Kalvin Phillips and Kenan Yildiz are Liverpool targets
Liverpool have their eyes on a major double midfielder deal in January, Leeds are keen to sign a top Turkey winger, while Real Madrid are planning a shock swoop for an unhappy Manchester United defender.
KLOPP EYES DOUBLE LIVERPOOL DEAL WITH KALVIN PHILLIPS FIRST
Liverpool have leapt firmly to the front of the queue to sign Kalvin Phillips in January after Jurgen Klopp reinvigorated his push to sign the out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder.
Phillips has endured a sorry time since departing boyhood club Leeds for the Etihad in a £42m deal in summer 2022, spending most of his time warming the subs bench and failing to convince Pep Guardiola he is worthy of more game-time.
As a result, it’s now been agreed that Phillips will leave the Premier Leagyue champions in January, with Guardiola greenlighting any move.
Quite where that will be, however, has remained anyone’s guess, with the likes of both Newcastle and Juventus among those leading the chase.
However, after we revealed on Monday that the Bianconeri have been priced out of a deal, reports in Tuttosport now state that coach Massimiliano Allegri is unconvinced by the England man and intends to pursue other targets instead.
That has seemingly left Newcastle as sole suitors, though with FFP limitations to obide by, the structure of the deal was still very much under discussion. To that end, a loan move seemed most likely.
However, according to Calciomercato, Newcastle’s situation has now opened the door for Liverpool to pounce, and Klopp is now ready to meet the £45m valuation on the 28-year-old’s head.
The Reds have looked short of quality options to play at the base of their midfield and it seems they are now ready to make their move to bring the 31-times capped England man to Anfield, having initially been linked in prior to his move to City.
And according to Calciomercato, Klopp and Co have ‘inserted themselves’ right at the front of the queue in the last few hours. And with Phillips keen to stay in the Premier League, that move now looks the likely outcome.
Liverpool want to add Kenan Yildiz to Phillips signing
With Juve still wanting to add a new midfielder to their mix, however, it’s reported that the Italian giants are open to the exit of a couple of their fringe stars to help finance such a move.
For starters, Argentine forward Matias Soule increasingly likely to depart for Newcastle in a €25m deal.
However, il Corriere dello Sport also believes that star teenager Kenan Yildiz is also edging towards the exit door in the winter window.
And they report that Liverpool are being billed as the ‘ones to pay attention to’ amid claims the 18-year-old attacking midfielder is pushing to make the move.
With Liverpool currently still alive in four competitions this season, Klopp knows depth will be key if his side are to last the distance. And with sporting director Jorg Schmadtke recommending his signing to the club’s board, it’s reported a deal in the region of €40m (£34.4m) could go through.
Whether the Reds will sign two midfielders in January, having already signed four over the summer, seems debatable. However, il Corriere are convinced a move to Anfield is on the cards with Yildiz having ‘specifically asked his agent to find him another team’, and with Liverpool showing a ‘concrete interest’ in a deal.
MAN UTD STAR VARANE WANTED BACK AT REAL MADRID
Real Madrid are exploring the possibility of re-signing Raphael Varane in a shock January deal as cover for David Alaba, who is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury. (Cadena Cope)
Newcastle are growing in confidence over a deal for Matias Soule with Juventus ‘increasingly inclined’ to agreeing to the Argentine forward’s sale for a fee of around €25m plus bonuses. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Roma officials have flown to England to try and secure the signing of Eric Dier amid claims Fenerbahce are also keen on the out-of-favour Tottenham defender. (various)
Barcelona are pushing to make a signing of an unnamed Premier League based midfielder in the January window in a loan deal. (Sport)
Barcelona are also willing to accept offers for three of their stars in January to fund that midfielder swoop with Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen all up form grabs. (Mundo Deportivo)
Villarreal are willing to listen to offers for former Blackburn striker Ben Brereton Diaz after he failed to impress following his summer arrival. (various)
Argentina defender Gonzalo Montiel insists he is happy at Nottingham Forest amid speculation he wants to return to LaLiga in January after being limited to just six appearances for the Tricky Trees so far. (Ole)
Arsenal have put the brakes on talk Jakub Kiwior could be sold to AC Milan or Napoli – but are ready to sign off on the cut-price exit of full-back Cedric Soares to Villarreal. (various)
WEST HAM CHASE BARGAIN DEAL FOR SWISS MIDFIELDER
West Ham are leading the chase to sign FC Luzern’s defensive midfielder Ardon Jashari in a bargain €10m deal. Freiburg, Villarreal and Bologna are also keen on the 21-year-old Switzerland star. (Solothurner Zeitung)
Nottingham Forest are accelerating plans to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo as their new boss in the next few days with the axe set to fall on popular manager Steve Cooper. (A Bola)
Atletico Madrid are determined to sign a new midfielder in January, though there is an acceptance that any move for Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will fail. (Marca)
Bayern Munich have seen an approach for Ronald Araujo fail – but they could have more joy in the summer with Barcelona’s stance potentially open to change if their €100m valuation is met. (Sky Deutschland)
Barcelona have made clear they are willing to listen to offers for winger Raphinha – but may seek as much as €100m if they are to sell the reported Manchester United target. (Sport)
Aston Villa president of football operations Monchi has made clear to Real Betis that his side are unwilling to discuss the sale of full-back Alex Moreno in January. (Estadio Deportivo)
Manchester United are trailing behind Tottenham in the race for Jean-Clair Todibo with Daniel Levy making the first move for the €40m (£35m) rated Nice defender. (various)
LEEDS MAKE PLAY TO SIGN GALATASARAY WINGER
Leeds are rivaling Lazio for the signing of Galatasaray winger Kerem Akturkoglu and are preparing to launch a move to sign the €25m (£21.5m) rated star, who has 15 goal contributions from 27 appearances this season. (various)
Barcelona have rejected an approach from an unnamed Premier League side over a January deal for left-back Alejandro Balde. (various)
Wolves are chasing a €10m deal to sign Viktoria Plzen forward Rafiu Durosinmi in January, though Eintracht Frankfurt are also keen. (Kicker)
Napoli are ready to launch a fresh move to sign Clement Lenglet from Barcelona after his loan spell at Aston Villa failed to work out. (Sport)
Sheffield United’s Malian midfielder Ismaila Coulibaly is pushing to leave in January after failing to make an impact, with a €2.5m move to Sweden’s AIK on the cards. (Fotboll Direkt)
Kylian Mbappe’s chances of leaving PSG are growing stronger following a major deterioration of his relationship with coach Luis Enrique. (AS)
Veteran Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos could come out of international retirement to play for Germany again at their home-staged Euro 2024 tournament. (Bild)
Manchester United have launched a €25.5m (£22m) bid on Galatasaray to sign French full-back Sacha Boey in January. (various)
