Liverpool face anxious wait for Alex Teixeira; Newcastle cool link with Andros Townsend; Chelsea suffer Antoine Griezmann blow
All the latest transfer news and gossip to emerge on the morning of Monday 25 January 2016
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool are making slow progress agreeing a fee with Shakhtar Donetsk for forward Alex Teixeira, according to the Liverpool Echo. The Reds are desperate to add more firepower to their side after a host of injuries threaten to derail their Premier League campaign. Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Divock Origi have all suffered with persistent knocks in recent weeks, forcing manager Jurgen Klopp’s hand in the transfer market. Their offer of £24.5m was rejected last week.
Shakhtar are holding out for nearer £38m and know Liverpool may be forced to pay over the odds or face missing out on their man this month. The Ukrainian club are in no rush to sell, despite Teixeria announcing his desire to leave, giving them the upper hand in negotiations with Reds chief executive Ian Ayre - who has travelled out to their American warm-weather training base. The versatile attacker has scored 26 goals for Shakhtar this season.
Newcastle United have reportedly cooled their interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend. Sky Sports report the Magpies have had a loan bid and £10.5m cash offer turned down in recent weeks with Spurs asking for a fee closer to £14m for the former England man. Townsend has made just three appearances for the north London outfit this term.
Top flight rivals Watford are known to be monitoring the situation but they, too, have bulked at the figures being quoted by the Spurs hierarchy. Townsend was dropped by Spurs for two weeks in November after a bust-up with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner and has not featured for the first team since October 22.
Chelsea have been handed a considerable blow to their long-term transfer strategy after Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann announced his plans to remain in Spain. Reports have suggested the Blues were considering a summer raid for the Frenchman after discovering he had a buy-out clause amounting to £60m.
But Griezmann, whose contract expires in 2020, told Telefoot: “I am feeling very well at Atletico. This is a big club and I want to achieve great things here. I am ambitious and my goal is to win trophies here. I have become more mature. The club and my team-mates rely on me.”
Quique Sanchez Flores, the Watford manager, is hoping to complete a deal to sign Fiorentina midfielder Mario Suarez, according to the Daily Mirror. The 28-year-old has previously rejected a move to Vicarage Road but has considered his options after learning how keen the Hornets are on securing his services.
Flores has already added Nordin Amrabat and Costel Pantilimon this month and reportedly has an £8m offer on the table for Suarez. Loan flops Alessandro Diamanti and Victor Ibarbo have been shipped out, while fringe midfielder Connor Smith has been released, to finance the deal.
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