The winter window opened Jan. 2, and, as always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to all the latest rumours and gossip. See all the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Isco and Lavezzi on Prem radar
According to French TV programme Téléfoot, Tottenham Hotspur are among several teams interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi. It’s said the Argentine international is unhappy at the lack of playing time in Paris following the arrival of Angel Di Maria and he’s now looking to play elsewhere. With Lavezzi’s contract set to expire in June, PSG could look to recoup a fee some of the original ¬26.5m (£19.5m) fee they paid Napoli in 2012 and offload him six months early.
His agent Alejandro Mazzoni told Le10Sports in France: “We don’t know anything yet, but it could all happen very quickly.” However, Football Italia understands Juventus and Inter are also interested in signing the 30-year-old so Spurs need to act fast.
Real Madrid’s out-of-favour midfielder Isco is being touted for a Premier League move and given how he’s already worked alongside the Pellegrini, he’s being hotly tipped to link up again with his former boss. The Daily Star reports that the Manchester club are hopeful of completing a £35m deal later this week.
Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s sensational goal-scoring form for Borussia Dortmund this season — notching 24 goals in 23 games — have attracted attention from all over. However, it’s Arsenal who are looking the most likely to secure the Gabon forward’s services, with The Sun reporting the London outfit are eyeing a “shock £42 million” move later this month.
LIVE BLOG
21.41 GMT: Manchester United are rumoured to be seeking some defensive help this summer and, according to the city’s Evening News, it could come in the form of 21-year-old Brazilian Marquinhos. The PSG defender has yet to establish himself in Laurent Blanc’s regular rotation and he was quoted as saying: “I will continue to work to get my place. But it’s true there will come a moment where I am older. You cannot just get used to sitting on the bench.”
21.17 GMT: Marseille boss Michel has warned that sought-after Belgian Michy Batshuayi won’t be leaving Ligue 1 in January. “You want to kill me! I don’t think about Michy leaving,” the Spaniard told Maxifoot. “If we’re going to sign anyone it will be an addition not a replacement.”
20.23 GMT: Stephan El Shaarawy‘s move from Monaco to Roma has been put on hold, reports Football Italia, with the two clubs unable to agree terms. The Ligue 1 and Serie A sides, however, apparently held a meeting on Sunday with a view towards resolving the situation.
20.09 GMT: Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to take Kenwyne Jones to Shanghai SIPG, if the Daily Mail are to be believed. Eriksson is hoping to bring the Cardiff striker to China on an initial loan with a view to a permanent deal.
19.54 GMT: Arsenal are set to battle it out with Atletico Madrid, Monaco and Lille for Nancy midfielder Youssef Ait Bennasser, the Daily Express claims. The 19-year-old’s performances this season have caught the eye of Arsene Wenger, according to the report, and the Gunners are hoping to see off competition to bring him to North London.
19.37 GMT: DONE DEAL Rangers have confirmed the signing of Maciej Gostomski on a six-month contract. The goalkeeper joins the Scottish side until the end of the season after his deal with Lech Poznan expired at the end of 2015.
.@RangersFC are today delighted to confirm the signing of Polish goalkeeper Maciej Gostomski on a six month contract https://t.co/1GB9WroUNL
– Rangers FC (@RangersFC) January 3, 2016
19.23 GMT: Tottenham youngster Kenny McEvoy has revealed he has been released by the club. McEvoy took to Twitter to say he was no longer a Spurs player, thanking the club for “finally” agreeing to let him go.
19.10 GMT: Everton boss Roberto Martinez told Sky Sports after his side’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham that the club are open to bringing in new talent during the transfer window, although he is happy with his current set of players.
“If we can find anyone that can help us we will always look into it but it is not a priority at the moment,” he said.
18.52 GMT: Alongside Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, Breel Embolo is also attracting interest from Everton, according to The Sun. The Basel striker is being lined up by the Toffees as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku should he depart Goodison Park in the summer.
18.30 GMT: Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller has insisted the German club have no interest in selling on-fire striker Chicharito Hernandez this month, despite rumoured growing interest from Arsene Wenger and Arsenal.
“We are not interested in selling Javier to Arsenal or anyone else,” Voller told Sky Germany.
