Man Utd eye Muto; Man City want Neymar
The winter window draws closer with each passing day, and the transfer rumour mill is starting to pick up steam. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals here.
TOP STORY: Manchester United eye Yoshinori Muto
With just Wayne Rooney (out of form) and Anthony Martial (just 19) to choose from up front at Manchester United, manager Louis van Gaal is looking for another striker in January.
Clearly he’s been looking at Chelsea’s Christmas list too, as United are keen on a £10 million bid for Yoshinori Muto, who nearly joined the Blues last summer, according to The Daily Mirror.
Instead, saying he wanted guaranteed first-team football, Muto went to Germany and has scored seven goals in 14 appearances for Mainz this season.
Mainz might “fit his level” but the Japan international would surely be foolish to turn down a club like United if they come in.
Man City eye Neymar and Pep Guardiola
When you have unlimited wealth, it’s quite a task to pick the right players for your club. Manchester City have already landed Raheem Sterling (£49m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£54m) but it seems they are not yet done in the attacking midfield department, despite also boasting the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas.
No, City are hoping to tempt Pep Guardiola to the club this summer, so they have to think big. And you can’t really think bigger than Ballon d’Or shor-tlistee Neymar.
Mundo Deportivo say that once Pep is tied down, the Barcelona winger will be the next big name to arrive at the Etihad.
Quite what that means for the rest of City’s expensive stars is another question.
Tottenham and Arsenal look to La Masia
It is tough to break into the first-team at Barcelona, so you wouldn’t begrudge a young player a move if he can’t knock the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez onto the bench.
AS have news that North London’s finest are eyeing Barca’s famed La Masia academy with a view to bringing in two of its top stars.
Tottenham want 20-year-old attacking midfielder Sandro after losing Cameroon star Clinton N’Jie to injury for the next few months, while Arsenal’s quest for a defensive midfielder has led them to Sergi Samper.
Sandro’s “mobility and competitive spirit” have apparently caught the eye of Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who isn’t afraid of the ¬12m pricetag; while Samper could be available for as little as ¬10m which always makes Arsene Wenger happy.
Fabio Capello not going back to Madrid
Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez has been in the news recently, with speculation over his future at the Bernabeu a constant while fans continue to boo from the stands. But with Jose Mourinho hovering around for any potential vacancy, another former Madrid boss has ruled himself out of a return.
Spanish television station Cuatro asked Fabio Capello about going back and he replied: “Is this a joke?”, before bursting into laughter.
Adding: “No, no, no. I don’t want to talk about this because it’s a joke. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Tap-ins
– Arsene Wenger says he was right to only sign ONE outfield player last summer. Was he?
– Aston Villa have been shipping goals and need to turn things around, but The Daily Telegraph say that Brad Guzan is facing an uncertain future with a new goalkeeper a priority in January. Marseille’s Steve Mandanda, a France international, could be that man.
– Leicester are ready to offer Jamie Vardy an £80,000-a-week contract to stop him joining Chelsea, according to The Daily Mirror.
– Steven Gerrard won’t be signing for Liverpool on loan from LA Galaxy during the MLS off-season. At least that’s what Jurgen Klopp says.
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