Transfer news and rumours LIVE - Sergio Ramos monitored by Man City, Saliba having Nice medical
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/01/2021 at 21:39 GMT
Transfer LIVE - Join us throughout the day as we bring you the latest breaking news and the best gossip during the January transfer window. Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has admitted that he likes the sound of Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud lining up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, while England's big clubs start cracking on with their January moves...
Sergio Ramos
Image credit: Getty Images
21:40 - Why Saliba has left Arsenal on loan
"The move is designed to give the 19-year-old French youth international defender the chance for more competitive playing time," an Arsenal statement read.
Technical director Edu said: “William Saliba is a player with a huge amount of talent and potential. We’re confident he will have a great career with us but we must remember that he is still only 19 years old and has a lot of time ahead of him.
"William experienced a very challenging time last year, with his playing time limited by injury and the early ending of the Ligue 1 season due to the pandemic.
"So together with William, we have decided that spending the rest of the season on loan with Nice is the best way for him to develop. We will be keeping in close contact with William during his time with Nice and look forward to seeing him make good progress until the end of the season.”
20:30 - Saliba to Nice: CONFIRMED
Arsenal defender William Saliba has completed his loan move to Nice for the remainder of the season.
19:35 - Follow Southampton v Liverpool
Are Liverpool in the market for a centre-back? That could depend on how tonight goes, for this time it is captain Jordan Henderson partnering Fabinho at the back at St Mary's...
18:28 - Different loan for Felipe Anderson?
West Ham could find another club to loan Felipe Anderson out to given his spell at Porto has resulted in just three games since October, the Guardian reports.
The Brazilian winger joined the Portuguese champions on a season-long loan, though manager Sergio Conceicao reportedly had his reservations, and now West Ham are keen to end that loan early in a bid to protect his value.
17:37 - Barca's 'top targets'
Barcelona have identified Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia and Lyon forward Memphis Depay as their top three transfer targets, according to Sky Sports.
The Catalan club could wait until the summer, however, given all three players will be out of contract and available for free at the end of the season.
That also means they are allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with Barca, and whito le Garcia and Depay look set to leave City and Lyon respectively, it remains unclear whether Wijnaldum will sign a new deal at Liverpool.
16:57 - Eriksen set for January move
It is almost certain Christian Eriksen will leave Inter Milan this window.
Eriksen is yet to celebrate his first anniversary at Inter, having joined from Tottenham Hotspur on a four-and-a-half year deal last January to great fanfare.
But the Denmark international has failed to carve out a role in Antonio Conte's team, starting in 15 of his 38 appearances and scoring four goals. The coach remains unconvinced that there is space for a creative midfielder like Eriksen in his 3-5-2 formation, preferring more dynamic, hard-working players like Nicolo Barella, Roberto Gagliardini or Arturo Vidal.
The 28-year-old he vented his frustrated at his limited opportunities in November.
"This isn't what I dreamed of," he told TV2.
"I think all footballers want to play as much as possible, but it's the coach who decides who plays."
Conte insisted his selection was "for the good of Inter". However, sections of the Italian media then accused the coach of humiliating Eriksen when he was brought on for the dying minutes of four matches in two weeks, with little time to contribute.
The theory that Eriksen's time was up was confirmed on December 23 when Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta was asked if the midfielder was for sale.
"I'd say so, yes," he responded. "But it's not a punishment... he's a player who had a few issues in adjusting to life at Inter."
16:38 - Arsenal to cut Torreira's Atletico loan short
Lucas Torreira looks set for a return to Arsenal and be loaned out elsewhere, having barely featured for Atletico Madrid during his loan spell at the La Liga club.
The Uruguay international has made just six appearances for Atleti this season - 19 minutes in their last five games - and Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Torino are both interested in bringing in Torreira on loan according to La Nazione.
16:15 - What do Liverpool need in January?
Defence is Liverpool’s big issue as injuries have hit the squad hard. Since Virgil van Dijk suffered a cruciate ligament injury in mid-October there has been talk that Jurgen Klopp would need to enter the market for back-up. However, there are still no concrete plans to do so.
Ozan Kabak of German club Schalke is a realistic target but AC Milan are also tracking him and the Serie A leaders are in a good position to go and seal the deal if they decide he is the man to suit their needs at the back.
