Saturday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 27 Dec 2025, 11:29
BBC
Manchester United are considering a surprise January move for their former England Under-21s midfielder James Garner, 24, whose contract at Everton expires next summer. (Mail, external)
Chelsea are monitoring Rennes' French centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, 20, and Saint-Etienne's French forward Djylian N'Guessan, 17, but their priority is offloading players including France defender Axel Disasi, 27, and English wingers Raheem Sterling, 31, and Tyrique George, 19. (Athletic - subscription required, external)
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is a target for Juventus with the 25-year-old Italy international open to a return to Serie A, while they are also interested in Tottenham and Romania defender Radu Dragusin, who is also wanted by Roma. (La Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian, external)
Fulham and Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on Manchester City's Oscar Bobb, 22, if the club allow him to leave in January - but clubs outside England, including Sevilla, are also interested in the Norway midfielder. (Talksport, external)
Sporting have overtaken Portuguese rivals Porto in the race for West Ham winger Luis Guilherme, and are close to agreeing a deal for the permanent transfer of the 19-year-old Brazilian. (ESPN Brazil - in Portuguese, external)
Tottenham want to tie 24-year-old Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven to a new, improved long-term deal. (Athletic - subscription required, external)
Liverpool might explore a six-month loan move for Paris St-Germain and Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, 24, as a short-term solution for the absence of injured Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 26. (Caught Offside, external)
Wolves are eyeing a deal for former Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest player Sam Surridge, the 27-year-old English striker who scored 24 goals for Nashville during the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. (Talksport, external)
Liverpool are yet to decide whether to allow 18-year-old England Under-20s midfielder Trey Nyoni to leave the club during the January transfer window, but are holding talks with Premier League and Championship clubs. (Teamtalk, external)
Sevilla, Real Oviedo and former club Getafe are interested in bringing back 28-year-old Bournemouth and Turkey forward Enes Unal to Spain. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Sky Paper Talk
PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester United are considering a shock return for midfielder James Garner in a cut-price January transfer - Daily Mail.
Chelsea are monitoring Rennes' French centre-back Jeremy Jacquet and Saint-Etienne's Djylian N'Guessan but their priority is offloading players, including Axel Disasi, Raheem Sterling and Tyrique George - The Athletic.
Fulham and Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for Manchester City midfielder Oscar Bobb - talkSPORT.
Wolves are weighing up a move for Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge - talkSPORT.
The Premier League and EFL will hold talks early next year about combining to allow 3pm Saturday kick-offs to be broadcast live each week for the first time - The Guardian.
EFL
John Terry is one of the candidates being considered for the Oxford United job following Gary Rowett's sacking - The Sun.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
Saudi Pro League sides are interested in Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski - AS.
Barcelona have cooled their interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi after learning of his wage demand - Mundo Deportivo.
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL
Celtic are interested in GAIS striker Ibrahim Diabate - The Scottish Sun.
Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy is planning to raid his old club Columbus Crew for star man Wessam Abou Ali - The Scottish Sun.
The Athletic
West Ham’s January Transfer DealSheet: Strand Larsen, Chytil and Cresswell interest
West Ham need signings in January as they fight relegation Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
West Ham United’s hierarchy did not anticipate the club being in the relegation zone at Christmas.
The club is 17th and five points adrift of Nottingham Forest. Their precarious league position has forced head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and the recruitment team to draw up a list of transfer targets to ensure they retain their Premier League status.
The first half of the season has seen two managers (Graham Potter and Nuno) and 10 losses in 17 league games. It is not what the hierarchy envisioned after a summer expenditure of more than £125m on eight players.
So, which positions does Nuno want to prioritise in January? Who could be sold? Does the club have any issues with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR)?
The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Sources with knowledge of transfer dealings, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, have been spoken to before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. They have offered insight into how the club will approach the winter window.
What is the manager’s priority? Which players do they want?
Nuno wants to sign a defender and a striker.
As The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported, West Ham have expressed interest in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jorgen Strand Larsen on a permanent transfer. The 25-year-old has scored once in 15 Premier League appearances this season. Members of the recruitment team are also monitoring Slavia Prague striker Mojmir Chytil. The 26-year-old Czech Republic international has registered seven goals in 16 league appearances this season. West Ham have previously signed Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal, now at German side Hoffenheim, and El Hadji Malick Diouf from the Czech side.
