Man United turn to Barnes as Sancho alternative

The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.

TOP STORY: United turn to Barnes as Sancho alternative

Manchester United are considering Leicester winger Harvey Barnes as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, says The Sun.

Sancho, 20, has been United’s top target for months but his £108m pricetag is proving tough to negotiate.

As a result, United are looking to explore some cheaper options with the 22-year-old Barnes now on the radar having impressed for Leicester this season. He also made his debut for England in October in a 3-0 win over Wales.

Leicester reportedly value Barnes around £60m and are not keen to let him leave, while United would need to raise extra funds from player sales if they were to follow up their interest in January.

LIVE BLOG

22.00 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!

21.17 GMT: Could Juventus move for an Aston Villa star?

Tutto Mercato has learned that Villa and ex-Man City midfielder Douglas Luiz was proposed to the club by intermediaries in the past and might become an option again in the future. The 22-year-old Brazilian is one of the young stars of the Premier League and reportedly is valued at around €25 million.

The same reports also lists Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli, Atletico Madrid’s Lucas Torreira and even Christian Eriksen as other possible midfield targets.

20.32 GMT: From one outcast to another…

TEAMtalk has learned that forgotten Man United midfielder Jesse Lingard is ready to ask the club to let him leave in January. The 27-year-old, who has made just two cup appearances this season, has been linked with the likes of Tottenham, Aston Villa, Celtic and Rangers.

Lingard’s contract expires at the end of the season but if he is to stay at the club and fight for his place, he first wants the club to exercise their one-year extension option on his contract.

19.59 GMT: What’s next for Sami Khedira?

Linked with Tottenham earlier this week, the German is now being mentioned with Everton, as well as Championship sides Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich by Calciomercato. The 33-year-old World Cup winner, who has not played since last November, is out of contract with Juventus at the end of the season.

19.05 GMT: Spanish paper AS claims that three Premier League clubs are set to battle it out for Famalicao midfielder Gustavo Assunçao.

The paper reveals that Man United, Everton and Wolves are all in for the talented Brazilian, as well as Nice and Sevilla. The 20-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at Atletico Madrid, has already established himself as one of the top midfielders in the Primeira Liga and now reportedly valued at £22.5 million.

18.11 GMT: Granada have a battle on their hands to hold onto goalkeeper Rui Silva, Estadio Deportivo has learned.

The report lists Inter, Roma, Lazio, Sevilla and Real Betis as potential suitors for the goalkeeper. The 26-year-old, who earned his first senior call-up for Portugal earlier this year, has been integral to Granada’s surprising success in both La Liga and Europe over the past two seasons.

17.25 GMT: Chelsea have a large squad, reportedly too large for manager Frank Lampard’s liking.

As a way to shrink the squad, ESPN has learned that the Blues could loan out defenders Fikayo Tomori and Antonio Rudiger. The two centre-backs have played sparingly, with Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma establishing themselves as Chelsea’s preferred centre-back partnership.

Tomori famously turned down a loan move to West Ham on deadline day.

16.18 GMT: Could Norwich’s Emi Buendia be Premier League bound?

Norwich manager Daniel Farke expects there to be serious interest in the Argentine midfielder.

“I will probably have to speak every day in January about these things. So I am not going to add to speculation in this period,” Farke told reporters. The 23-year-old playmaker, who has been linked with Arsenal, is rated around £25 million and figures to attract interest from top-flight clubs in England and abroad.

15.23 GMT: Former Man City, Liverpool, Milan and Inter striker Mario Balotelli is set to join Monza, with a medical scheduled for Monday.

Di Marzio reports that the Italian is ready to head to Serie B after being released from Brescia.

Balotelli had been training with Serie D team Franciacorta.

15.01 GMT: There are some envious glances being cast in Cagliari centre-back Sebastian Walukiewicz‘s direction, says Corriere dello Sport.

Walukiewicz, 20, has already become a regular for the Serie A side this season and the Poland international signed a new contract until 2024 on Friday.

However, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all reportedly tracking him and a big offer could see Cagliari forced to let him go.

14.29 GMT: Eduardo Camavinga is one of the most sought after talents in European football with many of Europe’s top clubs monitoring the 18-year-old’s impressive performances at Rennes.

There is a considerable amount of hype surrounding the midfielder, with Real Madrid among those keen, and agents across Europe have been lining up to represent him.

Camavinga and dad Celestino have listened to pitches from various contenders after parting ways with one of France’s leading agents, Moussa Sissoko. He counts Ousmane Dembele among his clients and had been key to Camavinga’s development — he even had someone from within his team in Rennes looking after the player on a daily basis.

On Friday, Jonathan Barnett told ESPN that his Stellar Group had won the race. “We’re looking forward to working closely with him and his family,” he said. The Camavingas would not confirm that when approached for comment. Such a prodigious talent is likely to be on the move before too long, with clubs already preparing their bids for next summer.

13.22 GMT: One young Barcelona player is keen to keep Lionel Messi around for a bit longer…

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Sergino Dest believes Barcelona have “got their spirit back” ahead of their visit to Cadiz.

12.31 GMT: Arsenal’s players exchanged angry words with each other in a clear-the-air meeting after manager Mikel Arteta called the squad together to identify reasons behind their poor start to the season.

Sources have told ESPN’s James Olley that Arteta assembled the entire first-team group on Tuesday in a bid to address a slump in form that has left them 14th in the Premier League.

Once this first meeting was concluded, the coaching staff left but the players stayed behind to hold an impromptu second discussion by themselves which has been described by multiple sources as “stormy” and “intense.”

