Transfer news LIVE: Manchester City could target Samuel Umtiti after missing out on Virgil van Dijk... plus all the latest rumours from elsewhere
- The two Manchester clubs are looking for defensive reinforcements in January
- Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75million
- Van Dijk will complete his move when the transfer window opens on January 1
- Barcelona fear Virgil van Dijk's big money move to Liverpool could force Manchester clubs into paying Samuel Umtiti's £50million release clause
Liverpool's £75million move for Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk could spark a bidding war between Manchester United and Manchester City for the services of Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti.
Van Dijk will complete his move when the window opens on January 1 and that will leave all the Reds' rivals in thePremier League's top six scrambling to catch up.
There's also plenty to play for at the bottom of the table, with January moves having the potential to make or break a club's season.
Sportsmail's ALEX MARTIN will be here all day to keep you up to date with the latest transfer news.
That's all from transfer news LIVE.
Thanks for joining us here today.
Enjoy your weekend and have a happy new year!
Matthew Upson believes Arsenal still have a slim chance of keeping Alexis Sanchez at the club.
The Chilean's contract expires at the end of the season he has so far refused all offers put to him by the club, including a deal worth £300,000-a-week.
But Upson believes a late offer and a change of heart could sway Sanchez at the 11th hour.
'It might be a trade-off between picking and choosing which ones you cash in on now and which ones you want to keep to support the team through to the end of the season,' he said on Sky Sports.
'For me, it’s always a risk when you run your contract down. You’ve got the risk of injury, loss of form, so many different things could happen and sometimes a contract offer, even this late in the day, can sway a player to think "yeah I know, I’m actually happy here and it is the right thing for me to do moving forward".
'There’s always a chance of course, unless anyone knows for definite of what’s going to happen, there’s always a chance.'
Alan Pardew has admitted Nacer Chadli's latest hip injury will affect his January plans, given West Brom are in desperate need of goal-scorers in their battle against the drop.
Chadli is expected to be out until March following a relapse of an earlier hip injury. The diagnosis is much worse than first feared when he limped off during the defeat to Stoke on December 23.
‘Nacer looks like his injury is as bad as it was originally,’ said Pardew. ‘We think he's going to miss the first two months of the new year, which is a big blow for us.
'It's something we're going to have to deal with and something I'm going to have to look at in January, because obviously he's a quality player going out of the group for some considerable time.'
Sam Allardyce admitted Everton were desperate to sign a new striker in the January transfer window, and confirmed they were looking at Cenk Tosun.
The Besiktas forward has been linked with a £25m move to Goodison Park, but Allardyce revealed he was just one of many that they were weighing up.
Asked about his interest in Tosun, Allardyce said: 'Him and many others. We need a frontman if we can find one. We will be actively looking for a frontman in this window.
'I need more goals in the side than what we have at the moment. If we are to just maintain our position, because we have started to struggle to create chances and score goals in recent matches.
'It is still one of the major problems that we have.'
David Moyes joked that West Ham are going to sign 15 players in the January transfer window, such is the amount of names they are currently being linked with.
Jokes aside, the Scotsman said he hoped to add one of two new faces to his squad next month, but reminded fans that January is notoriously difficult time to negotiate.
He said: 'We must be signing 15 players at the moment - by all accounts.
'I would like to bring in one or two reinforcements but it's not an easy time to do business. We'll try and do it but there's no guarantee.'
Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham have not put a figure on Harry Kane's value because they consider him to be priceless.
The striker finished 2017 as the top scorer across Europe's five biggest divisions, beating Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani in the process.
Naturally, the biggest clubs on the continent would be desperate to buy him if he became available, but Pochettino says Tottenham have no intention of cashing in for any price.
'I think Harry doesn't have a price, because we want him here. He's priceless, there is no price,' said the Argentine.
'We can talk about many things, but at the end it's talk for talk, because it's impossible to put a price on him.'
Mark Hughes says Stoke City will not be cutting Jese Rodriguez's loan deal short.
The Spanish forward has been used sparingly since arriving from PSG last summer and has been linked with a January return to Las Palmas.
But Jese, who has had to handle the serious illness of his young child, is determined to thrive in English football.
Asked if Jese wanted to cut his loan deal short, Hughes replied: 'No, he wants to be a success here.
'Clearly the Premier League is where he wants to be, with us. It's just unfortunate because of his family circumstances that he hasn't been able to fully commit to what he's needed to do here to be effective for us.'
Antonio Conte refused to be drawn on Eden Hazard’s future after the playmaker’s father reiterated his interest in joining Real Madrid.
Thierry Hazard said this week that his son ‘refused a contract extension so that, if necessary, he could follow the interest of Real, whom he could see himself playing for’.
