LIVE: Chelsea want Vardy, Lewa to Real
The winter window opened Jan. 2. As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest rumours and gossip. See the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Chelsea want January deal for Jamie Vardy
Chelsea remain unbeaten under Guus Hiddink with Diego Costa rediscovering some of his star snarl power of late, but the Premier League champions need some morale-boosting additions — along with Alexandre Pato — to make a realistic assault on the top four. The Mirror reports that the Blues are still keen on the top flight’s leading scorer Jamie Vardy, and would be willing to offer Loic Remy to Leicester City in part exchange for the 29-year-old English striker. The Foxes would surely kiss their title hopes goodbye by selling their main hitman though, and “have no intention” of letting Vardy leave before the transfer deadline.
And Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal seem to be uncharacteristically busy this winter, with the Star picking up on reports from Ukrainian outlet Sport that the Gunners have agreed a £23 million fee with Dynamo Kiev for Andriy Yarmolenko. Everton have been after the 26-year-old winger for a while now, but if the reports are to be believed, he could be at Emirates Stadium before the end of the month.
LIVE BLOG
10.55 GMT: Lorient are hoping to sign Grenada centre back Yrondu Musavu King on loan for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old Gabon international only joined the Spanish side from Caen last summer but he has yet to play for them.
10.42 GMT: Having failed in their bid to bring in Salvatore Sirigu on loan, Bordeaux are still on the lookout for a replacement for regular number one Cedric Carrasso.
OFFICIEL ! Cédric Carrasso souffre d’une rupture des ligaments croisés du genou gauche. Sa saison est terminée ! pic.twitter.com/MJn7Fz3klH
– Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) January 25, 2016
Carrasso tore his cruciate ligament last weekend and Foot Mercato says Bordeaux could now make a move for Mexican international Guillermo Ochoa.
Ochoa enjoyed three outstanding seasons in France with AC Ajaccio but he has yet to play a league game for Malaga since moving to Spain in 2014.
10.25 GMT: Reims are set to sign Espanyol’s ex-French international Thievy Bifouma. The 23-year-old was on loan at Grenada in the first half of the campaign.
C’est officiel ! Thievy Bifouma rejoint Reims ! pic.twitter.com/4rk5sXyRfT
– Foot Mercato (@footmercato) January 28, 2016
10.12 GMT: Sources have told ESPN FC that Newcastle defender Mike Williamson is undergoing a medical at Wolves.
10.03 GMT: Newcastle new boy Andros Townsend has admitted he wanted to remain at Tottenham a little longer. “Growing up a Spurs fans and being at the club since the age of eight, I obviously planned to spend most of my career at Spurs,” he said in The Sun. Read More.
09.50 GMT: Lyon have joined the race to sign Troyes attacking midfielder Jimmy Cabot, France Football reports. Troyes want ¬2 million for the 21-year-old and have apparently already refused offers from Reims, Nantes and Lille.
09.42 GMT: Olympiakos midfielder Sambou Yatabare could be on his way to Werder Bremen, La Derniere Heure claims. The 26-year-old Mali international is currently on loan at Standard Liege.
09.38 GMT: Monaco are set to sign defender Jemerson from Atletico Mineiro, according to L’Equipe, with the 23-year-old expected to put pen to paper on a five-year contract. The Brazilian will cost the Ligue 1 side in the region of ¬10 million.
09.19 GMT: Chelsea’s 19-year-old midfielder Charly Musonda is poised to join Real Betis on loan, sources have told ESPN FC. Musonda hinted in December he could be open to a loan move in January after growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
09.02 GMT: Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike is flying into London to undergo a medical at West Ham United ahead of a loan move to Upton Park, sources have told ESPN FC.
08.24 GMT: Schalke chairman Clemens Tonnies has labelled reports claiming defender Joel Matip has already agreed terms with Liverpool “a hoax.”
07.55 GMT: L’Equipe says that Chelsea have informed Marseille they will not be parting with attacking midfielder Bertrand Traore this month. The Burkina Faso international, 20, had been tipped for a loan move but Chelsea have changed their mind following an injury to Diego Costa. However, the same paper reports that Marseille are still hopeful of bringing in Florian Thauvin from Newcastle and TP Mazembe striker Mbwana Samatta.
