THE January window is just days away from closing as club's scramble to get last-minute deals done.
Despite the coronavirus crisis, clubs are still managing to drop big money on signings – and we've the very latest from the Premier League and abroad.
- FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Stay up to date with the latest transfer news here…
- Joshua Jones
GOOD MORNING FOOTY TRANSFER FANS
SunSport can exclusively reveal West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has got the green light from Crystal Palace to close a deal for Christian Benteke.
Allardyce is keen on the big Belgian striker despite landing Mbaye Diagne from Galatasaray on loan and is looking into a short-term move with Palace.
Benteke, 30, is on around £120,000 a week at Selhurst Park, so even paying HALF his wages is expensive for the Baggies.
Benteke has been told his chances of game-time are limited with the Eagles and any new contract would see him earn much less from next season.
So Albion looks a better prospect for Benteke as it puts him in the shop window for the summer.
Agents are also touting him round Italy and Turkey.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are willing to sacrifice one of three stars in order to land Kylian Mbappe, according to reports.
Los Blancos have made the French wonderkid their No1 transfer target in the summer but can’t afford the £140million price-tag.
Having been priced out of a move, Marca report how one of Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois, or Raphael Varane could be used as a make-weight to tempt PSG into cashing in.
The Ligue 1 giants have shown an interest in all three but it remains to be seen whether they would accept a cash and swap deal.
Finally, Ronad Koeman has confirmed Barcelona will land Eric Garcia for free in the summer.
But he admits the Man City defender could yet sign for them before Monday’s deadline.
Koeman said: “We already know he [Garcia] will probably arrive in the summer.
“If it’s not possible this January, then we’ll accept it and move on.”
- Anthony Chapman
UPA AWAY
Bayern Munich have held a secret meeting with Dayot Upamecano's representatives, according to reports in Germany.
The highly-rated RB Leipzig defender is said to be a target for several big clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
According to German newspaper Bild, Upamecano's agents were seen entering the underground car park of Bayern's offices on Thursday.
The club's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has publicly expressed an interest in the defender.
He told Sky Sport in Germany: "Upamecano to Bayern? Of course we are thinking about him. We had a good meeting with his agents yesterday. Let’s see what happens.”
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has got the green light from Crystal Palace to close a deal for Christian Benteke.
Allardyce is keen on the big Belgian striker despite landing Mbaye Diagne from Galatasaray on loan and is looking into a short-term move with Palace.
Benteke, 30, is on around £120,000 a week at Selhurst Park, so even paying HALF his wages is expensive for the Baggies.
Benteke has been told his chances of game-time are limited with the Eagles and any new contract would see him earn much less from next season.
So Albion looks a better prospect for Benteke as it puts him in the shop window for the summer.
Agents are also touting him round Italy and Turkey.
- Anthony Chapman
DON’T TAKE THE MICK
Sean Dyche says James Tarkowski will not be sold on the cheap even though Burnley could lose him for nothing in 18 months.
Dyche said: “He’s under contract, there’s no other situation.
"If the money comes in, fine, but if not, the financial situation has changed radically and we’re in a very strong position.
“You have to balance the worth of the player for what they do for you, not just the worth of the market.
“It’s the job they do — and Tarky does a very good one for us.”
- Anthony Chapman
DAN-BEAT
Danny Rose’s move to Trabzonspor is on the brink of collapse with coronavirus hampering the transfer.
Quarantine rules mean Rose would have to self-isolate for seven days on arrival in Turkey.
Club president Ahmet Agaoglu said: "The transfer is very difficult after this time. It will cost seven days.
“Let’s make the transfers we can do [right now].”
- Anthony Chapman
DONE DEAL
Baba Rahman has left Chelsea for a six-month loan at Greek side PAOK.
The Ghana defender joined Chelsea in 2015 and made 23 appearances.
But he has since spent time at Schalke, Reims and Mallorca after failing to impress.
Rahman will now be looking for minutes with PAOK as he aims for a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer.
- Anthony Chapman
GED OUT
Tottenham loan outcast Gedson Fernandes is reportedly being targeted by Galatasaray.
The midfielder has been frozen out of action by Jose Mourinho this season.
According to Tuttomercato, Fernandes is set to return early to Benfica before moving to Turkish giants Galatasaray.
He made seven Premier League appearances last term but has featured just twice in domestic cup competitions this season.
- Anthony Chapman
GIL TO GO?
