Here’s a quick round up of the various rumours floating around about transfers both in and out of Town right now. I wouldn’t usually write about this stuff, because it’s pretty unreliable, but the sheer volume of chatter justifies to a quick roundup of what’s being said.
I’d love to tell you that I have anonymous sources close to the club, but the truth is that I don’t. Like most Town fans, my insight into transfers in and out comes from the completely unreliable mishmash of blogs, forums, and friend’s uncle’s dogwalker’s mate kind of connections.
With that in mind, here are a few of the most persistent rumours that have been doing the rounds this week…
Limbombe to have a medical after agreeing personal terms
Anthony Limbombe has been linked with a potential move to Town for most of the summer. It seemed like one of those transfer sagas that wasn’t going to come to anything, but yesterday rumours emerged that he’d agreed personal terms and is coming to England for his medical.
If this is true then it could be that the signing is complete within the next couple of days. The fee is rumoured to be around £10.5m, but who knows if that’s accurate.
He’s a winger with a lot of pace, so would be a welcome addition to the squad. Whether he’s ready for the step up to the Premier League from Belgian football will be the big question mark hanging over him if he does complete this move.
Have Monaco accepted an £8m bid for Adama Diakhaby?
There are rumours that we’ve had a bid of £8m accepted for Adama Diakhaby from Monaco, a striker/winger that was brought in to replace Killian Mbappe last season. He didn’t have the best of seasons last year at Monaco, so it seems likely they’ll be willing to listen to offers.
If Town pull off this signing then it would be fair to say that Monaco have become our feeder club, after we also signed Terrence Kongolo from them earlier this summer.
Some fans may be concerned that Town are rummaging through the bargain bins for their signings this summer, looking for shop soiled players rather than proven winners. Personally, I think there’s a lot of value in picking up players that have had recent setbacks, as then you’re not paying over the odds for hype. I also trust David Wagner and his team to rehabilitate players that have struggled recently at other clubs.
Traore gone cold
Middlesbrough’s Adama Traore was a name that was being linked with Town regularly until recently, but it seems that trail has gone cold. If the two above signings come in then it’s hard to imagine us signing another winger, with Sobhi already arriving this summer too. However, if either of the above transfers don’t get over the line, it may be that we turn to Traore as an alternative option.
Scannell to Bradford (or maybe Brentford)
It seems likely that Sean Scannell will leave the club this summer, and Bradford emerged as his likely destination shortly after they snapped Jack Payne up on a season-long loan on Monday. The deal isn’t done yet, but Scannell’s absence from the travelling squad to the Germany training camp suggests a transfer is imminent.
I also saw Brentford linked with Scanz yesterday. I don’t know if this link is genuine or based on someone getting mixed up and writing about the wrong B’ford team. Championship club Brentford can offer Scannell a higher level of football than Bradford and Scannell comes from London, so it wouldn’t be a bad move for him.
UPDATE: Shortly after this article was published the club confirmed that Sean Scannell has completed his move to Bradford City for an undisclosed fee. Good luck Scanz!
Ince to Stoke
This rumour came out yesterday afternoon and it’s hard to judge whether it’s likely or not. According to “Sky sources”, Stoke are considering making a move. So it’s a bit flimsy at the moment, but could gather pace.
Ince didn’t take part in yesterday’s 0-0 friendly with Dynamo Dresden, which adds some fuel to the fire but could have been an injury precaution.
I’d be sad to see Ince go, as I think he’s not yet proved himself at the Premier League level, but with another season at Town I think he could. The ability is clearly there, so if he gets his head right then he could be great for us. Alternatively, Town could get their money back for him and Ince could drop to a level where he knows he can score for fun.
Hefele linked with West Brom
Hef only has a year left on his contract with Town and has fallen down the pecking order since he helped the club to promotion from the Championship. I’d be gutted to lose such a big personality from the club, but it makes sense that he’d want to be playing regular first team football at this stage of his career.
Yesterday’s friendly with Dresden was a homecoming match for Hefele, so it was no surprise to see him involved. Now that game is done it may mean he’ll return to England to complete a deal. Or hopefully not, we’ll have to see.
THD to Bristol Rovers
It’s no surprise that Tariq Holmes-Dennis is heading towards the exit at Town. Bristol Rovers are rumoured to be on the verge of signing him, which would probably be a good deal for everyone involved. THD was a useful understudy to Löwe in the Championship in our promotion season, but having missed a whole season to injury since, he needs regular football and to get his career going again.
Did I miss any other rumours? Pop them in the comments below.