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BBC
Burnley's Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst, 30, who is on loan at Besiktas, has offered to pay a compensation fee to the Turkish club out of his own pocket to force through a move to Manchester United, and could seal the switch by Tuesday. (Gokhan Dinc, via Express)
Benfica boss Roger Schmidt says Chelsea's pursuit of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has a release clause of about £106m, is "closed". (Mirror)
Atletico Madrid want to extend Portugal forward Joao Felix's contract by one year until 2027 before the 23-year-old joins Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season. (Marca - in Spanish)
Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Borussia Monchengladbach's 25-year-old France forward Marcus Thuram, whose contract runs out in the summer, and the Blues are also considering a move for PSV Eindhoven and England Under-21s forward Noni Madueke, 20. (Times - subscription required)
Brighton have rejected a verbal offer from Tottenham for Belgium forward Leandro Trossard and the Seagulls have no intention of selling the 28-year-old in January. (Football Insider)
West Ham United have renewed their interest in Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri and hope to sign the 25-year-old Morocco international on loan for the rest of the season. (Times - subscription required)
However, En-Nesyri has indicated that he is not yet ready to leave Spain. (Mail)
Sporting Lisbon say Tottenham must pay Pedro Porro's €45m (£36.7m) release clause in full if they want to sign the 23-year-old Spain defender this month. (Guardian)
Former Italy international Andrea Pirlo is interested in succeeding Roberto Martinez as Belgium manager. (HLN - in Dutch)
Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Zaha, 30, wants to stay at Crystal Palace until his contract expires at the end of the season before making a decision on his future. (Athletic - subscription required)
Bournemouth are willing to let Danish midfielder Emiliano Marcondes, 27 and Jamaica striker Jamal Lowe, 26, leave the club this month. (Dorset Live)
Former Birmingham, Newcastle and Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is set to retire from management after taking charge of 11 clubs over 25 years. (Mail)
Leeds United are in advanced talks to sign French forward Georginio Rutter, 20, in a move worth up to a club record £35.3m from German club Hoffenheim. (Sky Germany)
Leeds United will allow English forward Joe Gelhardt to go out on loan in January as the 20-year-old has been told he does not figure in manager Jesse March's plans for the rest of the season. (Football Insider)
Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder Danilo for £18m plus add-ons from Palmeiras. (Mail)
Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr want to sign 34-year-old Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets, whose contract with Barcelona will run out in the summer. (ESPN)
Arsenal have appointed former England Futsal player Hussein Isa, nicknamed 'Tekkers Guru', as a technical coach. The 34-year-old Spaniard, who has worked on TV adverts as a Lionel Messi body double, will start his role before the 2023-24 season. (Athletic - subscription required)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Barry Glendenning
The Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is flattered by Liverpool’s interest in him – well, who wouldn’t be? – but remains totally committed to Atalanta, where he currently plies his trade. The 24-year-old had a great World Cup, playing a pivotal role in his country’s run to that quarter-final thriller against Argentina, and has apparently been the subject of long-term interest in the Anfield scouting department.
“I saw the links and stories about Liverpool,” said Koopmeiners. “Nice to see that but I’m 100% focused on Atalanta, I’m so happy to play here.” While he’s making all the right noises, here on the Rumour Mill’s patented Come And Get Me Plea-o-meter, we’re registering that as a solid 7/10.
Speculation suggests Atalanta, who remain in the hunt for a top four Serie A finish, have no intention of selling Koopmeiners in the current window, which means Jürgen Klopp may instead turn his attention to others on what some might say is a wildly optimistic shopping list. Brighton’s Moisés Caicedo, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Kouadio Koné, Fulham’s João Palinha, Nice’s Khéphren Thuram and idle whimsy’s Uncle Tom Cobley are all believed to be on his radar.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Enzo Fernández is the current window’s most tedious saga and looks set to feature several more twists and turns. While several British media outlets are interpreting comments made by the Benfica manager, Roger Schmidt, yesterday to mean negotiations between the two clubs over a £112m transfer have irreparably broken down, your Rumour Mill has taken a different view.
What Schmidt actually said is that “the issue with Enzo is closed”, which we took to mean that, having been left out of his side’s squad to face Portimonense last Friday as a punishment for having his head turned, the young Argentinian midfielder will now be welcomed back into the fold but could still leave in the next couple of weeks.
Goal shy Chelsea’s pursuit of the Portuguese striker João Félix on loan from Atlético Madrid is expected to reach a successful end in the next 24 hours, although the word from Spain is that his current employers could lob a late spanner in the works by adding an additional year to his contract in order to increase his sell-on value when that loan spell concludes.
The Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, remains determined to “get it launched” to Wout Weghorst and it seems the subject of his desire really wants Manchester United to launch “it” his way. Still a Burnley player out on loan at Besiktas until the end of the season, Weghorst was criticised by the Turkish club’s hierarchy for bidding fans a premature farewell over the weekend. Reports on Tuesday suggest the target man is so desperate to force a move to Old Trafford that he is prepared to compensate Besiktas by dipping into his own penny jar and handing over a fistful of change.
The subject of interest from Wolves, Internazionale and Porto, Racing Club’s 20-year-old central midfielder Carlos Alcaraz is believed to be on the verge of adding some much-needed steel to Southampton’s midfield. The Italian transfer boffin Fabrizio Romano says Alcaraz will undergo a medical this week before inking a deal worth more than £12m, while Racing will trouser 15% of any sell-on fee when he signs for a bigger club in two years’ time.
And finally, Celtic are open to offers for their big Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, who may be Major League Soccer-bound, while Aston Villa are “closing in” on a £12m deal for Real Betis’s 29-year-old left-back Álex Moreno, with an agreement expected to be announced any minute now.
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are plotting a move for Tottenham forward Harry Kane this summer, with the club making a new striker their 'prime objective'.
Manchester United are still hopeful of signing Wout Weghorst despite Besiktas refusing to rip up his loan deal from Burnley.
Kalvin Phillips is in line to make a full Manchester City debut seven months after his £42m summer move.
Benfica's Roger Schmidt appears to have declared Chelsea's pursuit of wonderkid Enzo Fernandez as over in a recent press conference.
West Ham have made a new approach for Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri.
Rafael Leao rejected claims he had demanded wages of £8.8m-a-year at AC Milan, with the current Serie A champions looking to extend the youngster's deal.
Bayern Munich have reportedly joined Manchester United in the race for Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
FA Cup matches using the video assistant referee have been relying on dramatically fewer camera angles than are made available in the Premier League at the same venues.
Nottingham Forest have launched an £18m move for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo.
THE SUN
Manchester United are still confident of landing Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst on loan despite Turkish club Besiktas insisting no deal is in place.
Chelsea have verbally agreed to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season.
Jordan Pickford has told Everton he wants to stay at the club.
Leeds are reportedly keeping track of Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres in case their move for Georginio Rutter breaks down.
Newcastle are one of three Premier League clubs interested in signing Mallorca star Kang-in Lee, according to reports.
Newcastle want to launch a transfer bid for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.
DAILY MIRROR
Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk are reportedly close to agreeing a transfer fee ahead of Mykhailo Mudryk's proposed move to the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta confessed it was strange seeing Arsene Wenger back at Emirates Stadium after the Arsenal legend made his long-awaited return to the club.
Chelsea have been handed a major blow to their hopes of sealing the signing of Josko Gvardiol after RB Leipzig reaffirmed their commitment to keeping him.
Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing Pedro Porro and Marcus Edwards from Sporting Lisbon in the January transfer window.
Police will visit 1,000 homes this week as part of a massive crackdown on illegal television streaming.
THE GUARDIAN
Tottenham will have to pay Pedro Porro's £36.7m release clause if they want to sign him in January.
Chelsea are poised to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atlético Madrid for the rest of the season as they try to find a way out of the slump that left them off the pace in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic are set to cash in on striker Giorgos Giakoumakis in a deal worth up to £8m - three times what he cost.
Michael Beale has told Allan McGregor he faces a fight to reclaim the No 1 spot at Rangers.
DAILY RECORD
Urawa Red Diamonds have offered Giorgos Giakoumakis a double-your-money offer in a bid to win the growing race for the Celtic striker.
Torino are set to revive their interest in Josip Juranovic and battle Serie A rivals Monza for the Celtic full-back after the Italian side suffered a hammer injury blow.
Sport Witness
West Ham make ‘new offer’ for signing, bid ‘satisfies’ club – Waiting for player approval
West Ham United have made a fresh attempt to take Youssef En-Nesyri after failing to sign the Sevilla player in January 2021.
According to AS on Tuesday, the Hammers’ proposal was around €35m two years ago. They have now rekindled their interest in the striker and have made a ‘new offer’ to secure his services this month.
It’s explained West Ham’s proposal includes a loan deal until the end of this season and an obligation to buy for €25m. This meets the expectations of the La Liga side and ‘satisfies’ them due to their economic issues.
The ‘only and insurmountable stumbling’ block in the current window is the Morocco international’s refusal to leave the Andalusian club for David Moyes’ side.
En-Nesyri rejected the Premier League in 2021 and the report adds he doesn’t intend to leave Sevilla for the London club this time around.
West Ham [and Sevilla] will have to convince the player for the deal to take shape in January.
En-Nesyri has five goals from 18 matches in all competitions this season and none of them have come in the league.
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