The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around following the Jan. 31 deadline day.
TOP STORY: Man United confident in £120m bid for Sancho
Manchster United are showing a determination to beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signing of Jadon Sancho, according to The Mirror.
The England international is a man in demand, having shown himself to be a supreme talent since joining Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City for around £8 million in 2017.
This season alone, he has managed a highly impressive 15 goals and 17 assists across all competitions, which explains why United chairman Ed Woodward has identified him as the club’s main transfer target for the summer.
The price will be steep as Dortmund will be more than happy to allow a bidding war to occur between the Premier League clubs — with a fee of nearly £120m being tossed around. Woodward’s stance comes after he insisted that big money will be spent after the campaign in order to help United drive forward.
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10.49 GMT: Liverpool are leading the race for Germany international Timo Werner, Sport Bild reports.
Werner, 23, is under contract at Leipzig until 2023 but has a reported release clause which could be anything from €30-60million.
With 20 goals in 21 Bundesliga matches this term, Werner is the first player since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to give Robert Lewandowski a race for the top scorer title in Germany.
However, Bild reports that Liverpool have lodged their interest in the attacker already.
10.11 GMT: Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Tottenham, but could he end up at Man City?
09.47 GMT: Dani Ceballos has described his recent injury as “the toughest time I’ve had as a professional” but insisted he “will be important” in Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta’s plans for the rest of this season following reports that his loan from Real Madrid would be ended early. The midfielder missed almost two months after picking up a hamstring injury against Vitoria Guimaraes in the Europa League in November and has since struggled to regain a place in the Arsenal team.
“I think I’d played too many games” he told Spanish newspaper Marca. “I had played 17 times in two months, I was the only player who had played every game. I spoke to Unai [Emery] and told him I wanted to play in every competition. Sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes.”
Ceballos denied reports he was keen to cut short his loan during the January transfer window, having been linked with a move back to La Liga with Valencia.
“I like to have stability at a club” he said. “I decided to stay at Arsenal because they took a chance on me and I want to return that trust. It sounds silly but the Arsenal fans have a song about me, only three or four players in the team have a song and they’ve been there for years. I feel really loved.”
The 23-year-old has been an unused substitute in five of his six games under Mikel Arteta so far, coming off the bench in the other. He said: “Mikel is going to be a great coach. He learnt from Pep, he has a philosophy of play that I think I fit into perfectly. Since I came back I’ve been working with him for two weeks or so and now I have to show I’m an Arsenal player. After the break I’ll be important.”
09.21 GMT: River Plate attacking midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero has confirmed he is a target of Ajax but insists he is fully focused on helping his club achieve its goals this season.
The Argentine club turned down an offer for Quintero from Genoa last month while Ajax remain in the race to sign the Colombia international this summer. Asked about Ajax’s interest, Quintero said in a news conference: “The people and the club are aware of it. The most important thing is that I continue at River, I’m happy and when it’s time for me to go, we will talk.”
Quintero has made seven league appearances for River this season and is tied to the Buenos Aires club until June 2022. The 27-year-old, who played for Italian side Pescara and Portuguese giants FC Porto earlier in his career, would only leave River this month if his $30m release clause were to be met.
08.56 GMT: Bayern Munich are planning to sell 2018 World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso as part of a summer overhaul of their squad, Sport Bild reports.
The midfielder, 25, has been pushed to the fringes of the first team under coach Hansi Flick. Tolisso is behind Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Muller and Philippe Coutinho in the pecking order, meaning the France international could leave Bayern in the summer and generate funds for incoming transfers.
Bayern have reportedly put all contract talks with players such as Thomas Muller and Thiago Alcantara on hold until after the Champions League matches against Chelsea in February and March.
08.27 GMT: La Liga’s medical commission will determine in the next 72 hours if Barcelona can sign an emergency replacement for injured forward Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona announced on Tuesday that Dembele will be out of action for six months after undergoing surgery on a hamstring tear, with sources telling ESPN that the club was seeking special dispensation to bring in a new player as cover. However, La Liga needs to approve the prognosis made by Barca’s medical team with a six team doctors to verify the documents presented by the club.
“There are certain type of injuries that are on the border of five months, like that of Dembele,” said Jordi Ardevol, member of La Liga’s medical commission to Cadena Cope. “In order to be more than five months it has to be well reasoned. The commission is not ornamental, on more than one occasion we have said no [to a club].”
The period of Dembele’s inactivity should be longer than five months and the player’s injury to have taken place after the transfer window closed in order for Barca to be granted permission to sign a replacement. Barca can only sign a player within Spain.
08.00 GMT: Former Arsenal and Real Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor has completed a surprise move to Paraguayan side Club Olimpia, the club announced on Tuesday.
Adebayor, who was without a club since leaving Turkish side Kayserispor in December, will reunite with former Manchester City teammate Roque Santa Cruz.
The pair previously spent 18 months together after signing for City in 2009 under then manager Mark Hughes.
The 35-year-old Togolese striker scored 97 goals in 242 Premier League appearance during spells at Arsenal, City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Crystal Palace.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
United to use Pogba funds for Maddison, Grealish
Manchester United are hoping to lure Leicester City’s James Maddison and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish to Old Trafford, as suggested by The Sun.
It is claimed that would take a massive £160m to bring both of them to Manchester, with funds raised from a potential sale of Paul Pogba largely contributing to this move.
Pogba has been linked to Real Madrid and Juventus in the past, with United reportedly lowering their price for the France midfielder to £150m.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have already added Bruno Fernandes to his armoury, but it is suggested that he is hoping the friendship of Grealish and Maddison will help him to complete the transfers.
Real Madrid eye Inter’s Brozovic
Real Madrid will explore a bid for Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Real boss Zinedine Zidane sees the Croatian midfielder as a natural fit to either play alongside or replace Casemiro in the midfield.
Inter are keen to keep Brozovic — where he has a contract until 2022 — but a move to La Lig,a where he’d play alongside compatriot Luka Modric, will certainly pique his interest.
Tap-Ins
– Chelsea are considering a buy-back move for Sassuolo midfielder Jeremie Boga, after being impressed by his form, according to The Express. The 23-year-old was sold to the Serie A outfit in 2018 for just £3.5m, but after scoring seven goals in 22 appearances this term, could be set for a recall that would see him move for around £12.7m.
– Liverpool are looking to extend Virgil van Dijk to a long-term deal, according to Football Insider. The report states that the Netherlands captain will be offered a new five-year contract worth upwards of £150,000-a-week in addition to bonuses that could potentially take it beyond £50m across its entirety.