Premier League transfer news: Ivan Rakitic to Liverpool, Cristiano Ronaldo to Chelsea, and more, 9th January, 2018

And here we are. The transfer season is off to a bang with big money moves for Coutinho and van Dijk, so expect the domino effect to continue.

Also, there is a good mix of midtable and top clubs in today's mill.

So here we go!

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#5 The Merseyside

Alcacer could be in the Premier League

Today’s papers feature quite a bit of Everton. Actually, ‘bit’ is an understatement. Nevertheless, it seems as though Sam Allardyce won’t let this opportunity slip up as he prepares to make a mark in the window.

As a result, Everton are looking at two Barcelona players to help them with their bidding. According to Sport, Everton have asked about the availability of Jose Arnaiz and Paco Alcacer of Barcelona. The Catalans, however, are unwilling to sell.

Let’s talk about Liverpool now. Everyone knows that they need a Philippe Coutinho replacement and everyone also knows that Ivan Rakitic wouldn’t want to rot on the bench. But now that Coutinho is at Barca, there is a good chance that the Croat will move away from the Camp Nou—and Liverpool and Arsenal are interested, say Diario Gol.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have approached Roma for Kevin Strootman, according to Premium Sport.

#4 West Ham

Gaitan wants to leave Atleti

I like how Everton are always up there along with West Ham in the transfer rumours. In another time, Moyes managed Everton and Allardyce coached West Ham and now they are going to head-to-head in order to finish above each other in the Premier League race.

According to Marca, Atletico Madrid want to sell Argentine talent Nicolas Gaitan and there is no shortage of interest in the man as West Ham, Everton and Southampton are seeking his signature. Atleti value him at £18 million and will let him go for that amount.

Meanwhile, Daily Express believe that Jonjo Shelvey is close to West Ham as talks have progressed between the Hammers and the Magpies. They have also been linked with a host of other players that include Arsenal duo Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin.

Also, according to Nieuwsblad, Leander Dendoncker is on the radar of the Hammers.

#3 West Brom and Huddersfield

Ings is highly talented

The rumours of today have been dominated by the not-so-big clubs and that is quite refreshing to see. We are always enmeshed with the giants that we often forget that other clubs exist.

Speaking of the mid-table clubs, West Brom might be the subject of bids for Jonny Evans, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing a forward and are desperate to land Liverpool’s talented forward Danny Ings on loan.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield are also looking to improve their squad and made a £5 million bid for him, but Norwich City have rejected it, say The Pink’Un. They report that Norwich City want £10 million for their prized asset.

#4 Tottenham and Burnley

N'Koudou has had a tough time at Spurs

I really don’t think that Spurs are going to have a busy window. They seem pretty content with their squad and will, at most, sign only one player.

And, according to Belgian outlet HLN, Spurs are frontrunners in the pursuit to sign prodigious talent Giorgi Chakvetadze from AA Gent. The 18-year-old has attracted interest from many teams—Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen—and could be signed for as little as £5 million.

Meanwhile, according to Standard, Spurs flop Kevin-Georges N’Koudou is going to be loaned out to Burnley as the Clarets look to further strengthen their bid for a top 8 finish. N’Koudou wasn't able to hit the ground running since his £10 million move to North London and this loan move is an attempt to get his career back on track.

#1 Others

Ronaldo wants to move to Chelsea

Okay, this section is going to be quite long. We will start with Manchester United, obviously. The Mirror say that there is going to be a three-way scramble over Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey between Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. He is going to be available for £40 million in the summer.

Speaking of Chelsea, the Telegraph claim that they have baulked at the £60 million price tag of Juventus left-back and long-term target, Alex Sandro, which leaves way for PSG and Manchester United to sign him. (You see why I used “others” to segment this hotchpotch?)

Also, Don Balon are back and they claim that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to move to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Tribal Football claim that Leonardo Bonucci is desperate to reunite with former boss Antonio Conte at Chelsea.