The market heats up, but mostly due to players staying put

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( July 15, 2022 [The Independent]( Miguel Delaney's Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   Market heats up but mostly due to players staying put   Ronaldo forced to accept reality The chatter around the Chelsea tour saw news confirmed that many around the club had long suspected: Thomas Tuchel does not want Cristiano Ronaldo. The problem for the Portuguese is that neither does most of Europe. Ronaldo is desperate for one last crack at the Champions League or a major title, but none of the clubs who can immediately offer that are interested. The market has dried up. It means, as written by The Independent last Friday, he is facing up to staying at United. De Jong central to the new manager's plans As for [Frenkie de Jong,]( the complications of which are discussed below, one of the reasons that United are not looking elsewhere is because Erik ten Hag feels there is “no one like him”. The midfielder can really accelerate the new manager’s plans if the deal can be completed. The only player out there seen as similar is compatriot Ryan Gravenbach, and he is already going to Bayern Munich, while Ten Hag had no interest in Kalvin Phillips. As indicated below, though, it remains possible he has to look elsewhere. A game changer to change games? Former Liverpool director Michael Edwards pretty much has his choice of where he wants to go in football, with interest from all of Manchester United, Real Madrid and [Chelsea](. The fact he has previously worked with Daniel Finkelstein, a new Stamford Bridge board member, gives the London club an advantage but another more surprising option could be possible. Edwards apparently has offers in sport from outside football, and isn’t totally shutting them down. Jesus converts the mood at Arsenal It’s a classic pre-season story, but that’s also because it does happen: a new signing, in this case [Gabriel Jesus, has given his new team a huge left](. Arsenal have been really impressed with the impact of the Brazilian, and it’s been noted how he is even much better than they expected. There is real excitement about the impact he can have this season, such has been his influence and performance so far in pre-season. One thought is that he was one of those players who basically needed a little bit of release, and trust, to show his true self. While he was always respected at Manchester City, he still felt he always had to fight to prove himself, because he was never a fixture in the team. Now, he’s a guaranteed starter at Arsenal, and there’s that sense he has going to another level due to the extra confidence from that. Juventus testing waters with a wave Juventus have contacted Arsenal about Gabriel Magalhaes and, at the very least, it has not been rejected out of hand. Much depends on the offer from the Italian club. Adrien Rabiot has been mooted, and may be interesting, but there is no interest in former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey. It’s otherwise a situation that has provoked discussion, but Gabriel would at least be interested in a spell at Juventus at this point in his career. If he were to go - which at this point is little more than a speculative possibility - Arsenal may have to look beyond Lisandro Martinez as a replacement. United are currently well ahead there, and the player has had productive talks with Ten Hag. No mysterious game with this Isak Newcastle United have may have one of the most conspicuous ownerships in the game, but they have faced the exact same problem as everyone else when it comes to dealing with Real Sociedad. The Basque club are insisting that Alexander Isak’s entire release fee of £76m is paid, and absolutely aren’t budging from that. It was why Arsenal’s interest cooled in January.   Top stories [Corinne Diacre says France needs more ‘efficiency’ after close win over Belgium]( [Liverpool’s £15 million club: How a transfer strategy based on selling became the envy of the Premier League](   Miguel's Dispatches If you’ve been reading reports closely - including, of course, this newsletter - you will have noticed discrepancies in some of the lines around Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, with most of those discrepancies based on location. The English press, like myself, are saying that De Jong is open to going to United. Some of the Catalan press are insisting his priority is to remain at Barca. It should be pointed out no one is at odds here, it’s just the nature of a deal like this. There are so many machinations and a fair few complications to it, with everyone looking to use their leverage. Consider what journalists are trying to filter through. First of all, there is obviously the possibility of a deal on some level, since Barca want to sell and United are actually sending people to Camp Nou to negotiate. At the same time, De Jong’s camp have been insistent to Catalan press that he doesn’t want to leave, and are not budging. Ten Hag has clearly been in touch with his former midfielder, though, and not even United would spend so long pursuing a deal if there was no possibility of it happening. Our current reading, from speaking to people with knowledge of the situation, is that De Jong would prefer to stay but that the relationship with Barca is being pushed to breaking point. He also doesn’t want to lose any leverage. Sources insist Barca don’t technically owe him the deferred wages if he goes, but they need him to go for Financial Fair Play purposes, which would see him miss out on those wages. “Everyone,” in the words of one source,” is looking to call bluffs.” in the meantime, all journalists can do is keep on the phones and try to filter what comes out.   Quote of the day “Nobody wins afraid of losing." Leah Williamson after England’s 8-0 destruction of Norway, asserting her side’s lack of fear in these Euros, while referencing a Chris Stapleton song   Reading the game quiz For all the influx of Dutch talent to England, only 11 players have won both the Eredivisie and the Premier League. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   INDYBEST /BEST SPORTS BUY](   10 best rowing machines for building muscle and boosting fitness Getting on an indoor rower (or ergo, as they’re also known) is one of the best ways to get all the benefits that the discipline can bring [Click here for our reviews](     Essential reading [Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has failed on almost every level](   [Euro 2022: What can the data tell us ahead of the final round of group fixtures?](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/28386553.24675/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvc2FyaW5hLXdpZWdtYW4tZW5nbGFuZC1uZXRoZXJsYW5kcy1yYWNoZWwtZGFseS1zcGFpbi1iMjEwNzk5NC5odG1s/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B8fe47223/email   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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