Stones to Chelsea, the saga starts anew
The transfer window might be closed, but the rumours keep ticking. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals here.
Stones to Chelsea, here we go again
One of the most ubiquitous — and frankly exhausting — transfer sagas to follow last summer was whether Everton’s John Stones would leave the club to join Chelsea. The on-again, off-again affair gobbled up plenty of back-page headlines, and the move nearly ended up happening.
We won’t rehash all of the drama here, because according to the Mirror, it’s all about to begin again. Everton know full well that Chelsea want to bring the England international to Stamford Bridge, and the outlet reports that Jose Mourinho & Co. are already preparing a new bid for January that will top the final £37 million bid they offered in the summer.
Not to be outdone, Everton have reportedly initiated contract extension talks with the 21-year-old, who still has three-and-a-half years left on his current deal. Stones, who has had some fitness issues so far this campaign, is working his way back into form, and boss Roberto Martinez says the goal right now is to get him back to his best and keep him at Goodison Park for years to come.
Klopp chasing former Dortmund charge
Jurgen Klopp and Nuri Sahin could be reunited at Anfield.
According to reports from Calciomercato, Klopp’s new club Liverpool is expected to make a move for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
If it happens, it would not be the 27-year-old Turkish international’s first trip to Anfield as a player. He, of course, was loaned to Merseyside in 2012 after winning a Bundesliga title with Klopp the previous year.
The former Real Madrid man has played a bit role under new Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel this campaign, and with Klopp trying to inject his system into his Reds’ DNA, a blast from his winning past, such as Sahin, could help that process quite a bit.
Bilbao want big money for Laporte
With both Chelsea and Manchester United rumoured to be interested in Aymeric Laporte, his current club Athletic Bilbao seem to smell an emerging bidding war. As such, they’ve wisely set a high asking price for the services of the French defender.
The Express are reporting that Athletic Club want no less than £35m — his buyout clause — for Laporte. Depending on what happens with the aforementioned John Stones’ situation, Chelsea might just be good for it.
Atleti confident in Martinez
Falcao to Serie A?
Out-of-form striker Radamel Falcao is in the sights of Italian club Fiorentina, according to reports from the Mirror.
The Colombian moved to Chelsea on loan this summer after a shockingly ineffective season with Manchester United in 2014-15, and he hasn’t fared much better since the switch.
With opportunities at Stamford Bridge drying up, the 29-year-old former Atletico Madrid and Porto man is in search of finding first-team football somewhere.
Up step Fiorentina.
The paper says Blues boss Jose Mourinho, who wants to strengthen his strike force, would be willing to let Falcao go on a loan to the south in January. However, Falcao’s parent club Monaco would have to sign off.
Tap-ins
– According to reports from the Telegraph, New York City FC manager Jason Kreis is on his way out as boss of the MLS club that made their league bow this season. The outlet suggests that his replacement will be none other than Patrick Vieira, the current development squad manager at Man City.
– One of Juventus’ big summer signings was Argentine Paulo Dybala. However, the former Palermo player has failed to hold down a regular spot in the Old Lady’s XI, and Maurizio Zamparini, the president at Dybala’s previous club, believes he should seek a move away from Turin in January. “I’m really annoyed with Allegri because he’s ruining a champion,” Zamparini said.
– Celtic have signed Carlton Cole on a free transfer. The former Chelsea and West Ham striker, 32, has signed a contract until the end of next season following a trial spell.
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