Football transfer rumours ranked: Kenan Yildiz saga takes fresh twist

Only weeks after Juventus and Kenan Yildiz appeared to be on the brink of agreeing an improved contract, talks appear to be at an impasse. Plus, why everyone wants Adam Wharton. Today’s football transfer rumours ranked…

Arsenal and others on alert as Kenan Yildiz contract talks stall

Rumour rating: 8

Another month, another burst of chatter around the future of Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, talks have stalled over an improved contract that would increase the 20-year-old’s annual salary from £1.3m to about £3.5m. 

Previous reports had indicated a long-awaited agreement was close, with image rights and bonuses the only unresolved elements of a deal that would extend Yildiz’s stay in Turin to 2030. The saga appears to have taken a fresh twist, however, with Gazzetta claiming the prospect of a fresh contract for a player previously seen by the Juventus hierarchy as untouchable “has never been more at risk than it is now”.

If the two parties have indeed reached an impasse, which seems entirely plausible given that talks have been ongoing since at least late summer, renewed interest from the Premier League would be no surprise. 

Although Juventus rejected a £34m bid from Arsenal last year, the north London club has continued to show interest in Yildiz and reportedly dispatched scouts to the Allianz Stadium last month to assess his progress. Chelsea have also expressed concrete interest, tabling a £59m bid this summer that was likewise rejected. Given Arsenal’s ongoing search for a first-choice solution on the left of their forward line, and Chelsea’s seemingly boundless appetite for stockpiling emerging talent, a revival of interest from either club would make sense.

Claims that Real Madrid are also interested in acquiring Yildiz are more difficult to evaluate, given the abundance of attacking talent at the club’s disposal already. Vinícius Júnior has faced competition from Rodrygo for a place on Madrid’s left wing, where a third Brazilian, Endrick, can also operate. Unless at least one of the trio were to leave – and all three have been linked with a move – the arrival of a fourth option would only muddy the waters further, particularly at a time when the more pressing need is to identify defensive reinforcements in anticipation of the anticipated departures of David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger.

Yildiz came through Bayern Munich’s youth system but declined to remain with the Bavarian giants, opting instead to join Juventus in the face of rival interest from Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Ajax. Widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in world football, he is valued at €100m (£86m) by Juventus.

Chelsea want to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton

Football transfer rumours ranked rating: 6

The starting point for any discussion of Adam Wharton’s future is simple: who wouldn’t want the 21-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder? Wharton’s technical excellence, ball-winning prowess and eye for a line-breaking pass are universally admired. His maturity, discipline and work ethic are qualities any manager would covet. What’s not to like?

With that in mind, it comes as no great shock that Chelsea have been credited with interest in Wharton’s services, joining Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid as rumoured suitors. 

On paper, the Stamford Bridge club is well-stocked in midfield, where Enzo Maresca’s options include Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Roméo Lavia. In reality, the Italian manager has rarely had the luxury of trying to shoehorn that trio into his starting line-up, with Lavia suffering a series of injuries since his £53m move from Southampton two summers ago. 

The most recent of those setbacks is a quadriceps injury picked up after four minutes of Chelsea’s recent Champions League draw with Qarabag. Having started just four matches this season, the Belgium international is now expected to be sidelined for at least a month, adding another unwelcome chapter to an injury record that has already seen him miss 88 games for the club. Yet to complete 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt, the 21-year-old has seen more of the treatment room than the pitch. Taking into account his transfer fee and wages, Lavia’s 29 appearances to date have come at a cost of about £2m each. 

It is little wonder, then, that Chelsea might want Wharton. Although Caicedo and Fernández have forged a commanding midfield partnership, the latter is better suited to a more attacking role, while injury to either player would leave Maresca scrambling to make do and mend. 

Several factors militate against a move for Wharton, however. The midfielder’s contract runs until 2029, all but ensuring he would command a transfer fee north of £100m. And while that may not be an insuperable obstacle for a club of Chelsea’s free-spending reputation, Crystal Palace would be unlikely to sanction a mid-season move. Neither is it likely that the level-headed Wharton, who retains a deep respect for Oliver Glasner’s methods, would push for such a move. 

“I don’t really look into it or think too much about it,” Wharton recently told the Athletic, apropos of transfer speculation. “There are always rumours floating about on social media. Is it true? Is it not? You tell me. My friends, my family, my brothers, everyone will message me and be like, ‘Is it true this club’s interested?’. I’m like, ‘Thanks for telling me because I didn’t know.’ 

“If something’s going to be serious, I can think about it, but if not… if there’s interest, I’m not interested in knowing. You can be interested in anything and nothing could come of it. You must be doing something right for those sorts of clubs to be interested or wanting you, but until there’s something concrete and direct communication, I wouldn’t stress about it.”

For now, at least, neither should we.

Barcelona want to sign Harry Kane from Bayern Munich

Football transfer rumours ranked rating: 8

Do Barcelona want to recruit Harry Kane from Bayern Munich as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski. Very probably, as we discussed in detail earlier this month.