He said: ‘My answer is always the same: this is a private conversation between the club and the player, and the agent of the player. The same speech for Eden.
Jurgen Klopp says the thought of money did not enter his head over the soon-to-be-completed £75m move for Virgil van Dijk.
The fee is a world record for a defender and has sparked criticism from some quarters, with claims that the Anfield club have paid over the odds.
But the manager says that Liverpool are simply adapting to changes in the market.
‘The last thing I think about is the price,’ he said. ‘It’s not because I throw money around. We only think about the player.'
Jose Mourinho has challenged Jurgen Klopp to explain Liverpool spending £75million on Virgil van Dijk after the Anfield boss criticised Manchester United’s world record signing of Paul Pogba last year.
Mourinho reminded Klopp about his comments when United bought Pogba for a then world record fee of £89m from Juventus in the summer of 2016.
‘I think the one to speak about it in a specific way has to be Jurgen, and if I was one of you I would ask him about his comments about one year ago,’ he said.
Craig Gordon believes former Celtic team-mate Virgil van Dijk could become 'one of the great centre-halves in world football'.
The 26-year-old Holland international will join Liverpool from Southampton on January 1 for £75million, which is a world-record fee for a defender.
Gordon said: 'He would be the benchmark for anyone coming through, especially here. When I played with him he was without doubt the best centre-half that I have ever played with.
'He has absolutely everything to go on and become one of the great centre-halves in world football.'
PETE JENSON: They call him ‘Big Sam’ at Barcelona. France central defender Samuel Umtiti has been outstanding this season making the spot next to Gerard Pique his own.
His form has been so good it’s unthinkable that they would let him go but his very low transfer clause could leave them with no choice. If a Premier League club meet the 60m euro (£54m) release clause and the player wanted to go, they would not be able to stop him.
Manchester City and Manchester United are watching closely. Sportsmail looks at the chances of their soon being two Big Sams in the Premier League.
Carlos Carvalhal starts his Swansea stewardship determined to resurrect the career of countryman Renato Sanches.
Portugal star Sanches has looked a lost soul since making his surprise season-long loan move from Bayern Munich in August, failing to score or provide an assist in 11 Swansea appearances.
He has not started a game since November 29, when he was ridiculed for passing a ball into an advertising hoarding at Chelsea with no Swans player in close attendance.
JONATHAN SPENCER: Jack Wilshere played a starring role for Arsenal as they recorded a rare 3-2 victory away from home against Crystal Palace on Thursday night.
Wilshere, who made his fourth start in a row in the Premier League alongside Granit Xhaka in the heart of Arsenal's midfield, is slowly but surely getting back to his best and Thursday's performance was his most influential to date.
The English midfielder, much-loved by the Arsenal faithful, provided the highlight of the match at Selhurst Park after playing a delightful ball to set up Alexis Sanchez for his second of the night and the Gunners' third.
Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has claimed that keeping manager Diego Simeone is more important than holding onto Antoine Griezmann.
French striker Griezmann is Atletico's most valuable asset from a financial perspective and the Madrid club are braced for an offer from Barcelona.
But Gil Marin has insisted that Atletico would suffer more were Simeone to leave than if Griezmann departed for the Nou Camp.
'There's absolutely no doubt that losing Simeone would be a much bigger blow to Atletico than losing Antoine Griezmann,' he told Onda Cero.
West Ham are hoping to sign former Chelsea star Andre Schurrle on loan from Borussia Dortmund this January, according to the Guardian.
David Moyes is looking to address what he considers to be an unbalanced Hammers squad and wants to make several prominent additions next month.
Schurrle has started just one Bundesliga game for Dortmund this season after falling behind Christian Pulisic in the pecking order.
Liverpool have opened talks with Wolfsburg over a permanent deal for striker Divock Origi, according to ESPN.
The Belgian striker has been impressive since joining the German club on loan, scoring four goals in 12 Bundesliga starts.
With Jurgen Klopp unlikely to make a place for him in the squad, Liverpool are keen to cash in for the right price.
SIMON JONES: Cenk Tosun bid an emotional goodbye to Besiktas supporters on Thursday evening in what is likely to be his last appearance for the club ahead of a move to Everton.
Tosun scored Besiktas' third as they beat Osmanlispor 4-1 in the first-leg of their Turkish Cup last-16 clash at the Vodafone Arena.
And the striker showed his appreciation to the home crowd as he repeatedly gestured towards them after receiving a standing ovation for his goal.
A little far-fetched but at least something most Manchester United fans would wish to be true.
According to The Sun, Manchester United have seen an offer of £70m plus Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Paulo Dybala rejected by Juventus.
