Oscar Deal In Place, And Other Things That ESPN 'Understands'

ESPN apparently understands that a deal between Chelsea and Internacional for the transfer of Oscar has been reached for €25M. Harry Harris is the author, and he used a good old 'ESPN source' to get that information. Now, anonymous sources are fine if you have some sort of track record of being credible. Harry Harris' track record? Well, you can see for yourself (hat tip to @CFC_News_24).

In other words, it's highly likely that this is just the Terra story from earlier repackaged to look like a scoop. Is it unfair to claim that Mr. Harris isn't trustworthy here? Maybe, but if he wants to be considered a legitimate reporter he probably shouldn't have hitched his reputation to the dozens of incorrect stories he's used his sources for over the years.

This rumour should probably be considered to be exactly where it was this morning, when one of Oscar's representatives said that a €25M deal is probably going to get done soon. That's from an actual source; one which you can take fairly seriously. Don't get too excited about the the ESPN report, because it changes approximately nothing. A deal might get done, but if it does it won't be Harry Harris reporting it.