The winter window opened Jan. 2. As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to all the latest rumours and gossip. See the latest deals here.
TOP STORY: Pato prefers Chelsea to Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp recently distanced Liverpool from a move for Brazilian forwardAlexandre Pato, who seems desperate for a winter move to the Premier League. Given the staggering fees and wages spent on some striking failures over the past few years, £11 million on a 26-year-old former prodigy doesn't seem like such a bad deal, though the Independent reports that Klopp would have trouble convincing the former AC Milan starlet.
According to the paper, Pato would "prefer" to move to Chelsea in January, though Liverpool will go "head to head" with the Premier League champions for the player's signature. Neither club may be particularly keen to take a gamble considering the relative fates of Radamel Falcao and Mario Balotelli, but both Klopp and Guus Hiddink need goals and a generous helping of self-belief from their forwards to turn their seasons around.
LIVE BLOG
09.08 GMT: AC Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani says Stephan El Shaarawy could return to the club from his loan at Monaco if Luiz Adriano's transfer to China goes through, while Alessio Cerci may join Genoa. Storyhere.
08.37 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have been linked with Mainz attackerYunus Malli in Bild. Mainz sporting director Christian Heidel tells the paper: "Right now it is hard to imagine he will not be a Mainz player on Feb 1." The Turkey international debuted under BVB boss Thomas Tuchel, and has played a strong first half of the season, scoring eight goals, and has also been linked with a summer switch to the Premier League.
08.12 GMT: Leicester midfielder Gokhan Inler's agent has hit out at Schalke after they claimed the Swiss never really wanted a transfer. "Those comments are a colossal cheek," he said in Blick. "There were never real negotiations with Schalke. To call my client greedy is an unworthy behaviour. I have to presume that Schalke can't afford the player because the loan fee and his wages were just too high. Schalke should have communicated it like that."
07.53 GMT: According to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli are close to signingChristoph Kramer from Bayer Leverkusen, claiming the player has already agreed terms and now they need to agree a fee with the Bundesliga club.
07.40 GMT: L'Equipe says that Joao Moutinho has indicated that he will stay at the club until the end of the season because the 29-year-old does not want to take the risk of changing clubs six months before Portugal take part in Euro 2016. But the paper says attackers Lacina Traore and Stephan el-Shaarawy could be on their way out of the club.
PAPER ROUND
Dragovic nears Old Trafford?
Manchester United have yet to find the balance between boring and borderline chaos, with Louis van Gaal's side shipping goals at an alarming rate of late.
With even Chris Smalling failing to impress in the 3-3 draw at Newcastle on Tuesday, Sport Mediaset reports that United are closing in on a deal for Dynamo Kiev centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic. The 24-year-old Austrian centre-back would cost the Red Devils around €21 million (£15.8m), and a deal is reported to be merely "hours away."
Alves to China?
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is focused on bringing in new players as theBlaugrana celebrate their first open window since their FIFA transfer ban, but some players may be leaving the Camp Nou as well. Globo Esportereports that Dani Alves, who eventually decided to sign a new two-year Barca contract last summer, is a target for an unnamed Chinese club.
According to the reports, Alves will be offered a three-year deal in the coming days worth €10m a season -- a substantial increase on his current salary. With Aleix Vidal now registered to play for Barca and Alves turning 33 in May, a lucrative switch to the Chinese Super League could be on the cards, especially considering a number of high-profile Brazilians such as Luis Felipe Scolari and Robinho have also made the same move of late.
Over at Atletico Madrid, AS reports that the Rojiblancos are set to increaseAntoine Griezmann's release fee from €80m to €100m as an "anti-Real Madrid clause" to warn off the likes of their city rivals, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich among others.
Drogba back at the Blues?
Chelsea's disastrous season has looked slightly less horrific in recent weeks following Hiddink's arrival, but a 2-2 home draw against West Brom on Wednesday was a potent reminder that the Premier League champions still have a long way to go. Hiddink wants Didier Drogba back at Stamford Bridge in a coaching capacity, and ESPN FC's Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey spotted the Montreal Impact striker in West London on Wednesday to possibly signal a deal being close.
The Blues also need new squad additions, but Ezequiel Lavezzi's agent says Inter Milan are favourites for the Paris Saint-Germain attacker despite the Argentine holding talks over a move to Stamford Bridge. Saido Berahino is another potential forward target, but The Sun reports that the 22-year-old faces the prospect of remaining at West Brom all season rather than getting the move he's craving.
Meanwhile, Baba Rahman is hoping for more first-team opportunities under Hiddink after struggling for game time since a summer move from Augsburg.
Elneny joins Gunners
Arsenal threw away a late Anfield lead to draw 3-3 against Liverpool on Wednesday, but fans will be pleased to hear that midfielder Mohamed Elneny has joined the club, according to Arsene Wenger. Sources told ESPN FC earlier in the day that the Gunners were set to confirm the signing of the midfielder in the next 24 hours after the Egyptian arrived in London to finalise a £7m move, and Wenger said after the game: "Elneny will of course join us. He has joined us. We'll see if he can qualify for Sunday [against Stoke]."
