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Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer roundup! As you may have guessed already, Chelsea feature heavily in today’s roundup as not only do they have the blockbuster story but also several other reports relating to them.
So, without further ado, let’s begin!
#5 Sarri speaks out on RLC and Cahill
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has shown signs of brilliance for Chelsea over the last few weeks, making the Blues fans dream about a potential world-class player in midfield for years to come.
Coach Sarri himself has been impressed by the youngster and has stated that he has no intention of letting the Englishman go on loan in the January transfer market. He also stated that the talented midfielder has improved but needs to further work on the tactical side of his game.
"Ruben in October played four matches out of five. At the moment the situation is not for a loan of course," Sarri said.
"He has improved but needs to improve more from the tactical point of view. Physically, he has great characteristics: he is fast, solid, great impact, technically he is very good but if he wants to play as a midfielder he needs to improve in the defensive phase. The potential is great."
He then spoke about Gary Cahill, revealing that the defender’s future is in his own hands. However, the Italian labeled the Chelsea captain as an important member of the team, suggesting that he hopes Cahill stays.
"Cahill depends more on him," Sarri said. "It depends on him and the club. For me, Cahill is important on and off the pitch."
"Cahill is the captain and then it is Cesar Azpilicueta. Our captain is Cahill. Cahill was the captain last season and I spoke with his team-mates and everyone told me he was a very good captain."
#4 Manchester madness
Lionel Messi to Manchester City was a rumour that did the rounds a few weeks ago. However, Pep Guardiola has dismissed those claims once again, stating that he never asked for the signature of the Argentine and that he is too important to Barcelona, which is perhaps why he didn’t approach him.
"I said many, many times that never have I asked Lionel Messi to join Bayern Munich or here. Never," Guardiola said.
"I know how important he is to Barcelona. I have never spoken (about it), never made the first step. I've said one thousand times about that."
Meanwhile, Don Balon report that Real Madrid have passed on the option to sign Raheem Sterling. As a result, the Englishman is set to sign a new contract with the Citizens that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the world.
#3 Alli was convinced by Levy
Dele Alli recently signed a new deal with Spurs that will keep him in the club until 2024, unless, of course, he is sold. Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about him signing the new deal.
The Spurs coach believes that the increment in salary was important for the Englishman as it resonates how he has improved over the years. He added that it is a good thing for the youngster.
"In the next years, I want to tell. I think it is important for him to improve his salary," Pochettino said.
"Important for the club to reward him but contract or not he was still with a big, long contract.
"I think for Dele it is a very good thing."
Finally, when he was asked about whether it was easy to persuade him to sign a deal, he indirectly stated that Levy did it and not him.
"That is a question for Daniel, not me," he said.
#2 Liverpool and Arsenal
The Reds are a common name in the transfer roundup and today is no exception. However, they are on the selling end of things here as Lazar Markovic is on the radar of Fiorentina and Genoa.
According to Mirror, via Calcio Mercato, the Italian duo could try to sign him in the January transfer window.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are doing very well in the Premier League but it is not enough to sustain a title challenge against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City as they have a far deeper and better squad.
Arsenal, who have a great bunch of first-team stars, are a bit weak in terms of backup. As a result, they have been linked with a move for Real Madrid’s backup king Lucas Vazquez.
Don Balon state that the winger, who is also capable of playing at right-back, wants to leave the club and among his suitors are Arsenal and Chelsea. Madrid, meanwhile, are willing to let him go for €35 million.
#1 Chelsea
And so the ultimate slide goes to Chelsea. The Blues have started life brilliantly under Maurizio Sarri. Eden Hazard seems to be playing the best football of his career under the Italian tactician but there is a lingering possibility that he could leave for Real Madrid.
In fact, according to this report from Don Balon, Real Madrid believe that there is a way to bring the Belgian to the club. Apparently, they are willing to let go of Marco Asensio, who they rate at €80 million, to bring in Eden Hazard.
They will also pay €100 million in cash, taking the sum total of the deal to €180 million.
Meanwhile, Asensio is not the only Real Madrid player that the Blues are looking at. The other player is James Rodriguez, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal, say Don Balon.
The player, however, prefers to return to Real Madrid.
