Paper Talk: Arsenal finally set to get their man in Jan; unlikely Liverpool link
Unai Emery will sign Argentina midfielder Ever Banega, Liverpool are linked with an unlikely midfielder, while Gonzalo Higuain is Premier League bound, all in the papers.
EMERY TO GET HIS MAN
Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega is finally heading to Arsenal next month, according to a report.
Unai Emery has managed the Argentina man twice during his time at Sevilla and Valencia and tried to land the 30-year-old after the World Cup.
Instead Emery ended up signing up signing Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, but he still wants Banega and Argentine journalist Roberto Martinez says the deal is on.
Ever Banega, cerca de dejar el Sevilla para pasar al Arsenal por petición expresa de Unai Emery, el entrenador que siempre extrajo lo mejor de él como jugador. El Mercado de Invierno en Europa prevé movimientos impactantes.
— Roberto Martínez (@robertopuntocom) December 25, 2018
He tweeted: “Ever Banega is close to leaving Sevilla to go to Arsenal by express request of Unai Emery.”
Banega is currently under contract with the Spanish giants until 2020, but with Aaron Ramsey set to leave and as soon as next month, Emery is in need of a replacement.
AND THE REST
Barcelona have made an offer of a €10m annual salary plus a €10m signing bonus to PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot (Paris United)
AC Milan will sack manager Gennaro Gattuso after Saturday’s match against SPAL (Calciomercato)
River Plate midfielder Exequiel Palacio is expected to be signed by Real Madrid in the coming days (Mundo Deportivo)
Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong has agreed terms on a move to Barcelona next year (Diario Sport)
Chelsea are reportedly on the brink of signing Gonzalo Higuain on loan in a deal that will see Alvaro Morata head to Italy. (Star)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will land a £2m bonus if he secures Champions League qualification for Manchester United. (Star)
Paris Saint-Germain are set to offer Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey an 18-month contract when the January transfer window opens (L’Equipe)
Real Madrid are willing to offer Chelsea Spain playmaker Isco, 26, and 24-year-old Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic – who is already on loan at Stamford Bridge – as part of a deal to sign the Blues’ Belgium forward Eden Hazard, 27. (Onda Cero)
Juventus will not sell 28-year-old Brazil midfielder Douglas Costa, who has been linked with Manchester City and Manchester United, in the January transfer window. (Calciomercato)
West Ham United have had a £6.5m bid for Chile midfielder Gary Medel, 31, rejected by Turkish club Besiktas. (Talksport)
Tottenham’s 31-year-old Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele, who is out of contract in the summer, is a target for Monaco manager Thierry Henry. (Le Sport 10)
Spurs could turn their interest in 18-year-old Norwich right-back Max Aarons into a formal £15m offer, with German club RB Leipzig also interested in the England Under-19 international. (Sun)
Watford fear they could lose French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, 25, to Paris St-Germain for £45m next month and may move for Nice’s former France Under-18 international Adrien Tameze, 24, as a replacement. (Mail
Liverpool are chasing a £31m January deal for Eden Hazard’s brother Thorgan from Borussia Monchengladbach. (Sun)
Newcastle want Fabio Borini with the ex-Sunderland striker lined up for a January move. (Sun)
CSKA Moscow chief executive Roman Babaev believes on-loan Everton forward Nikola Vlasic, 21, wants to stay at the club but says the Russian outfit may not be able to afford to sign the Croatia international permanently. (Liverpool Echo)
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez does not think the club will be ready to make a signing early in the January transfer window. (Various)
Celtic have made a £6m move for Belgium international right-back Timothy Castagne from Atalanta. (Daily Mail)
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is considering sacking manager Aitor Karanka after four games without a win and reports of player unrest at the Championship club. (Mail)
Aitor Karanka is on the brink of the sack at Nottingham Forest after the chaotic 3-3 draw with Norwich. (Telegraph)
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has yet to inform the Spanish club whether he will take up the option of a third year on his contract at the Nou Camp. (Marca)
Atletico Madrid are trying to stop Bayern Munich activating 22-year-old France defender Lucas Hernandez’s release clause of 80m euros (£72m) in January. (Marca)
West Brom manager Darren Moore says he is not concerned about possible January interest from Premier League clubs for English striker Jay Rodriguez, 29. (Times)