The transfer window for Europe’s biggest clubs is open again. Transfer Talk has been scouring the world’s media and setting our correspondents loose to see who could be heading to/out of your club this month.
TOP STORY: Real, Bayern, Inter, Juve and PSG in talks with Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey has a choice to make. He’s available on a free transfer this summer, as Arsenal have decided not to offer him a new contract, but he’s not exactly short of options it seems.
The BBC report that Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid are all interested in the midfielder and that “contrary to some reports, he has not yet made a decision.”
At only 28 years old, Ramsey is only just reaching his peak so it’s no surprise to see Europe’s elite all chasing him. But how do you make a decision like this when basically every club wants you. Rock, paper, scissors anyone?
LIVE BLOG
20.01 GMT: French publication L’Equipe reports that Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is keen to reunite with former Arsenal teammate and current Monaco manager Thierry Henry, and a deal to bring the 31-year-old to the principality could be tied up as soon as next week.
19.45 GMT: Arsenal have been linked with a move for Chelsea captain Gary Cahill for a few weeks now, but it appears another London club are also interested in his services.
The Sun write that Fulham are keen to bring in Cahill in order to aid their bid for survival.
19.20 GMT: Over in Spain, AS say that, with their contracts up at the end of the season, Filipe Luis and Diego Godin could be the subject of contract proposals from outside of Spain.
They say Filipe was approached by PSG in the summer, while Manchester United and Juventus have a long-standing interest in Godin.
19.05 GMT: Marko Arnautovic has been injured for the past month, but his stock remains high at West Ham.
Bleacher Report say that Chelsea hold an interest in the Austria forward, and could test the Hammers’ resolve this month.
18.40 GMT: Another young signing in the Premier League — Wolves have signed 18-year-old winger David Wang from Spanish side Jumilla B, and will spend the rest of the season on loan at Sporting Lisbon…
We’ve completed the signing of promising 18 year-old winger David Wang from Jumilla B.
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 1, 2019
18.15 GMT: The form of Lille in Ligue 1 this season has surprised many, as they currently sit second in the table.
Forward Nicolas Pepe has been the star for them, and has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham in recent months.
However, he told French newspaper La Voix du Nord that he plans on staying at Lille until at least the end of the season, before then maybe looking at a move away.
17.50 GMT: Huddersfield have completed the signing of highly rated England youth international Jaden Brown from Tottenham…
📝 #htafc has completed the signing of @England Under-19 international @jadenbrown89 from fellow @premierleague side @SpursOfficial!
Details ➡️ https://t.co/qM7ywOXF3I#YoungTerriers (DTS) pic.twitter.com/DXzBuWLwj1
— HTAFC Academy (@htafcacademy) January 1, 2019
17.25 GMT: A surprise target? Inter Milan are reportedly looking at the Premier League in search of free transfers in the summer, and the Daily Mirror write that they are looking at Manchester United’s Ashley Young as an option.
Was anyone expecting that?
17.00 GMT: Fiorentina have Luis Muriel have a medical ahead of a loan move from Sevilla, with an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer…
@LuisFMurielCF è un calciatore della Fiorentina
Leggi il comunicato ufficiale 👉 https://t.co/UakrrRBfos#NoiSiamoFirenze#InsiemeSiamoPiùForti pic.twitter.com/7UgBtP1xqF— ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina) January 1, 2019
16.30 GMT: Ex-Inter Milan chairman Massimo Moratti has told Calciomercato that if he were still at the club, he would have tried to sign Lionel Messi in response to Juventus bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo recently challenged the Barcelona forward to join him in Serie A.
15.40 GMT: The agent of Inter winger Keita Balde has revealed that Tottenham had been in talks with his client before he agreed a loan move to the San Siro in the summer.
“There were other interested teams,” Roberto Calenda told Gazzetta dello Sport via the Evening Standard. “Since last January, Napoli had moved. We also received calls from Tottenham. But faced with the possibility of Inter, Keita had no doubts, he immediately made his wishes understood,”
15.10 GMT: Fenerbache have entered the race for Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas, according to reports in Turkey via the Mail.
