LIVE Transfer Talk: Arsenal eye €200m trio in summer

The 2022 January transfer window is closed but there’s still plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Arsenal eye €200m trio in summer

Arsenal had a pretty poor January transfer window so there is some pressure on that to improve ahead of the summer.

The Sun claims that the Gunners are looking to boost their strikeforce with the signings of Real Sociedad‘s Alexander Isak and Everton‘s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves has also been identified as a player to take the club to the next level.

After letting a host of squad players depart, while letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Barcelona for free, Arsenal have saved some money in the long-term and are ready to spend it in the summer.

Isak has a €90 million release clause, while Calvert-Lewin (€60m) and Neves (€50m) could mean they end up splashing over €200m in total.

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LIVE BLOG

09.47 GMT: After deciding against adding to their squad in January because top targets were not available, Manchester United are focusing attention on signing a central midfielder in the summer, with work starting before a new permanent manager is appointed, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

The Old Trafford recruitment department is working to whittle down a list of midfield targets, with West Ham’s Declan Rice, Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips and Amadou Haidara at RB Leipzig all being considered.

09.29 GMT: Flamengo want to complete the signing of Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira on a permanent deal this weekend, O Globo reports.

Pereira joined Flamengo on a 12-month loan in August and has scored five goals in 24 appearances for the Brazilian giants.

Flamengo sporting director Bruno Spindel and the club’s vice president Marcos Braz have travelled to England and will meet with United executives and with agent Kia Joorabchian, who is acting as an intermediary.

Negotiations are at an advanced stage with the Brazilian giants hoping the deal will be completed in the next 48 hours. Flamengo have offered United €8m and the Red Devils will keep a percentage of any future transfer fee.

Pereira, 26, is under contract with United until June 2023 and is keen to remain at Flamengo beyond this year. Should the deal be completed, Pereira will then sign a deal until 2026.

Pereira joined United from the PSV Eindhoven youth academy as a 16-year-old in 2011 and made his first team debut three years later.

08.42 GMT: Brentford manager Thomas Frank has described Christian Eriksen as potentially the club’s “greatest signing ever.”

Eriksen has signed a contract with the Bees until the end of the season, making a remarkable return to football just seven months after suffering an on-field cardiac arrest during his country’s opening game of Euro 2020 in June against Finland, where he received life-saving treatment on the pitch.

The midfielder has not played a match since then, and while Frank revealed that the former Tottenham player will still be unavailable for “a few weeks” until they “know a bit more” about his condition, he hailed the signing.

“We got over the line,” Frank said. “He is potentially the greatest signing ever for the club. “It is going to be an unbelievable day, the day he steps on to the pitch. We all saw what happed to him. It was crazy. To see him out on the pitch soon will be a good day.”

Eriksen had been out of contract since he left Inter Milan due to not being permitted to compete in Serie A after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a type of pacemaker that can prevent fatal cardiac arrests.

08.00 GMT: Ralf Rangnick has urged Paul Pogba to “show up” for Manchester United during the final months of his contract.

Pogba is back in the squad for the FA Cup fourth round tie against Middlesbrough of Friday (stream LIVE at 2:55 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.) after nearly three months on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

Out of contract at the end of the season, he will be a free agent in the summer but Rangnick has told the French player he should be motivated to find his best form.

“I’m happy to have him back in the squad as I said he might be playing from the start [against Middlesbrough],” Rangnick told a news conference on Thursday.

“It’s up to him now. His contract is expiring in the summer and if in the end he would like to stay or go somewhere else he has to show up.

“It’s not only in the interest for us as a club but it’s in his personal interest that he plays and performs at the highest possible level in the next couple of weeks.”

Sources have told ESPN that United have not been informed that Pogba will definitely leave Old Trafford in the summer but there is significant interest in the 28-year-old from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

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Shaka Hislop reckons Atletico Madrid will face a much better Barcelona than before the January window.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)

– AC Milan are prepared to part ways with €20m to reach an agreement with Lille for Renato Sanches, but they must negotiate with his representatives to find a deal that includes a lower salary, according to Rudy Galetti. The Rossoneri had been pursuing the 24-year-old midfielder throughout January, but walked away from the negotiations late-on due to high salary demands. The Serie A club will now look to open talks again with Jorge Mendes in a bid to agree personal terms.

– Fabrizio Romano reveals that Phil Jones will remain at Manchester United until the end of the season. Jones, 29, last featured for the Red Devils during the 1-0 Premier League defeat with Wolves, and despite reports of Turkish side Trabzonspor making an approach for him, he has received no new proposals since turning down a move to Bordeaux.

– Andres Herrera is set to join River Plate after a deal was agreed with San Lorenzo, reports Cesar Luis Merlo. The 23-year-old joins for a fee of $2.5million, with Los Millionarios taking a 70% share in his services. He is set to be announced on Friday by the Argentine Primera Division champions.

– Alarm bells are ringing at Stamford Bridge for Thomas Tuchel after the Chelsea manager is reported to have requested funds from the board ahead of a looming summer revamp, according to the Mirror. The Blues have made little progress as they have sought to reach a conclusion to multiple contract sagas as Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Andreas Christensen have all yet to renew terms.

– Ismael Bennacer is set to reach a four-year extension on his current terms with AC Milan, reports Calciomercato. The club have been looking to tie down key players to new deals throughout the season, and it looks as though the 24-year-old midfielder will join Theo Hernandez as the latest star to pen new terms. It is reported that he will earn €3m per season.

– Flamengo and Benfica remain in talks over a deal for Everton, who is keen to make the switch to Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old winger is pushing to join the Brazilian side, according to Rudy Galetti, though recent reports suggest that Benfica have set €15m as their asking price. Everton has made 16 appearances in Liga NOS this season, scoring two goals and assisting another three.