Tottenham are looking to swoop on Everton in January, while Liverpool face strong competition for one of their top 2018 striker targets, according to Saturday’s papers.
Liverpool Face New Competition For Timo Werner
Liverpool striker target Timo Werner is now wanted by Barcelona, according to reports.
The Daily Star, via Mundo Deportivo, claim the RB Leipzig star is one of the shortlist for Barca boss Ernesto Valverde as he bids to beef up his strikeforce.
The Germany Forward has won an army of admirers after firing Leipzig into the Champions League last season and has been tipped by Mario Gotze as his country’s top striker for the next decade.
Werner has already been linked with Real Madrid, but news of Barcelona’s interest too could push his valuation soaring into the £75million bracket.
Tottenham Plot Move For Everton Forward
Tottenham are reportedly plotting a possible January swoop on Everton for young forward Ademola Lookman.
The Daily Mirror claims the England Under-21 winger is back on Mauricio Pochettino’s radar after his failure to see much action at Goodison Park this season.
The former Charlton man not having played a minute in the Premier League this season – and has only started two games in total, both of which were in Europa League qualifiers back in August.
Lookman joined Everton for £11million from Charlton in January ahead of several clubs including Spurs.
And despite making a dream start to life at Goodison, his progress has halted this season – leading to speculation Spurs could swoop.
Lookman is also being linked with moves to Huddersfield and Crystal Palace, who could look to take him on loan in the January window.
Liverpool Want To Move Keita Transfer To January
After agreeing a £48 million deal to bring Naby Keita to Anfield next summer, Liverpool are hoping to expedite the midfielder's transfer in January, reports The Sun.
It's thought that RB Leipzig would be reluctant to lose Keita midway through the season, but Liverpool could try to tempt them by increasing the pre-agreed fee.
There are rumours that Keita has lost focus since agreeing to join Liverpool, with Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhuttl criticising his performance in the Champions League defeat to Besiktas on Tuesday.
That may offer some encouragement to Jurgen Klopp, who is keen to bring forward the 22-year-old's arrival after watching his side win only one of their last six matches in all competitions.
Bayern Win Goretzka Race
If you thought Bayern Munich were too busy searching for a new manager to tie up any transfer business, think again.
The German champions may have sacked Carlo Ancelotti this week, but that hasn't distracted them from apparently sealing a deal for highly rated Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka, reports Calciomercato.
Goretzka, who scored from a stunning free kick in his team's 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, has also caught the eye of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Juventus, but it looks like Bayern have won the race for the 22-year-old's signature when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Goretzka is expected to play a key role for Germany at the World Cup, having scored four goals in 10 caps since making his debut in 2014 and playing a role in his country's Confederations Cup triumph over the summer.
Others
Former Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla forward Jose Antonio Reyes is set to join Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer, reports Mundo Deportivo. The underperforming Chinese Super League side are expected to undergo a significant overhaul in the off-season, with Carlos Tevez tipped for a return to Boca Juniors.
According to TalkSport, Barcelona have joined the race to sign RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner. The 21-year-old is also a target for Liverpool and Real Madrid after scoring seven goals in 10 matches for club and country this season.
Alexander Hleb believes there is still a chance Alexis Sanchez could sign a new contract to stay at the Emirates Stadium. The former Arsenal midfielder told the Independent that he has been impressed by Sanchez's professionalism, and expects him to wait until January to make a decision on his future.
Geoffrey Kondogbia will join Valencia on a permanent deal next summer at the end of his season-long loan from Inter Milan, says TalkSport. The 24-year-old midfielder has previously been linked with Liverpool and Tottenham.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes says 22-year-old defender Kurt Zouma, on loan from Chelsea, is worth £40m (Daily Mirror)
Cristiano Ronaldo has ordered Real Madrid not to sign Edinson Cavani in January as he wants to continue his partnership with Karim Benzema instead (Daily Mirror)
Watford boss Marco Silva says he called forward Richarlison a day before the 20-year-old was due to fly to Ajax to convince him to join the Hornets rather than the Dutch club (Daily Express)
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has refused to rule out the possibility of a return to Liverpool one day but is happy at St James’ Park – for now (Daily Mail)
Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has sparked fury as the Premier League’s ‘big six’ want a greater share of TV money (Daily Mail)
The FA’s top executives are to face questions in parliament over their handling of allegations against former England Women’s boss Mark Sampson (Daily Mail)
Jermain Defoe is convinced Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford can be as good as Sergio Aguero (Daily Mail)
Brighton forward Anthony Knockaert admits he has struggled to overcome his father’s death and is to undergo counselling to help him (Daily Mail)
David Silva has put contract talks with Manchester City on hold and is reportedly eyeing up a move to AC Milan (The Sun)
Mauricio Pochettino is sure Tottenham and England star Dele Alli has the mental strength to overcome his international suspension (The Sun)
Former Arsenal favourite Alexander Hleb thinks Alexis Sanchez will turn down Manchester City and stay at the Emirates (The Sun)
Croatia ‘keeper Lovre Kalinic could make a move to Watford in January after rejecting the chance last summer (Daily Mirror)
Former Manchester City forward Jadon Sancho is at the centre of a tug-of-war, with Borussia Dortmund trying to block him from playing at next month’s U17 World Cup in India (Daily Mirror)
Shane Long is confident he can solve Southampton’s scoring woes – despite his own seven-month goal drought (Daily Mirror)
Swansea City striker Oli McBurnie could be on his way to Barnsley on loan for the second half of the season (Daily Mirror)
Everton coach Ronald Koeman laments missing out on Olivier Giroud but insists his job is safe (Daily Express)
Slaven Bilic says he now has the firepower to shoot West Ham up the table – and save himself from the sack (Daily Express)
Kyle Walker says it hurt him to leave Tottenham but the chance to join Manchester City was too exciting to turn down (The Times)
American billionaire Albert Smith has joined West Ham’s board after buying a 10 per cent share in the club from Daniel Svanstrom (The Times)
Chelsea ended up receiving more for Diego Costa than expected, with an additional £5m loan fee arranged to avoid Atletico Madrid getting into hot water with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules (The Times)
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