The Argentine is one of Europe's most sought-after players while Mkhitaryan has become the latest to fall out of Jose Mourinho's favour.
Eden Hazard turned down the offer of a new deal at Chelsea in order to increase his chances of moving to Real Madrid, claims his father.
The Belgian forward claimed last month that 'everyone knows the admiration I have for Real Madrid', increasing speculation he could leave Stamford Bridge.
Now Thierry Hazard, Eden's father, has fanned the flames, although he also admitted there is no concrete bid yet.
LAURIE WHITWELL: Stoke City are exploring a deal to take Danny Ings on loan in January, with Mark Hughes wanting to add two or three players to his squad in the winter window.
Hughes is ready to rival West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and West Ham in pursuit of the Liverpool striker.
Ings may be made available by Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp looks to streamline his squad and allow the 25-year-old game-time elsewhere.
Juventus reportedly plan to strike a pre-contract agreement with Liverpool midfielder Emre Can as soon as possible.
The 23-year-old's Reds deal expires in the summer when he can leave Anfield on a free transfer. But clubs outside of England will be able to talk with Can once his contract enters its final six months on January 1.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Juve are determined to win the race for Can's signature and will make their move early next month in a bid to see off rival interest from Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Arsene Wenger reiterated Arsenal's plans to discuss a contract extension with Jack Wilshere after the midfielder again excelled in their 3-2 victory at Crystal Palace.
Wenger said: 'We need to sit down with him. Beginning of January, it's planned.
'There is no delay. I said we would sort out his situation in December, end of December. I told him we want to meet and sit down with him to talk about the future. That's what I did.'
KIERAN GILL: West Ham have no intention of selling Reece Oxford on a permanent basis, despite claims that he is set to join RB Leipzig.
A BBC report claimed the young defender would join Leipzig in January, bringing an end to his disappointing loan spell at Borussia Monchengladbach in the process.
But David Moyes does not want to appear to be selling a player who he has not even had a chance to see yet.
Oxford has made just three league appearances for Monchengladbach and West Ham have the option to recall him from the season-long loan in January.
Real Madrid are interested in signing Thibaut Courtois and Chelsea are ready to listen to offers, according to Sky Sports.
The Belgian goalkeeper has stalled on a new contract at Stamford Bridge and is keen on a move to Madrid because his two children live their with his partner.
His current deal expires in 18 months time and Chelsea have offered to double his £100,000-a-week wage, to no avail.
Any deal for Courtois is likely to smash the current world record for a goalkeeper, currently held by Manchester City after their £35m purchase of Ederson last summer.
Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge are among the players on Southampton’s shopping list as they look to spend the £75million recouped from Virgil van Dijk’s move to Liverpool.
The Saints are aiming to move quickly as they look to strengthen their squad next month and will enquire about the England pair.
Wages could prove a stumbling block: Walcott — on the bench for Arsenal against Crystal Palace on Thursday night — earns £110,000-per-week, while Sturridge’s deal at Liverpool is worth £150,000-per-week and the Merseyside club do not want to let the striker leave next month.
Barcelona are plotting the departure of five players to fund big-money moves for Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann.
Javier Mascherano, Arda Turan, Gerard Delofeu, Aleix Vidal and Rafinha are all on the chopping block according to Spanish publication Sport.
In what is being dubbed 'operation exit' the La Liga leaders are looking to free up room on the wage bill and bolster the transfer kitty.
Real Madrid supporters would prefer to see Harry Kane become the club's latest galactico rather than the world's most expensive player Neymar.
That is according to a poll ran by Spanish outlet Marca, with 34 percent of the over 100,000 participants declaring their wish to see Kane run out at the Bernabeu.
The striker, who finished as the top scorer around the world in 2017 with 56 goals, beat Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as well as prolific Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski in the polling.
Good morning!
Congratulations if you made it to work today. Snow in the North, torrential rain in the South and a host of railway closures.
This could be the day those post-Christmas blues finally kick in.
But fear not!
The proverbial rainbow that is the January transfer window is just around the corner, and Sportsmail will be keeping you up to date with all the gossip from around Europe as we head towards the new year.
So turn up the heating, get the kettle on and enjoy some top quality transfer news.
- Chelsea boss Antonio Conte refuses to rule out Vidal move | Daily Mail Online
- Man Utd open talks with Bordeaux over wonderkid Malcom | Daily Mail Online
- Arsenal to consider bids of £35 million for Alexis Sanchez | Daily Mail Online
- Liverpool target van Dijk left out for Tottenham trip | Daily Mail Online
- Arsenal: Arsene Wenger expects Jack Wilshere to stay | Daily Mail Online
- Liverpool close in on £75m fee for Virgil Van Dijk | Daily Mail Online
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