Paper Talk: Arsenal weigh up £51m bid; Chelsea’s £27m snub
Chelsea have had a £27million bid for Franck Kessie rebuffed, while West Ham and Celtic are battling for a full-back, all in Friday’s papers.
HAMMERS MOVE FOR CELTIC TARGET
West Ham have joined the race to sign Fenerbahce full-back Hasan Ali Kaldirim, according to Yahoo Sport.
The Hammers are in talks with Kaldirim’s father, who is representing him on the deal.
Kaldirim, 27, will be available on a free-transfer at the end of the season and is reluctant to extend his contract in Turkey.
Slaven Bilic though is keen to sign him up now for a nominal fee rather than battle for the player in the summer.
Bilic could however face competition from Celtic, as the Scottish Premier League leaders have also made the Turkey international an offer.
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CHESLEA HAVE KESSIE BID REJECTED
Chelsea have had a £27million bid for the ‘next Yaya Toure’ turned down, according to a report.
Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie is wanted by Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, according to the player’s agent George Atangana.
The Daily Star claims Chelsea offered £21million up front, rising to £27million with add-ons, but it has been rejected by the Serie A side.
Atalanta are keen to keep hold of the 20-year-old until the summer at least in the hope that his value will only rise.
Chelsea are “refusing to give up on Kessie”, while a source close to the player claim “it’s a straight fight between Chelsea and Juventus to sign him”.
AND THE REST
Arsenal will spend £51m on Borussia Dortmund playmaker Marco Reus if Alexis Sanchez decides to leave the club (WhoScored)
West Ham’s position over their 29-year-old France midfielder Dimitri Payet is believed to be softening and they might be prepared to accept an improved offer of about £30m from Marseille. (Daily Mirror)
Middlesbrough will explore the possibility of signing 21-year-old midfielder Jack Grealish from Aston Villa should forward Gaston Ramirez ,26, leave for Leicester, who have already had an offer of around £12m rejected. (Daily Mail)
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Wayne Rooney has been offered wages of £600k-a-week by Shanghai Shenhua to join Carlos Tevez in the Chinese Super League. (Sun)
Wolves boss Paul Lambert is on the verge of clinching a £1.85m deal for Blackburn midfielder Ben Marshall. (Sun)
Aitor Karanka has confirmed Middlesbrough’s interest in Paris Saint-Germain forward Jese Rodriguez. (Mirror)
Wolves boss Paul Lambert is considering a raid on Championship rivals Norwich for winger Josh Murphy, despite the 21-year-old starlet just penning a new contract. (Mirror)
Sam Allardyce wants to bolster Crystal Palace’s defence with deals for Chris Samba and £10m Olympiakos midfielder Luka Milivojevic. (Sun)
Willem II are close to agreeing a deal to take Watford striker Obbi Oulare on loan until the end of the season. (Sun)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is still keen on signing Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin. (Times)
Bradford City have made a £250,000 bid for Carlisle striker Charlie Wyke (Telegraph & Argus)
Southampton have rejected a £180m offer from Chinese property company Lander Sports Development to buy the club. (Times)
Fulham pair Lasse Christensen and team-mate Cauley Woodrow are expected to sign for Burton Albion on Friday. (Mail)
West Brom have checked on whether Hull City striker Abel Hernandez is available in this window. (Mail)
Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Mamadou Sakho at Liverpool and Serdar Tasci at Spartak Moscow are all on Southampton’s radar as they look for cover for the injured Virgil van Dijk. (Mail)
Hull City and Newcastle have made enquiries for Angers forward Nicolas Pepe. (Mail)
West Brom are ready to take on Zenit St Petersburg for the signature of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. (Times, Mail)
Crystal Palace have submitted a £10m bid for Lille defensive midfielder Ibrahim Amadou. (Times)
Leicester have snubbed a £30m bid for Islam Slimani from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian. (Sun)
Newcastle are keen on taking Brazilian striker Gabriel Appelt Pires on loan from La Liga outfit Leganes. (Star)
Robert Snodgrass is set for a medical at West Ham on Friday ahead of his £10m move from Hull. (Guardian)
Sunderland have approached Bordeaux about a loan deal for 26-year-old German left-back Diego Contento. (Sky Sports)
Manchester United’s Italy full-back Matteo Darmian, 27, is searching for a new apartment in Milan as he eyes a move to Inter. (Sun)
Crystal Palace have been linked with former Manchester United and Newcastle winger Gabriel Obertan, 27. The Frenchman is available on a free transfer after being told he can leave Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. (France Football – in French)
Chelsea’s Serbia defender Branislav Ivanovic, 32, is in talks over a move to Zenit St Petersburg. (Daily Mail)
West Ham and Celtic are vying to sign Fenerbahce’s Turkey full-back Hasan Ali Kaldirim, 27. (Yahoo Sport)
Brentford boss Dean Smith accepts 24-year-old striker Scott Hogan, the subject of several failed approaches by West Ham, will leave if the club’s £15m valuation is met before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. (TalkSPORT)
Rangers say they do not want to sell Josh Windass amid reports of an approach by Hull City. The 23-year-old midfielder is the son of Hull legend Dean Windass. (Daily Express)
Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy, 31, is trying to set up a transfer back home to France after being told he can leave the Gunners. (Daily Mirror)
The Norwegian FA is preparing an official approach for Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler. (Dagbladet)