As for Arsenal's latest opponents Liverpool, the Mirror reports that Jurgen Klopp's side have agreed a deal in principle for Schalke defender Joel Matipto join on a free at the end of the season.
Bournemouth eye City starlet
Patrick Roberts earned rave reviews at Fulham and then made a £12m move to Man City last summer, but has struggled to break into Manuel Pellegrini's first-team plans so far this season. The 18-year-old winger obviously wasn't helped by City also splashing over a combined £100m on Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, but the Mail reports that the club are considering allowing the youngster a temporary spell away from the Etihad.
Bournemouth are reportedly just one of the sides interested in the fleet-footed Roberts, who desperately needs some game time if he is to avoid a similar career path to the likes of Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards. As for De Bruyne, the playmaker's agent has revealed that the Belgium international agreed terms with Bayern Munich before signing for City, and may well have joined the Bundesliga champions had they met Wolfsburg's asking price.
MLS movement
The Philadelphia Union have acquired 26-year-old Brazilian defenderAnderson Conceicao on loan for the 2016 season. The San Jose Earthquakes have added defensive cover ahead of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft with Argentine defender Andres Imperiale. Over at Sporting Kansas City, 19-year-old Hungarian native Daniel Salloi has signed a deal as the fourth Homegrown Player in the club's history.
TAP-INS:
- Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has told Sport Bild thatGonzalo Higuain is "a player we like," but doubts that Napoli will sell their star forward. Rummenigge could of course be playing a cute game with Robert Lewandowski amid reports that Real Madrid want the Poland striker, but that's neither here nor there.
- Bayer Leverkusen officials are not overly concerned with recent statements from Javier Hernandez after the Mexico international suggested he could leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season.
- Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reiterated he will not leave Borussia Dortmund in the immediate future as he wants to win titles with his current club, saying: "I am not at Arsenal, not at Barcelona and not on the moon, you can see that." Fair enough, Auba.
- Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti's agent says his client is more likely to join Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern than move to Spain, although the player is unlikely to leave France in the near future. Meanwhile, Verratti has urged the club to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the French capital.
- Swansea's slump continued with an embarrassing 4-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Sunderland on Wednesday, and Wales Online reports the Swans are considering a "shock" return for former Liberty Stadium "hero"Scott Sinclair.
- Former West Ham forward Alessandro Diamanti has joined Atalanta on loan from Guangzhou Evergrande after cutting short his year with Watford.
- Sheffield Wednesday have announced the permanent signing of defenderJack Hunt from Crystal Palace.
- Tottenham have completed the signing of teenage midfielder Shilow Tracey from Ebbsfleet United, the non-league club have confirmed.
According to the paper, Pato would "prefer" to move to Chelsea in January, though Liverpool will go "head to head" with the Premier League champions for the player's signature. Neither club may be particularly keen to take a gamble considering the relative fates of Radamel Falcao and Mario Balotelli, but both Klopp and Guus Hiddink need goals and a generous helping of self-belief from their forwards to turn their seasons around.
LIVE BLOG
09.08 GMT: AC Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani says Stephan El Shaarawy could return to the club from his loan at Monaco if Luiz Adriano's transfer to China goes through, while Alessio Cerci may join Genoa. Storyhere.
08.37 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have been linked with Mainz attackerYunus Malli in Bild. Mainz sporting director Christian Heidel tells the paper: "Right now it is hard to imagine he will not be a Mainz player on Feb 1." The Turkey international debuted under BVB boss Thomas Tuchel, and has played a strong first half of the season, scoring eight goals, and has also been linked with a summer switch to the Premier League.
08.12 GMT: Leicester midfielder Gokhan Inler's agent has hit out at Schalke after they claimed the Swiss never really wanted a transfer. "Those comments are a colossal cheek," he said in Blick. "There were never real negotiations with Schalke. To call my client greedy is an unworthy behaviour. I have to presume that Schalke can't afford the player because the loan fee and his wages were just too high. Schalke should have communicated it like that."
07.53 GMT: According to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli are close to signingChristoph Kramer from Bayer Leverkusen, claiming the player has already agreed terms and now they need to agree a fee with the Bundesliga club.
07.40 GMT: L'Equipe says that Joao Moutinho has indicated that he will stay at the club until the end of the season because the 29-year-old does not want to take the risk of changing clubs six months before Portugal take part in Euro 2016. But the paper says attackers Lacina Traore and Stephan el-Shaarawy could be on their way out of the club.
PAPER ROUND
Dragovic nears Old Trafford?
Manchester United have yet to find the balance between boring and borderline chaos, with Louis van Gaal's side shipping goals at an alarming rate of late.
With even Chris Smalling failing to impress in the 3-3 draw at Newcastle on Tuesday, Sport Mediaset reports that United are closing in on a deal for Dynamo Kiev centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic. The 24-year-old Austrian centre-back would cost the Red Devils around €21 million (£15.8m), and a deal is reported to be merely "hours away."
