Paper Talk: £38m ace snubs Man Utd; Chelsea plot double raid

Arturo Vidal: Bayern Munich midfielder linked with Chelsea

Arturo Vidal: Bayern Munich midfielder linked with Chelsea

Chelsea are ready to spend their Oscar windfall by making a double transfer splash, while a leading Benfica star has distanced himself from talk of a move to Manchester United, according to Saturday’s papers.

 

CHELSEA TARGET DUO AS THEY BID TO SPEND OSCAR CASH

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is planning to spend his £52million Oscar windfall quickly after reports on Saturday suggested the club had made bids for two players.

The Sun claims Conte chasing a reunion with £38million Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal with the two working together with great success at Juventus.

It’s claimed the Blues have switched their attention to the Chilean after the Blues refused to meet the asking price for Radja Nainggolan.

Conte has reportedly also told Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to fund a move for Swansea striker Fernando Llorente, according to reports in Spain.

AS claim that the Italian wants an ‘experienced’ forward to compete with Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge and sees Llorente as the ideal candidate.

The Swansea forward played under Conte at Juventus for one season and managed to score 16 goals in 34 league appearances to help the club win the Serie A title.

Llorente was signed by Swansea from Sevilla in August and has scored five goals in 12 Premier League games so far this term.

 

BENFICA MAN RULES OUT JANUARY MOVE TO MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United are facing disappointment in the January transfer market after alleged target Nelson Semedo declared his intention to stay at Benfica.

The right-back has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, though it’s his Benfica team-mate Victor Lindelof who has been the subject of United’s main transfer focus.

However, Jose Mourinho has instructed his scouts to keep tabs on Semedo, who has a £38million buy-out clause in his contract.

But a move looks to be off the cards with the 23-year-old declaring he is keen to stay long-term at the Portuguese giants.

“They can be calm and you can rest easy,” Semedo told Sport TV when asked about a possible move to Manchester United.

“I’m completely focused on Benfica and I hope to continue here for many years to come.

“I’m helping the club to achieve its objectives.”

The full-back, who has one senior cap for Portugal, could, however, remain a target for United with Matteo Darmian continuing to be linked with a return to Italy.

Antonio Valencia has emerged as United’s first-choice right-back under Mourinho and the player was rewarded with a new deal to 2018 recently.

AND THE REST

Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all interested in Everton outcast Ross Barkley (The Sun)

Everton want to bring in £20m Burnley centre-half Michael Keane in a quick deal (The Sun)

Axel Witsel’s move to Juventus is on the rocks as the Belgian midfielder is wanted by former boss Andre Villas-Boas at Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG (The Sun)

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will open talks over a new contract at Chelsea after Conte described the Belgium international as “one of the best in the world” (The Guardian)

Gerard Deulofeu: Been in scintillating form

AC Milan want to sign Everton’s 22-year-old Spanish midfielder Gerard Deulofeu on loan in January (Sky Sports)

Carlos Tevez must stay in China for two years or his former club Boca Juniors will face paying back £41m to his new Asian employers (The Sun)

Pep Guardiola already has one eye on next summer’s transfer window as he looks to recruit Real Madrid playmaker Isco (The Sun)

Former England manager Roy Hodgson has emerged as a candidate to replace under-pressure Norwich manager Alex Neil (Daily Mail)

Manchester United have rejected West Brom’s £13m offer for Morgan Schneiderlin and want £20m for the player (The Sun)

Spanish star Bojan Krkic is willing to listen to offers to quit Stoke this January (The Sun)

Fulham’s on-loan striker Chris Martin pulled out of Friday’s match with Reading and told the club he wants to return immediately to Derby (The Sun)

Steve Bruce is going back to Manchester United to sign keeper Sam Johnstone for Aston Villa (The Sun)

Jermain Defoe: In demand

Jermain Defoe is almost certain to remain at Sunderland this January – due to a bizarre clause in his contract (The Sun)

Arsene Wenger has rejected Mathieu Debuchy’s claim that the pair are not on speaking terms, blaming ‘frustration’ for the defender’s recent outburst (Daily Mirror)

Sam Allardyce has claimed Wilfried Zaha will not be sold by Crystal Palace in the January transfer window – and wished him luck in the African Nations Cup next month (Daily Mirror)

West Brom boss Tony Pulis has hinted that Saido Berahino could finally get his move away from The Hawthorns in January (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City missed out on the signatures of Atletico Madrid brothers Lucas and Theo Hernandez over the summer, Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has confirmed (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are considering a move for Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka’s brother Taulant, who also plays midfield for Swiss side Basel (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City target Aymeric Laporte says he will ‘study offers’ to leave Athletic Bilbao (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Gianfranco Zola will reportedly raid former club Chelsea in the January window to sign some of the club’s rising stars (Daily Star)

Carl Jenkinson: Defender made long-awaited return

Hull boss Mike Phelan has confirmed he wants Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson to boost his club’s Premier League survival bid (Daily Mail)

Arsene Wenger has denied blocking Mathieu Debuchy from moving to Manchester United last January, but the Arsenal manager has revealed the French defender is up for sale (The Guardian)

Coach John Aloisi says Brisbane haven’t received a single offer for Jamie Maclaren despite a British report claiming Stoke City have “tabled a bid” for the striker (The Guardian)