Arthur Vermeeren is wanted by Man Utd and Barcelona
Manchester United and Barcelona are interested in signing a top Belgian midfielder in January, West Ham have been given the green light to sign a PSG striker, and Aston Villa are hoping to beat Liverpool to a €50m-rated target.
MAN UTD LEAD BARCELONA IN RACE FOR STAR BRANDED NEXT BUSQUETS
Erik ten Hag is reportedly set to push through a January deal to sign Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren for Manchester United, according to reports.
The Red Devils have endured a woeful start to the new season, compounded by a ruthless 3-1 home defeat served up by Brighton on Saturday which, truth be told, could have been significantly worse.
One man who has looked a shadow of his former self so far this season is Casemiro, with the £70m recruit from Real Madrid struggling to replicate anything like the form he showed last term.
As a result, talk is growing that United will soon look for a fix to the issue and thinking of a long-term successor, despite the signing of Soyfan Amrabat during the closing minutes of the summer window.
To that end, top Belgian teenager Vermeeren has been making massive waves in the Jupiler Pro League, earning himself comparisons to Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets.
Indeed, with the veteran Spaniard departing the Nou Camp this summer after 15 trophy-laden seasons, Xavi moved to bring in former Southampton man Oriol Romeu as a replacement.
His signing, though, is only seen as a short-term measure and they too are unsurprisingly looking at Vermeeren as a long-term successor.
However, reports in Spain claim Barcelona are trailing Ten Hag in the race for the 18-year-old’s signature.
Per Sport, Ten Hag ‘really likes’ Vermeeren and is already pushing Manchester United chiefs to push through his signing in the January window. He fears United cannot afford to wait until the summer to seal a deal and that they will live to regret a failure to land him if they leave it until next summer, especially with Barcelona hovering.
Man Utd looking to seal January deal for Belgium teenager Vermeeren
To that end, Ten Hag could even look to seal his signing in January but allow the player to finish the season in Belgium with Antwerp.
Ironically, Antwerp face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night with the match seen as a real chance for Vermeeren to showcase his rising potential.
Antwerp head coach Mark van Bommel, himself a former Barcelona midfielder, admits the LaLiga champions would sign the teenager in a heartbeat if given the chance.
The 5ft 11in midfielder has already represented his nation’s Under-21s and is being tipped to one day form a solid future midfield partnership with Romeo Lavia for the Belgium team.
Making his debut last season as Antwerp won a first Belgian title since 1957, Vermeeren has so far played 26 times for the side known in his homeland as The Great Old.
WEST HAM CLEARED TO MAKE HUGE HUGO EKITIKE SIGNING
West Ham have been given the greenlight to complete a monster January move for Hugo Ektike with the PSG striker determined to force through a move to the London Stadium. (various)
Juventus are ready to go big in their quest to sign Thomas Partey from Arsenal in January after deciding he is their No 1 pick to replace Paul Pogba at the Allianz Stadium. (Calciomercato)
Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, who has been linked with moves to Liverpool and Manchester United, claims he will leave the Bernabeu if his game-time does not improve. (Relevo)
The agent of Nicolas Jackson claims the winger was on the cusp of a move to AC Milan before Chelsea came storming in with a €37m deal. (CalcioNews)
Liverpool are preparing a bumper new contract for Trent Alexander-Arnold amid interest in the star from Barcelona and Real Madrid. (various)
Weston McKennie has turned the corner at Juventus after his Leeds loan move nightmare with the player now considered a vital component of Max Allegri’s side. (TuttoJuve)
Liverpool face a new battle to keep Mohamed Salah next summer amid claims a second Saudi Pro-League side are set to battle Al-Ittihad for his services. (various)
HENRY: MBAPPE TO LEAVE PSG IN 2024 AMID LIVERPOOL, REAL LINKS
Thierry Henry expects Kylian Mbappe to leave PSG in 2024 after revealing he is surprised the Liverpool, Man Utd and Real Madrid target is still in the French capital. (RMC Sport)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been branded a player lacking in confidence after failing to hit the target in five appearances for Marseille since his summer move from Chelsea. (L’Equipe)
Fabrizio Romano has denied claims he played any part in forcing Joao Felix’s transfer from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona this summer, insisting all he does is report the news, not forces it. (Caught Offside)
Chelsea have no intention of caving in to Real Madrid over their interest in Reece James and insist it would take a ridiculous offer to sell the 23-year-old star. (various)
Roma are readying a January approach to Atletico Madrid to bring former Juventus striker Alvaro Morata back to Serie A. (Corriere dello Sport)
Bayern Munich are preparing a big January push to sign Scott McTominay from Man Utd if they cannot prise Joao Palhinha away from Fulham. (various)
Leeds and Southampton target Joseph Paintsil insists he is holding out for a better deal and has no intentions of playing Championship football, despite €10m summer interest in him. (Het Laatste Nieuws)
Laatste Nieuws)
VILLA READY JANUARY APPROACH TO SIGN NICO WILLIAMS
Aston Villa remain determined to sign Nico Williams and are preparing a huge offer to sign the €50m-rated star ahead of fellow suitors Liverpool, Man Utd and Barcelona in the January window. (AS)
Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao and Spain
Paulo Fonseca claims he had agreed terms to manage Tottenham back in 2022 before they instead appointed Antonio Conte. However, the current Lille boss claims he still hopes to one day manage in the Premier League. (O Jogo)
Liverpool forward Luis Diaz admits he still holds FC Porto close to his heart after revealing he still tries to watch as many of their games as he possibly can. (O Jogo)
Italy striker Ciro Immobile will reportedly stay with Lazio, despite receiving massive offers from Saudi clubs Al-Shabab and Al-Wehda. (Corriere dello Sport)
Former Germany coach Joachim Low will reportedly return to football as the new Turkey national coach and in succession to fellow German Stefan Kuntz. (DHA)
Barcelona will continue to monitor Newcastle’s Alexander Isak this season after identyfing the Swede as their No 1 target to replace veteran Poland striker Robert Lewandowski at the Nou Camp. (various)
