AFP, London :
Alexis Sanchez and Philippe Coutinho were among the superstar players linked with deadline-day moves on Thursday at the close of a record-breaking transfer window dramatically shaped by big- spending Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal forward Sanchez is the subject of interest from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, while Liverpool have repeatedly rebuffed Barcelona’s attempts to lure Brazil playmaker Coutinho to Camp Nou.
Barca turned to Coutinho after sensationally ceding Neymar to PSG in a world-record 222 million euros ($264 million) deal that has sent transfer fees skyrocketing across the continent.
“It’s mind-boggling, the figures that are out there — especially for the average players,” former Manchester United captain Roy Keane commented this week.
“That’s the market place at the moment. There aren’t many top players out there. The really big players are going for big money and it’s filtering down.”
In addition to Brazilian icon Neymar, PSG are also poised to wrap up a deal for 18-year-old Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.
The French teenager is expected to join on a season-long loan before signing for 180 million euros next year in a move designed to prevent PSG falling foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
Barcelona have already paid Borussia Dortmund an initial fee of 105 million euros, rising to 145 million euros, for Mbappe’s France team-mate Ousmane Dembele.
But Liverpool remain insistent that Coutinho will not follow in Dembele’s footsteps, having rejected three bids from Barca, and are instead determined to bolster their squad.
England international midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is due to complete a œ35 million ($45.1 million, 38 million euros) switch to Anfield from Arsenal on Thursday.
Liverpool have already agreed a club-record œ48 million deal for Naby Keita, who will arrive from RB Leipzig next year, and are also interested in Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Monaco winger Thomas Lemar.
But in a situation replicated across the world, efforts to recruit the latter are complicated by the fact he is on international duty with France and due to line up in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.
Sanchez could follow Oxlade-Chamberlain through the exit door at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium amid reports Manchester City were preparing a second bid for the Chile international.
City are reported to have been unsuccessful with an opening œ50 million offer for Sanchez, whose Arsenal contract expires at the end of the season.
Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are expected to make PSG’s Ivorian right-back Serge Aurier their second big-money recruit after a club-record œ42 million swoop for Davinson Sanchez.
Alexis Sanchez and Philippe Coutinho were among the superstar players linked with deadline-day moves on Thursday at the close of a record-breaking transfer window dramatically shaped by big- spending Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal forward Sanchez is the subject of interest from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, while Liverpool have repeatedly rebuffed Barcelona’s attempts to lure Brazil playmaker Coutinho to Camp Nou.
Barca turned to Coutinho after sensationally ceding Neymar to PSG in a world-record 222 million euros ($264 million) deal that has sent transfer fees skyrocketing across the continent.
“It’s mind-boggling, the figures that are out there — especially for the average players,” former Manchester United captain Roy Keane commented this week.
“That’s the market place at the moment. There aren’t many top players out there. The really big players are going for big money and it’s filtering down.”
In addition to Brazilian icon Neymar, PSG are also poised to wrap up a deal for 18-year-old Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.
The French teenager is expected to join on a season-long loan before signing for 180 million euros next year in a move designed to prevent PSG falling foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
Barcelona have already paid Borussia Dortmund an initial fee of 105 million euros, rising to 145 million euros, for Mbappe’s France team-mate Ousmane Dembele.
But Liverpool remain insistent that Coutinho will not follow in Dembele’s footsteps, having rejected three bids from Barca, and are instead determined to bolster their squad.
England international midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is due to complete a œ35 million ($45.1 million, 38 million euros) switch to Anfield from Arsenal on Thursday.
Liverpool have already agreed a club-record œ48 million deal for Naby Keita, who will arrive from RB Leipzig next year, and are also interested in Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Monaco winger Thomas Lemar.
But in a situation replicated across the world, efforts to recruit the latter are complicated by the fact he is on international duty with France and due to line up in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.
Sanchez could follow Oxlade-Chamberlain through the exit door at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium amid reports Manchester City were preparing a second bid for the Chile international.
City are reported to have been unsuccessful with an opening œ50 million offer for Sanchez, whose Arsenal contract expires at the end of the season.
Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are expected to make PSG’s Ivorian right-back Serge Aurier their second big-money recruit after a club-record œ42 million swoop for Davinson Sanchez.