18.19 GMT: Liverpool have emerged as favourites to sign versatile Juventus defender Martin Caceres, according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. The Uruguayan international’s deal is up in June, which leaves him free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of Italy.
17.58 GMT: Last month, Spanish TV show El Chiringuito reported that Toni Kroos asked his agent to find him a new club amid growing reports that the German was falling out of favour with Rafa Benitez. Could he be on his way to Liverpool?
Liverpool interested in wantaway Real Madrid star Toni Kroos https://t.co/EqTGyXrMSd #LFC pic.twitter.com/gnHqNa1cCS
– Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) January 3, 2016
17.40 GMT: It’s not just Juventus who are interested in signing Fulham’s Moussa Dembele, but Daily Record reports Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal are all keen securing the signature of the highly-rated 19-year-old.
17.27 GMT: Jermain Defoe‘s double against Aston Villa yesterday has thrown his name back in the transfer spotlight. According to The Daily Mirror, Bournemouth are interested in signing the former England striker but will need to offer near £6m to tempt Sunderland into selling.
17.14 GMT: DONE DEAL – Crystal Palace have signed 19-year-old winger Randell Williams from non-league team Tower Hamlets until the end of the season.
Is he the next Jamie Vardy?
We caught up with Randell Williams to discuss his move to #CPFC. Watch the full video at https://t.co/TTogt72Aro. https://t.co/KNGKSHhSPS
– Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) January 3, 2016
16.47 GMT: According to Italian outlet Il Tempo, Philippe Senderos is being let go by Aston Villa with Lazio the possible destination for defender.
16.30 GMT: Red Bull Leipzig have issued a strict hands-off warning on Twitter for their player Emil Forsberg.
He’s scored five goals this term and it’s said that Liverpool are preparing a ¬9m (£6.6m) bid for the winger. But according to the German outfit, he’s not going anywhere.
… Angebote und Spekulationen um @EmilForsberg1 nicht interessieren, er ist unverkäuflich.” 2/2 #Forsberg #EF10 pic.twitter.com/1j4ieEbWMr
– RB Leipzig (@DieRotenBullen) January 1, 2016
16.10 GMT: Basel’s 18-year-old prodigy Breel Embolo is high on the wish list for Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, with the latter club set to bid £20m according to The Express.
15.50 GMT: Another player on Manchester United’s radar is Benfica’s Renato Sanches. The Metro reports the club’s scouts have sent a glowing report back to Louis van Gaal after watching him fire home the winner for Benfica against Vitoria yesterday.
15.32 GMT: And one of the possible suitors for Marquinhos could be Manchester United, with The Metro claiming a figure of £36.7m will be needed to land the PSG star.
15.22 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos is becoming increasingly unhappy at not being in the starting line-up and a transfer could be the only option, reports Goal.
15.05 GMT: “He’s not for sale,” Bayer Leverkusen sporting executive Rudi Voller said of Javier Hernandez.
14.51 GMT: Marko Grujic is to undergo his medical at Liverpool tomorrow ahead of a proposed move from Red Star Belgrade.
Marko Grujic to undergo medical tomorrow ahead of £5.1m move to Liverpool https://t.co/xvbQNEitCH #LFC pic.twitter.com/X1eCxTJudT
– Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) January 3, 2016
14.35 GMT: While Arsenal’s focus remains on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, elsewhere they’ve been told they’ll need to pay £18.4m to land Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic in the January transfer window, according to The Metro.
14.21 GMT: 18-year-old Liverpool starlet Allan Rodrigues de Souza is to be sent back out on loan while he waits for his work permit, reports ESPN Brazil. The midfielder joined Liverpool in September from Internacional but was instantly sent on loan to SJK where he scored two goals and made another five in eight games.
13.56 GMT: Derby County have been linked with a club record swoop for Wolves striker Benik Afobe, according to the local Derby Telegraph. The former Arsenal man has scored 10 times in 27 games this season.
13.35 GMT: FourFourTwo are reporting that Porto’s Gianelli Imbula could be on the move again, just six months after his ¬20m (£14.7m) transfer from Marseille. AC Milan and Stoke City are linked.
13.20 GMT: According to a report from Spanish publication AS, West Ham’s Mauro Zarate is attracting attention from La Liga outfit Malaga.
