LIVE: Utd made Neymar bid, want Sanches
The winter window opened Jan. 2. As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to all the latest rumours and gossip. See the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Man United hold £60m Renato Sanches talks and make Neymar offer
One downside for Manchester United in their mammoth summer deal for Anthony Martial is that selling clubs now know the Red Devils are sitting on huge cash reserves which can be released in desperation. Benfica may be the latest side to try their luck, with the Mail reporting the Portuguese side have slapped a £60 million price tag on Renato Sanches with the clubs “negotiating hard” in London on Friday.
United have reportedly watched the 18-year-old midfielder three times recently and believe they can secure a deal worth £30m plus add-ons to avoid a summer auction — this of course totally contradicts yesterday’s rumours that United have put big deals on hold due to doubts over Louis van Gaal’s future. As if that wasn’t enough, Gazzetta World reports that United made a “proper offer” for Barcelona’s Neymar earlier this month and are ready to break any transfer and wage records to beat Manchester City to the Brazil captain. Phew.
LIVE UPDATES
13.45 GMT: Borussia Monchengladbach have confirmed Arsenal haven’t made a January offer for Granit Xhaka, with the Bundesliga club’s director of sport Max Eberl saying he has been “amused” by the transfer reports. Read more.
13.31 GMT: He’s only gone and done it — former Everton midfielder Steven Naismith has opened his Norwich account against Liverpool! The January signing has helped the Canaries turn around an early deficit to lead 2-1 at the interval at Carrow Road.
HALF-TIME: Norwich City 2-1 Liverpool. #NORLIV pic.twitter.com/XrfbHE03sM
– Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 23, 2016
13.00 GMT: AS reports that if Real Madrid are successful in getting their FIFA transfer ban lifted, then Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski is the main target this summer.
The Polish striker gave a timely reminder of his talents with a match-winning brace at Hamburg on Friday night to keep Bayern firmly in control of the Bundesliga title race.
12.48 GMT: Manchester City’s young winger Patrick Roberts could be sent on loan this month, with the Manchester Evening News reporting Manuel Pellegrini as saying: “Patrick has been injured in the last two or three weeks.
“Now we are going to talk about his future. It was important for him to work the first part of the season here with the squad. We will see what is the best future for him in the second part.”
12.30 GMT: It’s a big day for Steven Naismith and Ivo Pinto, who make their Norwich debuts against Liverpool today. Can former Everton midfielder Naismith strike against the Toffees’ rivals?
New @NorwichCityFC signings Naismith & Pinto start against @LFC. Swiss centre-back Klose is on the bench #NORLIV pic.twitter.com/XZoAj9UqNW
– Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2016
11.57 GMT: Birmingham City’s Charlie Cooper has joined Forest Green Rovers on a month’s loan.
OFFICIAL: Charlie Cooper has joined Forest Green Rovers on a month’s loan. #BCFC pic.twitter.com/iKlEqKq2w8
– Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) January 23, 2016
11.43 GMT: Arsene Wenger has revealed he had doubts over signing Petr Cech back in the summer.
“I didn’t know what kind of shape he was in physically because he hadn’t played,” he said.
“When I met him I was quickly reassured of his desire to do well and his motivation. I didn’t know how much he could still produce physically.
11.29 GMT: Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign Tottenham a Lionel Messi or a Neymar and says he has no interest in spending big money on “normal” players. Read the full story here.
11.11 GMT: According to The Telegraph, Arsene Wenger is ready to submit a second bid for Leicester’s Ben Chilwell. Arsenal bid £3.5m for the defender six months ago.
10.55 GMT: Are Peterborough in the hunt for their version of Jamie Vardy? They’ve signed Aaron Williams and Callum Chettle from non-league club Nuneaton.
SIGNINGS | We have completed the signing of Nuneaton pair Callum Chettle (midfielder) and Aaron Williams (striker). Full details to follow.
– Peterborough United (@theposhofficial) January 23, 2016
10.39 GMT: Arsene Wenger says he had doubts about whether to sign Petr Cech from Chelsea after the veteran goalkeeper spent a season on the bench at Stamford Bridge. Read the full story here.
10.25 GMT: According to The Villa Express & Star, manager Remi Garde is facing a battle trying to attract players to come and join the Premier League’s bottom club.
10.10 GMT: According to The Metro, Manchester United have had positive talks with Benfica over the possible signing of Renato Sanches.
09.52 GMT: Barcelona forward Neymar‘s father has made it very clear he doesn’t want to move to Real Madrid or anywhere else for that matter. Story here.
09.36 GMT: Alan Curtis, now Swansea first-team coach, says Sunderland striker Fabio Borini is a potential target but Andre Ayew isn’t going in the opposite direction.
“Fabio would be one of a number of players whose name has been mentioned, but the talk of Andre going there as some sort of part of the deal is wide of the mark,” he said.
08.54 GMT: Newcastle want Tottenham’s Andros Townsend and West Brom’s Saido Berahino but the deals for the pair aren’t going as smoothly as hoped, the Newcastle Chronicle reports.
PAPER ROUND
Chelsea coaching conundrum
Chelsea are understandably focusing on January targets and trying to turn around the disastrous defence of their Premier League title, but thoughts are already drifting towards the summer with questions over who will be the next full-time manager. Guus Hiddink is interim boss for the rest of the campaign, but The Sun reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri his “top target” to manage at Stamford Bridge next term.
