Saint Albert

Barcelona bid 80m Euros for Coutinho: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4715806/Barcelona-bid-72m-Coutinho-Liverpool-demand-more.html

Monaco accuse four clubs of tapping up Mbappe: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/20/monaco-kylian-mbappe-report-clubs-tapping-up

Good question. You'd think the rules would be the same since England and Holland are both EU countries (for now).

Stop the presses. Virgil has told the club that he wants to go to Liverpool. I haven't heard this news at all this summer.

Or hello to the best (and possibly largest) CB partnership in the Prem?

The Guardian reported that it was a done deal yesterday, but I haven't seen a formal announcement by Palace.

Sanchez was linked with Barcelona a few months ago. If we signed him, it would send the Liverpool supporters into overdrive.

So, as mentioned on the FF new contract thread, FF signing a new deal was predicted yesterday on Sotonions. The same poster also said yesterday that a defender was rumoured to be incoming. Today, he added that the rumoured incoming defender was from a Dutch club starting with "A". It might be all speculation, teasing and baseless rumours, but he is 50% right so far, so I thought that I'd throw it out here...

I don't think that the club ever came out and disclosed publicly the exact nature of his injury.

I thought that Austin was the designated preemptive Pelle replacement?

Interesting. One of the posters on Sotonions mentioned yesterday that a new defender was incoming, and FF was getting a new contract.

This has been copied and pasted onto the RAWK site... https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=335603.6320

I've heard many good things about this player. Not sure a about a straight loan though.

If we hold onto all our players like VVD with the vultures circling, that would be a result. It would also send a message to teams like Liverpool, Man U, and Arsenal who have previously cherry-picked some outstanding talent from the club. My concern would be with the DM position. What happens if we lose Romeu to injury?

Here's a pretty tenuous-sounding link to the Danish LB Durmisi at Betis. Perhaps Højberg can put a good word in for us: http://sportwitness.co.uk/players-instagram-post-teases-transfer-liverpool-southampton-race/

There were some interesting points in the Echo article: - VVD is not acting up behind the scenes and pushing for a move - £60M is not enough to tempt Saints Since Liverpool's apology last month, nothing has materially happened concerning VVD's potential transfer, except for speculation.

Palace bid 16M for Chambers: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/07/17/crystal-palace-bid-16m-arsenal-defendercalum-chambers/ The article also notes that WBA are after Kieran Gibbs - would be a good signing for them. Their LB last season was very poor.

It was definitely a strange situation.

His wages are outside of Saints' wage structure. When he was rumoured to be coming here in January as a Fonte replacement, he was reputedly on a six figure salary per week. Also Liverpool have overvalued him considering that he's no longer part of Klopp's plans, has had disciplinary issues, his bizarre drug ban before the Europa League Cup final, limited first team opportunities with Liverpool last season, and they want to get rid of him.

Lovren only went that late because it was a World Cup summer. It takes some time to compete for Croatia in Brazil, remove your head, leave it somewhere in Liverpool and then go beaking off in the media about misplacing it in a different city.

He's persona non grata there because he once worked for the Sun.

It comes down to the will of the club to resist Liverpool's predatory behaviour, and Pellegrino's willingness to manage a squad with a key player who has spent the summer agitating for a move. VVD's insistence on going to only Liverpool makes a move less likely.

We'd need to add an extension to the team's medical facilities if we signed those two. Plus both will be considerably outside the wage structure. So no.

Optimistic, not naive. If I looked at every bit of Saints news in its worst light I'd be bloody miserable. I really don't think he's trying to contradict the club. He's just saying he tried, but it did not work out. The footage does not show him in training with contact. I would be interested to know if the club authorized his use of the training footage.

I feel like I'm back in English Lit class. He took his shot, he missed. Back to business at Saints. That's my interpretation. And kudos to VVD for quoting the Great One.