Two of Italy’s biggest clubs are in a battle to sign Socceroos centre back Alessandro Circati, but they will have to pay up to secure the 22-year-old in what would be an Australian record transfer fee.
Juventus and AC Milan have made contact with Circati’s current club Parma, who have placed a €25 million ($41.1m) price tag on their vice-captain’s head, according to Ekrem Manour, who is transfer news reporter for The Sun, Caught Offside and Hooligan Soccer.
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Circati attracted a lot of interest from other Serie A clubs off the back of an outstanding World Cup campaign for the Socceroos, which came off the back of an impressive season with Parma.
The Perth Glory product was linked to the likes of La Liga’s Atletico Madrid, the Premier League’s Newcastle and back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain courtesy of his performances for Australia in the United States and Canada.
Circati’s father and co-agent Gianfranco told football360.com.au last month that the market is “buzzing” for his son.
“You must remember that Ale has a contract until 2029 and is very happy where he is, so we’re not in a hurry,” he said.
“It’s really up to Parma whether they want to keep him or sell him … there have been some talks.”
Earlier reports suggested Circati would fetch a transfer fee around $32m, but Parma have clearly decided that their rivals will need to pay up if they are to lose the Australian defender, who joined them in 2022 and was pivotal in securing promotion to Serie A in the 2023/24 season before becoming a consistent performer in the Italian top flight in the last two seasons.
The sum Parma are asking for would smash the Australian transfer record, which was set after the 2022 World Cup when Leicester City bought Harry Souttar for $25m and is set to be broken by the third member of the Socceroos’ centre back trio – Lucas Herrington.
The Athletic reported on Monday that Herrington’s current club Colorado Rapids have agreed to sell the 18-year-old to newly promoted Premier League club Hull on a transfer fee worth £17 million ($32.5 million).
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PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS’ BID REJECTED
Arsenal’s opening bid for Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes has been rejected by the Magpies with the two clubs now in direct talks over a deal.
Guimaraes is in Spain for a pre-season training camp with Newcastle, but the 28-year-old last month told club bosses that he wants to move to the Emirates.
Newcastle want the Brazilian to stay as he has two years left on his contract.
The Telegraph reported that an offer in the region of £70-80m may be enough to seal the move, despite earlier reports that Newcastle initially insisted they wanted almost £100m.
“You knew Newcastle would go into these negotiations trying to get as much money as possible from Arsenal,” football expert Julian Laurens told Sky Sports News.
“But we’ve seen from Arsenal this summer they won’t pay over the odds, what they believe is the value of a player – Bruno Guimaraes, Morgan Rogers, Diomande and others.
“It’s an interesting chess game starting between Newcastle and Arsenal. I believe between the player and Arsenal there were never going to be any problems, so it’s between the clubs.
“That first bid was always going to happen about now, it was always going to be rejected. Now, the two clubs can discuss it a bit more.
“I think Newcastle know how much Guimaraes wants to leave and join Arsenal, and we know the current situation financially from a Newcastle point of view.
“That’s one of the reasons Eddie Howe left, he knew Guimaraes would be sold to Arsenal at some point.
“Newcastle want to avoid what happened with Alexander Isak last summer because it didn’t bring anything good to anyone – not Newcastle, Isak or Liverpool.
“I expect to see this go through in the next couple of weeks, and from an Arsenal point of view they get not only one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but someone who can play as a No 6, a No 8 and a No 10.
“The idea from Mikel Arteta to sign him is how press-resistant he is. If you play against a team who come and chase you and want to play out from the back, Bruno is the best at that role.
“I fully expect him to play in front of the back four, and have Rice and Odegaard either side of him, and be able to dictate the tempo and control everything.”
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ENGLAND VETERAN JOINS BLUES
Chelsea announced the signing of veteran England midfielder Jordan Henderson from Premier League rivals Brentford on Monday.
The former Liverpool captain, who was part of England’s World Cup squad at the recent tournament in North America, has signed a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
“Given the size of the club, the manager, who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” said Henderson.
“I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.
“For me, it’s about giving everything every single day, both on and off the field, to help the players around me and the team as much as possible. I’m very excited to get going.”
It was confirmed last week that Henderson had his Brentford contract terminated after it emerged the club’s west London rivals Chelsea were interested.
The 36-year-old won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool. He left Anfield for Saudi club Al-Ettifaq in 2023, moving to Ajax six months later.
He returned to the Premier League with Brentford last year, signing a two-year contract.
Henderson, who has won 91 international caps, was part of England’s 2026 World Cup squad but played only a handful of minutes, breaking an arm later in the tournament.
He joins Xabi Alonso’s squad just two days after Chelsea signed fellow veteran Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
The Blues spent a British-record £117 million to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa last month and have also landed France defender Maxence Lacroix and Atalanta defender Marco Palestra.
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season, one point and one place behind Brentford, and failed to qualify for European football.
Alonso’s team will face Fulham, who just signed Real Madrid duo Gonzalo Garcia for £34m and Cesar Palacios for €10m, at Craven Cottage in their Premier League opener on August 24.
WORLD CUP FINAL HERO MAY LEAVE BARCA
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Monday the Spanish champions must reinforce their attack after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford, and with question marks over Ferran Torres’s future.
The Catalan giants made a bid for Atletico Madrid and Argentina striker Julian Alvarez, which was rejected.
“I have total confidence in (sporting director) Deco, we know that we have to do something,” Flick told reporters after an inter-squad match at St. George’s Park in England, where Barca have been training.
“It also depends (what happens) about Ferran (Torres).” Spain international Torres, who scored the winning goal in their World Cup final triumph over Argentina, has one year left on his contract at Barcelona.
Torres has been linked with Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, coached by former Spain boss Luis Enrique.
Torres admitted during an appearance on American television network NBC that he did not know where his future lay, but suggested he might prefer a move elsewhere.
“I have a contract at Barcelona but in football you never know,” said the 26-year-old. “I’m just waiting to make the right decision.” Asked if he had a dream destination in mind, Torres said he did but did not disclose it.
Barcelona have signed Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi this summer for the first team and Flick acknowledged both wingers could be used through the middle.
“Gordon and Adeyemi can play on both sides and as a number nine, so we have a lot of options actually,” added Flick, who noted Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal was also capable of playing in that role.