Transfer news: Man Utd to spoil Arsenal and Tottenham plans as Liverpool eye £54m wonderkid
Review the day's transfer stories with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all facing a busy month in the hunt for reinforcements
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Review all of Friday's transfer news, rumours, done deals and collapsed moves from around the world.
Manchester United and Arsenal were both in the headlines as they consider moves for Paris Saint-Germain's soon-to-be departed striker Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan is out of contract at the end of the season and available on a free transfer, and reports in his homeland suggest that offers have already been made from the two Premier League clubs along with Atletico Madrid. Chelsea meanwhile are on the hunt for a defender, with eyes on Issa Diop of West Ham and their former centre-back Nathan Ake at Bournemouth, with £40m bids prepared for both depending on who the club decide to focus on.
Tottenham Hotspur meanwhile are looking at Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti despite long-term interest from Arsenal and United, with the France international facing a somewhat uncertain future as Barca are keen to move him on this season, while another star defender who appears to be on the market is Juventus's Matthijs de Ligt, who despite only arriving in Italy at the start of the season is already being linked with a loan move back to Ajax after failing to settle in Turin. Review all of the stories below.
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United and Chelsea have both been linked with Dinamo and Spain star Dani Olmo. There could also be some big moves across Europe. Real Madrid have been linked with a £68m move for Timo Werner, as well as Flamengo wonder kid Reinier, while Arsenal have turned their eyes to RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano as a long-term target.
BBC pundit Mark Lawreson think players only agree to Manchester United transfers ‘for the money’.
“At the moment, I don't see them [United] finishing in the top four and they would be relying on attracting players by big wages, not Champions League football,” Lawrenson told the BBC .
“Right now, if you gave any player a choice between United, City and Liverpool , it would be a straight choice between the Premier League's top two for anyone who is ambitious and wants to win the big prizes.
“If you decide to go to United, you have gone for the money. You sometimes get a certain type of player and personality who will base their decision on that, and they are not the ones who will take your club back to the top.”
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha seemed destined for Everton last summer, or at least a fellow Premier League club, but now he is attracting interest from further afield.
The Guardian has reported that Palace have rejected an approach for Zaha from German champions Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga side are said to have wanted the 27-year-old on a loan deal until the end of the season with a view to signing him permanently.
The Eagles reportedly dismissed the proposal immediately.
Leicester City are refusing to give up hope of signing Merih Demiral this month.
Brendan Rodgers is a fan of the 21-year-old defender and is said to have seen two bids rejected already.
The Mirror say that Juventus are holding out for upwards of £40m with Manchester City also interested.
Victor Lindelof has admitted he “never really looked” at the new contract Manchester United put to him in September 2019, which runs until the summer of 2024.
He told United’s official podcast: “When they offered me a new contract it was very, very easy for me. I never really looked at [the contract]. I just took up the pen and signed it.
“I’m very happy here and I want to be here for many more years to come and I know that I can become a better player here.
“I know the club can help me and I want to stay here for more years and hopefully we can win some trophies as well. That’s my main goal.”
Leicester City are reportedly in talks with Barcelona over a loan move for full-back Moussa Wague.
Journalist Nicolò Schira claims that the loan deal could also include an option to buy.
The 21-year-old Senegal international moved to Barcelona from Belgian side Eupen in 2018, for a fee around the £5m mark.
But despite playing regularly for Barcelona B he has never won a place in the club’s first-team and is now deemed surplus to requirements.
Gareth Bale has once again been linked with a move to both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this January.
However, earlier this window his agent insisted Bale would not leave Real Madrid this month.
Agent Jonathan Barnett told ESPN that Bale is “going nowhere” in January, and is “very unlikely” to leave in the summer.
Some good news for Manchester United with Harry Maguire in contention to play against Norwich this weekend despite his torn hip muscle injury.
The 26-year-old missed Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City after playing through injury the previous weekend in an FA Cup tie at Wolves.
Initial assessments of Maguire’s problem suggested he could be sidelined for up to a month, but further scans revealed the tear to only be small and the 26-year-old took part in training at Carrington on Thursday.
A done deal from down in the Championship.
Swansea City have signed Chelsea defender Marc Guehi on loan.
He moves to the Liberty Stadium until the end of the season with an option to extend the deal a further 12 months.
Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce has admitted it will be difficult to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window.
The Magpies have struggled for goals during the first half of the season with £40million summer signing Joelinton having managed just one to date, and they have been linked with a series of targets in recent weeks.
However, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Wolves, Bruce said: "I've said from day one that January is always going to be difficult and I haven't changed on it. We have to have people who are going to come and improve us, and that's difficult to find at this particular moment.
"If there's something available and we can act and there's a deal to be done, then we'll try to do it. It's as simple as that."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has remained very coy over Manchester United's attempts to sign Bruno Fernandes this January...
"We go back to speculations and we do go and watch games all the time, where I’ve been is irrelevant, that’s another player in a different club I can’t speak about."
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