according to Fabrizio, who should be announced soon. Should Mudryk's deal really fail, plan B is now a mystery.
Departures
ESPN Ecuador quotes 'English media' as it reports that the transfer of Piero Hincapie to Tottenham Hotspur has been agreed for a sum 'exceeding 40 million dollars'. There apparently is little truth to these rumours however as earlier this afternoon, journalist Daniele Longo took to Twitter to say that Hincapie is not close to Spurs, AC Milan, AS Roma and Napoli are all interested and that Bayer 04 would rather sell after the World Cup. Were Hincapie to go so after just a solitary season, it would of course be extremely disappointing but at least it seems that such rumours are nothing substantive.
Simon Rolfes has made clear that an exit from Edmond Tapsoba is off the table. Our new Managing Director of Sport said to Kicker, "We don't have any offers on the table. And we wouldn't give him up either." Recently the 23-year-old Burkina Faso was linked with moves to FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. This, in addition to the renewals of the likes of Patrik Schick and Florian Wirtz, proves again that a serious attack on the Bundesliga title is on the cards and that we fans have plenty to look forward to.
Negotiations between Newcastle and Moussa Diaby should have started according to CBS Sports Golazo - for what must be the 6th or 7th time. This comes only a couple of days after Simon Rolfes said that he was 'optimistic' that the Frenchman would stay this summer. The fee being mooted by the English press is a paltry €60m but as we all know the real amount lies closer to €100m. Unfortunately, until we somehow extend his contract again, such annoying, laughably fake and clickbait stories will no doubt continue to circulate until the end of the transfer window.
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