JOE’s Transfer Digest – Wenger admits attempt to sign Covfefe “years ago”

Welcome to JOE's Transfer Digest, your home for reliable and factually accurate transfer stories.

It's been a busy week so far in transfer land and today promises yet another smorgasbord of speculation.

Morning Covfefe

In our main story today, Arsene Wenger has responded to speculation linking him with a move for the most exciting young prospect in world football - the £40 million-rated Covfefe - by revealing that while it is unlikely that he will sign the starlet, he was aware of the player's quality years ago and had attempted to recruit him to Arsenal's youth team. "Covfefe? Of course, we tried to sign him many years ago. Certainly, many people are only realising now that he is a true star - very exciting and technically gifted - but our focus is elsewhere now," said Wenger.

Europe's giants to go fox hunting

Elsewhere in England, Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez has confirmed that he is seeking a move away from the club this summer. Speaking yesterday, the Algerian admitted that having spent the last six months mentally far away from the team, he feels the time is right for a physical move to a top European side. "For the last half year, every time I have played I have imagined being somewhere else, doing anything else expect playing for Leicester," he said. "After sampling the world elsewhere, it is time my body follows my mind." Despite his request, Mahrez has insisted that he will continue to give a full 55% during the remainder of his time at the King Power Stadium.

Clause and effect

There appears to have been some movement in Antoine Griezmann's long-running transfer saga after it emerged that the Frenchman had told his club Atletico Madrid that he wants to leave. With a release clause of approximately £87 million, Manchester United are said to be at the front of the queue. According to media reports the Premier League club is preparing to put all of its financial clout behind an offer worth £20m less than the clause, before a later attempt to negotiate for the entire summer despite being repeatedly rejected and eventually agreeing to pay the fee only to have the transfer window end minutes beforehand.

And finally...

England youth team player Dominic Solanke has finally emerged victorious from his long drawn out wage row with Chelsea. The youngster had been demanding a £50,000-per-week contract - something the club flatly refused - and after months of tension he has shown just what a shrewd negotiator he is by opting to leave Stamford Bridge and instead join Liverpool in a deal worth less than £20,000 weekly.