The January transfer window is fast approaching and, naturally, all the gossip on who’s moving where is heating up. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz as we count down to the 2022 winter window.
TOP STORY: Spurs plotting January move for McKennie
Tottenham Hotspur will try to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie in the January transfer window, according to Calciomercato.
The charge is reportedly being led by Antonio Conte, who is looking for a versatile player like McKennie in the middle to help implement his style of play in North London. This also comes with Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli all potentially on their way out of Spurs.
However, they won’t be able to sign McKennie on the cheap, after Juventus paid Schalke €4.5 million to initially sign him on loan, then €18.5m over three years, plus €6.5m in potential add-ons, to make the move permanent.
In addition, manager Massimiliano Allegri sees the United States international as somebody he can call upon, having played the 23-year-old 18 times this season in the centre of midfield and on the right wing with a return of two goals.
McKennie would be staying put if it was down to Allegri, but he is still not deemed to be completely nontransferable, adds the story.
With Juventus in a difficult financial situation and needing funds to bring in recruits, the Italian outlet suggests an offer of €30m to €35m could be enough to see McKennie leave.
– Transfer window preview: Mbappe to Real? Haaland leaving Dortmund?
– ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
LIVE BLOG
09.46 GMT: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down the prospect of signing players next month to cover for the absence of several members of his squad who will be at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nicolas Pepe, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny will all be taking part in the competition with their national teams as will striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been left out for the last three games and is training alone away from the rest of the squad following a series of disciplinary breaches.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to sign players just for a short period of time because of this situation,” Arteta said.
“That’s a little bit unrealistic but we’ll sit down and make the right decision if we can. They [the national teams] want the players yesterday, we want to keep them till next month!
“That is the conversation we are having right now. If you gave me the choice I would want them to stay because I need them and with the context we are in, I want them even more. But they have their obligations and we have to let them go.”
– Arteta denies being ‘dictatorial’ over Aubameyang issue
08.52 GMT: Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is hopeful of adding some new faces to his squad early in the January transfer window in order to give them as much time to prepare for the second half of the season as possible.
Postecoglou won his first trophy with Celtic at the weekend by claiming the Scottish League Cup, with Japan forward Kyogo Furuhashi scoring both of his side’s goals in a dramatic 2-1 win over Hibernian.
The former Yokoham F. Marinos boss is planning to bring in several more players from the J1 League to help him close the gap on league leaders Rangers.
Postecoglou said: “We are still with the intent of trying to bring them [signings] early and if we can and, from my perspective, it would be ideal if we can get them in from when we re-start training and give them a lead into the second half of the year.”
08.00 GMT: Manchester United will not be rushed into making a decision about their next permanent manager, according to football director John Murtough.
United have appointed Ralf Rangnick as interim coach while they search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term successor.
Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are among the options being considered but Murtough said United will take their time. Rangnick has already said he could recommend that he stays in charge for another year if the right candidate is not available in the summer.
“Out of respect for Ole, we did not approach other managers before he left,” Murtough told a fans’ forum. “Our plan then was to appoint an experienced interim manager and Ralf was our clear first choice.
“He’s someone I have admired for a long time, and we’re delighted he’s here. By bringing in Ralf, we can now take time to run a thorough process for our next permanent manager.
“Recruiting a manager is one of the most important decisions a football club makes so we want to do it in a careful and considered fashion.”
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Ousmane Dembele will extend his Barcelona contract next week, reports Diario Sport, with his existing deal coming to an end in the summer of 2022. There has been plenty of talk about the Frenchman’s future, with the likes of Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool all having been linked with him at times. However, the report says the winger wants to stay put and will take a cut in pay to stay with the Blaugrana for five seasons.
– Sevilla are now among the clubs looking to sign Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani, according to Ekrem Konur. The Uruguay striker has received plenty of attention ahead of the January transfer window, with Barcelona and Corinthians among the other clubs who are aiming to lure him away from Old Trafford.
– Leeds United, AC Milan and RB Leipzig are all looking to sign FC Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, as has been reported by MLSsoccer.com. However, with Salzburg having made it into the Champions League knockout stages, it is felt that a January move is highly unlikely due to the U.S. international being deemed a key player to their success.
– West Ham United, Newcastle United, Leeds and Brighton & Hove Albion are all hoping to sign Orlando City SC striker Daryl Dike, according to TeamTalk. Dike, who has represented the USMNT eight times, is also wanted by Valerien Ismael at West Bromwich Albion after the pair worked together at Barnsley.
– AC Milan are keeping an eye on Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey, says Calciomercato, with the Rossoneri having shown interest back when he was at Heart of Midlothian. The 19-year-old has impressed in Serie A this term, having already recorded five goals, which has also attracted attention from Manchester City, Celtic and Burnley.