12.00 GMT: United States international Yunus Musah has signed a new six-year contract with Valencia, the Spanish side have confirmed.

Valencia have increased Musah’s buyout clause to €100m as part of the renewal, which has seen the midfielder commit his future to the club until 2026.

Musah, 18, has enjoyed a breakout season at the Mestalla since making his full debut for the club against Levante in the opening game of the campaign in September.

The New York-born youngster became the club’s second-youngest goalscorer ever when he netted against Getafe last month aged 17 years and 338 days — and the youngest since 1941. That goal was followed by two impressive appearances on his first call-up for the U.S men’s national team in friendlies against Wales and Panama.

Musah left Arsenal for Valencia in 2019 and after spending last season playing for the club’s B team he has become a key player for the first senior side under new coach Javi Gracia.

11.47 GMT: Bild says that Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane wants to sign FC Salzburg midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

In fact, says the reports, Zidane called Szoboszlai to convince the player to sign for Real in January.

Szoboszlai, 20, is one of the best young players in Europe and rated at around €30m. RB Leipzig are also keen and hold the advantage due to their relationship with Salzburg, while Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, Bayern and PSG have also been linked with the Hungary international.

11.24 GMT: Is Lionel Messi going to join Neymar at PSG?

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Thomas Tuchel addresses Neymar’s comments about wanting to play with Lionel Messi next year.

10.45 GMT: Former Juventus and AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has expressed his desire to manage a club in the Premier League.

Allegri, who has been linked with coaching jobs at Manchester United and Arsenal, has been without a club since leaving Juventus at the end of the 2018-19 season. The 53-year-old Italian guided Juve to five consecutive Serie A titles, adding to his first top-flight title triumph with AC Milan in 2011.

In an interview with The Times, Allegri said he is improving his English language skills and looking for a fresh challenge in Europe.

“I would like to experience the Premier League,” Allegri said. “In Italy, I was in Milan four years. Five years in Juventus. Now I expect [to work again] in Italy, but it is difficult, or in England. English football is improving now because there are a lot of foreign trainers.

“England now is more sophisticated, and more tactical, but is also respecting the tradition of English football. It’s a good balance of the spirit of English football and the new quality and new tactical approach of the new coaches.”

10.01 GMT: Udinese goalkeeper Juan Musso is of interest to Chelsea, reports Mundo Udinese.

Musso, 26, is also being tracked by Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentine is reportedly valued at around €30m.

Chelsea signed Edouard Mendy from Rennes this summer and he has impressed, but they will allow Kepa Arrizabalaga to leave and therefore need a strong backup.

The report also says that Udinese want Pordenone goalkeeper Samuele Perisan as a replacement if Musso goes.

09.26 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain are exploring the possibility of signing Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in the summer, sources have told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.

Messi wanted to leave Barca in August after the 8-2 Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich, and sources said at the time that Manchester City led the chase to sign him.

However, Neymar and PSG sporting director Leonardo also discussed bringing the Argentina international to France at that time and have not lost interest in him since.

Messi cannot leave Barca until next summer, but he can start to negotiate a possible move with interested clubs on Jan. 1.

09.00 GMT: Manchester United are willing to spend in the January transfer window despite the ongoing uncertainty of the financial impact of the coronavirus, sources told ESPN, with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano among the names on United’s wish list.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has repeatedly urged caution, insisting he will have to manage the club’s resources “carefully” until the pandemic is over.

However, sources told ESPN that he will back manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with funds in the January transfer market if an opportunity to sign a long-term target presents itself.

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Don Hutchison examines the depth at Jose Mourinho’s disposal after Spurs’ progression to the UEL round of 32.

PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)

Winks ready to quit Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks could quit the club during the January transfer window, according to the Mirror.

Jose Mourinho hasn’t been able to find a consistent place in the starting XI for Winks in recent weeks and, as a result, he may decide to look elsewhere in order to try and preserve his place in the England setup heading into this summer’s European Championships.

With England manager Gareth Southgate making it clear that players need to stay in the mix with their club to warrant a spot in the Three Lions’ squad, Winks could well bring his tenure with Spurs to an end.

Zidane confident of Madrid stay

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has stated that he believes he has the backing of the board.

There has been mounting speculation over the future of the Frenchman at the Santiago Bernabeu, but during a news conference on Friday, Zidane had the following to say when questioned about what the next few weeks and months could hold for him.

“Yes, I have the club’s complete backing,” he said, in defiance of the negativity surrounding his status.

Longstaff prepares for Newcastle exit

Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff will use his new super-agent to try to orchestrate a move away from the Magpies, the Daily Mail writes.

Longstaff has signed a deal with Pini Zahavi, in hopes that he will be the man to give Longstaff the move that he desires. His contract at St. James’ Park runs through 2022 and he reportedly isn’t interested in staying on Tyneside, with a handful of clubs interested in acquiring his services.

Tap-ins

– Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has urged striker Danny Ings to sign a new long-term contract, according Sky Sports. During a recent interview, the boss said that Ings — who is set to enter the final 18 months of his contract — should avoid “throwing away something special” and commit to remaining with the Saints.

MLSsoccer.com reports that the Portland Timbers will send defender Julio Cascante over to Austin FC in exchange for $250,000 in allocation money. After making 48 appearances for Portland since joining in 2018, the 27-year-old is now ready to take on a new challenge with one of Major League Soccer’s most intriguing new clubs.

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Joan Monfort/Associated Press Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly “exploring the possibility” of trying to complete a transfer for Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi during next summer’s transfer window. ESPN’s Julien Laurens reported Friday that PSG have retained interest in Messi since being one of the clubs to explore a deal in the […]

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