Players from across the league share their thoughts on Usain Bolt’s pursuit of a contract with the Central Coast Mariners.
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: Liverpool eye Napoli striker Insigne
When you’ve scored six goals already this season in the league, you’re going to be noticed. And that’s what is happening to Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne, who Rai Sport claim is attracting the attention of Liverpool.
Insigne, 27, has 116 goals in 360 appearances in Naples, so Jurgen Klopp knows he would be getting an experienced striker.
Of course, Insigne is well known to Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, who is also on the lookout for a goal scorer. And we know his track record of persuading his former players to come and join him again (Jorginho, anyone?).
Liverpool may just have a battle on their hands.
LIVE BLOG
20.08 BST: Manchester United are working to tie down several first-team players with new contracts, the London Evening Standard reports. Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw are said to be expected to sign bumper new five-year deals and Jose Mourinho reportedly would like to see Ander Herrera and Juan Mata extend their stays at Old Trafford, but — despite their confidence that a deal would be struck this summer — negotiations with David De Gea have been more labourious than United’s hierarchy have expected. The Spain No. 1 reportedly has raised concerns over his professional ambitions, and whether a club that’s won one Premier League title in his tenure and failed to qualify for the Champions League twice in the past five years, matches his.
19.03 BST: Barcelona are devising a plan to offer Lionel Messi a new contract that would see him retire with the Blaugrana, according to Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo, extending his deal with the club from a 2021 expiration to 2022 or 2023 — when Messi would be 35 or 36. What’s interesting about this report, however, is the revelation of a clause in the Argentine’s contract, which allows him to leave the club for free in 2020, so long as his destination is not “elite” — read: anywhere in Europe’s big five leagues.
17.58 BST: Manchester City could smash their transfer record in January with an £80m offer for Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to the Sun. The Dutch giants are keen to hold on to the 21-year-old, but City could purchase the Netherlands international and allow him to remain in the Eredivisie on loan through the remainder of the season.
17.00 BST: Fascinating answer on Man United’s transfers from Paul Scholes in our interview here:
What have you made of Manchester United’s recruitment?
“I didn’t like the manager praising West Ham’s chief scout after the defeat there and congratulating him on finding [Issa] Diop. It was a massive dig at his own scouts. If you’re a scout at Man United, how can you know what type of player to look for when the manager is changing his team every week and his formation all the time? Where’s the blueprint for the player you want? It must be an impossible job.”
16.48 BST: Three months ago, Malcom was so sure he wanted to play for Barcelona that he walked out on Roma to do so.
Now, having made just two sub appearances, Calciomercato and CalcioNews24 are reporting that he might be tempted back to Serie A, this time with Inter Milan.
16.05 BST: Harry Kane with the most-British response ever to a transfer related question in the mixed zone. Asked by Marca about Real Madrid links he simply said: “Sorry, not today. Sorry, sorry.”
So… tomorrow then?
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15.56 BST: You might remember yesterday we mentioned that Cagliari’s highly-rated midfielder Nicolo Barella was attracting attention from Liverpool. Well now Arsenal are also reportedly keen, say the Sun. A potential Aaron Ramsey replacement all for around £31m.
14.51 BST: West Ham only managed to sign 4,567 players in the summer and now they are after No. 4,568. Colombia defender Santiago Arias hasn’t had much playing time at Atletico Madrid, so West Ham are keen to take advantage but will face some competition from Napoli, according to Corriere dello Sport.
14.15 BST: AC Milan might just have the inside track when it comes to sealing the signature of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey: Ivan Gazidis. The Gunners’ chief executive is moving to Milan to begin a similar role later this year and the Daily Mirror claims that the Serie A side are keen to take him away from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
“Gazidis will have a knowledge of the contract negotiations and Milan are hoping it will help as competition intensifies for Ramsey’s signature,” they write.
13.35 BST: Barcelona are clearly trying to find the next Neymar… they are watching a host of South American players including Flamengo midfielder Lucas Paqueta (despite him being set to sign for Milan), Palmeiras defender Vitao, Boca Juniors duo Agustin Almendra and Leonardo Baleri, and River Plate’s Gonzalo Montiel, according to AS.
12.36 BST: Divock Origi hasn’t found playing time easy to come by at Liverpool and now Galatasaray have begun negotiations to sign the striker, so say Fotospor.