If Liverpool do sign a centre-back though, look out for Sporting Braga’s David Carmo and RB Salzburg’s Max Wober among the potential options they could pursue. Sven Botman from Lille is also emerging as an option.
Liverpool’s main focus right now is to convince Gigi Wijnaldum to sign a new deal. Klopp is desperate for him to stay and there are other figures at the club too who are stunned that he could be allowed to become a free agent.
15:45 - Eurosport Spain on Ramos: Money over everything
Our colleague Adrian Garcia at Eurosport Spain provides us with the full story about what has led to Sergio Ramos' contract talks dragging out...
First of all, context. The situation right now is: the player wants to retire with Real Madrid and get his last big contract. But over the last few months and now January 1st has passed with the possibility to negotiate with another club, this topic is like a chess game.
The last offer from PSG, this new interest from Manchester City and in 2015 Manchester United interest are strategic movements from Ramos' side.
His agent is his brother René, and he is always filtering/linking Sergio with top European clubs. René and Sergio Ramos has the support of many of medias and influential journalists: Cope, Diario AS, Cadena SER etc.
On the other hand, club president Florentino Pérez has his own army of media and opinion leaders, especially in Marca, La Sexta and ‘infotainment’ TV space called ‘Chiringuito’ hosted by Josep Pedrerol.
All of them are the pieces of this chess game.
Facts: Ramos is very popular and loved by Real Madrid fans, but the fans are conditioned by the media and these chess pieces. But a big percentage of Real fans know that this club can win titles without Ramos or Ronaldo. And the popularity of Ramos is decreasing because of this behaviour, putting before money instead club compromise or ‘madridismo’.
Ramos turns 35 in March and he could play two-three more years at top level, of course. But can and should Real Madrid pay for him a new big contract? That’s the question.
Two years ago, Ramos threatened Real Madrid with a big offer for him from Chinese football. And Florentino said him 'OK, you can go but for €70M, not for free. Bring me the money and go.'
A day later, Ramos said in a press conference: “I’d play for free for Real Madrid”. This sentence was his way of saying sorry for this fake offer from China, and a brash way to say Florentino 'I want more money'.
Real Madrid are involved in three renewals: Ramos, Modric and Lucas Vázquez.
Our thought is Real Madrid will announce these three new contracts in following weeks. But in Sergio Ramos' case, the player only wants more money and more specifically, a new contract on his terms.
15:30 - Manchester United's winter sale is on
Manchester United are ready to offload a number of players in the January transfer window, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking to trim his bloated squad.
The Sun state that the Red Devils boss will "hold showdown talks" with the fringe members of his squad during the week ahead of potential exits this month. Goalkeeper Sergio Romero is "all-but certain" to depart following a failed deadline day move back in October.
Defensive duo Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are wanted by Premier League pair West Brom and Newcastle, while youngster Brandon Williams could head to Southampton on loan. Jesse Lingard and Dan James are also mentioned as potential departures.
Paper Round's view: Welcome to the Manchester United winter sale. These are all players (except Williams and maybe James) who should have been offloaded last summer. Surely Solskjaer knew that Romero, Jones, Rojo and Lingard had no future at the club before the season started.
Yes - the coronavirus pandemic had a huge financial impact on the transfer market, but United entered the season with far too much deadwood in their squad. If they can get decent fees for these players - or even just allow them to leave for free to get them off the wage bill - it would free up some transfer funds for the summer.
14:45 - City monitoring Ramos' contract talks
Manchester City are monitoring Sergio Ramos’ contract talks with Real Madrid, according to ESPN.
Ramos’ contract expires on June 30th and can negotiate with other clubs should he wish to with less than six months on his deal.
The report says that Pep Guardiola is a big fan of the defender, widely regarded as one of the best in the world, and his hefty wage demands would not be a problem.
Ramos is set to turn 35 in March and is believed to want to stay at Real on a new two-year deal. But with negotiations still ongoing, City sense an opportunity to make an offer should talks break down.
City already have Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and John Stones as centre back options.
14:33 - Saliba having Nice medical
Nice coach Adrian Ursea has told a press conference this afternoon: “Saliba is having his medical at Nice right now. But nothing is done yet”.
It sounds as though the deal is imminent.
14:23 - West Brom interested in Cenk Tosun
West Brom are looking to sign Everton striker Cenk Tosun on loan this month but their priority is a centre back, according to Sky Sports.
