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It’s go time as the January transfer window is open. Find out when it closes across Europe, view the latest transfers as they happen and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
TOP STORY: Spurs eye Real Madrid’s Jovic as Piatek talks stall
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is lining up a move for Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic, according to the Daily Mirror.
Spurs have been left short on fire power following Harry Kane‘s well-publicised absence with the Tottenham star ruled out until at least April through injury.
Mourinho is keen to bring in a replacement as soon as possible and could now to Serbia international Jovic, although it remains to be seen whether Zinedine Zidane will be willing to part with the 22-year-old, who has found the net just once in 18 appearances for Los Blancos this season.
Mourinho’s interest in Jovic comes after the Sun reported talks with AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek have stalled, leaving the Spurs boss with just eleven days to secure more attacking depth, with the North London club in desperate need of another centre-forward.
Spurs slipped to 8th in the Premier League table after blanking against struggling Watford on Saturday and will be hopeful of concluding a deal before the window slams shut.
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09.42 GMT: Manchester United are chasing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and could sign him for as little as €50m in the summer, according to kicker.
RB Leipzig’s 3-1 win over Union Berlin at the weekend saw them become the first team ever to score three or more goals in nine consecutive Bundesliga matches, and Werner has been at the heart of that run.
The Germany international has scored 14 and set up a further six in those nine matches. This season, in just 18 games, he has 20 goals and six assists.
09.14 GMT: Leicester City are expecting interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham for striker Islam Slimani as they look to bolster their attacking options, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Slimani, 31, is on a season-long loan at Monaco in France where he has scored seven goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances.
Tottenham are looking to bring in a forward this month as cover for the injured Harry Kane, who is expected to be out until April and the Algeria international, who is also of interest to Aston Villa, is on their radar.
08.49 GMT: Edinson Cavani has told Paris Saint-Germain he wants to leave in the January transfer window but an offer from Atletico Madrid has been turned down, sporting director Leonardo has said.
The Uruguay international missed the 1-0 Coupe de France round of 32 win away at Lorient on Sunday, and the 4-1 rearranged Ligue 1 victory away at Monaco last Wednesday, with the official line from PSG being that he is injured. However, speaking after the win over Lorient, Leonardo confirmed Cavani has asked to leave and indicated that Les Parisiens are now waiting for an acceptable offer from Atleti.
“We have always said the same thing about Edinson — we hope he will stay,” the Brazilian said of PSG’s all-time top scorer. “The reality is that he has asked to leave.
“We are studying the situation. We have received an offer from Atletico Madrid, it was not accepted — it did not match the player’s value. The most important thing is everyone’s desire. We must be clear — the player wants to go.”
08.23 GMT: Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici says there is “no concrete interest” right now in a swap between the club’s Federico Bernardeschi and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic.
AS was among the outlets in Spain to report that Barca and Juve had revived talks that started in the summer over a possible exchange of the two players.
“The swap between Rakitic and Bernardeschi was a story that emerged this summer regarding a general reasoning when speaking about several players but there was no concrete interest neither from our part or that of Barcelona’s,” Paratici told Sky Italia.
Paratici did reveal that they are in talks with Barca to swap their Brazilian midfielder Matheus Pereira, currently on loan at Dijon from Juventus, with Barcelona B forward Alejandro Marques.
“With Barca we are working on an exchange regarding two young players,” Paratici said. “We’ve had for some years with us Matheus Pereira, a good and technical player that is in need of a certain type of football to show his best level.
“We’ve spotted one player [Alejandro Marques], who has the characteristics of an Italian-style forward and we are proceeding with this operation because we believe it can be the right thing for both.”
08.00 GMT: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that Marcus Rashford‘s back injury could force Manchester United to look at short-term options in January.
Rashford is facing a period of six weeks out plus rehab after Solskjaer confirmed the striker had suffered a double stress fracture in his back. The injury had kept Rashford out in the run-up to United’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday. Solskjaer also said United could look for a new striker as the window transfer window remains open until Jan. 31.
“We’re always looking at chances to improve the squad — with Marcus out for a while we have to look at it closely. We might look at some short-term deals. We are looking at numbers,” he added.
PAPER TALK (by Liam Wheeler): Inter to up payment to wrap up Eriksen ordeal
Another day, another Christian Eriksen update. You’re probably fed up of hearing about the great Dane by now, but the good news is that the painfully-long transfer saga is likely to be settled before Tottenham’s FA Cup clash with Southampton on Saturday, the Daily Mail reports.
According to the Mail, Eriksen’s prospective new club Inter Milan are keen to land the Spurs playmaker before their clash with Cagliari the following day.
Tottenham may be reluctant to part with Eriksen before they host Norwich this coming Wednesday, but the Italian side are said to be willing to splash out an extra £15 million in order to conclude the much-anticipated deal quickly.
The Nerazzurri also want to add Chelsea pair Victor Moses and Olivier Giroud to their ranks. Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta told reporters: “we’ll decide also about Giroud on [the] next [few] days, Victor Moses is a possibility”.
Real Madrid close in on Flamengo’s Reinier
La Liga giants Real Madrid are set to announce the signing of Flamengo wonderkid Reinier in the imminent future after striking a long-term deal to sign the midfielder from current club Flamengo.
That’s according to Spanish publication Marca, who report that the two clubs shook on a deal last month, but were unable to complete the formalities until the player turned 18-years-old.
Reinier is expected to sign a six-year deal with Los Galacticos, who are set to splash out approximately £30 million in order to secure the young prodigy’s services.
The talented playmaker is currently on international duty with Brazil U23s as they look to book their place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but is expected to head to the Bernabeu upon his return.
The player is expected to be given the opportunity to train with the first team at his new club, but any competitive gametime will likely be with Real Madrid Castilla, managed by club legend Raul.
Tap-ins
– Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is reportedly close to landing Inter Milan winger Valentino Lazaro on loan until the end of the season after agreeing a £1.7m fee with the Serie A side, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Bruce is eager to bolster his attacking options and is also said to be keen on Hull forward Jarrod Bowen. But any business could come with a hefty price tag, with the permanent acquisition of Lazaro expected to cost up to £18m, while Championship side Hull are demanding £22m for Bowen.
– Everton have joined the race to sign Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Nerazzurri are keen to offload the player this month as they look to free up funds to bring fresh faces to the San Siro, but the 28-year-old’s end destination is still seemingly undecided. The Toffees are the latest club to express an interest, but face competition from Spanish side Sevilla for Vecino’s services.
– Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell was left out of his side’s defeat at Burnley by boss Brendan Rodgers and that has fuelled speculation over the England man’s future, with Chelsea previously rumoured to be keen on the defender. Rodgers was coy when quizzed on Chilwell’s absence, saying he was “unavailable for some training.” And with Frank Lampard expected to receive backing from the Chelsea hierarchy this month, many Chelsea fans believe he will look to tempt the Foxes with a substantial bid.