Arsenal want Benedickt Howedes, Manchester United chase Kyle Walker, John Terry wants new Chelsea contract
TRANSFER TALK: The biggest transfer news and rumours on Thursday 19 February
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Your support makes all the difference.John Terry hopes to sign a one-year contract extension to take his Chelsea career into a 16th season and an 11th as their captain, The Independent revealed last night. Terry will turn 35 at the end of this year, and has spoken for the first time this season about his future beyond the summer.
“The club know my position,” said Terry. “Hopefully I know theirs and it will get done. No talks have happened yet between myself and the club but we both respect the position. "I want to stay and hopefully my performances are showing that and they want to keep me. I'll be happy with one more year and then we'll see how we go year by year. I've not got much choice!"
Manchester United are being linked with a rather surprising £20m bid for Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker, despite his recent troubles with injury and form. The 24-year-old rose to prominence after successful loan spells with Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers, and has been a mainstay in the Spurs first team since breaking into the side. However, injuries have hampered his playing time and cost him his place in the current England squad, but the Daily Mail are reporting that United could launch a summer transfer for the speed merchant in a bid to strengthen their defence and address the lack of pace in their current side.
Andrea Pirlo has done his best to keep Paul Pogba at Juventus by trying to persuade him not to return to the Premier League, according to The Sun. Pogba has been linked with a world –record transfer in the summer with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all linked with the France international. But Pirlo, 35, wants Pogba to remain with Juventus having joined them from United in 2012 after he fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson and let his contract run down to expiry.
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini still hopes to bring Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure to Italy in the summer as his future continues to be clouded in uncertainty. Toure has been linked with a move away from the reigning Premier League champions repeatedly since arriving at the Etihad, and Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato reports that Inter will be one of the clubs in for the Ivory Coast international providing they can qualify for next season’s Champions League.
United
and Arsenal could be set to battle it out in order to land Germany defender Benedikt Höwedes after the FC Schalke star admitted his desire to play in England. The Daily Mirror reports that both clubs will seek to sign the 26-year-old, who is capable of playing as a centre-back as well as on the left, when the transfer window reopens in the summer, after he impressed in both Germany’s successful World Cup campaign and Schalke Champions League run to the last-16.Rickie Lambert has revealed just how close his January move to Aston Villa was before he decided to stay with Liverpool and fight for his place. The 33-year-old striker was subject of intense interest from Villa during last month’s transfer window, with a deal agreed with the club before the deadline. However, Lambert has told The Sun that he had even agreed a two-and-a-half year deal to move to Villa Park, only to change his mind at the last minute having had time to ponder the switch.
Finally, sought-after Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has played down a move to the Premier League as he admitted he wants to learn all he can at the La Liga club before moving on to pastures new. Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, Laporte dismissed talk of a transfer to either Manchester United or Arsenal by saying: "Here there are many people of experience and I'm learning a lot from them. I have played a lot of games and I want to continue to do what I'm doing."
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