HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
Having failed to land Man United’s David de Gea, Real Madrid are hoping to buy 24-year-old Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the summer.
Tottenham are contemplating a January move for Everton’s Ross Barkley, with Chelsea and Arsenal also understood to be interested in the player.
Spurs are also considering a move for out-of-favour Real Madrid attacker Isco.
Leicester have reportedly made an £8.5m (€10m) bid for 28-year-old Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi.
Man United boss Jose Mourinho is understood to have his eye on teenage Livingstone midfielder Matthew Knox.
Meanwhile, the Foxes have said Kasper Schmeichel is not for sale, with Liverpool linked with a move for the 30-year-old stopper.
Milan are set to make a bid for Chelsea 29-year-old midfielder Cesc Fabregas once the Chinese takeover of the club is complete.
Pep Guardiola is in the market for at least one defender. Atletico Madrid have said they rejected City’s bids for Spanish younsgters Lucas and Theo Hernandez, while 22-year-old Athletic Bilbao centre-back Aymeric Laporte has suggested he could join the Etihad outfit in the summer.
One player who won’t be moving clubs anytime soon is Ireland U21 footballer Liam Kelly. The 21-year-old midfielder, who has a couple of appearances under his belt in the Championship this season and who had been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, has signed a new deal at Reading.
Retro Deal of the Day: El-Hadji Diouf to Liverpool
There were high hopes at Anfield amid El-Hadji Diouf’s arrival at Liverpool from Lens after some impressive displays in Ligue 1. He was bought for £10m by Gérard Houllier ahead of the 2002 World Cup, and would go on to make an impact at that tournament, featuring in Senegal’s famous 1-0 win over France and helping them reach the quarter-finals on their debut in the competition.
Yet Diouf would not enjoy similar success at Liverpool. In three years at the club, he managed just three goals in 55 appearances.
He would go on to play for a number of other British clubs, including Bolton, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rangers (on loan) and Doncaster Rovers.
And following a brief spell at Malaysian league side Sabah, he retired in 2015
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