13.05 GMT: Is Memphis Depay the worst signing of 2015? Ruud Gullit seems to think so.
Memphis Depay labelled the WORST signing of the season so far https://t.co/fCdWo3CorL #mufc pic.twitter.com/kDCJqqNSP5
– Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 3, 2016
12.52 GMT: Liverpool targets Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Saurez “will only leave on loan if we find replacements”, according to Fiorentina President Mario Cognini.
12.35 GMT: Bojan joined Stoke from Barcelona back in 2014 following spells at AC Milan, Roma and Ajax. Fast forward to 2016 and the Spaniard is once again a potential transfer target as the Daily Star reports there’s a 10m buyout clause in his contract.
12:20 GMT: Everton forward David Henen has extended his loan with League One side Fleetwood Town until the end of the season.
12.13 GMT: DONE DEAL – PSV have signed 18-year-old Peruvian prodigy Luiz Humberto Da Silva on a free transfer.
11.45 GMT: Crystal Palace have recalled Jonny Williams from loan at Nottingham Forest.
NEWS: Jonny Williams has been recalled from his loan at @Official_NFFC. More – https://t.co/hwR4rxHq8S pic.twitter.com/SmBZmECVXI
– Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) January 3, 2016
11.30 GMT: Sam Byram‘s Championship player of the month nomination has caused a stir among potential Premier League suitors, with both Liverpool and West Ham interested in the 22-year-old according to The Telegraph.
Buzzing to be up for player of the month : for those asking, here’s where to vote ýý https://t.co/AI3HHfomYQ pic.twitter.com/9m3CIDQvIp
– Sam byram (@sambyram93) January 1, 2016
11.14 GMT: One of the players who could make way for Juve is Stefano Sturaro. However, while Crystal Palace’s two bids for the midfielder have been rejected, West Ham are also keeping tabs on the Italian according to The Mirror.
10.51 GMT: And it’s not just Oscar who Juventus are after, Moussa Dembele is high on their list, too.
Moussa Dembélé (19 ans – Fulham) annoncé dans le viseur de la Juve par le Corriere dello Sport. #mercato pic.twitter.com/5rEs11vRpG
– DailyMercato (@DailyMercato) January 3, 2016
10.42 GMT: Juventus are looking to lower the age of their playing squad, and they’re looking to start doing that by signing 24-year-old Oscar from Chelsea, according to The Daily Mail.
10.30 GMT: Aston Villa look to start a possible transfer splurge with signing Bordeaux’s Wahbi Khazri, reports the Birmingham Mail.
10.08 GMT: Ezequeil Lavezzi‘s PSG contract is up at the end of the season and his agent has warned clubs around Europe that his departure “could happen very quickly”. Juventus and Inter are both interested, according to Eurosport.
09.32 GMT: With Arsenal waiting on a work permit for Mohamed Elneny, could this be the clearest sign yet that the Basel midfielder is very close to signing for the Gunners?
FC Basel are happy to announce the signing of Swedish Midfielder, Alexander Fransson from IFK Norrköping. pic.twitter.com/bMX99TnIqp
– FC Basel 1893 EN (@FC_Basel_en) January 2, 2016
09.00 GMT: Hugo Lloris has credited Mauricio Pochettino with saving his Tottenham career, admitting he was “asking himself questions” before the Argentine’s move to north London.
07.07 GMT: We kick today’s Transfer Talk off with the news that injury-plagued Middlesbrough defender Rhys Williams has joined Charlton Athletic on loan.
PAPER ROUND
Mane drama sparks Manchester transfer bonanza
The quickest way of engineering a move to another club is to deliberately antagonise your manager, and Sadio Mane is going along that path after the 23-year-old Southampton forward was dropped for Saturday’s defeat at Norwich just two hours before kickoff after arriving late for a team meeting.
Saints boss Ronald Koeman angrily described his player’s action as “unacceptable” after the game, but the British media have done the work of Mane’s agent for him by suggesting a stalled move to Manchester United could be back on.
The Mirror reports that the Red Devils are still keen on a £25 million deal for the wantaway forward, while the Mail says United are on “red alert.” The Sun gives Louis van Gaal an estimate of the cost, with a fee (£30m) and wages of £125,000 a week for five years set to cost United £65m in total.
