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De Bruyne is seen as a future star of the Belgian national team. Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport
On the Verge

The Departures Lounge: your daily transfer gossip round-up

All aboard the Genk bus, Chelsea are off to Belgium to bag themselves a midfielder.

WE’RE INSIDE THE final week of what has been an admittedly dull transfer window thus far – but surely the clubs and Sky Sports News have teamed up and schemed a cunning plan to save a rake of the biggest moves for Deadline Day. Haven’t they?

Either way, there have been signs of some activity at Chelsea as they have held actual talks with Genk over the possibility of Belgian prodigy Kevin De Bruyne relocating to London.

Along with Romelu Lukaku, the left-sided midfielder is seen as one of the country’s brightest prospects and the deal will most likely involve him being loaned back to Genk for the remainder of the season.

Mauricio Isla is the subject of an €18m bid from Liverpool according to reports today.

The attack-minded full-back plies his trade in Serie A with Udinese but you will remember him for his buccaneering runs as part of Marcelo Bielsa’s exciting Chile side in the World Cup back in 2010.

Another player who featured prominently for his country in South Africa that summer was Giovani Dos Santos. There were high hopes for the Mexican playmaker when he signed for Spurs three-and-a-half years ago having made a string of appearances in Barcelona’s first team.

Harry Redknapp has never given him a decent run in the side however, and after a number of loan moves in Spain, Turkey and Ipswich, the 22-year-old is on the verge of leaving his Tottenham nightmare behind and Villarreal looks the most likely destination as the Yellow Submarine have opened negotiations with the club and player.

Martin O’Neill could do with an emergency striker right now and wants to ask Kevin Davies to be that man. The Sunderland manager has a number of his frontmen missing and will turn to the 34-year-old Bolton player to plug the gap. There are a host of other clubs looking to give him a new home, however.

Manchester City took Israeli midfielder Nir Biton on a week’s trial recently and are close to wrapping up a €2.5m deal with the Iraeli’s club MS Ashdod, while QPR are keen on South African international Katlego Mphela and Hugo Rodallega says he wants out of Wigan.

Oh, and Robbie Fowler has returned to Liverpool.

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