Raheem Sterling’s £49m transfer to Manchester City sparks deals for Edin Dzeko to Roma, Stevan Jovetic to Inter and Gonzalo Higuain to Liverpool.
The huge €68m fee was agreed on Sunday afternoon and puts Sterling among the top 10 all-time most expensive players.
It also sets off a domino effect and the pieces are already in motion, as Roma director of sport Walter Sabatini flew into Manchester on Sunday night.
Raheem Sterling’s £49m transfer to Manchester City sparks deals for Edin Dzeko to Roma, Stevan Jovetic to Inter and Gonzalo Higuain to Liverpool.
The huge €68m fee was agreed on Sunday afternoon and puts Sterling among the top 10 all-time most expensive players.
It also sets off a domino effect and the pieces are already in motion, as Roma director of sport Walter Sabatini flew into Manchester on Sunday night.
He will meet with City chiefs today to push through the Dzeko move, having agreed personal terms worth €4.5m per season over five years.
It’s believed the Giallorossi are offering €15m rather than the requested €20m, but the arrival of Sterling puts more pressure on City to sell.
The same goes for Jovetic, who has long been a target for Inter, but the Nerazzurri are the ones holding out in this case.
La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport both maintain Jovetic is second choice compared to Mohamed Salah, who should meet with Chelsea today to discuss his complex situation.
Roma had also been linked with Jovetic, so if Inter drag their heels too long it’s entirely possible that Sabatini will ask for the Montenegrin as well as Dzeko.
Meanwhile, Liverpool now have a huge influx of cash with the Sterling sale and that means they can dive in for Napoli hitman Higuain.
The door is more than open for an offer, as President Aurelio De Laurentiis was caught on camera telling fans “I wish” Higuain would leave.
“With €90m I can buy eight players!”
While the proposal won’t reach that height for Pipita, Napoli and Liverpool could do a deal for the Argentine.
His confidence was battered over the summer by the Copa America, where he missed a decisive penalty in the shoot-out Final against Chile.
Manchester United and Arsenal have also been linked with a swoop for Higuain, but Liverpool now have the money and a forward slot to fill.
Meanwhile, it was also reported on Sunday that the Reds were in talks with Fiorentina to send over Mario Balotelli in an exchange of loans with Mario Gomez.