The transfer window opens in early January, and speculation is heating up about potential deals. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Villa value Grealish at £90m
Manchester United will have to fork out £90 million if they want to steal Jack Grealish away from Aston Villa next summer, according to The Athletic.
Grealish has been a key player for Villa this season and United appear to remain keen on him despite already having signed Donny van de Beek last summer.
However, Grealish won’t come cheap, and the outlet is reporting that Villa feel they can get £90m for their talisman, especially after he put pen to paper on a five-year contract in September.
United were keen to land Grealish last summer but baulked at the then £70m valuation, a figure that instantly rose from £40m the day Villa avoided relegation. United instead opted for Van de Beek. Yet with Paul Pogba set to leave the club at the end of the season, they’re searching for a stellar replacement.
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16.03 GMT: Tottenham remain confident that Son Heung-Min will sign a new contract despite progressed in the negotiations slowing, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Son, 28, has scored 11 goals in 16 games so far this season, and his partnership with Harry Kane is the most productive in the Premier League.
The South Korea international recently changed representatives, which the Telegraph reports has delayed any advance in the ongoing talks.
However, none of the parties involved anticipate any complications, and Son is set to strike an agreement with the club over a new deal worth around £200,000 a week.
15.28 GMT: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has said regarding his future that he has to “open to what the club decides” on his future after another shock Copa del Rey exit.
Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at Cornella (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), who have not won in the Spanish third division since Nov. 21, was the second year in a row that Atletico have gone out of the cup to a lower-tier side.
Simeone has long been linked with interest from Chelsea, whose manager Frank Lampard is currently enduring his biggest spell of pressure at Stamford Bridge.
“Football is changeable, and you have to be open always to every possibility, I’m really happy here but I have to be open to what the club decides,” Simeone said after the match.
Sources have told ESPN’s James Olley that Chelsea are prepared to give Lampard time to turn around the club’s poor form despite mounting speculation over his future
14.57 GMT: Mesut Ozil‘s agent told ESPN’s James Olley that he expects the Arsenal midfielder’s future to be settled soon, (see 08.00 GMT), could the 2014 World Cup winner make the move to MLS?
1:43
James Olley explains the pros and cons of Mesut Ozil choosing MLS as his next move.
14.38 GMT: Inter Miami have moved a step closer to the appointment of Phil Neville as their coach (see 13.11 GMT) after announcing that Diego Alonso has left the club.
The MLS side announced the news on Thursday, a day after sources told ESPN the club’s co-owner David Beckham has held talks with former Manchester United teammate Neville about coaching them.
“This was a difficult year and a very tough decision for everyone, but we believe it is the right step for the club,” a statement to announce Alonso’s departure read.
“We have great expectations for Inter Miami in the short and long term.”
“Going through the journey of this inaugural season with Inter Miami has been an incredible experience, and I am thankful to the ownership group for the opportunity. I want to thank the staff for their work and friendship, the players for their efforts on the field, and especially the fans for their constant support throughout the year. I wish everyone the best this upcoming season,” Alonso said.
Miami finished 10th in their debut season in the MLS Eastern Conference in 2020, but sources said that Beckham and his fellow investors are determined to see an improvement in performance in 2021, with a new coach likely to be hired to take the team in a new direction.
13.48 GMT: United States men’s national team and Philadelphia Union defender Mark McKenzie has signed with Belgian side Genk, the Union announced on Thursday.
McKenzie had been in talks over a potential move to Scottish giants Celtic in the summer transfer window, but will instead realise his ambition of playing in Europe in the Belgian league.
While the exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, the transfer fee is reportedly $6m which, when combined with performance based incentives, could make the transfer the highest ever for an MLS center-back.
The 21-year-old made 48 appearances in MLS for the Union since making his debut in 2018, and scored his first two goals for the club last October in matches against DC United and Toronto FC.
McKenizie’s move comes just three months after the Union, who have a sell-on clause inserted into the Genk deal, transferred midfielder Brenden Aaronson to FC Salzburg for a fee that could rise to $9m.
13.11 GMT: David Beckham has held talks with former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville to discuss the coaching position at Inter Miami, sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden.
Neville, a co-owner of EFL League Two club Salford City alongside Miami part-owner Beckham, is due to leave his post as head coach of the England women’s team later this year after initially announcing his decision to step down last April.
The 43-year-old pledged to continue in the role until after this summer’s delayed Tokyo Olympics due to his successor, Sarina Wiegman, remaining in her post as head coach of Netherlands until September.
