January is just around the corner. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
TOP STORY: Madrid offer Chelsea Isco to pave way for Eriksen
Real Madrid are looking to add Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen in January, but to do so, they’ll need to offload some of their high earners, according to a report by the Mirror. One name Los Blancos are ready to move on from? Isco.
The Spain international had has his ups and downs since arriving at the Bernabeu in 2013. He has at times been an integral player, but so far this season he has started only five games in La Liga and has not scored in any competition since March.
The report suggests that Madrid have offered the 27-year-old to Chelsea for £44 million, and the West London club reportedly are considering it.
Frank Lampard has insisted he’s ready to add to his squad in January, and the Blues have been linked with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner and Wilfried Zaha in recent weeks.
LIVE BLOG
08.43 GMT: Manchester United are open to offers for defender Marcos Rojo and midfielder Nemanja Matic when the transfer window opens next month, The Times reports.
Rojo, 29, came close to joining Everton on loan in the summer before United eventually pulled the plug on the deal. The Argentina international, who has 18 months left to run on his contract, is also of interest to teams in Spain and Italy.
Matic’s contract expires in the summer, although United retain the option to extend that deal by a further year. The 31-year-old has previously been linked with Atletico Madrid, while The Times reports that two Premier League clubs are interested in signing the Serbia international when the window opens on Jan. 1.
Rojo and Matic have started just three Premier League matches between them this season.
08.00 GMT: Arsenal’s first bit of official business since Mikel Arteta’s appointment as manager is to give young defender Harry Clarke a new contract.
The Gunners announced on Monday that Clarke, 18, had agreed a new deal, having first signed professional terms at the club in August of 2018.
The centre-back helped Arsenal’s under-18 side win last season’s Premier League South, and has made 11 appearances for the U23s in the Premier League 2 this term.
Proud to have signed a new long term contract with this great club ❤️ the hard work continues! ⚽️👊🏽 #COYG #HC42 pic.twitter.com/OMtzK2idd8
— Harry Clarke (@HarryyClarke6) December 23, 2019
PAPER TALK (by Richard Edwards): Cavani set to join Atletico
Uruguay front man Edinson Cavani is set to join Atletico Madrid, according to Marca. The Madrid-based outlet writes that the Spanish capital is his most likely destination following an imminent departure from Paris Saint-Germain.
Cavani is reportedly keen on a switch to Atletico, and although the French club would rather keep him until the summer, they’re unlikely to insist on him seeing out his contract given his long service to the Ligue 1 giants. The 32-year-old has slipped down the pecking order at PSG following the arrival of Mauro Icardi, and now Atletico are ready to offer him another platform to show that he can still mix it with the best in the world.
The offer on the table is reportedly 2#&189; years, with Marca claiming that a deal could be sealed in the next couple of days.
Gomes could be Barca target
Manchester United could be set to lose another of their young starlets, with Barcelona reportedly intent on bringing Angel Gomes to the Nou Camp, the Mail writes. The report states that the Catalan club are keeping more than a keen eye on Gomes, as well as Tahith Chong, the club’s 2018 young player of the year.
Gomes has so far failed to agree to a new contract with the club and could be free to move for nothing by the time the summer rolls around. The young midfield star is apparently unsettled at Old Trafford and set tongues wagging recently by deleting any mention of the club from his Instagram account. All of which has caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs, with Barca joining Juventus among a list of potential suitors.
Gomes became the youngest player at United since Duncan Edwards when he made his debut against Crystal Palace in May 2017. He was just 16 years, 263 days old at the time, but he has made just seven appearances for the club since. Little wonder he’s considering his next move.
Tap-ins
– The chances of Manchester United being pipped by RB Leipzig to the signature of Erling Haaland are looking increasingly remote, with the club’s director of football admitting that the Bundesliga side are struggling to compete financially with the Premier League giants, according to Germany’s Sport1.
– Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac has caught the attention of Italian duo Napoli and Roma, according to a report by Sky Sports, with the former keen to bring in the Bosnia and Herzegovina international to Naples in January. The latter is said to prefer to wait to add the 26-year-old in the summer.
– Argentine club Estudiantes is hoping to bring former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta to La Plata. Club chairman Juan Sebastian Veron said Estudiantes has reached out to the World Cup winner, who is playing with Japanese side Vissel Kobe. In the small chance Iniesta does make the jump to Estudiantes, he’ll at least have familiar faces there. Ex-Barca defender Javier Mascherano recently joined the club, coached by fellow Blaugrana alum Gabriel Milito.