Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Transfer rumours: Dier to Celtic, Martinez to Bayern, Bella-Kotchap to Dortmund

sportsmole.co.uk, 16 August 2023, 15:45
Celtic are reportedly one of several teams interested in a move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier.

After losing his place in the Lilywhites' starting lineup towards the end of last season, the Englishman was not even in the squad for Saturday's draw with Brentford in their Premier League opener.

Head coach Ange Postecoglou has insisted that Dier remains a part of his plans, but he is seemingly behind all of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies in the pecking order.

According to 90min - via the Daily Record - Celtic, who previously took another centre-back in Cameron Carter-Vickers off of Tottenham's hands last year, are now lining up an approach for Dier.

However, Al-Nassr, Monaco and Crystal Palace are also thought to be keen on the 29-year-old, as are Sporting Lisbon, whom Dier represented for 11 years between 2003 and 2014.

Dier only has one year left to run on his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he will likely be allowed to leave for free in 2024 if he is not sold in the coming weeks.

Sticking with the theme of Premier League outgoings, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez is believed to be on the radar of German champions Bayern Munich.

The World Cup-winning goalkeeper has been a key figure in the Villa Park backline since leaving Arsenal in 2020, keeping 39 clean sheets in 113 matches in all tournaments.

Martinez's Villa breakthrough has seen him cement his place as Argentina's number one, although he shipped five to Newcastle United in last weekend's crushing Premier League defeat.

The 30-year-old's efforts helped Villa achieve Europa Conference League football last season, but he has been persistently linked with an exit to a Champions League-competing club amid previous interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

According to TyC Sports, Bayern could now turn their attention to Martinez after losing out to Real Madrid in the race for Chelsea shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bayern number one Manuel Neuer is still recovering from a broken leg, while Yann Sommer has left for Inter Milan, but the Bundesliga champions could be forced to make Martinez the most expensive goalkeeper of all time to bring him to Bavaria.

Elsewhere in Germany, Borussia Dortmund are not expected to sign Southampton centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap this summer.

The 21-year-old is being tipped to leave the Saints following their relegation from the Premier League and had supposedly caught the eye of Edin Terzic.

According to Sky Deutschland, contact was made with Bella-Kotchap's camp, but Dortmund are refusing to meet Southampton's €20m (£17.1m) asking price.

The Saints are under no pressure to let the German leave, as his contract runs until 2026, and a move to the Westfalenstadion is now rated as "highly unlikely".

Bella-Kotchap joined Southampton from Bochum for €11m (£9.4m) last year and set up two goals in 26 games for the Saints during his debut season, starting 24 Premier League games.

However, the Germany international is yet to play for Southampton this term due to a hamstring injury, and he would be behind Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck in the defensive pecking order at Dortmund.

Finally, Monaco have reportedly reached a full agreement with Torino over a deal for Ivorian right-back Wilfried Singo.

The 22-year-old has risen through the Toro youth academy to make 109 appearances for the senior team in all competitions, scoring seven goals and setting up 10 more.

Singo has excelled as a wing-back in Torino's system and kept up his strong form in the 2022-23 season, registering two goals and three assists in 35 appearances.

However, the defender is now in the final 12 months of his contract, and according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Monaco have struck a deal to sign him for €10m (£8.6m).

Singo will soon undergo his medical after putting pen to paper on personal terms, and he is snubbing interest from Atalanta BC to join the Ligue 1 club.

Monaco currently have Vanderson and Ruben Aguilar battling for the right-back spot, but Axel Disasi - who would sometimes fill in as a full-back - has departed for Chelsea.

Top News

26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to arrest their underwhelming Primeira Liga results before Christmas, Estoril Praia and Moreirense clash at Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday, keen to notch important victories in the gameweek 16 encounter. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Birmingham's Boxing Day clash with Burton had to be temporarily suspended due to a medical emergency at St Andrew's. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Kevin De Bruyne certainly wasn't in the festive spirit after walking down the tunnel immediately after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw against Everton. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jose Mourinho reportedly wants Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford at Fenerbahce, while Paris Saint-Germain will not sign the 27-year-old. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland missed a second-half penalty as Manchester City's Premier League plight continued with a 1-1 draw at home to a dogged Everton unit at the Etihad Stadium. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Primeira Liga title contenders Porto could climb to first place on Saturday when they host relegation-threatened Boavista at Estadio do Dragao in gameweek 16. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Goalkeepers tend to be a little crazy and Jordan Pickford is no different. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Fulham have announced their teams for the West London derby at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are paying increased attention to Atalanta BC midfielder Ederson ahead of a potential summer move to Old Trafford. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal pair Gabriel Jesus and David Raya could both write new chapters of Gunners history when Mikel Arteta's men host Ipswich Town in Friday's Premier League encounter. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Christmas may have come and gone, but Man City' boss Pep Guardiola - and his players - are hoping for presents in the form of new signings. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to finish a successful year with a streak of five straight Serie A wins, Inter Milan will visit Cagliari on Saturday, as both sides play their final fixture of 2024. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are supposedly all prepared to go head-to-head for the services of Club Brugge defender Maxim De Cuyper in the January window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says that he loves the club but that the future is uncertain ahead of his side's clash against Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day in the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could supposedly repeat their Chido Obi Martin trick by prising another young talent away from Arsenal in 2025. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Real Madrid have seemingly been handed a significant boost in their hopes of landing AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez, who is experiencing 'high tension' with head coach Paulo Fonseca. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City will attempt to arrest their calamitous slump in form when they face Everton on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Finishing off their 2024 schedule with a battle at the bottom, Serie A survival rivals Parma and Monza will meet at Stadio Tardini on Saturday. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will not be 'waving the white flag' in the Premier League title race, but the Spaniard and his squad will look at the top-flight table with "a fair bit of regret". 26 December 2024 talksport.com Man City's under pressure stars slept at the club's training ground on Christmas Day as they look to turn around their worrying form. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly laid out their plan over how to approach for the upcoming January transfer window. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest will be bidding to end a 29-year run when they play host to Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will have the chance to sign Victor Osimhen in January in a deal with Napoli that would see one of Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee or Marcus Rashford head in the opposite direction. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Chelsea will always be busy in a transfer window - it's a tale as old as time. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both beaten by Serie A title contenders just before Christmas, Empoli and Genoa will meet for their final fixture of 2024 on Saturday afternoon. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa will be hoping to avoid equalling an 89-year streak when they square off against Newcastle United on Boxing Day. 26 December 2024 talksport.com Damian Lewis may be an award-winning actor - but Zinedine Zidane showed him levels when it came to a performing masterclass. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal face the prospect of losing out on Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, who is reportedly on serious interest to Bayern Munich. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes the club are at one of their lowest moments in living memory, and the side face the prospect of entering 2025 in the bottom half of the Premier League. 26 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hearts vs. Hibernian (Thursday, 12.30pm) Two places separate Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership table heading into gameweek 19's Boxing Day derby at Tynecastle Park.