The transfer windows in Europe’s top leagues are closed, but it’s never too early to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
TOP STORY: Man United eye summer move for Zaniolo
Manchester United are reportedly considering a £50m summer move for Roma and Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, says Italian publication Il Messaggero.
Zaniolo, 20, has been linked with Tottenham and PSG in the past but United are likely to wait until the summer to seal a move as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that the club are only looking at loan deals in January.
Speaking in quotes reported by the Daily Telegraph, the Norwegian said he would not be making any panic buys when the transfer window opens, and would instead by focusing on players who could make a genuine and lasting difference to United’s fortunes over an extended period.
“It is not about ‘X’ amount of money [we have to spend], it is about who do we think will be good for the club in the long-term, not just three or four months,” he said.
Asked if January was a time when he could land those types of players, Solskjaer added: “Probably not because that is the thing — it is in January. Not many clubs want to sell players that they would otherwise want to keep in January. Maybe one or two could be a loan deal but that is not a big money thing, it is just to help the team. But we are getting players back and we are looking at what can be available for us.”
LIVE BLOG
09.00 GMT: Manchester City could face a fight to keep Raheem Sterling at the club as the winger has reportedly turned down talks over a new contract until the future of boss Pepe Guardiola is decided.
The Sun claims Sterling would follow Guardiola if the manager left when his contract expires in 18 months’ time, while the winger won’t pen a new £450,000-a-week deal of his own until everything is settled.
PAPER TALK (by Rich Edwards)
Dortmund plan raid on Spurs’ Parrott
Borussia Dortmund are planning a raid for Spurs’ starlet Troy Parrott — pipping Bayern Munich to his signature in the process. That’s what the Sunday Express report this evening, with Dortmund preparing to lure Parrott to Germany as they look for a player to tread the path taken by Jadon Sancho, who has been sensational since leaving Manchester City for the club in the summer of 2017.
Parrott is only 17 but there are no shortage of clubs lining up to take him off Spurs’ hands, with Dortmund expected to experience competition for his signature from Bayern, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Not a bad list of prospective clubs for a teenager who Spurs signed from Irish side Belvedere just two years ago.
Whether Parrott is ready to spread his wings at such an early age remains to be seen.
Villa line up Brewster loan raid
The Sunday Mirror report that Aston Villa could be ready to hand Rhian Brewster an extended taste of first team football, by tempting him to the Midlands as soon as the January transfer swings open.
The England Under-17 World Cup winner has found it almost impossible to break into Jurgen Klopp’s first team plans at Liverpool, which is hardly surprising given the wealth of talent available to the German. And a switch to Villa could work out well for club and player, with Klopp hinting during his Friday press conference that he could be ready to let Brewster go out on loan in order to give him some first team experience.
And according to the Mirror, Villa boss Dean Smith is currently heading the queue to offer him that opportunity.
That said, Villa might not have things their own way, with Crystal Palace and Championship duo Leeds and Swansea also willing to take him on. Brewster has only made two starts for Liverpool so far this season — with both coming in the Carabao Cup.
Tap-ins
– Newcastle are preparing to swoop for Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen — but Steve Bruce could be prepared to bide his time to get the deal over the line. So says the Daily Star, which reports that the Newcastle boss has been hugely impressed by a winger he signed while Hull boss back in 2014.
– He may have exited Barcelona in the summer but Zenit Saint Petersberg’s Malcom has revealed that he’s never saying never on a return to the Nou Camp. In an interview with RMC the Brazilian — who left Barca for Russia in the summer — hasn’t turned his back on the club forever. Far from it. “I can say that I receive messages about returning to Barcelona,” he said. “Every time the coach gave me an opportunity to play, I did my job and I think I did it well. That’s why the Barcelona fans love me.”
