“Southampton are ready to end Theo Walcott’s Arsenal misery,” trumpets the Express in a back-page exclusive, “and take him back to the club where he began his career.” The Gunners, they report, are preparing “a January clear-out” to “bring in funds” in the laughably optimistic belief that Arsène Wenger might be about to “reshape his side”, while the Saints “are looking to boost their firepower”, all of which creates a perfect storm of emotional-homecoming-shaped proportions. If there’s going to be any competition it might come from Internazionale, with Everton and West Ham also “admirers”. “Walcott has admitted he still has a soft spot for the club,” they conclude of Southampton, “who would look to pay about £12-£15m to bring him back to St Mary’s.”
The Gunners of course bought Walcott in 2006 when he was bright and new and brimming with youthful promise. Now there’s a new youngster in Arsenal’s sights, and it’s Trabzonspor’s 18-year-old midfield tyro Abdulkadir Omur. The player, reports the Sun, “can operate in central midfield or on the right wing”. Its source is the former Trabzonspor coach Sadi Tekelioglu. “Arsenal want to sign Abdulkadir,” he says. “I heard that Atlético Madrid are interested in him as well, but Arsenal are ahead of them in the race. Arsène Wenger does a good job when it comes to discovering young players.” According to Talksport, however, Bayern Munich are going to blow both Arsenal and Atlético out of the water with an offer of £35m plus a two-year loan-back. “It’s understood that Arsenal are yet to initiate contact with the Turkish club and could well miss out,” they conclude.
Talking of Turkey, Fenerbahce are ready to end Daley Blind’s Manchester United misery, with the Sun saying that “it has been suggested that Blind is growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of opportunities in the United matchday squad”. After playing every minute of United’s three league games in August, Blind played only a single minute of their four matches in September, spending two others on the bench and not even making the squad for the other, a situation that has led to maximal disgruntlement in the Blind houshold. “Now he faces a decision whether to stay at United for the entire season and hope for a change of fortunes, or seek a move elsewhere in January,” we’re told. Much will apparently depend on whether Holland somehow qualify for the World Cup, in which case Blind may have to move to maximise his chances of inclusion in their squad.
Liverpool have been scouting the 18-year-old Bayer Leverkusen prodigy Kai Havertz, who not only captained Germany’s Under-19s in their 5-1 midweek win over Belarus but scored four goals – two of them penalties – and set up the other. The player, reports the Mail, “has already broken into Leverkusen’s first team and has been compared to Michael Ballack and Mesut Özil”. But the Reds should expect serious competition should they decide to press the big red transfer button, as Manchester United and Arsenal also had representatives at the match. Meanwhile Liverpool’s hopes of signing another wildly promising 18-year-old, the Inter defender Zinho Vanheusden, are dimming with the Italian side determined to tie the young defender to a lengthy new contract.
Chelsea have not given up on Alex Sandro, and are saving up their pennies so that they can offer £70m for Juventus’s Brazilian wing-back in January. Paris Saint-Germain’s transfer-negotiating squad meanwhile are stroking their chins and trying to decide whether to concentrate on Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan or Jan Oblak from Atlético Madrid when they come to replace their goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, which they will very soon according to Calciomercato. “Much will depend on whether Milan qualify for next season’s Champions League,” they conclude, suggesting that should they fail the idea of their young goalkeeper hotfooting it to Paris would become less Donna-rumour and more Donna-fact.