Man City set to enter race for Neymar
The winter window might have shut, but the rumour mill rolls on! 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: City to Pep things up with Neymar?
Pep Guardiola’s impending arrival at Manchester City continues to spark a veritable whirl of speculation about which players he might want to sign (as well as those he might be keen to move on) when he gets there.
According to the Mirror, the fanfare that heralded the news of Guardiola’s arrival might almost be matched by that generated by his first signing as City boss — which could be Barcelona star Neymar.
The Brazil captain, though, would cost an eye-watering amount — the paper emphasises that he has a £145 million release clause in his contract — but City, of course, are not short of a pound or two these days.
Saturday’s Daily Mirror back page:
Exclusive – Pulling Power#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #mcfc pic.twitter.com/BqEP7IaY6v– Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 5, 2016
The report quotes former Barcelona and Brazil star Ronaldinho as saying he believes City are more than capable of turning a Neymar move to Manchester into reality.
Ronaldinho says Neymar “has already stated his desire to play for Pep” and describes that as “a big statement, with most people knowing that Pep would be joining Manchester City in the summer.”
Adding that City could “pay wages that no other club in Europe has the power to do,” Ronaldinho says he would advise Neymar to stay where he is for the time being but adds that if he “wants City and they want him, we know they have the power to make it happen.”
But Neymar’s father has revealed that the Barca star could have ended up on the other side of Manchester, with United having offered £145.6m for him in the summer.
Terry ‘caught in Chelsea stand-off’
The repercussions of John Terry‘s announcement that Chelsea have opted not to extend his contract at the end of the season continue to rumble, according to the Sun, which claims the long-serving captain and the Stamford Bridge board are at loggerheads.
It says Terry caught Chelsea by surprise when he revealed the news after his side’s 5-1 FA Cup stroll at Championship strugglers MK Dons on Sunday, with the result that he and the powers that be are caught in a “stand-off.”
The 35-year-old, the paper reports, has told the board that he is not happy with them.
It says Chelsea have “insisted there is still room for negotiation and that the situation could change once they had appointed a new manager” in succession to interim boss Guus Hiddink.
But it quotes a “Blues insider” as saying: “John does not agree that they have to wait for a new manager before deciding whether he should get another deal. He has to make plans — and there is no indication when the permanent manager will be appointed.
“He is not doing anything wrong by revealing he has no new offer. He is perfectly entitled to say so.”
On Sunday, Terry said he would not continue to play in the Premier League but would instead continue his career “elsewhere.” And it seems the search for that elsewhere may soon gather pace.
Another Blues man who could be going (or staying) elsewhere is Juan Cuadrado, with the Sun reporting that Juventus want to turn his loan deal into a permanent move.
Italy boss Conte linked with Stamford Bridge switch
So, who might the new Chelsea manager be? Well, reports have suggested outgoing Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini may soon become incoming Chelsea boss — but he might not have that all his own way, according to the Express.
It reports that talks over a new Stamford Bridge manager are “hotting up” and says Italy coach Antonio Conte, out of contract with his national side later this year, has been among those doing the talking.
Conte is one of three names in the strongest contention, along with Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Atletico Madrid chief Diego Simeone, the report says.
And ESPN FC sources said Thursday, that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is confident that he’ll be the next Manchester United, moving closer to a employer and employee relationship with the Red Devils with talks having begun.
United, it says, “see him as the one man who can go head to head with Guardiola when trying to lure new talent to the club.”
Jose vs. Pep, the encore? Don’t bet against it…
Tap-Ins
– Everton midfielder Ross Barkley has attracted the attention of plenty of clubs in recent months — but those clubs are set to be disappointed, says the Mirror, which reports that Goodison boss Roberto Martinez will offer the England man “a huge new deal to keep him at the centre of his vision for Everton.”
Talks over a new deal for the 22-year-old, who has two years left on his existing contract, are likely to begin in the summer, the paper says, quoting Martinez as saying: “Ross is a player you can build a project on.”
– The same paper suggests that Arsenal also have an eye on the future, only more so — they are keeping tabs on 18-year-old Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell.
Cantwell, it reports, was watched by “top talent spotter Steve Rowley” as he put in an outstanding performance, scoring twice as the fledgling Canaries beat Middlesbrough 5-4 in an FA Youth Cup thriller at Carrow Road last week.
– New Middlesbrough signing Jordan Rhodes may have cost £9m and had to endure a protracted transfer from Blackburn Rovers — but he is unfazed, he tells the Telegraph.
“In football, you just have to adapt to situations like that. You have to go with the flow sometimes,” the philosophical forward says.
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