HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
Man United are on the verge of signing £38 million/€44-million-rated Benfica defender Victor Lindelof according to Portuguese outlet RTP, while the Red Devils are also targeting the club’s right-back Nelson Semedo.
Anthony Martial, meanwhile, could be heading for the Old Trafford exit door, with Sevilla understood to be among the interested parties.
West Ham are hoping to be reunited with former striker Jermain Defoe, who has been in excellent form for Sunderland this season.
Real Madrid are hoping to lure Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois away from Chelsea, with Joe Hart lined up as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte’s men.
Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva looks set to leave Liverpool — Inter are hoping to seal a loan move for the 29-year-old player.
James Rodriguez, who has been linked with Premier League clubs including Man United and Chelsea, and is understood to be unhappy at Real Madrid, won’t be leaving the Spanish club in January according to the latest reports.
Both Chelsea and Man City are keen on Steven N’Zonzi, who has impressed in La Liga for Sevilla this season. The former Blackburn and Stoke midfielder reportedly has a release clause set at £25.5m (€29.9m).
Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi could be the latest high-profile Premier League player to move to China, with the Nigeria international in talks with both Shanghai SIPG and UAE side Al-Ain.
Retro Deal of the day: Sergei Rebrov to Tottenham for £11 million
Sergei Rebrov came to England with a big reputation. He had formed a fruitful strike partnership with Andriy Shevchenko at Dynamo Kyiv during the 1990s and was joint-top scorer in the 1999-2000 Champions League campaign with 10 goals.
The £11 million Tottenham paid made him one of the most expensive signings in Premier League history at the time — Newcastle had broken the English transfer record by signing Alan Shearer from Blackburn for £15 million four years previously.
Therefore, given the significant fee he attracted, most expected the Ukraine international to be a success, but with just 10 goals in 60 appearances, Rebrov patently failed to live up to expectations at White Hart Lane.
The misfiring forward joined West Ham four years later after his Spurs contract expired, and he managed a similarly paltry one goal in 27 appearances in the Championship.
Rebrov would return to Kyiv after leaving London and rediscovered his scoring touch in the process, ultimately becoming the all-time top scorer of the Ukrainian Premier League — a record that was broken by Uzbekistan international Maksim Shatskikh in 2014.
And after a season-long swansong with Rubin Kazan, Rebrov retired in 2009 and has, since 2014, been manager of the club where he enjoyed his best years – Dynamo Kyiv.
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