Products You May Like
The transfer windows in Europe’s top leagues are closed, but it’s never too early to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
TOP STORY: Man United eye summer move for Zaniolo
Manchester United are reportedly considering a £50m summer move for Roma and Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, says Italian publication Il Messaggero.
Zaniolo, 20, has been linked with Tottenham and PSG in the past but United are likely to wait until the summer to seal a move as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that the club are only looking at loan deals in January.
Speaking in quotes reported by the Daily Telegraph, the Norwegian said he would not be making any panic buys when the transfer window opens, and would instead by focusing on players who could make a genuine and lasting difference to United’s fortunes over an extended period.
“It is not about ‘X’ amount of money [we have to spend], it is about who do we think will be good for the club in the long-term, not just three or four months,” he said.
Asked if January was a time when he could land those types of players, Solskjaer added: “Probably not because that is the thing — it is in January. Not many clubs want to sell players that they would otherwise want to keep in January. Maybe one or two could be a loan deal but that is not a big money thing, it is just to help the team. But we are getting players back and we are looking at what can be available for us.”
LIVE BLOG
19.59 BST: Non-league Stockport Town have announced the signing of former Wales international, Manchester United academy product and now broadcaster Robbie Savage.
Ok folks, our second super Sunday signing is former Welsh International @RobbieSavage8. Robbie goes straight into our squad tomorrow night pic.twitter.com/ApOJmc1T2L
— Stockport Town FC 🦁 (@StockportTownFC) November 24, 2019
17.41 GMT: Spanish newspaper Diario De Valladolid reports that Norwich are eyeing up Real Valladolid centre-back Mohammed Salisu.
Salisu, 20, reportedly has a €12m buyout clause in his contract and could be keen on a move to the Premier League. His agent is the father of Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata, so if anyone knows what it takes to make the move from Spain to England, it’s him.
16.44 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have got themselves a Jadon Sancho issue, according to The Athletic.
With Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid all interested, plus Manchester City watching developments closely, the 19-year-old England winger reportedly feels ”frustrated and scapegoated” by recent events at the German club.
Sancho was subbed off before half-time in the 4-0 defeat to Bayern, despite not having an injury, and was also fined £86,000 for returning late from international duty, while he’s evidently getting fed up of questions over his future.
Plenty of clubs will be bidding, should the winger become available, and you can expect his price to exceed €100m.
15.45 GMT: Crystal Palace or Tottenham could be in for West Brom starlet Nathan Ferguson.
Ferguson, 19, has impressed as a full-back in the Championship and the Sun reports that West Brom are worried about losing him for nothing in the summer, so may sanction a January sale.
15.23 GMT: Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen both have contracts which will expire in the summer at Tottenham and the club are already looking for replacements now that Jose Mourinho is in charge.
Football Insider reports that Mourinho is ready to make a move for former Chelsea star Nathan Ake, now of Bournemouth.
Ake, 24, spent five years at Chelsea and was demoted to the reserves under Mourinho but did pick up a winners’ medal in 2015, despite only playing one match, before being sold in 2017.
The £40m-rated Netherlands defender is certainly well known to Mourinho and would be a fine addition to the Tottenham defence if they can find a good working relationship.
14.03 GMT: It worked for Tottenham … but are Arsenal ready for a change of manager? They might have no choice soon.
12.21 GMT: West Ham are going to make a move for Southampton defender Cedric Soares in January, says TEAMtalk.
Soares, 28, is a free agent in the summer and has been dropped down the pecking order at the club this season. Arsenal and Wolves are keen, but the Hammers will make their move once the transfer window opens and hope to land the Portugal international ahead of their rivals.
11.27 GMT: According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen has caught the eye of Barcelona.
Christensen, 23, has a deal which expires in the summer of 2022 and Barcelona are looking for options to replace Gerard Pique long-term.
The Dane was injured at end of September but Chelsea may have a fight on their hands once he returns to action.
10.04 GMT: Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn’t been in the news for all of 24 hours, but the 38-year-old is wanted by AC Milan, according to Calciomercato.
Ibrahimovic is a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy and won the 2010-11 Serie A title with Milan, so it makes sense that he might fancy a return to Italy.
Our writers have rounded up all the options for the Swede, and Milan is certainly high on the list.
09.00 GMT: Manchester City could face a fight to keep Raheem Sterling at the club as the winger has reportedly turned down talks over a new contract until the future of boss Pepe Guardiola is decided.
The Sun claims Sterling would follow Guardiola if the manager left when his contract expires in 18 months’ time, while the winger won’t pen a new £450,000-a-week deal of his own until everything is settled.
PAPER TALK (by Rich Edwards)
Dortmund plan raid on Spurs’ Parrott
Borussia Dortmund are planning a raid for Spurs’ starlet Troy Parrott — pipping Bayern Munich to his signature in the process. That’s what the Sunday Express report this evening, with Dortmund preparing to lure Parrott to Germany as they look for a player to tread the path taken by Jadon Sancho, who has been sensational since leaving Manchester City for the club in the summer of 2017.
Parrott is only 17 but there are no shortage of clubs lining up to take him off Spurs’ hands, with Dortmund expected to experience competition for his signature from Bayern, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Not a bad list of prospective clubs for a teenager who Spurs signed from Irish side Belvedere just two years ago.
Whether Parrott is ready to spread his wings at such an early age remains to be seen.
Villa line up Brewster loan raid
The Sunday Mirror report that Aston Villa could be ready to hand Rhian Brewster an extended taste of first team football, by tempting him to the Midlands as soon as the January transfer swings open.
The England Under-17 World Cup winner has found it almost impossible to break into Jurgen Klopp’s first team plans at Liverpool, which is hardly surprising given the wealth of talent available to the German. And a switch to Villa could work out well for club and player, with Klopp hinting during his Friday press conference that he could be ready to let Brewster go out on loan in order to give him some first team experience.
And according to the Mirror, Villa boss Dean Smith is currently heading the queue to offer him that opportunity.
That said, Villa might not have things their own way, with Crystal Palace and Championship duo Leeds and Swansea also willing to take him on. Brewster has only made two starts for Liverpool so far this season — with both coming in the Carabao Cup.
Tap-ins
– Newcastle are preparing to swoop for Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen — but Steve Bruce could be prepared to bide his time to get the deal over the line. So says the Daily Star, which reports that the Newcastle boss has been hugely impressed by a winger he signed while Hull boss back in 2014.
– He may have exited Barcelona in the summer but Zenit Saint Petersberg’s Malcom has revealed that he’s never saying never on a return to the Nou Camp. In an interview with RMC the Brazilian — who left Barca for Russia in the summer — hasn’t turned his back on the club forever. Far from it. “I can say that I receive messages about returning to Barcelona,” he said. “Every time the coach gave me an opportunity to play, I did my job and I think I did it well. That’s why the Barcelona fans love me.”