ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol sifts through the latest rumours involving Antonio Conte, Neymar, Olivier Giroud and more.
English Premier League: Alexis Sánchez (90′) Manchester United 3-2 Newcastle United
The ESPN FC crew answer your tweets, including what Manchester United should do to get the most out of Alexis Sanchez.
The transfer window for all of Europe’s big five leagues is closed, but that doesn’t stop Transfer Talk from rummaging around about who will be moving where come January.
TOP STORY: Sanchez contemplating Man Utd exit
Alexis Sanchez is giving serious thought to leaving Manchester United, just nine months after joining the club from Arsenal in a £30 million move.
The Daily Mail claims that the Chile international’s representatives have already begun sounding out potential suitors to gauge the level of interest in the 29-year-old among bigger Champions League clubs.
Sanchez has found himself out of the starting XI in over half United’s games so far this season, with rumours of low morale and a fractious relationship with manager Jose Mourinho continuing to circulate.
However, even if the forward decides to push for an early exit, there is next to no chance that any European club would be willing to match the £450,000-a-week wages he currently earns at Old Trafford.
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09:45 BST: Ciro Immobile, interviewed by Sky Sport, says he had opportunities to leave Lazio in the summer but “stayed despite having much better offers.”
08:55 BST: Barcelona really caused a stir in the summer when they gazumped Roma for the signing of midfielder Malcom from Bordeaux. So could he already be on his way out of the Camp Nou?
According to Catalonia-based daily Sport, Tottenham are interested in taking the Brazilian off Barca’s hand for €50 million in the January transfer window. Arsenal and Inter Milan are also linked with moves for Malcom, who has has made just two appearances for his new club so far this season, although they are only interested in a loan move.
08.00 BST: Ahead of the Milan derby on Sunday, AC Milan winger Suso has revealed that rivals Inter twice attempted to persuade him to cross the divide and play in their colours. The 24-year-old told ESPN FC: “Look, I’m going to tell you something. Write it as I say it. This summer there was an opportunity… There was an offer to go to Inter and [Milan’s former sporting director Massimiliano] Mirabelli was aware of it.
“It surprised me a little when he said publicly he didn’t know anything about it. He did. We spoke to him about it. But as I said, my intention was to always stay here. I am very, very happy.”
When asked whether Inter had also come knocking the summer before while the Spain international held talks with Milan about a contract extension, Suso replied: “Yes, exactly. Twice.”
PAPER TALK
Sarri chooses Morata replacements
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is keen to replace Alvaro Morata at the head of his attack and has given the club two names to choose from.
The Sun reckons Sarri has “lost patience” with Morata and requested that the Blues pursue a deal for either Mauro Icardi or Patrick Cutrone in January in his quest to find a reliable 20-goal-a-season striker.
Icardi has scored five goals in eight appearances for Inter Milan this season, while 20-year-old Cutrone has three goals in six for cross-city rivals AC Milan.
Apparently Icardi is top of Sarri’s wish list, but it’s highly unlikely that Chelsea will be willing to stump up the £90 million required to trigger his release clause.
That leaves Cutrone, who, while also attracting interest from Tottenham, would be a relative snip at just £25m.
Arsenal after Liverpool’s Moreno
Arsenal have emerged as surprise contenders to sign Alberto Moreno, with Liverpool reportedly resigned to losing the Spanish left-back at the end of the season.
As per the Daily Mirror, Moreno has eight months left on his contract at Anfield and has signalled that he has no intention of extending his stay.
This news has piqued interest around Europe, with the Gunners said to be just one of several top clubs mulling the prospect of picking up the 26-year-old on a free transfer.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are planning to replace the outbound Moreno with promising Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell, who can count Jurgen Klopp as one of his biggest admirers.
Tap Ins
– Neymar does have a release clause written into his contract at Paris Saint-Germain — but it doesn’t come into effect until July 2020. Come that day, the Brazil star will be available to anybody willing to submit a bid of €215 million, as reported by Sport.
– West Ham are interested in Santiago Arias, the Colombian international right-back who has made just three appearances for Atletico Madrid since joining the Spanish club in July, says Mundo Deportivo.
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