Manchester United are eying AFC Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez as a priority in January, while rivals Manchester City have hit a snag in their pursuit of Internazionale star Nicolò Barella. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– AFC Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez remains one of Manchester United’s main left-back targets heading into the new year, Fabrizio Romano has revealed. The 21-year-old has been a revelation on the south coast since he joined the club last summer from AZ Alkmaar. Liverpool have also been linked with Kerkez in recent months, who scored his first Premier League goal in Bournemouth’s 4-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
– Manchester City have approached Nicolò Barella in recent months over a potential transfer, Nicolo Schira reports. The Internazionale midfielder is highly regarded by City manager Pep Guardiola but reportedly doesn’t wish to leave Italy just yet. As such, the 27-year-old signed a new deal with Inter Milan earlier this month through to 2029. Barella has been at San Siro since 2020, playing over 180 times for the illustrious Serie A club. It remains to be seen whether City will now turn their attention to other midfield targets in January.
– Juventus have joined the race to sign Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap, according to the Sunday Mirror. The 21-year-old striker is viewed by Juve as a potential replacement for Dusan Vlahović, should the Serbia international be let go. The Serie A giants are the latest club to be linked with Delap, with Chelsea and Manchester United also said to be interested in the player. The England youth international joined Ipswich this summer, where he has scored six goals in 12 Premier League games to date. Man City also have a re-sign clause in the deal which took Delap to Ipswich in the summer.
– Juventus coach Thiago Motta “dreams” of signing Lewis Ferguson from his former club, Bologna, reports Gazzetta dello Sport. Motta also wants to sign Joshua Zirkzee, who has had an unhappy time at Manchester United since signing from Bologna last summer.
– Juventus are not prepared to loan out the unhappy Douglas Luiz in January and want to boost their finances by finding a permanent solution, reports Gazzetta dello Sport. The Brazil international has started only two games in all competitions after moving to Juve from Aston Villa in a £42.5m transfer in the summer. Nicolo Fagioli will also be available for a transfer fee of €25m.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Rob Dawson looks at Man United’s interest in Milos Kerkez.
The attraction of Milos Kerkez is obvious. Ruben Amorim is trying round pegs in square holes as he continues to work out which of the players he’s inherited are best suited to his system. This is a squad built to play 4-3-3 and it’s causing a problem. Amorim needs wing-backs and Kerkez can do that job.
He also plays on the left, which is a bonus, and has Premier League experience with Bournemouth. On top of that, he’s only 21 and would fit in with a broader aim set out by sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox to focus on younger players who can improve under Amorim.
There’s plenty of work to do on the squad, but there’s a big question mark about whether United have the money to do it. Amorim has already been told there will be limited funds available for the foreseeable future and there’s a chance there will be no new arrivals at all in January.
OTHER RUMORS
– Gianluigi Donnarumma is being monitored by many top clubs, including Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Liverpool, after he was dropped to the bench for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League game defeat at Bayern. Donnarumma, 25, only has 18 months remaining on his PSG contract but was restored to the team for Saturday’s home draw with Nantes. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Sevilla want to sign a new striker, but are not interested in former Espanyol and Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite. Gremio want a transfer fee of €6m-7m for the 33-year-old, which is deemed excessive. (Estadio Deportivo)
– Napoli could sign veteran defender Danilo from Juventus in January. The Serie A leaders want to add more experience to their squad, and the 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer. Gianluca Di Marzio
– Gabri Veiga, who made a shock move to the Saudi Pro League with Al Ahli in 2023, is still on the watch list of Manchester City and Real Madrid. The 22-year-old was seen as one of Europe’s hottest young prospects when he left Celta Vigo for Saudi Arabia. (Estadio Deportivo)
– Atletico Madrid starlet Luis “Curro” Navarro is being watched by Barcelona and Real Madrid. The 15-year-old cannot sign a professional contract until his 16th birthday in July. (Relevo)
– Chelsea defender Benoît Badiashile is a possible transfer target for Marseille (Monaco Matin) and clubs in the Bundesliga and Serie A (Foot Mercato). However, the 23-year-old, who has started only two matches this season, is unlikely to move in January.
– AS Roma are likely to rebuff any interest from Everton in Bryan Cristante in the January transfer window. The 29-year-old defensive midfielder has been a mainstay of the Roma side this season. (Football Insider)
– Rangers could face competition from several Championship clubs if they attempt to sign Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt. However, the 22-year-old, who has featured just three times in the league this season, is wanted by a number of rival Championship clubs on a short-term basis. (Football Insider)
– Al Hilal are working “behind the scenes” to try to sign Las Palmas winger Alberto Moleiro. A January move is said to be possible for the young attacker, who has five Spain under-21 caps to his name. Las Palmas will only consider proposals that exceed €20 million, which isn’t expected to dissuade the Saudi Pro League side. (Rudy Galetti)
