LAM09

Vinicius Junior 'signs new contract with Real Madrid until 2027 which includes €1bn release clause' | Daily Mail Online I know the source is meh, but I've read for a number of weeks that he was going to sign a new contract, and he took Hazard's number recently. I imagine it's one of those three midfielders you mentioned.

That's in Euros, so it works out at just over £10m. The worry would be whether he'd be able to lead the line without someone alongside him to play off.

I rated F.Mendy at one point; he's unfortunate that Ancelotti just doesn't fancy him at all. Another player you've mentioned in the past is Udogie. It will be interesting to see how his career develops at that other London club.

I'm with you on the need for a CF, just not with the idea of buying someone to hopefully fill the void that we're stuck with. Morata, Lukaku, etc. If you are going to splash the cash for an undisputed starting CF, it has to be the right option. I might sound like a broken record at this point, but Osimhen and Kane are the only options that fill me with hope of being good fits; one will seemingly require us to break our transfer record by some margin, and the other is a pipe dream because of Scrooge. According to a recent interview with Davies, he's eager to play further up the field, where his career began, stating his desire to finally fill the void left by Robben (the reason he was supposedly bought for to begin with).

He hasn't vocally bashed the club, so his odd 5 min cameo would be bearable. Lukaku, on the other hand, is a non-starter. Inter buying local talent while trying to play us like a fiddle. It's grating at this point.

They were still willing to sign him, but on reduced wages. He obviously declined to remain on our bench...

I feel like that ship has sailed.

A simple ultimatum would do: Milan must match Lyon's bid or you're off to France if he's dead-set on leaving. I think it says more about their priorities, tbh. You only have one career, so if they wish to waste it away on our bench, it's their loss at the end of the day.

And people say player power doesn't exist at this club. Third player to supposedly do that.

Isn't it based on the year you were born when qualification started?

We don't. However, it will help massively, going by the amount of points we dropped last season alone, thanks to a makeshift frontline that would even make a non-league side feel ashamed. As do I. I just believe we can't afford to miss out again, as potential signings will start to think more about the lack of European football than our recent triumphs. In addition, considering the amount we've spent (probably adding another £150-200m from now), it isn't too much to ask to have a long term plan in place while also expecting results on the field.

Grealish offers far more on the ball than Sterling ever did, so his goal tally doesn't matter as much. It isn't one of his strong suits either (8 league goals is his highest return). Any desire to answer this as well - Short-term pain means another season outside of the top 4? He just scored. The skill prior to the finish 🤌

Short-term pain means another season outside of the top 4? I'd imagine you're putting Lukaku and Sterling as two of those three. If so, they are extremely inconsistent and aren't what I'd classify as proven PL goalscorers (players that can guarantee 15+ league goals each season). Also, the latter excelled thanks to a set up that worked to his strengths rather than his actual abilities.

We can't afford that. A proven goalscorer is a must, and we should probably let Broja go out on loan in an attempt to rediscover some form. I agree with this notion, unfortunately. He isn't appealing at all.

Scum like him should be locked up and never be employed again. It's shocking that this wasn't "found" much sooner. Also, the fact that this seemingly becomes public knowledge shortly after getting the boot is very timely.

I think Jackson will score more than ten goals. However, I think we need a WC CF to accompany Nkunku.

He speaks French, for starters, so there won't be an issue with him adjusting. I'm more worried about him doing more harm than good to the club, as his managerial record isn't exactly impressive. Kovacic is the only one going to a notable side (will probably be a squad player), while three of those players are going to Saudi Arabia. There's a reason for that.

It's probably just the beginning as well. As I mentioned a few days ago, it's hard to see this crop not turning into Piazon, Nathan, Kenedy, or Baba.

It's been a busy day: a striker in the door, our captain seemingly on the move to join Atletico out of nowhere, and the biggest surprise of all, an Italian side buying a player outright from us; I didn't think that was allowed.

Ah, okay. It's very rare that you come across strikers of similar build who are nimble or tidy on the ball.

Don't insult the latter like that. A large majority of people were saying the former had a much better goal return (it was slight) during his first season in Italy. You know why: Osimhen was busy getting 16 IIRC screws put into his face. His numbers speak for themselves. Osimhen is a whole different player in the box and would have probably taken Napoli to the CL final at least, were he fully fit.

I'd have preferred Gallagher leaving instead of Mount, but it is what it is. We can't afford to keep players around in the hope they MIGHT get better. His performance in the Carabao Cup final will live long in memory.

£65m for Casper. I don't have any qualms about that, and he makes a rival weaker in the process.

I just feel like a number of these players won't make the grade, similar to years gone by. It's one thing to potentially go after the most talented or noteworthy youngsters around, like RM tends to do, but this idea of stockpiling them? Meh. I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

I can see someone doing just that this summer. There was serious talk about Bernardo going, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him join his fellow Portuguese teammates.