Fulham winger Adama Traore, whose contract expires in the summer, could be reunited with Nuno. The head coach previously worked with him at Wolves between 2017-21. West Ham lack width in attacking areas, with club captain Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville the sole options. He is an option in those positions.
The club’s scouts remain in regular contact with Charlie Cresswell’s representatives. West Ham failed to sign the Toulouse defender on deadline day in the summer but consider the 23-year-old a top transfer target. As mentioned previously, the French side value the centre-back at €25m.
Who will they be looking to sell?
Niclas Fullkrug is set to join AC Milan as part of a proposed loan transfer. The 32-year-old striker was given permission by West Ham to undergo a medical at the Serie A side earlier this week. It brings an end to his underwhelming 16-month spell, following his £27m arrival from Borussia Dortmund in August 2024, which yielded a paltry return of three goals across 29 appearances.
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Another possible January departure is James Ward-Prowse. The 31-year-old midfielder has not featured in the matchday squad under Nuno. The pair initially worked together during Ward-Prowse’s loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, where the former England international was also frozen out of the team.
“I’ve been very honest with all the players since I joined,” said Nuno in his press conference before the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. “We’re trying to find a routine with all the midfielders, and we have other options, so it’s up to me to make decisions. But in the case of James, I’ve been very honest with him since I joined. His reaction was proper as a professional. A gentleman.”
Will anyone move out on loan?
Andy Irving’s long-term future remains unclear. The 25-year-old midfielder has played 157 minutes in the league this season, and has been an unused substitute on eight occasions. Irving’s desire for game time during the second half of the campaign is fueled by Scotland’s qualification for the World Cup. Irving made his debut for the national team against Liechtenstein in June and intends to add to that next summer.
Luis Guilherme, who joined for £25.5m from Palmeiras in June 2024, has struggled to have an impact. The 19-year-old winger is yet to score or register an assist across 18 appearances. The Brazilian has only featured three times under Nuno, and a January departure is on the cards.
West Ham’s left-back options are Diouf, who is on AFCON duty with Senegal, Ollie Scarles, Kyle Walker-Peters and youngster Ezra Mayers. The club have been linked with Utrecht full-back Souffian El Karouani. Although signing a full-back is not considered a priority, the arrival of one would likely lead to Scarles leaving on loan.
George Earthy, who was named young player of the year in 2024, is entering the final months of his deal, which does not include a one-year option. The midfielder is yet to enter into discussions over an extension and is attracting interest from clubs in the Championship. Earthy has impressed for the Under-21s this season, having scored in their 5-1 victory over Aldershot Town on Tuesday night.
“It’s something you miss massively (playing first-team football),” he told West Ham’s official website. “When you get a taste of it like I did last year, I think it gives you… much more hunger and… much more drive to get back out there. Especially for the club that I’ve been at my whole life, I think it makes you that much hungrier, and I can’t wait to get out there.
“It definitely hurts (seeing the team in the position we are in), and I think it hurts a lot more being a West Ham fan because it just means that much more. I’m just desperate to try and help the team, that’s the first thing of all. And for myself, I’m just also desperate to get out there as well.”
Callum Marshall, who made his Premier League debut in the 2-0 loss to Arsenal, has not featured under Nuno since the defeat to Brentford in October. The 21-year-old Northern Ireland international will leave on loan for much-needed game time. Lewis Orford, 19, only made one appearance for League One side Stevenage during his brief sojourn. West Ham terminated his loan spell in November, and Orford, whose contract expires in 2029, is expected to remain at the club for the remainder of the season. The England Under-20 international will only leave on loan if the right opportunity comes along.
Do they need to sell to buy?
Despite spending a total of more than £125m on Diouf (£19m), Walker-Peters (free), Jean-Clair Todibo (£32.8m), Mateus Fernandes (£38m), Igor Julio (loan from Brighton), Mads Hermansen (£20m), Callum Wilson (free), and Soungoutou Magassa (£17.3m) over the summer, West Ham do not have to sell before they can buy next month.
What is their PSR position? What sort of budget do they have?
As mentioned previously, West Ham are not negatively impacted by the restrictions of profit and sustainability regulations (PSR). Club sources anticipate a busy window to ensure Premier League survival. Nuno is still reluctant to discuss potential incomings.
“Now is not the moment to really focus on and speak about it, but the club is working,” he said in Tuesday’s press conference. “When the transfer window opens, then we can assess it.”
If they don’t make any signings, will they be able to achieve their goals this season?
No chance.