AC Milan have been strongly linked with a move for Fabregas in recent months, but could now face competition to secure his signature.
14.40 GMT: Juventus sure love midfielders. Calciomercato are running reports from Tuttosport that the Italian champions are plotting a double swoop of Real Madrid players — namely Isco and James Rodriguez.
Isco has been linked with PSG and Chelsea in recent weeks, while Rodriguez could still yet make his loan move to Bayern Munich a permanent one.
14.13 GMT: While a number of clubs are interested in Aaron Ramsey, Sky Sports News write that Juventus are the preferred destination for the Arsenal midfielder.
Ramsey is able to discuss a free transfer with foreign clubs with his contract at the Emirates up in the summer.
13.45 GMT: A resurgence in form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could reportedly convince Marcus Rashford to turn down any advances from Real Madrid.
The Mail write that Rashford is happy to realise his potential at Old Trafford rather than the Bernabeu.
13.15 GMT: A return to Inter Milan could be on the cards for Mateo Kovacic once his loan at Chelsea ends, according to Tuttosport via the Mail.
They say that the San Siro club are plotting a summer move for the Real Madrid midfielder, and are confident about their chances.
12.50 GMT: While a source told ESPN FC that Adrien Rabiot considered Tottenham “below” his level, the Metro are running reports from France that Liverpool have held talks with the PSG midfielder.
Rabiot’s contract is up at the end of the season, and is now able to talk to clubs regarding a free transfer.
12.25 GMT: A tough season so far could spell the end of Isco’s time at Real Madrid, who has recently been linked with a move to Chelsea.
However, The Sun report that interest from PSG could turn the Blues’ pursuit of the midfielder into a bidding war, one in which they may not be willing to take part in.
It is claimed that any deal would cost over £100m including signing-on fees.
11.50 GMT: Liverpool are looking for a left-back as Alberto Moreno has grown tired of watching Andrew Robertson be awesome every week. The Daily Express claims that Bristol City left-back Lloyd Kelly will be their only signing in January and the England U20 captain is keen to move to Anfield.
11.14 GMT: The candidates to replace Jose Mourinho permanently at Manchester United are some of the best and most prominent coaches in the world. Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane and Laurent Blanc lead the list, while interim coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also there if he impresses before the summer.
But there’s one name on the five-man shortlist which may not immediately jump out. The Sun claim that Red Bull Salzburg boss Marco Rose is also in line for the job after winning the Austrian title and reaching the semifinals of last season’s Europa League.
10.41 GMT: Papy Djilobodji used to play for Chelsea, but probably counts among the Blues’ worst signings ever after making just one appearance for the club. Then he went on loan to Werder Bremen, was signed and then released by Sunderland, and now he has signed a deal with French club Guingamp until the end of the season.
The Senegal defender has played for both Dijon and Nantes in Ligue 1 before so is probably hoping for something of a homecoming. Though Guingamp are currently bottom of the table.
– The players most likely to leave in January
– What does your club need in January?
– Who are the top free agents this summer?
09.59 GMT: Toby Alderweireld‘s contract has been extended… phew, Tottenham fans might think, but no. The extension means he can leave the club for £25m during the summer — right up until two weeks before the transfer window shuts! The Daily Telegraph report that PSG are willing to play the waiting game to land the Belgian defender and claim “PSG may be willing to allow another player to move to London as part of an Alderweireld bid.”
09.28 GMT: Raf Honigstein reports that Borussia Dortmund are holding out for more money in any Christian Pulisic deal.
2:11
Raf Honigstein provides the latest update on the club future of Borussia Dortmund and United States midfielder Christian Pulisic.
Chelsea have submitted a bid “north of €50m” ($57m) to sign Pulisic next summer, sources have told ESPN FC.
