Welcome to our daily transfer news roundup from across Europe. With the winter transfer window less than a week away the rumour mills are going haywire as clubs finalise on their targets for reinforcements.
The big news of the day is Serie A giants targeting a Barcelona Superstar. If the Old Lady are able to pull it off it will probably be the biggest coup of all time.
Here are all the transfer news and rumours from 27th December 2016:
Serie A
Inter Milan and Juventus want Morgan Schneiderlin
According to Calciomercato, Manchester United’s wantaway midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is being targeted by Serie A duo Inter Milan and Juventus. The Frenchman’s 18-month long stint is set to culminate in January with Jose Mourinho having admitted that the Old Trafford outfit will accept the right bid for the midfielder.
Schneiderlin was reportedly close to completing a switch to West Brom while Everton were also strongly linked with him but with the two Serie A outfits joining his race, things could heat up in the race to sign the 27-year-old.
Lucas Leiva close to agreeing Inter Milan switch
Liverpool veteran Lucas Leiva is close to completing a move to San Siro, according to Sky Sports. The Brazilian midfielder has fallen down the pecking order and has started only 3-times in the league this season. The 29-year-old’s contract with the Anfield outfit expires in the summer and Inter are keen on having him on board in January itself.
Bundesliga
Hamburg sign Mergim Mavraj from Cologne
Hamburg have completed the signing of Cologne defender Mergim Mavraj for an undisclosed fee and has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Mavraj has admitted that his move to the relegation-threatened side might come as a surprise to many but with his Cologne contract set to expire in the situation, he did not have many options.
"This has certainly come as a surprise for many people but the situation with my expiring contract in Cologne, as well as the great interest from the coach and those in charge at HSV, ultimately led me to take this step.
"I felt very flattered when I heard about the interest. For me, the human side is very important because I want to be remembered not only as a good player, but also as a person.
"HSV are a great club with great fans. For many, it's a dream to play here."
Tottenham interested in Max Meyer
Tottenham Hotspur have rekindled their interest in Schalke midfielder Max Meyer according to German daily Bild. The 21-year-old was a target of the White Hart Lane outfit in the summer but they failed to lure him to England.
However, the report adds that the North London outfit are willing to try their luck in the upcoming transfer window once again but the German outfit will not let the midfielder leave for anything less than £30m.
Premier League
Chelsea and Manchester City join race for Steven N’Zonzi
According to Manchester Evening News, Chelsea and Manchester City have joined the race to sign Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi. The Frenchman has previously plied his trade in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City and has caught the eye of the two giants after impressing for the Seville outfit.
Manchester City and Manchester United to battle it out for Alex Sandro
According to Calciomercato, the two Manchester clubs are interested in signing Juventus full-back Alex Sandro. However, Juventus are not keen in letting the Brazilian go and are prepared to offer him a new deal to ward off interest from England. Sandro signed for the Turin outfit at the start of the 2015/16 season and has impressed since then making 51 appearances for the Old Lady.
Carlos Bacca to stay at AC Milan
According to AC Milan forward Suso, teammate Carlos Bacca will not leave the San Siro despite interest from Premier League outfit West Ham United. The Colombian had been linked with a move to West Ham in the summer but the transfer didn’t materialize and by the looks of it the Hammers are set to be disappointed once again.
Suso told Marca: “I think so, I ask him and he tells me that he is very happy, I see him very happy. I tell you yes (he will stay), although we know that in football, everything changes from one moment to another. The truth is that the best thing for us is that he does not move.”
La Liga
Sevilla interested in Manchester United’s Anthony Martial
La Liga hopefuls Sevilla are interested in signing Manchester United striker Anthony Martial on loan until the end of the season. According to the Express, the Frenchman – who has struggled for game time this season – could be allowed to leave on loan this season as it will allow him to get game time under his belt.
The reigning Europa League champions are also keen on the deal as they believe the Frenchman could help them secure a top-3 finish in the league this season. The report adds that Sevilla’s sporting director has already been in contact with Martial’s representatives for a while now.
James Rodriguez – Thibaut Courtois swap deal
Real Madrid are willing to hold on to midfielder James Rodriguez until the end of the season as they want to use him as part of the deal to bring goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodriguez has already expressed his desire to leave and has been linked with a host of clubs while Courtois is also open to a return to Spain, where he has previously played for Atletico Madrid.
Juventus interested in Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta
In what could be termed as the biggest shock ahead of the upcoming transfer window, Juventus are interested in signing Barcelona great Andres Iniesta once his contract expires in 2018. According to Calciomercato, the Turin outfit are hoping to pull off an Andrea Pirlo with the Spanish World Cup winner – Juventus had signed Pirlo on a free from rivals AC Milan in 2011 and guided them to 4 successive Scudetto triumphs.
The report further adds that Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is not convinced by the midfielder’s performance in 2016 and is deliberating on whether to offer him a contract extension.
Rest of the World
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stay at Manchester United despite interest from China and USA
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay at Old Trafford next season as the one-year extension clause in his contract will be activated by the Red Devils. The Swedish hitman was attracting interest from China and USA but is expected to stay after the recent claims by the Portuguese.
Ibrahimovic 35, arrived from PSG in July on a one-year deal with an option for a further year, which back in November Mourinho indicated United would look to take up."It is activated in his brain and it is activated also in my decisions and in the owners' and the board's. So it is no problem," said Mourinho.
Pepe a target for Andre Villas-Boas and Luiz Felipe Scolari
Pepe’s contract with Real Madrid is set to expire int he summer and the Portuguese has emerged as a top target for Chinese Super League outfits Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG, which are manager by Scolari and Villas-Boas respectively. According to AS, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager has already spoken to Pepe and will try to persuade him to join his side.
Former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who manager Hebei Fortune, is also keen on the Portuguese.
