Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal eye reinforcements as Newcastle want Gordon and Chelsea target Onana
Wolves are still in talks over a deal for Joao Gomes whilst Fulham make a move for Arsenal’s Cedric Soares
Everton’s lack of form and seeming problems behind the scenes could have a negative effect on the squad as the big Premier League sides come knocking in search of players. Chelsea have lined up Toffees midfielder Amadou Onana as a potential option in case they cannot get a deal for Enzo Fernandez over the line - which seems increasingly more likely as the window draws to a close.
Newcastle are also hovering and have made Anthony Gordon their main focus. The Everton forward missed two days of training as Newcastle prepared a £40m bid for the 21-year-old but the Toffees are reluctant to let one of their key assets leave whilst fighting a relegation battle.
Elsewhere, an injury to Mohamed Elneny means Arsenal may be forced into strengthening their midfield options before the window closes. The Gunners seem focused on winning the Premier League title this season and they will need strength in depth to keep Manchester City at bay. Brighton’s Moises Caicedo is said to be the favoured choice but Chelsea are also interested in the £75m midfielder and manager Roberto De Zerbi believes Caicedo won’t leave the club in January.
Follow all the latest January transfer rumours and confirmed news below:
Spurs close in on Porro
Tottenham are close to completing a £35million deal for Sporting Lisbon defender Pedro Porro.
Spurs boss Antonio Conte wants to strengthen his wing back options but Spurs have already seen one offer of £32m turned down.
Further talks are taking place with Sporting holding out for the £40m release clause whilst Spurs have offered add-ons to get closer to his buy-out price.
Big Dunc joins Forest Green
Duncan Ferguson is expected to be announced as the new manager of Forest Green Rovers.
When confirmed it will be the 51-year-old’s first permanent role in management after caretaker spells with Everton and it’ll be a tough job for him to take on.
Forest Green Rovers are bottom of League One and four points from safety.
Everton are a club out of time in every way
Even by Everton’s recent standards, Tuesday was a tumultuous day. It started with Marcelo Bielsa making clear his concerns about the job, continued with Tottenham Hotspur humiliatingly hijacking their move for Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma and concluded with Newcastle United trying to argue down a price for Anthony Gordon to more than £20m less than he could have been sold for last summer.
You could call it a day in the life of the modern Everton, but it is the kind of chaos that is to be expected after almost a decade of dysfunction. People in the game now regularly make the argument that they are the worst-run club in the Premier League. One industry figure even quipped about how the Bielsa move is just “taking someone else’s good idea from five years ago”.
It will admittedly be a coup if they appoint the idiosyncratic Argentine, but as much because of his regular approach to negotiations as his reputation. Bielsa likes to take his time with job offers in order to assess every aspect of clubs to see if they are ideologically right for him. The build-up can often “take months”.
Everton are a club out of time in every way
A tumultuous Tuesday was simply the latest symptom of chaos and dysfunction at the Premier League’s ‘worst-run club’
Man Utd looking for another loan deal
Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign another forward on loan this month.
That’s according to The Mail who claim that Erik ten Hag’s side will use the closing week of the January transfer window to search for another attacking addition.
They’re hoping for a similar deal to the one that Wout Weghorst has signed but will only accept it if the loan comes with a small fee.
Sporting eye up Lamptey
Sporting Lisbon are interested in Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey.
Sky Sports News revealed on Wednesday that the Portuguese club are looking a right back to replace the outgoing Pedro Porro, who is strongly linked to Tottenham.
Porro could move to Spurs for his £39m release clause but Sky Sports News understands Sporting are open to negotiating this fee and have lined up Lamptey as a possible replacement should Porro leave the club.
Marcelo Bielsa and Everton reach crunch moment in new manager negotiations
Everton and Marcelo Bielsa have reached an impasse in negotiations, with a considerable gap in positions.
The influential Argentine coach has asked for a package of over £10m for himself and his staff, but there’s also a growing feeling that a number of requests and questions cannot be dealt with in sufficient time. Bielsa is notorious for months-long negotiations as he assesses every aspect of a club, and that has been proving the case here. The length of a deal has also been an issue.
The 67-year-old has not been Everton’s only target, and they have been speaking to other candidates. Among those the board see as potential options are Ralph Hassenhuttl, Sam Allardyce and West Brom’s Carlos Corberan, who has worked with Bielsa. The process has been difficult so far, and connected sources say it was one reason why there was a delay in dispensing with Frank Lampard.
Marcelo Bielsa and Everton reach crunch moment in new manager negotiations
Sam Allardyce, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Carlos Corberan are among the other names in the frame to take over after Frank Lampard’s sacking
Burnley sign Foster
Championship leaders Burnley have signed forward Lyle Foster. He moves to Turf Moor until the summer of 2027 and joins from Belgian outfit Westerlo for an undisclosed fee.
Check out the Clarets announcement video, it’s a corker:
Hull sign Darlow
Hull have signed Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow on loan until the end of the season.
The 32-year-old goakeeper has made 229 professional appearances including 52 games in the Premier League.
“Karl Darlow is coming from Newcastle, we have completed his paperwork,” Hull chairman Tan Kesler said,
“In terms of when we will announce it’s a tricky one, I want fans to be patient with us. The club - Newcastle - and the player wanted to participate in their cup journey and we have respected that. Hopefully once it’s done he will be joining us but the paperwork already has the signature on it.
“There’s no problems with the deal.”
Arnaut Danjuma reveals why it was a ‘no-brainer’ to turn down Everton for Tottenham
New Tottenham Hotspur loan signing Arnaut Danjuma has insisted it was a “no-brainer” for him to turn down Everton over their Premier League rivals.
Danjuma completed a loan switch to fifth-placed Spurs from Villarreal on Wednesday to cap a remarkable turn of events.
The ex-Bournemouth attacker had agreed a move to relegation-threatened Everton last weekend and been set to be announced in the early part of this week before Tottenham hijacked the deal for the forward.
Arnaut Danjuma explains why it was a ‘no-brainer’ to turn down Everton for Tottenham
The ex-Bournemouth attacker had agreed a move to Everton last weekend only to complete a late U-turn
Benfica boss reiterates Fernandez stance
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt has reiterated the club’s stance that Enzo Fernandez will not be joining Chelsea this month.
He told reporters: “Yes, of course. When you see Enzo playing for Benfica you can tell he’s in shape and happy. He’s not thinking about anything else.
“I’m not expecting to lose any of our regular starters. I see the players concentrated and I hope this continues.”
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