09.00 GMT: Hello and welcome to 2019! It’s the first Transfer Talk live blog of the new year and we’ll have plenty for you this month.
Start with the news that Mesut Ozil has categorically ruled out a January loan move and is fully intent on winning back his starting position in the Arsenal team, sources close to the player have told ESPN FC.
And carry on for the news that Tottenham Hotspur are considered “below” Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, a source close to the player has told ESPN FC.
PAPER TALK (by Mark Thompson, Footballwhispers)
Bayern have Hudson-Odoi bid rejected
Bayern Munich are already facing a rocky start to the 2019 winter window, with Sky Sports reporting that Chelsea have rejected a £20 million bid for Callum Hudson-Odoi from the Bavarian giants.
The 18-year-old is after regular playing time in much the same was as his England youth international teammate Jadon Sancho, who left Manchester City and is now playing a starring role for Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.
The news gets doubly worse for Bayern — and any other potential suitors — with Sky suggesting Chelsea value “the England U19 international at closer to £40m” while their German rivals Dortmund are hoping to use Sancho as leverage to bring the talented winger to the Westfalenstadion before his contract at Stamford Bridge expires in 2020.
Huddersfield ready to spend big
Dean Hoyle, the owner and chairman of Huddersfield Town, has said that the Terriers will be spending money this January as he won’t let the club “sleepwalk into relegation,” he says in a statement on the club website.
In a New Year’s message to fans, Hoyle has said that the club will be “active” in the January window, but not at a level that would risk the financial state of the club.
Winger Rajiv van La Parra left on loan to Middlesbrough on New Year’s Eve as the Yorkshire club sit bottom of the Premier League on just 10 points.
Keeping the Heaton on this winter
A return from the cold has convinced Tom Heaton to stay at Burnley this winter, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.
The start against West Ham, which resulted in a clean sheet and 2-0 win for the team, was his first in 15 months, after being sidelined by injury and being replaced by first Nick Pope and then Joe Hart.
The 33-year-old admitted that he’d been thinking of leaving the club, but only because he wasn’t playing, and getting back into the team put the thought to the back of his mind again.
Manchester City sign 15-year-old
The chances that you’ve heard of Manchester City’s latest signing are slim to none. They’ve secured the signature of 15-year-old Oscar Tarensi from Espanyol, reports Sport.
Conveniently for City, Tarensi turns 16 on Jan. 10, at which point he can officially sign for another European club and formally join the Premier League holders.
The teenager is highly thought of within Espanyol, a club who have had players depart for Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United this year already. Something good is clearly in the water over there.
Not too old for the Old Firm
The Mail says Southampton will let Steven Davis depart for Rangers if the Scottish club can agree a contract with the player.
The Northern Irishman only has six months left on his deal at St Mary’s and Steven Gerrard interested in bringing him to Ibrox, where Davis played between 2008 and 2012.
The midfielder has only made three Premier League appearances this season and is reportedly keen on a move back to Scotland.
Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona — 4.5
Rumours over De Jong’s future have swung this way and that with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain the principle clubs in the frame. SportBild now report that the Ajax 21-year-old has agreed a five-year contract with the Catalan giants.
Fernando Llorente to Athletic Club — 3.4
A return to Llorente’s boyhood club is “taking shape,” according to Marca. The 33-year-old striker has been linked with Galatasaray and Olympiakos, but has said that he’d like to return to Athletic if they wanted him.
Manolo Gabbiadini to AC Milan — 3.2
The Southampton striker has been contacted by AC Milan after their pursuit of Luis Muriel fell through, reports Calciomercato. The Italian reportedly wants to leave the Premier League for Serie A, and the 27-year-old has only made six starts in all competitions this season.
Oliver Burke to Celtic — 2.3
The West Bromwich Albion winger is set to go on loan for the second half of the season and Celtic are weighing up a move for him, according to the Daily Record. The 21-year-old cost West Brom £15m to sign from RB Leipzig in 2017, but has made just three Championship appearances this season.
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