12.00 BST: Football Whispers’ latest has news of Sandro Tonali to Chelsea and Edin Dzeko to Southampton. Read it here.
11.09 BST: Calciomercato reports that a salary of €1.5m per season isn’t going to stop AC Milan’s move for LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the fact that he would be behind Gonzalo Higuain and Patrick Cutrone in the pecking order might…
10.36 BST: Matthijs De Ligt is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after teenagers in world football. The 19-year-old Ajax defender only made his debut two years ago and is now the club captain, but has caught the eye of Barcelona, Chelsea and now Juventus, according to Tuttosport.
09.55 BST: Manchester City let Jadon Sancho join Borussia Dortmund for around £8m in the summer of 2017, but now he’s starring in Germany he appears to be worth £100m. Well, he is young and English after all…
Lucky then, that they reportedly have a buyback clause and will have first refusal on signing him again, according to the Manchester Evening News.
09.25 BST: ICYMI – Usain Bolt has been offered a two-year contract to play for Maltese club Valletta FC and spearhead their charge to the Champions League.
Valletta managing director and CEO Ghasston Slimen told ESPN on Monday that they hope to sign the eight-time Olympic sprint champion in time for him to participate in their Maltese Super Cup match on Dec. 13 against Balzan.
09.00 BST: Real Madrid remain interested in Harry Kane, but their main target is Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, according to Guillem Balague who was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live.
PAPER TALK
Chelsea could thwart United, Spurs over Ake
Manchester United and Tottenham are interested in Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, according to the Telegraph, but his old club, Chelsea, could frustrate them.
United boss Jose Mourinho remains eager to add another central defender to his squad after failing to do so in the summer, and Spurs are also monitoring Netherlands international Ake.
But the Telegraph reports that Bournemouth — who signed the 23-year-old in a £20m permanent deal after a loan spell — would have to inform Chelsea of any offer because the Blues hold first refusal to re-sign him for about £40m.
United and Spurs “are likely to keep tracking Ake until the end of the season, but any move would have to wait until Chelsea signalled their intentions.”
And although there is no indication of whether Maurizio Sarri would be interested in bringing Ake back to Stamford Bridge, a bid from Manchester or North London “would force Bournemouth to offer Chelsea the opportunity to make a move and leave the other two clubs sweating.”
Barcelona eye Alderweireld
Barcelona have leaked nine goals in eight games and haven’t kept a clean sheet in five, so are turning to the transfer market in an attempt to do something about it.
They were recently linked with Dutch centre back Matthijs de Ligt, but Catalan radio station RAC1 have reported that this particular move would be “impossible” in January. However, Barca also have their eye on Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian’s contract expires in the summer, and there is no sign of a renewal, so the Catalan club could see him as a realistic target according to the Mirror.
Ernesto Valverde’s side acquired Clement Lenglet this summer, but he could take some time to settle in. They will see 29-year-old Alderweireld as a read-made solution.
Bale free to leave Real Madrid
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is open to offers for Gareth Bale as he believes the Welshman doesn’t have what it takes to step into Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoes, according to Spanish newspaper El Periodico.
The Welshman has impressed in spells at the Madrid club, and was an important part of their Champions League triumphs under Zinedine Zidane, but it has never felt that he has been fully accepted in the Spanish capital.
Manchester United have long been linked with the former Tottenham winger, and could see him as the man to wake them from their slumber. The report states that the only obstacle is Bale’s desire to remain at Real but, at 29, he could be tempted into one final big move.
Tap-ins
– Edin Dzeko is looking to return to the Premier League after spending four seasons in Serie A, according to the Mirror. Southampton, Crystal Palace and Cardiff are all interested, but these clubs will have to concentrate on staying in the Premier League first. Perhaps a January move for the former Manchester City man could help them.
– Vincent Kompany, 32, thinks he has plenty more to give at Manchester City, and is looking for a new contract, say the Daily Mail. The Belgian is aiming to play for at least three more years at the top level.
– Meanwhile, Everton winger Kevin Mirallas does not want to return to Merseyside and is targeting a permanent deal at Fiorentina, where he is on loan. The 31-year-old has found himself out of the picture at Goodison Park following the summer arrivals of Richarlison and Bernard and hopes to stay in Italy, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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