Manager Sam Allardyce bought Tosun from Besiktas for £27m when he was Everton boss in January 2018, but he has fallen out of favour under current Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti.
With the Midlands club struggling at the bottom of the table in 19th, Allardyce is reportedly keen to add more firepower to his attack by signing the Turkey international.
Tosun has only made six appearances for Everton this season and has not found the net.
14:00 - 'Saliba would be a leader in Nice's defence'
Our colleague Vincent Bregevin from Eurosport France gives us his take on the news that William Saliba is close to a loan move to Nice.
"The news is coming from local paper Nice-Matin which is usually a quite reliable source concerning Nice’s transfers.
"I am really surprised with how it has gone for Saliba at Arsenal. I thought he wouldn’t have any problem to get playing time considering his level and Arsenal’s problems in defence at that time. Anyway, I have no doubt he would bounce back at Nice if the loan is confirmed.
"He’s still one of the best defenders of his generation, he knows the league quite well and he would have responsibilities right away as Dante is injured.
He would become the leader of Nice’s defence, and he showed he can play that role perfectly during his time at Saint-Etienne.
13:30 - Buendia 'one of the options'
Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac are all players Arsenal are reportedly keen to offload before they make any new additions, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Arsenal are reportedly prepared to make a player plus cash offer for the midfielder but he is just one player the north London club are looking at. They are also said to be looking at Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt.
13:00 - The four managers who could replace Lampard
Chelsea’s drop off in form and their 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Monday night has led to speculation that Frank Lampard will soon be removed from his post.
We consider who could be in line to replace the club’s former midfielder as their new boss. There are four clear options should they decide to make a change.
12:45 - Real Madrid line up Ramos replacement
Sergio Ramos' brother and agent has been making some headlines off the pitch with his use of social media, and with the Real Madrid captain now free to discuss a move with other clubs, it seems the club are lining up a replacement...
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Real line up Ramos replacement after agent's criticism - Euro Papers
12:30 - Eurosport Italy: Juve want a target man
Our Eurosport Italy colleague Matteo Zorzoli says Juventus are on the look-out for a backup striker for Alvaro Morata and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud would be the right fit for them...
"In the January transfer market, Juventus must find a backup for Morata who is a strong physical presence.
"The Spaniard's absence against Udinese has exposed the frailties in Pirlo's attack. Paulo Dybala moves too far from the opponent's area and Ronaldo likes starts on the left flank.
"Giroud is a realistic option because the Frenchman's contract with Chelsea expires next June and because Giroud has always been associated with top Italian clubs in previous transfer windows, especially Juve and Inter.
"However, the player held back the enthusiasm on Le Dauphiné Liberé: 'I want to finish the season at Chelsea, then I will decide where to go'. In the last month he has become a key player in Frank Lampard's squad.
"The possible alternatives are free agent Graziano Pellè (recently released from Shandong Luneng in China) and Leonardo Pavoletti (from Cagliari)."
12:15 - De Bruyne 'to reject Man City contract'
Kevin De Bruyne is set to reject Manchester City’s first contract offer and is concerned by the pace of negotiations with the club over a new five-year deal, according to The Times.
In November De Bruyne said he was in discussions with the Premier League club regarding an extension and was optimistic a resolution could quickly be reached.
However, it seems negotiations are to rumble on for some time yet. De Bruyne is reportedly the club's top earner at £310,000 a week.
The 29-year-old midfielder joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015 for £55 million, and his current deal with the Etihad club set to expire in 2023.
11:30 - Arsenal consider deal for Buendia
Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Norwich's Emiliano Buendia and will apparently offer Joe Willock or Reiss Nelson plus cash to make the deal happen, according to the Independent.
The report states Norwich would want at least £40 million, but Arsenal reportedly think they can sign the Argentine if they offer one of their youngsters in return as well as cash.
Buendia scored a brilliant goal in Norwich's 1-0 win over Barnsley at the weekend and Norwich boss Daniel Farke said post-match: "Emi is a key player for us, an important member of the group, and he is totally committed to us,” said Farke.
"He is our player and will continue to be our player. He is on a long-term contract so we keep him.
"Everyone knows his qualities - I don’t expect interest just because he scored a wonder goal today. People know what he can do.”
