Welcome to our daily transfer news roundup from across Europe. With the winter transfer window only days away the rumour mills are going haywire as clubs finalise on their targets for reinforcements.
The big news today is, of course, the transfer of Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg to PSG, however, there is another huge surprise in store with Juventus planning an audacious world-record bid for a Real Madrid superstar.
Here are all the transfer news and rumours from 24th December 2016:
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Omer Toprak
Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund will complete the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak for €12 million in the summer transfer window, according to German daily Bild. The report adds that the Turkish international will put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Signal Iduna Park outfit.
Dortmund have struggled in defence ever since the transfer of Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich in the summer and manager Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that the 27-year-old can help fill the huge void left by the departure of the World Cup winning German. Toprak has been with Bayer ever since he completed his move from Freiburg to BayArena in 2011.
Schalke join race for Thiago Maia
According to ESPN Brazil, FC Schalke have joined the race to sign Santos’ highly-rated midfielder Thiago Maia but face stern competition from a host of clubs including Liverpool, Napoli and Monaco. The 19-year-old has seen his stock rise in the past 12 months and a number of high profile European clubs are interested in his services.
The report further adds that Russian Premier League outfit Zenit St Petersburg’s €18 million bid for the youngster was rejected by Santos. Due to a contract in his clause, 30% of the transfer fee that Maia will command will be handed over to the midfielder and the Brazilian side are looking to cash in on the midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.
Premier League
Frank Lampard keen on Chelsea return
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has admitted that he is still keen on a return to Stamford Bridge, however, the 38-year-old is not sure in what capacity he will be returning to the Blues – if at all a move materialises.
Speaking in an interview, Lampard said: "Myself and John are Chelsea through and through. Whatever happens, in some capacity I will be at Chelsea, whether that's with my season ticket watching them, but I don't know.
"I will be in very close contact, whether I have a role, that's not all in my hands so I can't go any further than that.
"I am very relaxed about it, which is a nice place to be. I'm not kind of eager that the end of my career is coming and thinking, 'What's going to happen now?'
"I'm relaxed and if the right thing comes, then I'll take it. Obviously, Chelsea, I would love that, but it doesn't always work that way.
"I've taken this Christmas to enjoy family, a couple of beers and an extra turkey and I'll make a decision in January whether I carry on playing - I have a few options - or finish and move on to whatever the next thing will be."
Everton to open negotiations for out-of-favour Manchester United duo
Cash-rich Premier League outfit Everton are on the verge of opening negotiations with Manchester United for the transfer of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin, if reports in the Daily Telegraph are to be believed. The duo have struggled to establish themselves at Old Trafford ever since their arrival last season and have been shunned out of the first-team under new manager Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese recently admitted that Schneiderlin will be allowed to leave the Red Devils if they receive the right amount of money. Ronald Koeman’s side are expected to seal the transfer of the duo and lend them a new lease of life in the Premier League.
West Ham targeting Carlos Bacca to save their season
West Ham United have struggled to replicate their form of last season and currently find themselves at 13th place in the league table. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Slaven Bilic and the Hammers have rekindled their interest in AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca, having suffered failure in their previous attempts to sign him.
Juventus striker Simone Zaza - currently on loan with West Ham - is expected to return to the Old Lady after failing miserably in his six months in England. It is reported that the Italian is close to completing a move to La Liga strugglers Valencia and West Ham want Bacca to replace the Italian.
Serie A
Inter Milan want Lucas Leiva
Fallen Serie A giants Inter Milan are plotting a move for Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva after making an enquiry about his availability from the Anfield outfit. The San Siro side tried to sign the Brazilian in the summer but their advances were rejected by the Merseyside club.
With Leiva falling down Jurgen Klopp’s pecking order and entering the last 6 months of his contract the Serie A outfit find the moment opportune to make a move and are willing to pay up to £4 million for his services plus add-ons to sign him in the upcoming transfer window.
Leiva signed for Liverpool from Gremio in 2007 and is the longest serving player currently in the squad having made over 300 appearances for the Reds but has struggled for game time this season and has started only 3 Premier League games this season.
Juventus plot audacious £76m move for Toni Kroos
Italian heavyweights Juventus have made a reputation of spending big on Superstars in recent transfer windows. According to The Sun, Real Madrid superstar Toni Kroos is the #1 target for the Old Lady and the Turin outfit are planning an audacious £76 million move for the German World Cup winner in the summer.
Juventus manager Max Allegri wants a player in the mould of Italian legend Andrea Pirlo, who can sit deep and dictate play and who can be a better fit than Kroos. The 26-year-old recently penned a new contract with the Santiago Bernabeu outfit after being linked with a move to the Premier League but Juventus are set to test the resolve of Real Madrid with the huge bid for the midfielder.
If the transfer does go through, Kroos will become the second costliest midfielder of all time while also becoming the most expensive German player of all time.
La Liga
Barcelona to sign Joao Cancelo in the summer
According to a report in Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona will complete the signing of Valencia right-back Joao Cancelo in the summer, with a deal virtually agreed between the two La Liga sides.
Cancelo has emerged as one of the top targets for the Catalan giants but the Camp Nou outfit will have to wait until the summer to sign the Portuguese. The report further adds that a deal was agreed between the club and Cancelo a couple of weeks ago and 22-year-old will sign a 5-year contract with Barcelona.
However, a few details need to be ironed out including the transfer fee with the Mestalla Stadium outfit holding out for a sum in the region of €30m.
Several La Liga clubs chasing Real Madrid striker
Real Madrid’s 3rd choice striker Mariano has caught the eye of the footballing world with his blitzkrieg cameo appearances for the Santiago Bernabeu outfit which has seen him net 5 goals in 157 minutes of football this season.
According to Spanish newspaper outlet AS, several La Liga clubs including Sevilla, Malaga among others are interested in loaning the 23-year-old striker, The report also adds that the interest is not limited to Spain with German and Italian outfits also monitoring his situation.
Mariano is currently behind Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata in the pecking order and a loan move would be ideal for his development.
Rest of the World
Julian Draxler to join PSG in January
Finally, the saga of Julian Draxler has come to an end with the German forward set to join reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG in January. The 23-year-old will sign for four-and-a-half-years with the Parc des Princes outfit after the Paris-based club agreed a fee – believed to be in the region of £40 million with Wolfsburg, beating Arsenal and Liverpool to his signature.
"Of course I'm sad to see Julian go because he's an outstanding footballer," Wolfsburg head coach Valerien Ismael said in a statement released by the club confirming the sale of Draxler.
"He gave everything in the recent matches against Frankfurt and Gladbach and once again showed how much this club meant to him. I hope his move to France provides him with a fresh challenge."
PSG eyeing Son Heung-Min to correct ‘mistake’ of signing Real Madrid’s Jese Rodriguez
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has admitted that the club might have made a mistake with the signing of striker Jese Rodriguez from Real Madrid. The 23-year-old signed for the Ligue 1 giants in the summer in a deal believed to be in the region of €25m.
However, Jese has struggled to cement his place in the starting line-up under new manager Unai Emery and has been linked with a move to La Liga outfit Las Palmas. When quizzed about the situation of the Spaniard, Khelaifi said: "Emery said something very fair to me, which has always been my vision: 'When you make a mistake, it's better to try to correct it than to live with it.'
"So if we've made mistakes, we'll try to correct them. The door isn't closed."
According to the Standard, PSG are eyeing Tottenham Hotspur forward as a replacement for Jese Rodriguez. The report says that the Ligue 1 giants are admirers of the South Korean and are expected to make a huge push for his services in the summer, when Tottenham are more likely to entertain them.
