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: United confident in Sancho pursuit
Manchester United believe they are in pole position to secure a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho.
That’s from The Mirror, which also claims that the Red Devils are interested in Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen. While the Denmark international would prefer a move to Spain, Spurs are keen to cash in on the former Ajax man in January, rather than lose him for nothing in the summer.
The 19-year-old Sancho, meanwhile, has endured a difficult second season at Dortmund after bursting onto the scene last year. The former Manchester City trainee has faced disciplinary action for returning late from international duty, and after being hauled off at half-time in his side’s defeat to Bayern Munich in November, Sancho is believed to be seriously considering leaving the club at the turn of the year.
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10.46 GMT: Tottenham defender Danny Rose has revealed he has not discussed his future at the club with manager Jose Mourinho and has no intention to do so.
Rose, 29, has a contract that runs until 2021 but has been told by the club there is no prospect of a new deal once that expires. The England international has previously stated he has no desire to leave the club that signed him in 2007, and is willing to run down his contract.
“I’ve never had a conversation with him [Mourinho] and I don’t see why I need to,” Rose told reporters. “As I said before, I’m here for the next 18 months, so I don’t see why I need to have a conversation with the manager. I want to do as well as I possibly can, work as hard as I can to achieve what looked impossible a few weeks ago, and that is finishing in the top four [of the Premier League].”
Despite the impasse, Rose has made 14 appearances for Tottenham so far this season, starting regularly for both Mourinho and his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino.
10.19 GMT: Barcelona have still not paid West Bromwich Albion a penny in compensation for England youth international Louie Barry and are happy for the case to be settled by FIFA, sources have told ESPN.
Barry, 16, signed for Barca in July when his deal with West Brom expired. Under FIFA’s regulations, the English side are entitled to development rights from the Spanish champions as long as they can prove they offered the player a contract to continue at the club.
A source involved in the deal says the English club are due €130,000: €10,000 for each year between U12s and U15s and €90,000 for his year with the U16s.
The fallout further taints Barry’s spell in Spain so far with sources close to the forward telling ESPN that Barca have failed to fulfill the promises they made in the summer.
09.58 GMT: Pep Guardiola has a break clause in his Manchester City contract that allows him to leave the club at the end of this season, according to The Times and the Daily Mail.
Both UK newspapers report that the extension Guardiola signed in May of last year that committed him to the club until 2021 included a stipulation that the Spanish coach could leave at the end of the 2019-20 campaign if certain criteria are met.
Both reports state that at present there is no desire from either party to trigger the clause, despite the defending Premier League champions falling 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.
The Mail report claims that, if Guardiola were to leave, then former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino would be a strong candidate. The Times adds that Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers, whose team is second in the table, would also be considered as Guardiola’s replacement.
09.33 GMT: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has been urged to sign Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell by his former Stamford Bridge teammate Ashley Cole.
The Sun reports that Chelsea have a £150m transfer budget available to spend next month after their FIFA-imposed transfer ban was partially lifted on appeal, and former Chelsea left-back Cole told the paper: “I’d love to see him here. I think he’s a quality player, I’ve heard he’s a Chelsea fan so yes I’d like to see him here.
“It’s a big decision for the club but quality wise for sure he is good enough. “But that depends on if he wants to leave or if Leicester will sell him — that’s something the clubs would need to talk about. There’s always going to be a question mark going to a bigger club, but he’s doing really, really well in terms of how he is playing with Leicester.”
However, Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers insists that none of his players will be sold mid-season, with midfielder James Maddison also being linked with a move to Manchester United.
“There’ll be no-one leaving in January – categorically,” Rodgers told a news conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Norwich City. “I’m sure if we speak [to the club’s board], they will have the same message.”
09.05 GMT: River Plate president Rodolfo D’Onofrio has confirmed his club has an offer from Bayer Leverkusen for midfielder Exequiel Palacios.
The Argentina international, who has been targeted by Real Madrid in the past, could leave River during the winter transfer window.
Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly prepared to pay €16.2m plus entitle River to 10% of the player’s future transfer fee to land Palacios but the deal has yet to be completed.
According to TyC Sports, Inter Miami are ready to join the race to sign him and would reportedly outbid Bayer Leverkusen to acquire Palacios, who would, however, prefer a move to Europe.