But with Beckham ready to offer Neville the opportunity to take charge of the MLS team ahead of the new season, which is scheduled to start in early March, sources have said that the former Everton midfielder is keen to find a solution with the English Football Association enabling him to accept the Miami job and move to the United States.
Diego Alonso is the head coach at Inter Miami, but uncertainty surrounds his position, with the club saying last month that his future was ‘still being determined.’
12.22 GMT: Ajax are in advanced talks to sign West Ham striker Sebastien Haller in a cut-price deal worth up to €27.5m, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.
The Hammers signed Haller for a club record £45m fee in July 2019 but he has scored just 10 goals in 48 Premier League games and fallen out of favour under current manager David Moyes.
Haller is thought to be keen on the move due to the possibility of reuniting with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who previously coached the 26-year-old at Utrecht. Personal terms are therefore unlikely to be an issue, with the two clubs left to finalise a fee over a deal for the Ivory Coast international.
Moyes is keen to reshape his squad this month and West Ham are willing to take a huge hit on the £45m to help refresh their attacking options.
Both clubs are confident of reaching an agreement in the coming days in a transfer that will end up settling at around half the valuation the Hammers placed on Haller just 18 months earlier.
1:26
Julien Laurens sums up how Mauricio Pochettino fared in his first match in charge of PSG, a draw vs. St Etienne.
11.39 GMT: Paris Saint-Germian have told Inter Milan that they are not interested in signing midfielder Christian Eriksen at the moment, sources have told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.
Eriksen, 28, joined Inter from Tottenham in a €20m transfer last January, but he has struggled for game time during his first year in Italy.
The Denmark international has been linked with a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at PSG, where the former Spurs boss took charge last week. However, with Pochettino due to have another meeting with PSG sporting director Leonardo to discuss the transfer window in the next few days, as things stand Eriksen is not a target for the Ligue 1 champions.
– Laurens: Poch’s first days at PSG: bonds forming with stars as rebuild begins
10.56 GMT: Australia defender Alanna Kennedy has signed a permanent deal with Tottenham until the end of the 2020-21 season, the club announced on Thursday.
Kennedy joined the side at the start of the 2020-21 season on a loan from National Women’s Soccer League side Orlando Pride until the end of 2020.
Her NWSL rights were recently acquired by Racing Louisville in their expansion draft alongside fellow Matilda and Arsenal forward Caitlin Foord.
“I’m so excited and happy to be here,” Kennedy said in a statement. “When I signed there was always the potential for me to stay longer and when the decision had to be made, I didn’t feel ready to end my time here.
“As a team we’re moving in an upward direction and starting to show what we are capable of. I believe in our goals and want to help the team fulfil our potential this season.”
Kennedy told ESPN last year that the opportunity to play as a defensive midfielder was key to her move to Spurs. She has made 12 appearances for the side since September.
10.11 GMT: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested youngster Folarin Balogun‘s agent is scuppering talks over a new contract for the striker.
The 19-year-old made his debut in October against Dundalk, the first of five senior appearances as he looks to break into Arteta’s setup on a long-term basis. Balogun’s existing deal expires at the end of the season and he has previously been linked with a move to Premier League champions Liverpool but Arteta said: “You need three parties to make a deal. For sure, the club wants to make a deal, the manager wants to make a deal, the player wants to stay and I’m not sure about the agent.
“I’m not saying he’s stopping [a deal], it’s that we need to find an agreement with him. We are negotiating with an agent, with a player that wants to stay at the club and we need to find an agreement.
“I’m telling you that we are doing everything we can to keep him here and hopefully from the other part they are doing the same and in the same interest, which is the player’s interest which is to stay at the football club and be successful with us.”
09.25 GMT: Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek should hold talks with Manchester United over his future or risk missing out on a place in the Netherlands squad for this summer’s European Championship, according to former Dutch national team and Ajax great Ronald de Boer.
Van de Beek has started only two Premier League games since arriving at Old Trafford from Ajax in September, and the 23-year-old did not start either of Netherlands’ last two matches of 2020.
“Euro 2020 is coming, he will undoubtedly want to be there,” Ronald de Boer, brother of Netherlands head coach Frank de Boer, told Dutch outlet AD. “Maybe it would be good for him to discuss with the club exactly what they want with him. If the view on playing time does not improve, he may have to declare that he should be loaned or even sold.