But the Star says Mane (£30m) could be just one expensive piece of a “£100m-transfer bonanza” in Manchester, with Felipe Anderson again linked with United in a £35m deal and Man City closing in on Real Madrid midfielder Isco (£30m).
The Mail reports that Madrid are “anticipating” a bid from City, but will only sell Isco for £30m with Juventus’ interest set to keep the asking price healthy.
The Mirror suggests that Isco’s arrival could mean the end of Samir Nasri’s season, and potentially his City career, given Premier League squad restrictions. With City’s foreign player quota limit reportedly full, Nasri — out injured until March — is “most likely to miss out” when Pellegrini resubmits his City squad later this month.
Daily Star Sunday back page: Happy Roo Year + Manc Raids #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #mufc #mcfc pic.twitter.com/PtYR0GUNfL
– Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) January 2, 2016
Poaching prized Potters
Mark Hughes’ Britannia revival hasn’t gone unnoticed around the rest of Europe; the Stoke City boss is likely to spend most of January fighting to keep hold of some of his prized assets. Bojan Krkic is just one of those to find form with the Potters this term, but the Mirror reports that the former Barcelona starlet could be leaving in a cut-price deal this month, with a “£10m buy-out clause in his contract that leaves him up for grabs to any interested parties.”
As if that wasn’t enough for Stoke fans to stomach, the Mirror also reports that Marko Arnautovic is a wanted man — and Paris Saint-Germain are the suitors. Given that the Ligue 1 champions could well lose the brilliantly egotistical, tattooed man-bun of an enigma that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer, it seems PSG are looking for a ready-made replacement in the eerily similar hipster mould of Arnautovic to the tune of £7.5m.
Speaking of Zlatan — the Swedish forward will not be leaving Paris Saint-Germain in January, but his agent Mino Raiola insists the striker would be perfect for the Premier League.
Liverpool priced out by Barca?
Liverpool’s defeat at West Ham was by no means Simon Mignolet’s fault, but Jurgen Klopp’s No. 1 goalkeeper did little to convince the German coach that he should hold onto that jersey in the long term. Barcelona backup Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days, though the Mirror reports that any potential move could be “wrecked” by the clubs’ respective valuations of the keeper.
The paper suggests Liverpool are prepared to offer Barca around £12m — a small profit on the £10m the Blaugrana paid Borussia Monchengladbach in summer 2014 — though Luis Enrique’s side “are in no rush to sell” a young player with potential, and see a £20m price tag (less than a third of his £65m buyout fee) as a “fair valuation.”
Meanwhile, the Mirror also suggests that Liverpool are keen to complete a deal for Fulham starlet Moussa Dembele following the 19-year-old forward’s superb Championship displays, but Liverpool face competition from Man United, Arsenal and Tottenham for the £12m-rated talent.
Saints, Magpies to do battle
With Mane a potential departure from Southampton this month, the Mirror reports that the Saints could rival Newcastle United for QPR striker Charlie Austin. Both clubs were interested last summer but failed in their pursuits, though with Austin’s contract up at the end of the season, QPR may well panic to spark a bidding war.
The Mirror also reports that both the Magpies and the Saints could move for Bordeaux midfielder Henri Saivet, with the 25-year-old available for around £3.5m. And this one’s just for St Mary’s fans: Young Malaga midfielder Ignacio Camacho could be on the south coast this year, though Ronald Koeman may have to wait until the summer to land the promising 21-year-old.
TAP-INS
– Swansea could be interested in both Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford and QPR’s aforementioned striker Austin if Bafetimbi Gomis and Jonjo Shelvey leave this month, according to the Star.
– Defender Matty Foulds has completed his move from Bury to Premier League club Everton.
– Leicester City have agreed to sign Birmingham City winger Demarai Gray, sources confirmed to ESPN FC. The Premier League title hopefuls have triggered the 19-year-old’s buy-out clause of £3.75 million and look set to win the race for the highly rated attacker.
– Crystal Palace have had two bids rejected for Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro, says the Mirror: one a loan deal for a fee of around £2.2 million; the other a direct switch for £8.8m.
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