Alves to China?
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is focused on bringing in new players as theBlaugrana celebrate their first open window since their FIFA transfer ban, but some players may be leaving the Camp Nou as well. Globo Esportereports that Dani Alves, who eventually decided to sign a new two-year Barca contract last summer, is a target for an unnamed Chinese club.
According to the reports, Alves will be offered a three-year deal in the coming days worth €10m a season -- a substantial increase on his current salary. With Aleix Vidal now registered to play for Barca and Alves turning 33 in May, a lucrative switch to the Chinese Super League could be on the cards, especially considering a number of high-profile Brazilians such as Luis Felipe Scolari and Robinho have also made the same move of late.
Over at Atletico Madrid, AS reports that the Rojiblancos are set to increaseAntoine Griezmann's release fee from €80m to €100m as an "anti-Real Madrid clause" to warn off the likes of their city rivals, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich among others.
Drogba back at the Blues?
Chelsea's disastrous season has looked slightly less horrific in recent weeks following Hiddink's arrival, but a 2-2 home draw against West Brom on Wednesday was a potent reminder that the Premier League champions still have a long way to go. Hiddink wants Didier Drogba back at Stamford Bridge in a coaching capacity, and ESPN FC's Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey spotted the Montreal Impact striker in West London on Wednesday to possibly signal a deal being close.
The Blues also need new squad additions, but Ezequiel Lavezzi's agent says Inter Milan are favourites for the Paris Saint-Germain attacker despite the Argentine holding talks over a move to Stamford Bridge. Saido Berahino is another potential forward target, but The Sun reports that the 22-year-old faces the prospect of remaining at West Brom all season rather than getting the move he's craving.
Meanwhile, Baba Rahman is hoping for more first-team opportunities under Hiddink after struggling for game time since a summer move from Augsburg.
Elneny joins Gunners
Arsenal threw away a late Anfield lead to draw 3-3 against Liverpool on Wednesday, but fans will be pleased to hear that midfielder Mohamed Elneny has joined the club, according to Arsene Wenger. Sources told ESPN FC earlier in the day that the Gunners were set to confirm the signing of the midfielder in the next 24 hours after the Egyptian arrived in London to finalise a £7m move, and Wenger said after the game: "Elneny will of course join us. He has joined us. We'll see if he can qualify for Sunday [against Stoke]."
As for Arsenal's latest opponents Liverpool, the Mirror reports that Jurgen Klopp's side have agreed a deal in principle for Schalke defender Joel Matipto join on a free at the end of the season.
Bournemouth eye City starlet
Patrick Roberts earned rave reviews at Fulham and then made a £12m move to Man City last summer, but has struggled to break into Manuel Pellegrini's first-team plans so far this season. The 18-year-old winger obviously wasn't helped by City also splashing over a combined £100m on Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, but the Mail reports that the club are considering allowing the youngster a temporary spell away from the Etihad.
Bournemouth are reportedly just one of the sides interested in the fleet-footed Roberts, who desperately needs some game time if he is to avoid a similar career path to the likes of Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards. As for De Bruyne, the playmaker's agent has revealed that the Belgium international agreed terms with Bayern Munich before signing for City, and may well have joined the Bundesliga champions had they met Wolfsburg's asking price.
MLS movement
The Philadelphia Union have acquired 26-year-old Brazilian defenderAnderson Conceicao on loan for the 2016 season. The San Jose Earthquakes have added defensive cover ahead of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft with Argentine defender Andres Imperiale. Over at Sporting Kansas City, 19-year-old Hungarian native Daniel Salloi has signed a deal as the fourth Homegrown Player in the club's history.
TAP-INS:
- Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has told Sport Bild thatGonzalo Higuain is "a player we like," but doubts that Napoli will sell their star forward. Rummenigge could of course be playing a cute game with Robert Lewandowski amid reports that Real Madrid want the Poland striker, but that's neither here nor there.
- Bayer Leverkusen officials are not overly concerned with recent statements from Javier Hernandez after the Mexico international suggested he could leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season.
- Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reiterated he will not leave Borussia Dortmund in the immediate future as he wants to win titles with his current club, saying: "I am not at Arsenal, not at Barcelona and not on the moon, you can see that." Fair enough, Auba.
- Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti's agent says his client is more likely to join Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern than move to Spain, although the player is unlikely to leave France in the near future. Meanwhile, Verratti has urged the club to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the French capital.
- Swansea's slump continued with an embarrassing 4-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Sunderland on Wednesday, and Wales Online reports the Swans are considering a "shock" return for former Liberty Stadium "hero"Scott Sinclair.
- Former West Ham forward Alessandro Diamanti has joined Atalanta on loan from Guangzhou Evergrande after cutting short his year with Watford.
- Sheffield Wednesday have announced the permanent signing of defenderJack Hunt from Crystal Palace.
- Tottenham have completed the signing of teenage midfielder Shilow Tracey from Ebbsfleet United, the non-league club have confirmed.
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