“You have to be lucky every now and then. Of course it doesn’t look great now, but with a great performance it can suddenly change completely.
“We also don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Perhaps they have made certain agreements with his transfer, they will get him ready for next year this season. That always remains a bit of a guess.”
08.48 GMT: Wolves have recalled striker Patrick Cutrone from his loan at Fiorentina in order to cover for the continued absence of the injured Raul Jimenez.
Jimenez is reported to be undergoing “early fitness work” as he builds toward a return after fracturing his skull in the 2-1 win over Arsenal on Nov. 29.
Wolves have won just one of their seven games since then and have struggled for goals, scoring four times in six matches before the 3-3 draw at Brighton last time out.
Cutrone was in the final few months of his 18-month loan at Fiorentina. The 23-year-old did not score for La Viola this season but recalling him was an easy alternative to signing a new striker.
According to the Daily Mail, Diego Costa’s wage demands could put him out of reach of Wolves even though he is now a free agent, while Bournemouth may demand a fee for Josh King that prices Wolves out of a mid-season move.
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08.00 GMT: Mesut Ozil‘s agent Dr Erkut Sogut has told ESPN’s James Olley that the player’s future is expected to be finalised in the next 10 days with the midfielder undecided over his next move.
The 32-year-old is free to talk directly to overseas clubs after entering the final six months of his £350,000-a-week contract with Arsenal and has attracted interest from the United States, Turkey, Asia and Qatar.
Reports in Turkey on Wednesday suggested he was on the brink of signing a three-year contract with Fenerbahce but no agreement is close with any club.
Fenerbache are one of several interested clubs along with MLS side DC United, whose interest was first reported in the U.S. back in August 2019, but negotiations are not yet at an advanced stage.
“We were not allowed to talk legally before Jan. 1 so now we are just starting to look at the options with the numbers and details,” Sogut told ESPN in an exclusive interview.
“I can’t talk about the clubs directly because it would be unprofessional but generally, there is six months left on the contract and it is nothing unusual that we will talk to people about different opportunities and try to find the best option for Mesut.
“He might stay at Arsenal until the summer but he might go. Mesut’s priority is to stay but you never know in football, things can change very fast. For the moment, we are just checking all the options for January and the summer.
“If we want to leave in January, I need to talk to Arsenal. If we sign for the summer, we don’t need to. That’s the situation. In the next seven to ten days, it will be a little clearer as now the transfer window is open, things can move faster.”
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)
Ramos talks stall, Liverpool interested
Contract renewal talks between Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid continue to stall according to AS, while El Chiringuito suggests Liverpool are rumoured to be interested.
Ramos is now legally allowed to negotiate with other clubs about leaving at the end of the season on a free transfer.
The Madrid captain recently met with club president Florentino Perez and is reported to have told him he would listen to external offers.
The news comes following Ramos’ apparent disappointment at the club’s financial proposal. They have reportedly offered him two seasons on the same salary as he’s on now, which is €12m a season.
The latest club to express an interest, according to Cristobal Soria on El Chiringuito, is Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side are desperate for defensive reinforcements, but they face pressure from PSG, Manchester City and Juventus.
Arsenal are looking to bolster their midfield options in January and Mikel Arteta is considering a move for Brighton’s Yves Bissouma, according to the Daily Mail.
Arteta is believed to be also interested in Norwich City star Emi Buendia, but the Canaries are reluctant to let their playmaker leave while they top the Championship table.
Bissouma meanwhile appears to be willing to join the north London club given that he’s a Gunners fan.
The 24-year-old also developed a strong relationship with Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes when the two played together at Lille.
Bissouma has been one of Brighton’s most important players this season and though he is contracted to 2023, Arsenal may feel they can tempt him to leave before then.
Tap-ins
– Florian Thauvin appears to be on the move after opting not to renew his contract at Marseille, reports Calciomercato. Thauvin is available on a free transfer at the end of the season and though Milan appear to be the favourites to sign him, they’d like to take him to the San Siro in January. More and more clubs are expressing an interest in Thauvin, and Milan are keen to get ahead of the chasing pack by offering him a four-year deal.
– Milan are also interested in Kouadio Kone and, according to Fabrizio Romano have already bid €15m for him, but they face pressure from Manchester United if Calciomercato are to be believed. Kone has starred in France‘s second tier this season following Toulouse’s relegation from the top flight, and the 19-year-old is wanted by Leeds United as well as Milan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.