LIVE: Man City plan £40.5m bid for Sane
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: Sane fee could surpass Ozil’s
Manchester City spent big on a young Bundesliga talent last summer with a £54 million move for Kevin De Bruyne, and the club looks set to return to Germany once again for another hot prospect.
Bild reports that the Premier League-title hopefuls are preparing a huge ¬55m (£40.5m) offer for Schalke attacking midfielder Leroy Sane, who has attracted the club’s interest of late with four goals and four assists in the Bundesliga this season.
A move of that magnitude would make Sane — a Germany Under-21 international — the most expensive player in German history ahead of Mesut Ozil (¬50m in 2013), putting a lot of pressure on the 19-year-old’s shoulders. Schalke manager Horst Heldt was defiant last week in claiming “even Man City haven’t got that much money” to sign Mane, but with the Premier League club making a habit of collecting some of Europe’s top young performers, a switch to the Etihad Stadium looks more tempting by the day for Pep Guardiola.
A formal £40.5m (¬50m) offer from City to Schalke for Leroy Sané is imminent! [Bild] pic.twitter.com/RrCR0Umj1D
– City Watch (@City_Watch) January 3, 2016
Respected German publication kicker, meanwhile, says Schalke have not yet received a bid from City, but that’s not to say they won’t.
LIVE BLOG
07.31 GMT: Tottenham target Ezequiel Lavezzi would prefer a move back to Serie A. That’s according to his agent, Alejandro Mazzoni. Read that one here.
07.18 GMT: VfB Stuttgart are set to sign Dynamo Kiev attacker Artem Kravets on loan as well as former Borrussia Dortmund star Kevin Grosskreutz, who is to sign a contract until 2018 after having moved to Galatasaray in the summer. Both players have passed their medicals, but agreements with their clubs are yet to be finalised.
Artem #Kravets & Kevin #Großkreutz completed medical examination at #VfB, but agreements with clubs not yet reached. pic.twitter.com/F5DgjzuCNP
– VfB Stuttgart_int (@VfB_int) January 3, 2016
06.43 GMT: First cab off the rank today is transfer news out of Singapore! Apparently, former Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has scored a week-long trial at S.League club Tampines Rovers.
PAPER ROUND
Chicharito not for sale
Even the casual Twitter user has struggled to avoid the memes poking fun at Louis van Gaal for letting Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez leave Manchester United last summer, and Bayer Leverkusen aren’t about to make the same mistake the Dutch coach made.
The Mexico international has scored a superb 19 goals in 25 games since his move to the Bundesliga, and Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller says in Sky Sports Germany: “Chicharito has played a big part in our success so far, through his style of play, through his goals. That’s why we brought him here. In the first half of the season, everything has worked out fine.
“It’s easy to reject offers when you are in a position in which you don’t need to sell. We are in such a position. We will keep the players we want to help us achieve our goals.”
Saints block stars’ exits
Arsene Wenger has long spoken of his reluctance to do much of his shopping in January due to the reluctance of clubs to sell important players, and Southampton certainly fall into that category this winter. The Saints have been stripped of talented members of the squad since summer 2014, but the Mirror reports that Ronald Koeman has “put the block” on Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama being sold this month despite fans’ anger over the duo’s recent behaviour.
Sources told ESPN FC in November that Manchester United want Senegal forward Mane — whose show of indiscipline cost him a starting spot at Norwich on Saturday — while Arsenal have been linked with Wanyama, who was sent off against the Canaries. With the Mail reporting that Mane is expected to stay at St Mary’s until the end of the season despite Koeman’s anger at his recent tardiness, it seems Southampton fans may be spared another exodus — until the summer at least.
While United will no doubt be linked with plenty more forwards alongside Mane before the winter window slams shut, Van Gaal also appears to be on the lookout for reinforcements at the back. Marquinhos has completed just seven full Ligue 1 games for Paris Saint-Germain this season, and the 21-year-old centre-back has done nothing to suggest a move to Old Trafford is out of the question. Speaking about the potential interest of Europe’s elite clubs, the Brazilian is quoted by Manchester Evening News as saying, “It’s my pleasure. It means that we work well.”
Milan rivals in for Ivanovic
Guus Hiddink would probably need only one hand to pick the Chelsea players who are safe from the axe in January, though a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday sparked hopes of a revival. Branislav Ivanovic was back to his combative best on the right flank, though the 32-year-old’s future is uncertain with just six months left on his Stamford Bridge contract.
The Mirror reports that Ivanovic is “unlikely to be kept on when the first-team squad is revamped this summer,” and AC Milan are eager to bid for the Serbian this month in order to avoid jostling with a number of suitors — including city rivals Inter — near the end of the season.
Grujic set for Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is nearing his first signing for Liverpool — multiple British outlets reported that highly rated Red Star Belgrade starlet Marko Grujic will undergo a medical on Merseyside on Monday, with the Liverpool Echo saying the midfielder arrived in England on Sunday evening.
According to the Guardian, Grujic will sign a £5m deal before being loaned back to Red Star for the rest of the season. It’s a coup for Klopp with the former Dortmund manager reportedly beating the likes of Inter Milan and Chelsea to the youngster’s signature after making a “personal intervention… on the advice of his Serbian assistant, Zeljko Buvac.” With the Guardian also adding that Liverpool could secure Schalke defender Joel Matip on a pre-contract agreement this month, things are looking up at Anfield.
Injured Vardy unlikely to move
Former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson thinks the club will keep hold of Jamie Vardy this month and finish in the top four of the Premier League. “I would encourage him to stay, but it’s not for me to do that,” Pearson told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek. “You’ve got to protect your own interests, but … I think Vardy will stay there because he’s a fantastic lad as well as a player, and they’re such a strong group.”
Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Vardy is set to miss next week’s action as he undergoes “minor groin surgery” in order to get back to full fitness for Leicester’s Premier League title run-in.
Tap-Ins:
– Tottenham and Juventus have been linked with young Belgian talent Michy Batshuayi following his superb form for Marseille, but the French club’s manager Michel told Maxifoot in no uncertain terms: “You want to kill me! I don’t think about Michy leaving. If we’re going to sign anyone, it’ll be an addition, not a replacement.”
– Moussa Dembele has been linked with Man United, Juventus, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal (to name a few), having impressed for Fulham in the Championship this term, but Cottagers boss Slavisa Jokanovic said: “I am not thinking about selling my key players like McCormack or Moussa Dembele. I don’t plan for it and that’s it.”
– Spare a thought for Andros Townsend — the winger goes between starring for England and being dropped by Tottenham — and the Mail reports that the 24-year-old is finally nearing a White Hart Lane exit as he prepares to face Everton’s under-21 side on Monday.
– Andy Carroll has enjoyed an impressive return from injury for West Ham, but his renaissance could push Mauro Zarate out of the club. According to the Mirror, the 28-year-old Argentine is wanted by Malaga after falling down the Hammers’ pecking order. Another potential departure is Diego Poyet, who could be heading back to Charlton — the club where he started his career — for the rest of the season.
– Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe has warned fans not to expect new loan signing Juan Iturbe to keep them in the Premier League all by himself. Meanwhile, Cherries target Curtis Davies says he will sign a new deal with Hull as long as he knows he will be assured a first-team role.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
