HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today…
Reports indicate that Alexis Sanchez is so desperate to join Man City from Arsenal that he is willing to forgo a possible £25m signing-on fee to seal the move, while Pep Guardiola’s side are expected to make a new bid for the Chile international.
With Philippe Coutinho having gone from Liverpool to Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic could move in the opposite direction, though the Reds may face competition from Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are also considering spending some of the Coutinho money on Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman.
Arsenal are hoping that Monaco’s Thomas Lemar will replace Sanchez, with the Ligue 1 club’s manager Leonardo Jardim refusing to rule out the possibility of the player departing the club in January.
In other Gunners-related news, Arsene Wenger has hinted he is still interested in signing West Brom’s Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans, but admits the club can’t compete with Man City in the transfer market.
Man United may move for £25 million-rated Celtic defender Kieran Tierney if Tottenham refuse to lower the asking price for Danny Rose.
It could be a busy month for David Moyes and West Ham — Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny, Stoke’s Joe Allen, Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey and Anderlecht’s Leander Dendoncker are all believed to be targets for the Hammers.
With Robbie Brady not returning from injury anytime soon, Burnley have signed Tottenham winger Georges-Kévin N’Koudou on loan.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian midfielder Fred could be on his way to Man City, after impressing in the game against them in the Champions League earlier this season.
Retro deal of the day: Brian Laudrup to Chelsea, 1998
Widely considered one of the best Danish footballers of all time, plenty of people remember Brian Laudrup’s successful spell in British football with Rangers, but not as many will vividly recall his ill-fated move to Chelsea shortly thereafter.
Having previously played for Bayern Munich and Fiorentina among others, Laudrup was coming towards the end of his career around the time he moved to London in 1998. The midfielder subsequently publicly complained about his lack of game time at the club and ultimately made just a handful of appearances before leaving to join Copenhagen. He also had a stint at Ajax before retiring in 2000.
Since ending his time as a player, Laudrup has worked as a pundit for Danish TV.
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