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Hello and welcome to the Premier League's latest transfer news and rumours of the day! Here are the latest stories surrounding the Premier League…
#5 Klopp on January window
Liverpool might be table-toppers at the moment and also unbeaten in the league, however, there is some uncertainty over the Reds and their title challenge. The Merseyside outfit have an excellent starting XI but injuries in defense have seemingly left them short.
As a result, there are whispers around the transfer rumour mill that the Reds could sign some cover for the crunch months of the season. And now, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that the door for signings in January is open.
"I'm very happy with what I've got but I've always said, you don't know," said Klopp. "I'll keep the door open.”
He then emphasized the importance of being ready for the hectic schedule in the latter half of the season and confessed that he could use the January window should something “dramatically change.”
"If some things happen, then we need to have a look. A monstrous number of games are coming up. It is really important that we can react.
"If something dramatically changes, we will need to have a look but if nothing happens, then we will not do anything."
As mentioned earlier, the Reds have lost two defenders to injury and according to Klopp, it is something that leaves them short. He also added that while James Milner can play in a number of positions, there are not many players in Liverpool who could do that.
"We don't have that many options anymore because we have two injured centre-halves, so that immediately limits everything," said Klopp.
"We are not that versatile. Yes, [James] Milner can play five or six different positions, that is not a problem for him, but there are not a lot of players who can play that many positions.”
#4 Higuain-Morata swap?
Gonzalo Higuain isn’t in the best of form of late. In fact, the Argentine hasn’t scored a goal in Serie A since February. Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata is in the same boat as he has the same number of league goals as Higuain, 5, so far this season.
As a result, there are stories of Chelsea wanting to involve Milan in a swap deal that sees the former Real Madrid strikers switch places. Sarri absolutely loves Higuain and the Argentine played some of his best football under the Italian.
This is why football agent Federico Pastorello believes that a deal like this would be beneficial for all parties involved.
“I see some usefulness both for Milan and for Chelsea. Higuain is in crisis and at Chelsea he would find Sarri. And Morata maybe does not suit English football… tactically it would make sense,” he said.
#3 Sarri on trimming his squad
While most managers speak about signing players, Maurizio Sarri has taken the opposite route to state that the Londoners need to get rid of some players in order to trim the squad.
The Blues currently have 28 players and some of them don’t even get a chance on the field. Also, despite such a huge number, Sarri also admits that the club have a plethora of offensive talents in midfield but no backup for the imperial N’Golo Kante.
“I think at the moment we have too many players. We have 28 players and it is impossible to use all of them. I think 25 is the right number. We have a lot of offensive midfielders and we have only Kante as a defensive midfielder. It is not easy to have the right balance in our midfield,” Sarri was quoted as saying.
#2 Rafa Benitez on Newcastle
Being an employee of Mike Ashley can be quite challenging, to say the least. The Magpies are currently five points above the drop zone and it is actually a very commendable job from Rafa Benitez that has kept them there.
And now, the Spaniard has openly admitted that it would be a “miracle” if Newcastle stay in the Premier League – even with January signings. He also stated that the Magpies know the type of players they want and he hopes that Mike Ashley does too.
“Even if we strengthen in January it will be a miracle if we stay up. I think everyone knows what we have to do," he said.
“Does Mike Ashley know? I hope so. We are doing what we have to do and now we wait to see what will happen. We have the targets, the names, so we have to do what we have to do.”
#1 London
Starting off with North London, Arsenal’s interest in Lille superstar Nicolas Pepe has been widely reported thus far. The forward has been in sensational form so far this season and it seems as though the French outfit might be willing to negotiate his sale.
According to reports, Lille are open to selling him in January as competition for him has increased. Furthermore, Lille would be interested in holding talks if the opening bid for the player is €50 million.
Meanwhile, according to Don Balon, Real Madrid have put up an offer of Isco plus Mateo Kovacic plus €80 million to sign Eden Hazard. The Blancos rate the Belgian at €180 million with Kovacic and Isco being rated at €25 million and €75 million respectively.
This is one hell of an offer.
For more Premier League transfer news and rumours, visit our EPL Transfer News page!
