Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Transfer Rumours: Paul Pogba to Al-Ittihad, Nat Phillips to Leeds, Callum Doyle to Leicester

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 July 2023, 09:42
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is the latest high-profile name being targeted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, according to a report.

The 30-year-old returned to the Serie A club on a free transfer from Manchester United last summer, but troublesome knee and muscle injuries forced him to miss the majority of last season, featuring just 10 times in all competitions.

Pogba still has three years remaining on his Juve contract, but Sky Sports Italia claims that the Frenchman could leave the club this summer after receiving a three-year contract offer from Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad worth €100m (£85.6m).

The report details how Pogba visited the sports facilities of Al-Ittihad during a recent trip to Saudi Arabia before returning to Turin on Monday.

Al-Ittihad have already signed two of Pogba's French compatriots this summer in the form of Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante on free transfers, while they have also forked out £25m to sign Portuguese winger Jota from Celtic.

Over in England, Championship club Leeds United are interested in signing Liverpool defender Nat Phillips, according to a report.

The 26-year-old made just four first-team appearances for the Reds in all competitions last season and he is deemed surplus to requirements under manager Jurgen Klopp.

According to The Sun, Leeds are looking to recruit Phillips on loan this summer, but Liverpool would prefer a sale.

The Whites, now managed by Daniel Farke, are in the market for defensive reinforcements after allowing centre-backs Diego Llorente and Robin Koch to join Roma and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively on loan.

Phillips has previously experienced two spells away from Liverpool on loan, spending the 2019-20 season in Germany with Stuttgart before joining Bournemouth in January 2022.

Staying in the Championship, Leicester City are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of Manchester City defender Callum Doyle.

The 19-year-old, who is yet to make his senior debut for the Citizens, enjoyed a successful season-long spell with Coventry City last season, making 44 league appearances including a start in the Championship playoff final defeat to Luton Town.

The Daily Mail reports that Leicester are set to complete the signing of Doyle on a temporary basis, but there will be no option to buy included in the deal as Man City still rate the teenager highly.

Newly-appointed Foxes head coach Enzo Maresca is familiar with a plethora of Man City players in the first team and academy having previously served as Pep Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad Stadium.

Doyle, an England Under-20 international, is set to become Leicester's third signing of the summer after Conor Coady and Harry Winks, who have moved to the King Power Stadium on permanent deals from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

Meanwhile, Manchester United left-back Alex Telles has ruled out a summer transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica.

The 30-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Europa League winners Sevilla, is expected to depart Old Trafford on a permanent basis this summer having fallen behind Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia in the pecking order.

Telles has been linked with a number of European teams including Benfica, but he has insisted that a summer move to the Primeira Liga champions is not on the cards as it would damage the "legacy" he built with former club Porto, where he spent four years between 2016 and 2020 before joining Man United.

Speaking on the Denilson Show, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News, Telles said: "I have an opinion about this. Going back to that subject I told you about leaving a legacy at the club.

"When you play for a club and leave a legacy, leave a good image, fought so hard to play and leave a good image... I, Alex, would not play for the rival, for example. Because, for example, I made history at Porto, everyone likes me there. There's no way to play for Benfica, you know?"

Before temporarily joining Sevilla last year, Telles made 50 appearances for Man United in all competitions, scoring once and providing eight assists.

Top News

7 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has hit out at "obsessed" Jamie Carragher amid the uncertainty surrounding his future at Anfield. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham are reportedly prepared to pay up to £40m to sign Manchester City attacker James McAtee in the current transfer window. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Jamie Carragher sent Mohamed Salah a contract plea in response to the Liverpool superstar's joke that he is 'obsessed' with him. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Missed opportunities were the theme in Premier League gameweek 20, and not just if your name is Harry Maguire, as Liverpool failed to increase their lead at the summit of the table when they dropped two points in a pulsating 2-2 draw with Manchester United. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have been on the lookout for defenders that they could bring to the club, even in the January transfer window, according to Reds expert David Lynch. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Inaki Williams and Nico Williams are expected to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Barcelona. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest's remarkable winning run in the Premier League continued on Monday night as they defeated a wasteful Wolverhampton Wanderers side 3-0, marking the first time they have recorded six consecutive top flight victories since 1979. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Casemiro has switched his stance and is now open to a move to Saudi Arabia, talkSPORT understands. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will have to assess whether Lamine Yamal is fit to start Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have included Dani Olmo and Pau Victor in their Spanish Super Cup squad despite the fact neither are the pair are currently registered to play for the club. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole that it is "very obvious" that Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov could complete a transfer to the Etihad Stadium in January. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Nottingham Forest were denied a penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers after the ball struck Rayan Ait-Nouri's arm in the box. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted there is unlikely to be any imminent progress on his contract situation. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in a potential swap deal involving Joshua Zirkzee. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arda Guler netted a brace as Real Madrid cruised past fourth-tier Deportivo Minera to secure their spot in the Copa del Rey last 16. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The EFL Cup semi-finals get underway at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening, where Arsenal and Newcastle United clash in the first leg of their final-four encounter. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Jurgen Klopp was a notable absentee for Red Bull Salzburg's friendly against Bayern Munich has been revealed. 6 January 2025 talksport.com West Ham's decision to appoint Julen Lopetegui in the first place has was 'stupid' and 'pathetic'. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica and Braga clash for the second time this week at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday, this time in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest have announced their first XIs for Monday's Premier League game at Molineux. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Chelsea's injury crisis at centre-back could prompt them to attempt to re-sign Marc Guehi, talkSPORT understands. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have been informed by Lens chief Pierre Dreossi that they must table "good bids" if they are to stand a chance of securing the signature of promising defender Abdukodir Khusanov. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Ex-Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge has been heavily criticised by Simon Jordan for his comments on the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold. 6 January 2025 talksport.com Dutch hero Patrick Kluivert is set to return to the dugout on the international stage. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Jack Grealish is "fighting for his future" at Manchester City and Pep Guardiola's "incredibly brutal" and "really negative" comments spell trouble for the struggling attacker, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany tells Sports Mole. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk After making a losing start to 2025, Tottenham Hotspur's injury-hit side will welcome Liverpool to North London in an EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A place in the Spanish Super Cup final will be at stake when Athletic Bilbao take on Barcelona in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Ethan Nwaneri will be missing for a few weeks with the muscular injury he sustained in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. 6 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola made it crystal clear after Manchester City's 4-1 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend that his Citizens side are "absolutely not" back to their best just yet.