“The only real offer that our club has, although it hasn’t been signed but that the agents have clearly told me, is the intention that Palacios goes to play at Bayer Leverkusen, there’s no other offer,” D’Onofrio told TyC Sports. “River doesn’t want to sell any player.”
08.24 GMT: Paris Saint-Sermain star Neymar‘s father and agent is remaining tight-lipped about his son’s future. The Brazil international, who has a contract until 2022, came close to a return to former team Barcelona last summer, only for the move to break down despite both clubs and the player’s camp were unable to agree on the terms of the deal.
When asked about his son’s plans, Neymar Santos told Cadena Cope radio: “What Neymar needs is to be well on the pitch. Regarding the future we know nothing. Neymar is under contract at PSG, he is well, he is happy and we hope he can achieve this season’s aims.”
Neymar’s father, meanwhile, believes that “sooner or later they will reach an agreement with Barcelona” regarding a contract settlement.
El Mundo reports that Neymar Jr. has filed a lawsuit against his former club, claiming he is owed €3.5m in wages regarding his last months as a Barcelona player. However, Neymar Santos says this lawsuit isn’t new,” he told Cadena Ser radio. “It’s a figure relating to the contract settlement when he left, of the last month.
“It’s something that was done in the past but with a certainty that there will be an agreement between Neymar and Barcelona.” Neymar’s €222m release clause was deposited in the summer of 2017 to cut ties with Barca and join PSG.
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08.00 GMT: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still intends to strengthen his attack despite Mason Greenwood’s emergence this season.
Greenwood scored twice as United secured top spot in their Europa League group with a comfortable 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar. The 18-year-old now has six goals in seven starts this term but Solskjaer is still on the lookout for a striker.
“We’re looking to strengthen in many positions,” said Solskjaer. “If you look at our squad compared to others we’re getting there but we need two or three players to have a squad with enough numbers to rotate throughout a long season and we’ll see what we sign.”
PAPER TALK (by James Capps): Atletico go for Olmo
Atletico Madrid are planning to make a January move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Dani Olmo and are hoping the Croatians’ exit from the Champions League will accelerate negotiations over a deal, according to reports at AS.
The 21-year-old has impressed in Zagreb since joining from the Barcelona academy in 2014, and his showings against Manchester City on Europe’s biggest stage have convinced Atletico manager Diego Simeone that the Spaniard is ready to take the step up in to La Liga football.
Olmo is believed to be valued in the region of €40 million, but Los Rojiblancos are hoping to bring the price down to something between €30 million and €35 million.
A move for Olmo depends on the potential sale of wantaway winger Thomas Lemar, who is desperate to depart the Wanda Metropolitano to secure regular first-team football, as well as a place in France’s Euro 2020 squad.
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Haaland headed for Old Trafford
The Telegraph claims Manchester United are leading the race to sign highly rated FC Salzburg striker Erling Haaland, despite the 19-year-old visiting the training grounds of RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund this week.
The Norway international, who scored eight goals in his side’s Champions League campaign, is believed to favour a move to United that would see him secure near-guaranteed first-team football, and the Leeds-born forward is also keen to follow in the footsteps of his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, and ply his trade in the Premier League.
The chase for Haaland Jr.’s signature has heated up in recent weeks after news emerged of a bargain £20 million release clause in the former Molde man’s contract at Salzburg. Of note, one of Haaland’s advisers is super-agent Mino Raiola, who brokered Paul Pogba‘s mega-money move to United from Juventus in 2016.
Tap-Ins
– Spanish publication Sport claims Manchester City are keen on securing the signature of Barcelona’s 15-year-old left-back Juan Larios. The youngster is already playing for the Barca B side, and City boss Pep Guardiola is now keen to bring the starlet to England.
– Real Madrid are believed to be exploring the possibility of shipping out misfiring striker Luka Jovic on loan in January, according to Calciomercato. The 21-year-old has scored just one La Liga goal since signing from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer for a fee of £54 million.
– Calciomercato claims Schalke midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is mulling over his options and could leave the Bundesliga side at the turn of the year. The former Tottenham midfielder has just 18 months remaining on his contract and isn’t believed to be interested in extending his stay in Gelsenkirchen.