11:10 - Sancho not moving to Man Utd in January
That's the latest scoop from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who says any deal for Sancho will now be done in the summer window.
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke has said Sancho was mentally ready to move to Manchester United in the last window, which ultimately broke down due to the disagreement over his transfer fee.
"Subconsciously, Jadon might have had prepared for a change," Watzke told Kicker.
"I think he had at least thought so much about it that he lost his ease. But I have found him trying very hard for weeks."
10:25 - Asking price for Man Utd target increased
Independiente del Valle have increased the amount they wish to receive for 19-year-old Moises Caicedo who is reportedly attracting interest from Manchester United, according to a report in Ecuador.
Manchester Evening News reported last month that United are trying to finalise a deal for Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo for a fee of around €6m, which could also include a 20 per cent sell-on clause for the 19-year-old’s club.
But a report in Ecuadorian outlet El Diario suggests Independiente will now demand €10m.
10:00 - Big Sam: Brexit rules make this window harder
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce thinks that the post-Brexit transfer window will be the toughest of his career so far.
Allardyce, whose side are second from bottom with eight points from 17 games, said deals for several potential signings had already collapsed as a result of the new regulations.
"I have found three players already who were capable of coming here and they're not allowed. It's a shame," Allardyce told the British media.
The criteria to sign players is based on a points system which considers the number of senior and youth international appearances, club appearances as well as the quality of the selling club, its league position and the league itself.
09:45 - Pochettino set for Alli reunion at PSG
Paris Saint-Germain are set to return to Tottenham Hotspur with an offer for Dele Alli in January.
The Mirror reveal that the newly-appointed PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino "will be allowed to shake up his squad" and a reunion with the England international is on the cards. The Parisian club made three offers for Alli back in the summer, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was not willing to allow the attacking midfielder to leave north London.
Tottenham are still maintaining that Alli will not be allowed to leave the club in the winter window - despite his lack of appearances so far this campaign.
Paper Round's view: Dele Alli needs to be playing first-team football. It's clear that Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho doesn't fancy him. The Portuguese manager labelled the England international as "lazy" in the infamous All or Nothing Amazon documentary and he has only given the star one Premier League start this season.
Alli was hooked at half-time in Tottenham's opener against Everton and has only played 29 minutes of top-flight football since. The 24-year-old's appearances have been limited in this campaign and a January transfer, whether loan or permanent, now looks likely. Pochettino got the best out of Alli at Spurs and could resurrect his career at PSG.
09:30 - PSG 'in Kean negotiations'
Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Moise Kean from Everton on a permanent deal, according to Sky Sports.
Kean has scored nine goals in 16 appearances since moving to the French champions on loan last summer and now it is being reported Mauricio Pochettino wants to turn his loan into a permanent transfer this window.
Last month he told reporters: "I have the opportunity to learn a lot from them [star duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar].
"They are two of the greatest players in the world. I am very happy to play with them. I learn a lot from these leaders."
09:15 - Saliba heading back to Ligue 1
Arsenal defender William Saliba is heading to Nice on loan, according to reports.
The highly-rated France U21 international arrived at the Emirates for £27m from Saint-Etienne last summer, but he is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Gunners.
First reported by Nice-Matin, Saliba is having his medical today before signing the deal. He is expected to be a first-team regular at the Ligue 1 club while Dante recovers from injury.
09:05 - Diallo heading to Man Utd
Amad Diallo has flown to Rome to complete the final paperwork before heading to Manchester United to complete his £37m transfer from Atalanta.
A deal was agreed for the 18-year-old Ivorian in the previous window but was subject to a work permit. Fast forward to this window and he is now set to join up with his new teammates.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he expected Diallo to report to training "very soon" a few days ago.
09:00 - Pirlo admits Juventus want Giroud
Good morning everyone and we start with the unexpected news that Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo has revealed that he is keen on signing Olivier Giroud from Juventus. Giroud has eight goals in his last seven matches but still can't win a regular spot under Frank Lampard, and Pirlo seems him as a potential foil for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Asked about interest in Giroud, he told DAZN yesterday: "He'd be handy! The window opens tomorrow, we already discussed with the club what we want to do and if there are any opportunities. Maybe a striker that can rotate with our strikers."
Clubs have already made some signings in January: check the latest Premier League done deals here
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