Five teams are reportedly keen on signing Billy Gilmour before deadline day.
Football London claims West Ham, Wolves, West Brom, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are all eager to loan the Scot this month.
But Thomas Tuchel could yet find a place for Gilmour in his squad despite leaving him out for the 0-0 against Wolves.
- Anthony Chapman
NTCH IN TIME
Newcastle are reportedly interested in bringing in Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham.
The 24-year-old has scored just once and assisted one more in 14 games for Neil Lennon's side so far this season.
According to Sky Sports, Celtic would prefer an option to buy clause added into a loan deal for the player.
However, Ntcham, who joined Celtic in 2017, has stated that he wishes to leave the club on a permanent basis.
The France Under-21 international has been forced to miss some games in the current campaign due to self-isolating after a trip to Dubai.
As well as Newcastle, fellow Premier League strugglers West Brom are also said to be interested in Ntcham and made an enquiry about the player earlier in the month.
- Anthony Chapman
REAL DEAL
Real Madrid are willing to sacrifice one of three stars in order to land Kylian Mbappe, according to reports.
Los Blancos have made the French wonderkid their No1 transfer target in the summer but can't afford the £140million price-tag.
Having been priced out of a move, Marca report how one of Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois, or Raphael Varane could be used as a make-weight to tempt PSG into cashing in.
The Ligue 1 giants have shown an interest in all three but it remains to be seen whether they would accept a cash and swap deal.
- Anthony Chapman
LIN IT TO WIN IT
Jesse Lingard’s loan move to West Ham from Manchester United could cost the Hammers as much as £4million.
The 28-year-old England international was confirmed as David Moyes' latest acquisition on Friday as he joins the East London club until the end of the season.
And it has now been revealed by The Mail that as well as the £1.5m loan fee and £100,000 per week wages, Man Utd have also negotiated a £500,000 bonus linked to the Hammers qualifying for Europe.
- Anthony Chapman
NOU START
Ronad Koeman has confirmed Barcelona will land Eric Garcia for free in the summer.
But he admits the Man City defender could yet sign for them before Monday’s deadline.
Koeman said: "We already know he [Garcia] will probably arrive in the summer.
"If it's not possible this January, then we'll accept it and move on."
- Anthony Chapman
GARNER LEAVE
Man United have terminated James Garner's loan at Watford and will reportedly send him to Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.
The Red Devils were said to be unhappy with the game time the 19-year-old was getting at Vicarage Road.
Garner has played just 40 minutes of football since December 19 after Vladimir Ivic was replaced by Xisco Munoz as manager.
And both clubs agreed to terminate the loan early despite a positive start to his time in Hertfordshire under Ivic.
He will now head to fellow Championship side Forest after Bournemouth midfielder Dan Gosling rejected the chance to join them, according to MEN.
The teenager will complete his medical on Saturday, and an official announcement is expected in the coming days.
- Daniel Brookes
UPAMECANO LATEST
Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has admitted the club has met with the agents of RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano.
Upamecano is available for £38m this summer and Bild reported on Friday the French defender's agents were seen entering Bayern's underground car park.
Salihamidzic said: "Upamecano to Bayern? Of course we are thinking about him.
"We had a good meeting with his agents yesterday.
"Let's see what happens.
- Daniel Brookes
BIELSA CONTRACT TALKS
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa will wait until the end of the season to discuss his future at Elland Road.
Bielsa has been working on a rolling contract since taking charge of Leeds in 2018.
Leeds are quietly confident the Argentine will agree to extend his stay.
- Daniel Brookes
PERISIC TO STAY AT INTER
Ivan Perisic has turned down a return to Borussia Dotmrund, according to Sport 1.
The Croatian winger returned to Inter Milan in the summer after a successful loan spell at Bayern Munich last season.
Perisic previously played for Dortmund between 2011 and 2013, but would prefer a move to La Liga or the Premier League if he leaves Inter.
- Daniel Brookes
THE FAVRE-ITE
Lucien Favre could be interested in the Marseille job if it becomes available at the end of the season.
Current manager Andre Villas-Boas has admitted he does not expect to be offered an extension to his current contract, which expires in June.
Favre has been out of a job since being sacked by Borussia Dortmund in December and has previously managed in Ligue 1 with Nice.
Marseille sit sixth in Ligue 1 but have won just one of their last eight matches.
- Daniel Brookes
PARK AND BUY
Bayern Munich have held a 'secret meeting' with the representatives of RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, according to Bild.
