The transfer window for all of Europe’s big five leagues is closed, but that doesn’t stop Transfer Talk from rummaging around to find out who will be moving where come January.
TOP STORY: First England, now Chelsea for Callum Wilson?
Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson has had a pretty good week, given that he’s just landed his first call-up to the senior England squad.
The 26-year-old’s good form hasn’t gone unnoticed by Chelsea either, as seven goals in 13 games have propelled him to the top of their wishlist according to the Sun. Though it might also be something to do with the fact that he would only cost £35m, while the likes of Inter striker Mauro Icardi (£90m) and Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek (£50m) are a bit more expensive.
Wilson has also suffered two serious knee injuries in recent years, so Chelsea may be better keeping their powder dry in January and giving him a bit more time to impress.
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09.00 GMT: Fulham need something as they are bottom of the league and not looking great right now, but are they really interested in signing Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko? The France midfielder has NOT impressed on loan at AC Milan, but Calciomercato say the London club are keen.
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Man City want Wan-Bissaka
Manchester City have reportedly earmarked Aaron Wan-Bissaka as the man that shall someday inherit the first-choice right-back position at the Etihad.
Indeed, the Premier League champions have already set the wheels in motion by making a number of “discreet enquiries” for the 20-year-old Crystal Palace defender in recent weeks, reports the Mirror.
City currently have Kyle Walker and Danilo on the books and therefore don’t intend to rush things, but their current squad depth isn’t about to perturb them from playing the long game in order to secure Wan-Bissaka’s services at some point along the line.
The youngster, who has been in sterling form of late, is currently tied to the Eagles on a four-year contract which was only signed in April. However, if any club possess the financial oomph to negate all that, it’s City.
Shaqiri off to Gala?
The timing seems a little off here, but Galatasaray are apparently hoping that Liverpool will allow Xherdan Shaqiri to join them on loan in January.
TalkSPORT claim that Shaqiri is “unhappy” with his circumstances at Anfield despite playing a fairly prominent role for the Reds over the past month or so.
The Swiss winger did arguably get off to a slow start with the Reds, but has since impressed with decisive contributions in recent matches against the likes of Huddersfield, Cardiff and Red Star Belgrade.
Regardless, Gala are reportedly confident they will be able to land the 27-year-old on a six-month loan and plan to open negotiations when the transfer market reopens in the new year.
Chelsea chase Fekir
Chelsea are confident they will be able to pip Liverpool to the signing of Nabil Fekir despite the France international very nearly joining the latter last summer.
Fekir’s switch to Anfield looked to be all but completed before Lyon pulled the plug on the whole ordeal after deciding to hold onto the attacking midfielder for another season.
The Sun claim that it’s the Blues who have now nudged their noses into the lead in the race to bring Fekir to the Premier League amid reports in L’Equipe that the 25-year-old has informed Lyon that he will not be renewing his contract with them.
The contract in question is not set to expire until next summer (2020) but, in choosing not to extend as he moves into his final year, Fekir will all but force the Ligue 1 side into offloading him for a decent fee while they still have the leverage to do so.
Tap Ins
– Noting that he is struggling for minutes at Chelsea these days, the Daily Star have linked Cesc Fabregas with a move to Manchester United that would see the Spanish playmaker reunited with former boss Jose Mourinho.
– Aston Villa will try to sign Chelsea starlet Ethan Ampadu on loan in January but may have to fend off rival interest from Derby County in order to do so, the Birmingham Mail reports.
– Fulham may attempt to sign Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko in January should AC Milan decide to cut the French midfielder’s season-long loan deal short, as per Calciomercato (via Sky Sports).
– According to Sport, Liverpool have expressed an interest in 18-year-old Mallorca striker Victor de Baunbag, who has finished as top goalscorer in every single academy age category he’s played in for the past three seasons.