07.35 GMT: We begin with Premier League leaders Leicester. Blick reports that midfielder Gokhan Inler has turned down an offer to join Guangzhou Evergrande and could now be reunited with his former Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin at Swansea.
PAPER ROUND
Lewandowski holding out for Real?
Real Madrid’s next couple of seasons look to depend hugely on whether they are successful in getting their FIFA transfer ban overturned, with the summer of 2016 and January 2017 transfer windows out of bounds if Los Blancos’ punishment holds up.
Whatever the result, the Telegraph reports that Robert Lewandowski is willing to hold out for Madrid, with the Polish striker set to reject interest from Premier League trio Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City this summer.
The Bayern Munich forward will reportedly seek to leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season should Madrid’s ban be overturned, but would also be comfortable waiting out until summer 2017 for a Bernabeu move rather than joining an English club as he has “set his heart on joining Real.”
North London rivals battle for starlets
As well as closing in on Andriy Yarmolenko, Arsenal have also been linked with a host of potential future stars — but the Mirror reports that Wenger could face competition in his pursuit of Leicester’s 19-year-old left-back Ben Chilwell in the form of bitter rivals Tottenham.
According to the paper, Spurs are ready to “scrap it out” with the Gunners to land the England under-21 international, though The Sun says Arsenal have put an improved £4m offer on the table. The Foxes are said to have offered Chilwell a new contract, but he could have the pick of North London’s finest if this keeps up.
Chelsea eye Ranieri return?
The search for a full-time Chelsea manager continues, with a few surprise names thrown into the mix. The Telegraph reports that while Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and Juventus chief Massimiliano Allegri are Roman Abramovich’s main targets, a “contingency list” has also been drawn up which features Stoke’s Mark Hughes, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe and — surprise, surprise — former Stamford Bridge tinkerman and current Leicester hero Claudio Ranieri.
The Guardian suggests that Hughes is in the frame after the impressive overhaul he has managed at Stoke, turning the Potters from an inconsistent, battling squad who most top teams fear to face into, well, an inconsistent, fleet-footed team of magicians who most top teams fear to face. The Telegraph says Howe is an outside contender, while Ranieri could offer the best of both worlds as a seasoned pro who knows the club. For an added bonus, the Independent says Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino has been added to Abramovich’s wish list.
Meanwhile, Gary Cahill was linked with a potential Chelsea exit on Wednesday having struggled for game time of late. But the Guardian reports that the 30-year-old will not be allowed to leave so late in the window with Chelsea lacking a replacement, despite sources telling ESPN FC that U.S. centre-back Matt Miazga is set to join the Premier League champions from New York Red Bulls within the next 24 hours. The Times reports that Chelsea are also watching Aymen Abdennour, who they missed out on when he joined Valencia from Monaco last summer — a situation that has “dismayed” Cahill.
Teixeira Anfield deal stalls
The mind-boggling money on offer in the Premier League means few foreign clubs will run the risk of being short-changed by English sides, and Shakhtar Donetsk are no pushovers. Alex Teixeira has said that Shakhtar turned down a ¬32m offer from Liverpool for his services, while adding that he is desperate for a move to Anfield.
“There’s only been one offer — ¬32m — and Shakhtar rejected it,” the 26-year-old Brazilian told Anfield HQ on Wednesday. “I know my agent is still attempting everything possible to help get me to Liverpool. It was a great offer. It’s frustrating. But the manager and club president decided against it, so now I’m just waiting, trying to be patient.”
Considering that Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu recently said Teixeira was worth ¬50m, the playmaker may have to stay patient for a good while unless Liverpool significantly increase their valuation.
TAP-INS
– Newcastle confirmed the signing of Andros Townsend from Tottenham on a five-and-a-half-year deal earlier on Wednesday.
– Sunderland have confirmed the signing of Lamine Kone from Lorient for an undisclosed fee.
– Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos has left Aston Villa by mutual consent.
– Newcastle Jets have completed the signing of former Denmark international Morten Nordstrand until the end of the 2015-16 A-League season.
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