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Transfer news and rumours live: £127m Philippe Coutinho to Barca, Manchester United to hijack Chelsea defender move

All the latest transfer news live plus gossip and rumours

Friday 08 December 2017 16:58 GMT
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Premier League transfer window: The key moves

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The winter transfer window is now just around the corner with some of world football's biggest names potentially on the move again.

Neymar smashed the world transfer record by swapping Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer but many closer to home could follow him in big money transfers in January with speculation about the futures of Philippe Coutinho, Alexis Sanchez and more refusing to go away.

Manchester City were the summer's biggest spenders splashing over £200m on new arrivals but Pep Guardiola isn't likely to stop there with a title there for the taking.

Crosstown rivals United were busy too and will want more despite adding Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof in the summer with Jose Mourinho keen on an attacking wide player and a new full back.

Liverpool struggled to get deals over the line and could still lose Coutinho while Chelsea are still in need of bodies as Antonio Conte continues to battle with a hectic fixture list.

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Danny Rose has insisted once again that there is no issue between him and manager Mauricio Pochettino, who he said has been his “biggest fan” since he took over at Tottenham in 2014.

Rose’s position at Tottenham has been uncertain ever since he tried to force a move in August with a controversial newspaper interview, criticising Spurs’ transfer policy and wage structure.

A move away from Tottenham, most likely to Manchester United, is still a distinct possibility at some point in 2018, and in recent weeks he has been at odds with Pochettino over his own fitness.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 10:10

Goalkeeper Shay Given believes Newcastle United should make a move for Alexis Sanchez if the club is handed the appropriate transfer funds following the expected takeover by financial entrepreneur Amanda Staveley.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 10:30

Manchester City will return with a big offer for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez in January, as they attempt to finally clinch the deal thatPep Guardiola was desperate for in the summer.

While City have been in supreme attacking form despite the failure to land the Chilean on deadline day in August, Guardiola is said by sources to feel that the unbeaten Premier League leaders can do a double of domestic title and Champions League this season, so wants to press home with the purchase and add real strength in depth to his squad to seize the opportunity.

Arsene Wenger's position is still that Arsenal do not want to sell despite the 28-year-old's contract running out at the end of the season, but that stance was shown to be malleable in the summer when the London club ultimately agreed to sell the striker on the provision that they would be able to bring in a replacement.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 10:50

Arsene Wenger has praised Mathieu Debuchy’s rare “mental strength” after admitting that the right-back has pushed his way back into contention for the first team, despite appearing to have been in the Arsenal wilderness.

The 32-year-old scored a goal in the 6-0 win over BATE Borisov on Thursday and generally earned the “respect” of his manager, especially since he has only made 13 Premier League appearances for the club and the same number in total since the start of the 2015/16 campaign.

Given that Debuchy still has a contract, Wenger admitted he still has a chance of regularly playing.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 11:15

Shanghai Shenhua remain undecided over the future of Carlos Tevez after the Argentine's disappointing debut season at the Chinese Super League club.

Tevez joined Shenhua in a blaze of publicity in January from Boca Juniors amid reports he was earning a salary in the region of £600,000 per week.

The former Manchester United and Juventus striker endured a difficult year in China, however, with rumours circulating he would return to Argentina before the completion of his two-year deal with Shanghai.

"It's a pretty sensitive issue, we can't really answer that question at the moment," Shenhua team manager Mao Yijun told Reuters when asked about Tevez's future.

"It's safe to say that Tevez's performances didn't really reach our expectations. It's fair to say that. He has had some injuries with his calf and he didn't have a (pre-season) preparation period with us.

"However, in training and in the matches he did try his best and his attitude was very professional. But he didn't reach his top athletic performance because of his condition.

"We are still discussing his future with the club."

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 11:35

Liverpool cannot guarantee that Philippe Coutinho will still be at the club beyond January.

"We made one statement last year and the player is not for sale and that is the statement the ownership made," CEO Peter Moore said this morning.

"Me adding to that, every day you see stories emanating from Spain that Barcelona, or whomever, are coming back for Philippe Coutinho.

"I saw a player who was delighted to score a hat-trick for his club in front of 54,000 delighted fans on Wednesday night.

"And anything other than that focus right now is on Sunday and then we have West Brom, and it is all about Philippe on the pitch right now.

"As far as I am concerned, the squad we have right now is the squad we are going to go into January with. And I do not have a crystal ball, so I do not know what is going to happen.

"But Philippe Coutinho is a dedicated, intense Liverpool player right now that is delivering."

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 12:00

AC Milan are confident of warding off the threat of Financial Fair Play sanctions from UEFA.

The Serie A club's managing director Marco Fassone insists they will soon finalise a refinancing programme to avoid being penalised by the governing body of European football.

Eighteen-time Italian champions Milan were bought by Chinese investors Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux in April and spent over £210million on new players in the summer.

That outlay - and concern over Milan's ability to repay several loans to an American hedge fund - has reportedly prompted an investigation by UEFA's Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 12:20

Could Liverpool head into the market for a left-back in January?

It has emerged that Alberto Moreno could be sidelined for potentially up to six weeks with an ankle injury.

The defender will be assessed by a second specialist over the weekend but the fear is the problem, sustained in Wednesday's 7-0 win over Spartak Moscow, could keep him out until the new year.

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 12:40

Wondering what to do with your fantasy team this weekend?

Wonder no more

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 13:00

Jose Mourinho has a unique problem to solve this weekend.

Here's an in depth look Pep Guardiola's attacking system from Miguel Delaney

Ben Burrows8 December 2017 13:41

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