The report claims the Frenchman's agents were seen entering Bayern's underground car park this week.
Upamecano's contract at Leipzig contains a £38m release clause which activates this summer.
- Daniel Brookes
STORM SERGE
Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier is 'fighting for his future', according to the Mail.
The Ivorian defender was substituted at half-time in Spurs' loss to Liverpool on Thursday.
The report claims Aurier stormed out of the stadium after a dressing room row which could spell the end of his time in north London.
- Daniel Brookes
POTE LUCK
Liverpool have made an approach for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Pedro Goncalves, according to Portuguese outlet Record.
Goncalves, or Pote as he is also known, has a £54m release clause in his Sporting contract and has impressed since his £6m move from Famalicao in the summer.
Pote, 22, was on the books at Wolves between 2017 and 2019, making a single League Cup appearance in his two seasons at the club.
- Daniel Brookes
KING STAYING PUT
Bournemouth forward Josh King has told manager Jason Tindall he will see out his contract on the south coast.
The 29-year-old has just six months left on his current deal and has been linked with Premier League sides West Ham, Everton and Burnley this month.
Speaking after his side's 3-1 defeat to Reading on Friday, Tindall said: "He said to me today that he's staying here until the end of the season.
"That's great news for us and I'm sure Josh will be looking to do extremely well for us from now until the end of the season."
- Daniel Brookes
LOOKING ROSE-Y
Danny Rose is set for a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor, according to talkSPORT.
The 30-year-old was left out of Tottenham's Premier League and Europa League squads at the start of the season and has been playing for the club's development side.
Rose spent the second half of last season on loan at Newcastle after a falling out with boss Jose Mourinho, and Spurs were considering buying out the the remaining year of his contract for £2.4m.
The England international has been offered a three-and-a-half-year deal by last season's Turkish Cup winners.
- Joshua Jones
MORNING FOOTY FANS
Jesse Lingard has finally departed Manchester United by linking up with West Ham on loan until the end of the season.
Speaking of his move, the England international said: "I’m excited. It’s another new chapter in my life.
“Nothing is guaranteed but I’ve come here to work hard and help the team and bring my experience.
"That’s the main aim. I just want to enjoy my football and get back playing again and get my feet back on the pitch."
The Hammers also confirmed the permanent signing of Said Benrahma to make room for the arrival of Lingard.
Meanwhile, Danny Rose is reportedly set to leave Tottenham to join Trabzonspor.
According to talkSPORT, Trabzonspor have offered the 30-year-old a three-and-a-half-year contract.
It is understood the Turkish outfit have an ‘agreement reached’ with the player and club.
In other news, West Brom have completed the loan signing of striker Mbaye Diagne from Galatasaray.
Meanwhile, their Midlands rivals Wolves are poised to offload striker Patrick Cutrone to Valencia on loan until the end of the campaign.
And finally, Mauricio Pochettino is confident that Kylian Mbappe will remain at Paris Saint-Germain for ‘many years to come’.
The former Spurs boss also poured cold water over claims that he rejected Real Madrid.
- Jake Lambourne
DAN AND OUT
Danny Rose is set to leave Tottenham to join Turkish side Trabzonspor, reports say.
The left-back is Spurs' longest-serving player, but has fallen out of favour with manager Jose Mourinho.
So much so, that he has been left out of Tottenham's Premier League and Europa League squads this season.
With the defender looking to leave, according to talkSPORT, Trabzonspor have offered the 30-year-old a three-and-a-half-year contract.
It is understood the Turks have an 'agreement reached' with the player and club.
His contract expires at the end of the season meaning Spurs have six months to sell the full-back before he exits for free.
- Jake Lambourne
HAMMER TIME
West Ham have announced the signing of Jesse Lingard from Man Utd on loan until the end of the season.
Speaking of his move, the England international said: "I'm excited. It's another new chapter in my life.
"Nothing is guaranteed but I've come here to work hard and help the team and bring my experience. That's the main aim. I just want to enjoy my football and get back playing again and get my feet back on the pitch.
"There were lots of clubs involved but, for me personally, I felt this was the right move. The Club is going in the right direction. We're on the right track and I'm here to help.
"I've obviously had a previous relationship with the manager as he was at Man U and I've played under him before, so he knows my qualities and what I can bring to the team.
"I know a couple of the players as well – I know Dec [Rice] very well from the England side – and I feel I can really settle in here quickly."
Source: Read Full Article