HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
Patrice Evra is keen on returning to Manchester United to see out his career, according to The Times.
The 35-year-old left Old Trafford for Juventus in 2014 to call time on a trophy-laden eight years, which included five Premier League titles and one Champions League.
Evra was initially a key player for the Serie A giants, helping them to back-to-back titles, but has featured just nine times this season and has now told friends he would jump at the chance to return to Old Trafford.
Everton have completed the signing of Ademola Lookman on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Charlton Athletic, the club have confirmed.
The England U20 international has forged a reputation as one of English football’s brightest prospects at Charlton and Everton emerged as favourites for his signature following a season-ending injury sustained by Yannick Bolasie last month.
The Toffees have now forked out a reported £10 million to sign the 19-year-old, who only broke into Charlton’s first team last season as the Addicks were relegated from the Championship.
Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere says the club will not be making a move for Manchester United winger Memphis Depay, as he is “out of our financial reach”.
The Netherlands international has become a fringe figure at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho, being restricted to just 20 minutes of Premier League football this season.
A forward who arrived in English football with a blossoming reputation has become something of a forgotten man and is actively looking for a fresh start during the January transfer window.
Various clubs have been linked with an approach for his services, with Everton said to be keen on keeping him in the Premier League.
Nice were also interested, with the ambitious French outfit looking to bolster a squad that currently sits top of Ligue 1. They have, however, been priced out of the market, with United looking to recoup as much of the £25 million they paid for Depay in the summer of 2015 as possible.
Mamadou Sakho may be out of favour at Liverpool, but he is still held in high regard by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
The 26-year-old defender has been frozen out of the picture at Anfield after seeing his attitude questioned by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.
He is yet to make an appearance this season as a result and is now looking for a new challenge less than 18 months after committing to a five-year contract extension on Merseyside.
Those terms were intended to keep Sakho at Liverpool until the summer of 2020, but a move during the 2017 January transfer window is looking increasingly likely.
Galatasaray are the latest club to be linked with a move for the France international, while PSG have ruled themselves out of the running.
Al-Khelaifi admits to being a fan of a home-grown talent who emerged from the club’s academy system, but insists no discussions have been held regarding a possible return to the French capital for Sakho.
James Rodriguez has ended speculation linking him with a move away from Real Madrid by confirming he will stay and fight for his place.
Rumours had been circulating that the Colombia star was attracting the interest of both Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United after starting just four La Liga games in the first half of the season.
James fuelled speculation surrounding his future at Real after revealing last month that he had offers to leave and could not confirm whether he would definitely remain with Los Blancos.
But the 25-year-old, who played a starring role with two goals against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, now says he is committed to fighting for his place after talks with Zidane.
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