Busquets, Neymar to join Pep at Man City?
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: Pep after Barca duo
ESPN FC’s Raphael Honigstein says that Bayern Munich won’t let any of their players follow Pep Guardiola to Manchester City in the summer, but that doesn’t mean the Spaniard won’t pillage another one of his former teams!
According to the Mail, the soon-to-be Etihad boss plans to sign his “footballing son” Sergio Busquets and Ballon d’Or nominee Neymar from Barcelona.
Busquets would add some much-needed steel to a Citizens midfield that was completely torn apart on Saturday by league-leaders Leicester and — at a price believed to be around £35 million — would be a very savvy buy by the City Group.
The Brazilian superstar, on the other hand, will not be allowed to leave Catalonia as cheaply. Most figures being bandied about for the forward are in the truly astronomical range — leading one to ask the question: Will Neymar become the world’s first £100m footballer?
No end to the Mou vs. LVG saga in sight
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is clearly getting sick of Jose Mourinho being linked to the job that he currently occupies.
On Thursday night, sources told ESPN FC that Mourinho was confident about taking over at Old Trafford next season after establishing talks with United — reports that Van Gaal has now described “nonsense.”
Mourinho, to his credit, did not address any Man United links in an interview he had with GQ. The Portuguese tactician did say, though, that he would probably need to leave London to find work.
“At this moment I don’t have a job, and I don’t know where football will take me, because in football you never know,” he said. “But for sure for sure for sure, as a family, our home will still be England, our home will be in London. But obviously I am ready to move.
“As a professional, I am ready to move, especially because football in London for me, in terms of clubs… I think it is clear that I have to move.”
Buckle your seatbelts. This story still has a long way to ride.
Daily Star Sunday back page:
Mour war!#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #mufc pic.twitter.com/o9IkggwP09– Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 6, 2016
China luring more of the world’s elite
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi and Chelsea forward Loic Remy look set to join the long list of stars plying their trade in the Chinese Super League.
Brazil international Ramires, Liverpool target Alex Teixeira and Colombia striker Jackson Martinez have all made big-money moves to China in recent weeks, and now Lavezzi and Remy could join them.
The Sun says that want-away PSG midfielder Lavezzi is set to snub Chelsea in favour of a move to Shanghai Shenhua, while the Star reports that Remy is wanted by Hebei Fortune.
According to ESPN FC’s Chris Atkins, this could just be the start of a seismic shift away from the traditional — all European — power bases of the club game.
Biglia to switch Lazio for Inter?
The agent of Lazio midfielder Lucas Biglia has opened the door for a possible switch to Inter Milan in the summer.
Corriere dello Sport reports that Biglia’s representative, Enzo Montepaone, has cast a shadow over any contract renewal talks with the Biancocelesti, saying: “The renewal with Lazio?
“It is not a renewal of the contract and the next few days will be critical because we’re going to deal with several important issues.
“Lucas to Inter? It’s possible.”
Tap-ins
– There’s more rumours linking Guardiola to Barcelona players in the Mirror. This time it’s Luis Suarez, who the paper says will cost the Sky Blues £40 million.
– More also on China. Southampton striker Graziano Pelle has rejected several offers to move to the Chinese Super League, sources have told ESPN FC.
– Metro says that Liverpool target Bernd Leno is open to a move to the Premier League.
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