11 more days to go before transfer deadline day and the January transfer window is now in its business end. A number of deals have either been completed or collapsed for various reasons. Clubs are now looking to either strengthen their squads or lay the foundation for a summer transfer with bids high enough to unsettle even seasoned pros.
Here are the major transfer news and rumours of the day.
Serie A
– Kostas Manolas has Inter Milan’s top priority and the club are reportedly readying a €40m bid for the AS Roma defender. The centre-back has admirers in Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea but Inter plan to ready the groundwork for a summer transfer.
– Patrice Evra might just end up staying at Juventus until the summer after all. The 35-year-old was not selected in the squad as he decided on his future but looks set to stay in Turin until the end of the season.
– Martin Caceres, who last played for Juventus, saw a move to Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor canceled after issues with his medical. The defender, who is still only 29, has been a free agent since the summer and is yet to find a club that will take him on. A deal had been agreed with the Turkish club before issues with the medical came to light.
– Hernanes has become a target for Turkish side Fenerbahce and the club approached the Serie A giants with a loan bid that could become a permanent deal with an offer of €5m. However, Juve may only let the player go on a permanent deal.
Bundesliga
– Marco Verratti had been identified by Bayern Munich as the perfect replacement for Xabi Alonso who retires at the end of the season but Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out a move for the 24-year-old Italy international.
“[Verratti] is a PSG player and I am sure he will continue there. I have not spoken with him in the last three months, there are no possibilities of having him with us, we have to forget it.” – Carlo Ancelotti
Verratti's agent had claimed that just winning Ligue 1 titles was not enough for the Italian midfielder and Juventus were also interested in spending big to bring the Italian back to Serie A.
– Kasper Dolberg is Borussia Dortmund’s next target and the club are ready to spend €20m for the Ajax striker. The 19-year-old has scored 11 goals this season and could be Dortmund’s next striker if Aubameyang leaves in the future.
Manchester United have also been linked with Dolberg.
– Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that his future may not be at Borussia Dortmund. However, he has assured the fans at Westfalenstadion that he will never switch loyalties and sign for Bayern Munich.
“I cannot say that I'll stay for another two, five or 10 years. It is possible that in June a club comes to an agreement with Dortmund. Never would I switch to Bayern.” – Aubameyang
– Niklas Sule has explained why he turned down a move to Chelsea and joined Bayern Munich instead, saying he wasn’t ready for a move to England yet.
“I had good talks with the bosses at Bayern and Hoffenheim," Sule said. "Ultimately, I opted for Bayern as it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. A move to England wasn't yet right.” – Sule
Premier League
– Lucas Leiva is considering his future at Liverpool and is convinced his future lies elsewhere. While he is happy to remain at Anfield this season, he admits he may need to move to get more playing time.
“If, by the end of January, I am here, it will be great. This is the best place for me to be right now. I have to think about my long-term. I know I don't have many years left here. I have to start to think about it.” – Lucas
– Jake Livermore’s sale to West Brom was the need of the hour according to Hull City boss Marco Silva. His reasoning was that the club needed the money to sign new players.
“It was important to get the funds. Of course he was a really important player for us but we got a very good proposal for him and the deal is closed.” – Marco Silva
– Asmir Begovic was the subject of a £10m bid from Bournemouth but the bid was turned down by Chelsea. The Bosnian goalkeeper has been second-choice behind Thibaut Courtois and Conte is not ready to lose a goalkeeper, especially with Chelsea leading in the title race.
– Dimitri Payet is not a target for Arsenal, according to boss Arsene Wenger. The French midfielder had put in a transfer request at West Ham but Wenger assured the press that he was not looking to sign him.
“I don't need Payet because we have so many creative players. I rate Payet as a player, of course, but it's not an area where we are looking for some players.” – Arsene Wenger
– Memphis Depay will become a Lyon player soon as Manchester United sell him for good on a permanent deal that will see the club receive less than they spent on him. After signing him from PSV Eindhoven for £25m, the Old Trafford club will only recoup £21.7m.
La Liga
– Thibaut Courtois is now Real Madrid’s top priority this summer. After failing to sign David De Gea in a deal that went sour, the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper is seen as the primary target.
– Ivan Rakitic has confirmed that he wants to extend his contract with Barcelona. The Croatian midfielder has a contract till 2019 but has been mooted as a player to take off Barca’s burgeoning wage bill to make room for Lionel Messi’s new contract.
“I am looking forward to sitting down with people from club because I want to renew and stay here for many years.” – Rakitic
– Mahmoud Dahoud could be moving to La Liga if Barcelona have their way. The 21-year-old German midfielder has also been a target for Liverpool but Borussia Monchengladbach had rejected their bids over the summer.
– Yannick Carrasco is hot property and a number of clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea have made bids for the Atletico Madrid winger, according to his agent. However, clubs will have to pay £86m if they want to sign him from Atletico after the clause was inserted in the new contract he signed three months ago.
Rest of Europe
– Rachid Ghezzal is now in Arsenal’s sights as he competes at the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria. The Lyon winger has a contract only until the end of the season and he is also reportedly being chased by Atletico Madrid, Valencia and AC Milan.
– Ashley Young could finish his career in the Chinese Super League if Shandong Luneng get their man. The 31-year-old winger is no longer in Jose Mourinho’s plans and he is ready to move to China despite interest form other smaller Premier League clubs.
The Chinese club is ready to offer him £16m over three years and United could sell him for £10m.
