LIVE: Man United in for Griezmann
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: Griezmann to United, Pato to seal Chelsea loan
Manchester United can’t score at the moment so no wonder they are being linked with Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann. Atleti may not be able to sign a replacement due to their transfer ban, which could hold things up, but United are keen according to the Manchester Evening News and they may also make moves for defensive duo Ricardo Rodriguez and Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin.
Alexandre Pato has been trying to lure Premier League clubs into signing him for a while now, and the Brazilian striker finally seems to have gotten his way with Chelsea closing in on a loan move. Diego Costa was back to his controversial, clinical best against Arsenal on Sunday, but the Mail reports that Chelsea will finally sanction a loan for Pato with a view to a permanent transfer this summer.
A temporary switch from Corinthians makes sense for the 26-year-old. With expectations understandably low, a loan to Stamford Bridge gives the former AC Milan starlet the chance to prove he’s worthy of a full-time move to West London, or at the very least put himself in the shop window to other potential English bidders come the end of the season.
LIVE BLOG
09.49 GMT: Borussia Dortmund would not sell Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang even if a club were to offer ¬100 million for the African Player of the Year, CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said.
09.26 GMT: More from L’Equipe as Arsenal scout Giles Grimandi has reportedly been sent to Monaco to scout 17-year-old Kylian Mbappe. Seen as ‘the next Anthony Martial.’
08.56 GMT: Nice attacker Hatem Ben Arfa is a transfer target for AC Milan, according to L’Equipe. Ben Arfa, 28, has helped lift his side to third in Ligue 1 this season with 10 goals in 21 matches and it is reported that Milan have enquired about the former Newcastle player’s plans for this summer.
08.32 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain have offered a new contract to Dutch full-back Gregory van der Wiel, according to L’Equipe. The former Ajax player’s current deal expires in the summer. Van der Wiel, 27, scored in the 5-1 win over Angers on Saturday but is now the second-choice right-back at the club behind Serge Aurier.
08.01 GMT: A rumour involving Arsenal’s Sunday opponents Chelsea now, with Ramires‘ future the subject of conjecture. ESPN Brasil reports that the midfielder could be set to leave Stamford Bridge to sign for a club in China.
07.30 GMT: Hello there! Let’s begin today’s live Transfer Talk blog with some an Arsenal development concerning Mathieu Debuchy…
Per L’Equipe, Arsenal’s Mathieu Debuchy has accepted idea of loan to AVFC until end of season. Frenchman not looking for permanent transfer.
– Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) January 25, 2016
PAPER ROUND
Van Gaal on the brink
Louis van Gaal does not look destined to be Manchester United manager for much longer, with the Dutch coach practically admitting he has failed at Old Trafford following Saturday’s awful home defeat to Southampton.
The Times reports that Jose Mourinho — fresh from writing a six-page letter to United bosses — is confident of landing the job, and the Mail says that top United stars have given Van Gaal the “thumbs down,” but it may not even reach the point of a sacking. The Sun suggests that the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona chief will quit instead.
The paper suggests that United are still planning for Ryan Giggs to take over rather than Mourinho, but the former Old Trafford winger is said to want the authority of a full-time role and a transfer kitty to match his ambitions to restore the club to its glory days.
Torres to Camp Nou?
Fernando Torres has neither been a hit nor a miss since his return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid after a disastrous Chelsea spell, scoring vital goals in some games while struggling through many others. Still, AS reports that Barcelona are interested in signing the 31-year-old on a free transfer this summer, with Luis Enrique keen to add experienced cover for Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Atletico may be forced to speed up any potential contract plans they have regarding the Calderon legend’s future given that their impending FIFA transfer ban, due to kick in this summer, may suddenly make retaining Torres’ services a lot more attractive. But given that clubs from MLS, Japan, China and United Arab Emirates are all being linked with big-money offers for the former Liverpool forward, Diego Simeone could have a difficult task in convincing Torres not to leave Los Colchoneros for the second time in his career.
No Chelsea return for Drogba
Montreal Impact fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has confirmed that Didier Drogba will not be leaving MLS to join his Stamford Bridge coaching staff.
Following the Premier League champions’ victory at Arsenal on Sunday, Hiddink said of a potential imminent move for Drogba: “In the short term, no, but in the longer term we talked about players with a big image for this club being welcome. There’s no time issue on this so I wish him all the best now in one of his later seasons.”
Drogba confirmed earlier Sunday that he was travelling to Qatar to prepare for preseason training with Impact, and it seems the Canadian club will have at least one more year of the 38-year-old Ivorian legend’s impudent back-heels and free kicks to enjoy.
Foxes need a fox in the box
There has been plenty of talk suggesting Jamie Vardy could be leaving Leicester City this month, but Claudio Ranieri is looking at adding more firepower to keep the Foxes top of the Premier League table.
The Italian is quoted by the Mail as saying: “It’s important to have two players for every position. I’d like another striker to give support to the other three, because our strength is playing at high intensity and it’s not possible to play at high intensity for all the season.”
Can the Foxes find the striker to help them pull off what would be one of the greatest shocks in footballing history? Ranieri added: “I know it’s difficult but we must try. We must try for our respect for our fans and for our respect for this league. This is a strange league. The big teams are not at the top. There is Leicester. What happened? I don’t know but we want to stay there. I want to bring in players with our spirit.”
You wouldn’t bet against him with a speech like that.
TAP-INS
– Charlie Austin told the Mirror that his delight at scoring the winner for Southampton at Old Trafford on Saturday was partly down to the relief after overcoming a “nightmare” Saints initiation after having to sing Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me” to his new teammates. Don’t expect the Saints to change their methods if they literally get results.
– Sam Allardyce clearly needs some new Sunderland signings, and the Black Cats boss says he is even prepared to miss his favourite TV shows to find the right players. Time is running out, lads.
– Roma forward Gervinho has joined the list of European-based talents considering a move to China, with the Giallorossi confirming that they are in negotiations with Chinese side Jiangsu Suning over the transfer of the former Arsenal striker.
– West Ham are set to finally make a move for a striker in the January window, with the Brentwood Gazette quoting Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz as telling Turkish publication F5 Haber: “A West Ham transfer [will] occur within two or three days.” The Turkey international reportedly missed training with his club as he prepared for a move to the Premier League club, so that deal could be sewn up soon enough.
– The Mirror reports that Quique Flores is considering a fresh bid for Fiorentina midfielder Mario Suarez this week.
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.