According to the paper, the Blues — who have “cooled” on Atletico Madrid chief Diego Simeone — contacted Allegri at the start of January, with the Italian thought to be keen on a switch to the Premier League. Should Chelsea miss out on Allegri, then Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has thrown his hat in the ring. The Mirror reports Koeman as saying: “If Guus [Hiddink] puts a good word in for me, that would be a big influence.”
Back to the players for a moment then. The Mail suggests that Chelsea are “close to selling” Ramires to the likes of PSG or Bayern Munich this month, despite the midfielder having only signed a new long-term deal in October. And Chelsea could get over the disappointment of missing out on Everton youngster John Stones by targeting Thiago Silva, with Tuttomercatoweb reporting that Abramovich’s side have asked PSG to name their price for the Brazilian centre-back — is a Ramires-Silva swap on the cards?
Gunners eye Leicester youngster
Arsene Wenger has already spent £7m this January on Mohamed Elneny as midfield cover, but the Arsenal manager could be about to shell out more on a potential star of the future. The Mirror reports that the Gunners have made a fresh bid to sign Leicester teenager Ben Chilwell, having missed out on the 19-year-old left back last summer in a failed £3m bid.
The England Under-21 defender has since been linked with Manchester City and Liverpool, while Leicester are said to have offered him a new contract to fend off the Premier League heavyweights. But with Kieran Gibbs potentially on the move after Nacho Monreal’s contract extension, Chilwell could be afforded the chance to develop as the Spaniard’s understudy on the left flank.
As for Wenger, The Sun reports that the Frenchman is ready to commit his future to the Gunners with a new contract beyond summer 2017 after designing the club’s new scouting structure.
However, Wenger has admitted he took his time over deciding whether to sign Petr Cech — regarded by many as one of the reasons for the Gunners’ title bid — telling reporters: “It was a very, very difficult decision for me, because I rate highly [David] Ospina.” Good call, Arsene.
United to replace Shaw with another Saints star?
Man United have joined Liverpool in regularly raiding Southampton for the Saints’ best talents, and could now be in the surreal position of signing another to replace a former St Mary’s starlet currently on the injury list.
Luke Shaw is on the mend from a horrific double-leg break earlier on this season, but Ashley Young’s long-term groin injury means Louis van Gaal is desperately short of cover at left-back. The Star reports that with options limited, United could look to Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand — though the 26-year-old would cost in excess of £20m given the Saints’ reluctance to sell.
Meanwhile, the Mail reports that United are keeping tabs on Stoke’s impressive young goalkeeper Jack Butland in case David De Gea finally decides to make a move to Real Madrid — that’s if the Bernabeu giants’ impending transfer ban is lifted, of course.
Teixeira costly for Klopp?
Sources told ESPN FC on Thursday that Liverpool are hoping to sign Shakhtar Donetsk forward Alex Teixeira, with the Anfield club sending a delegation to speak with Shakhtar about the 26-year-old playmaker during the Ukrainian side’s winter break in the United States at the Florida Cup.
Jurgen Klopp was silent on Friday regarding his team being linked with Teixeira, though it seems Liverpool may have to pay a little more than the rumoured ¬32m (£24.6m) bid already on offer.
The Guardian reports that the Reds are considering upping that figure, with Shakhtar wanting around ¬50m (£37.8m) in the knowledge that the player’s goal-scoring form — 22 strikes in 15 league games this season — could spark a gold old-fashioned bidding war this summer.
Spurs shy over signing strikers
Once bitten, twice shy — or should that be ‘head-butted’? The Mirror reports that Mauricio Pochettino has cold feet about signing a new striker because of the “painful experience” of watching Dani Osvaldo fail so spectacularly at Southampton.
The Argentine striker was suspended for punching and head-butting teammate Jose Fonte in training, with Pochettino banishing the striker from his Saints squad forevermore. That could be why Spurs are taking their time regarding cocky new additions, with Pochettino telling reporters: “Looking back, signing him was a mistake. Especially when you look at what has happened since.”
Tottenham strikers and controversy? Never. Moving neatly on to Emmanuel Adebayor, the former White Hart Lane dilettante is still clocking up £102,000 a week from Spurs — that’s according to the Mirror — despite having left the club, and Crystal Palace would have to pay the Togo striker £77,000 of that were the Eagles to swoop in for the 31-year-old.
TAP-INS:
– United States Under-20 midfielder Joel Sonora has joined the reserve team of Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Meanwhile, Nigel Reo-Coker’s time in MLS has come to an end as the Montreal Impact terminated his contract by mutual consent on Friday.
– Manuel Pellegrini insists Yaya Toure is fully focused on Manchester City’s season despite the Ivorian’s agent claiming he will leave at the end of the current campaign.
– Cristian Tello is heading to Fiorentina on loan after Barcelona “rescinded” the winger’s deal with FC Porto, according to a statement on the club’s website.
– Sunderland have signed former Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper on a short-term deal until the end of the season, the Black Cats have confirmed.
– Leicester completed the signing of Ghana international Daniel Amartey from FC Copenhagen on Friday, with the 21-year-old — who can play in central midfield or at right-back — signing a contract until 2020.
– Alessio Cerci’s confusing status continues, with Genoa loaning the midfielder — formerly on loan at AC Milan from Atletico Madrid — until the end of the season.
– Alan Curtis has “killed stone dead” any chances of Swansea selling Andre Ayew to relegation rivals Sunderland, saying: “It would be absolute madness if we were to let Andre leave.” Quite.
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