Manchester United are the Mill’s top story again, with their desire to make a new, improved, £30m offer for Wolfsburg’s left-back Ricardo Rodríguez fighting for supremacy with news that the Red Devils’ search for a new winger now appears to have ended, of all places, in Bournemouth. Louis van Gaal still covets Sadio Mané, but with Southampton’s fleet-footed Senegalese forward likely to be a bit pricey they have identified Matt Ritchie (or, as Metro call him, “genius assist king”) as a potential cut-price alternative. The Saints are shortlisting potential striker signings just in case they find themselves needing to refresh their forward line, and have stuck the name of the former Newcastle loan flop Luuk de Jong, currently the scourge of goal nets in the Eindhoven area, near the top of it. Less likely to delight January rumourmongers is Luuk’s brother and current Newcastle bench-warmer Siem, whose suitors Steve McClaren has warned to do one, having decided he is “a vital part of the squad” – though largely in a non-playing way, it seems.
Bayern Munich hope to see off Manchester City’s interest in Pep Guardiola by tying the Spanish tactician to a new extended contract, in which case the English title-chasing aspirants will switch targets to Carlo Ancelotti. As it happens the Italian’s former employers Real Madrid have identified as their main megabucks transfer target for 2016 currently misfiring twinkle-toed Belgian Eden Hazard, who at present plays in somewhat half-hearted style for Chelsea, also among Ancelotti’s former employers – but now it seems the deep-pocketed Spaniards will face competition from Paris Saint-Germain, also among Ancelotti’s former employers, who have put aside £80m to make sure they win the fight.
If Chelsea are serious about signing Real Madrid’s Jesé, as has occasionally been rumoured, they’re going to have to get their wallet out in January or else Arsenal will probably end up with the Spanish forward – and a bank balance reduced by something in the region of £21m. PSG, meanwhile, are clearing space in their squad for a potential Hazard-shaped arrival by allowing Ezequiel Lavezzi to go back to Italy, with Juventus hopeful of getting him on the cheap – which would leave them enough in their kitty to also sign Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund.
One person not going to Italy is Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen, recently scouted by Inter even though the London club are not keen in any way whatsoever to sell their ace defender and vice-captain. One thing Spurs are keen on, however, is the 17-year-old Dinamo Zagreb defender Vinko Soldo, also a target for Inter’s neighbours, Milan.
In goalkeeping news, to the delight of every headline-penning subeditor in the land Liverpool are keen on Köln’s Timo Horn, whose contract at the German side contains a £6.5m release clause. Tottenham, meanwhile, are hoping to send a removal van up to Sunderland to pick up Jordan Pickford, though the 21-year-old is currently on loan at Preston, while Sunderland might lose another loanee in the shape of Emanuele Giaccherini, with the injury-prone midfielder admitting he fancies staying at Bologna. On his way to Sunderland, perhaps, is the Olympiakos full-back Arthur Masuaku, with the Black Cats having been told that the 22-year-old Frenchman would cost £7m. And while we’re on the subject of Liverpool, which we were not too long ago, this might be the right place to shoehorn in Bolton’s pursuit of João Teixeira, who spent last season on loan at Brighton and has spent this season not doing very much at all. Another loan switch may be in the offing.
If Steve Parkin’s deal to buy Leeds United goes through he’ll be straight on the phone to David Moyes, having presumably identified that what that club really need is a change of manager (it may never happen: current owner Massimo Cellino has claimed there are six – six! – potential buyers). The other thing Leeds apparently really need is Kyle Lafferty, who may be available on loan from Norwich.
