Costa to leave Chelsea for Atleti return?
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: Martinez key to Atleti’s Costa hopes?
Could Diego Costa yet end up back at Atletico Madrid? Well maybe, just maybe, he could, says the Sun, which claims Atleti will offer Jackson Martinez to Chelsea in their efforts to bring the Spain international back to the Calderon.
The paper reports that Martinez — who has failed to find his form since arriving from Porto in the summer — could be used as bait and claims that Costa “frequently speaks to his former Calderon teammates and pines for a return to the Spanish giants.” It says the Blues are unlikely to want to do business now, but adds that “even if they fail, Atletico will be back in again this summer.”
Atletico were banned by FIFA from registering new signings for the next two transfer windows after breaching rules on the international transfer and registration of players aged under 18, but the team appealed. And on Friday night, the sanction imposed earlier this month was provisionally suspended.
LIVE BLOG
10.55 GMT: Mauricio Pochettino is confident he has a like-for-like replacement for Jan Vertonghen in Kevin Wimmer, after confirming the Belgian could miss two months of the season. Full story available here.
10.40 GMT: Everton’s Ross Barkley to Manchester City?Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin to Barcelona? Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho to Real Madrid?
Take a look at all the deals that no one’s talking about here!
Ross Barkley has now scored 7 goals for Everton in all competitions this term. pic.twitter.com/3VJRNSvnPn
– Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 27, 2016
10.26 GMT: The Daily Star are reporting Loic Remy could be on his way to Leicester after Chelsea have reportedly accepted a bid for the striker.
10.12 GMT: Leicester City have joined the chase for highly rated Walsall defender Rico Henry, sources have told ESPN FC. Read the full story here.
10.00 GMT: Players, managers, agents and the media take us behind the scenes of the twice annual player trading madness of deadline day. Read Kevin Palmer’s feature here.
09.41 GMT: Middlesbrough could complete the £9 million signing of Blackburn Rovers hotshot Jordan Rhodes today. Boro have agreed a fee and been given permission to discuss personal terms.
09.17 GMT: Here’s a DONE DEAL that slipped through the net last night:
SIGNING | @EOnariase joins The Bees from @whufc_official on an 18 month Development Squad contract pic.twitter.com/A4mkYzwmRC
– Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 29, 2016
09.00 GMT: Welcome to another day of transfer talk. Now there’s less than 72 hours to go until the window slams shut. Who will move in the market before time runs out?
PAPER ROUND
Bera’ late than never for Newcastle?
With time ticking towards the close of the January window, is it too late for a Saido Berahino move? After the summer’s ongoing links with Tottenham, this window has seen him strongly linked with Newcastle — only for recent reports to suggest he would now be staying at the Hawthorns until the summer.
But hang on a minute. The Magpies haven’t given up on signing the striker, with the Star reporting that the powers that be at St James’ Park are readying a last-ditch bid. It says they are “ready to offer £18 million this weekend” and “have not been put off by West Brom’s insistence that the 22-year-old is not for sale.”
Saturday’s Daily Star back page:
Ram raid saves Van#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/lCq9i4MDOI
– Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) January 29, 2016
Newcastle boss Steve McClaren, whose side are currently in the Premier League relegation zone, has made it clear that he wants to boost the attacking options in his squad before the window closes. And the Star says the Magpies believe West Brom “could decide to cash in on their prized asset at the 11th hour.”
But if a move for Berahino doesn’t come off, what else might McClaren and Newcastle do? The Chronicle reports that a “plan B” is in place, and it involves “brokering short-term deals to cover gaps up front.” Seydou Doumbia of Roma is one possible incoming forward, it reports.
Debuchy poised for Villa move?
France international Mathieu Debuchy could yet end up at Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season, with talks being held after interest from Monaco and Sunderland fizzled out, the Mirror reports.
The Arsenal defender, out of the first-team picture at the Emirates, wants to secure first-team football in the run-up to Euro 2016 — and his fellow Frenchman Remi Garde is keen to add his experience to bottom-of-the-table Villa’s ranks.
But the paper says a Debuchy departure wouldn’t necessarily mean the Gunners will make a move for Leicester defender Ben Chilwell, a reported target, in this window and are more likely to try and sign him in the summer instead.
Garde, though, has been frustrated in another direction, with the Telegraph reporting that Villa’s last-ditch attempt to sign Lovre Kalinic has been dismissed by the Football Association.
The Hajduk Split goalkeeper’s £4.9m move is now definitely off after he was denied a work permit because he has won only two caps for Croatia.
Toffees target striking success
Everton could do with a pick-me-up after a run of only one win in 10 Premier League games and a Capital One Cup semifinal defeat to Manchester City.
Perhaps that lift could come from Ecuadorian striker Miler Bolanos, the Sun suggests. Manager Roberto Martinez is looking to bring in the prolific player, who scored 36 goals for Emelec last season.
Bolanos — like so many other strikers this winter — has also been linked with a move to Newcastle, with Championship Brighton also said to be interested.
TAP-INS:
– Good news for Tottenham fans — chairman Daniel Levy is ready to offer boss Maurico Pochettino a new contract, the Daily Mirror reports, despite the fact there is plenty of time left on his current one.
But could that mean bad news for Southampton fans? With Spurs having a long-term interest in Kenya international midfielder Victor Wanyama, and with Levy having pledged to back Pochettino in the transfer market, the Saints may soon have to brace themselves for an offer from White Hart Lane.
– Former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson has said he thinks the club got things wrong in the summer window and should now focus on adding some “star quality” to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Thompson told the Mirror that Liverpool had brought in too many players and made a mistake by not trying to sign striker Charlie Austin from QPR following the Londoners’ relegation to the Championship. “We spent a huge amount of money in the summer — but buying so many players didn’t help us, it hindered us,” he said. “I’d rather use the whole transfer budget on three top quality players. We need to add some star quality.”
– After previous transfer windows in which it has appeared increasingly likely that prolific Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes would be on the move, could this be the one where he finally is?
A fee has been agreed with Middlesbrough, again challenging for promotion from the Championship after losing last season’s playoff final, and a statement on the official Blackburn website said, “Blackburn Rovers can confirm that they have reluctantly given Middlesbrough permission to speak to striker Jordan Rhodes.”
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