TRANSFER NEWS SPECIAL: Palmeri lifts lid on Morata, Keita, Perisic and Sanchez latest

Palmeri is an expert in football transfers, having broken some of the biggest stories around from his base in Italy.

He has more than 150,000 followers on Twitter and is considered as one of the go-to people for transfer gossip, with contacts around the biggest clubs.

And in an exclusive chat with Express Sport, Palmeri today revealed that:

• Liverpool’s move to sign Naby Keita is destined to fail due to the ‘money-is-no-object’ approach from RB Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz

There is now less than six weeks left of the transfer window and Premier League clubs will spend upwards of £1billion this summer.

Manchester United, who have already splashed out pent £75m on Romelu Lukaku, are expected to lead that with Inter winger Perisic next in line to join.

Palmeri said: “If I had to bet, I think Perisic will move to Manchester United this summer.

“But you must remember, everything can change in 24 hours. That’s something people should always keep in mind.

“Take Willian, for example. He was in a room signing for Tottenham at 6am, then at midnight he signed for Chelsea.

“It’s not only about the player, it’s about how flexible the club is to selling them. Sometimes it’s firm one day then, the day after, it’s off because other parameters change. It should always be kept in mind that one negotiation is linked to other negotiations.”

No better was the see-saw nature of transfers illustrated than with that of Morata.

He looked poised to join United before Jose Mourinho cooled interest to target Lukaku instead.

Morata was then seriously lined up by AC Milan, Palmeri says, before Chelsea came calling to sign him in a £60m deal this week.

On Morata, Palmeri said: “Milan wanted him, for sure. He was the top, top signing they wanted.

“They got Leonardo Bonucci and wanted Morata to follow. They could push for €40 million (£35.4m) but not €80 million (£70m), which is what Real were asking. Morata wanted big wages too. It would have just cost too much.

“In the end, Morata saw Chelsea as the English champions. They are in the Champions League, they are an established team while AC Milan are an ongoing team.

“Milan are a step back. If he were to come back to Serie A now, it’d only be to Juventus.”

As for Liverpool, their attentions are all on RB Leipzig midfielder Keita.

Jurgen Klopp wants to take him to Liverpool and RB Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz has confirmed a £66.3m offer has been made – albeit he stopped short of naming the club who lodged it.

But even the lure of big money, Palmeri unnderstands, won’t sway mega-rich Mateschitz to sell.

The transfer expert said: “Mateschitz, the Leipzig owner, is having the time of his life. This guy can buy our lives in seconds. Money isn’t an issue.

“Unless Keita misbehaves, unless he sets fire to the Leipzig headquarters, he’s not going to leave. There’s a progression at RB Leipzig that hasn’t hit a ceiling.

“People must realise they have just finished second in the Bundesliga after just being promoted. It’s amazing, it’s like when Nottingham Forest won the European Cup.”

Arsenal, meanwhile, have broken their transfer record to sign Alexandre Lacazette in a £52m deal.

Palmeri expects him to be lining up alongside Sanchez this season – despite the Chile international publicly stating his demand for Champions League football.

Although that’s just in the short term. Palmeri believes Sanchez will let his contract run down before ending up with a bumper pay-day – including a huge signing-on fee – next year.

Palmeri said: “Alexis Sanchez and Arsene Wenger are like two bulls clashing heads with each other.

“Alexis wants Champions League football now but if Arsenal are saying he’s staying put, there’s nothing he can do.

“But he has a reason to stay. He has one big reason that can persuade him to stay put.

“If he gives up his fight with Wenger, that will lead to unbelievable financial rewards next year.

“If he wanted €12m (£10.6m) in wages now, next year he will be able to claim those wages. What’s more, he’d get a huge signing-on fee that Man City would be willing to pay.

“It wouldn’t just be them, either. Juventus, Inter, Milan and Paris St-Germain would all be willing to pay him that too. He’s 28 so it’s not like he’s young – he doesn’t have a lifetime to wait.

“But now, there’s a reason for him to wait. There is a reason for him to stay.

“Giving up on his arms fight could have huge reward for him financialy next year.”