Transfer news LIVE: Osimhen ‘agrees’ Chelsea move, Sancho leaves Man Utd and Arsenal target Ajax wonderkid
Brentford have set a huge price for Arsenal and Chelsea target Toney, while Tottenham and Manchester United are also lining up January targets
The January transfer window is well under way with deals being made and moves getting finalised. Arsenal have seemingly made Ivan Toney their ideal target for this window and have been told that it will take at least £100m to prise him away from Brentford. Chelsea are also interested in the striker but will need to offload several members of their huge squad to raise the funds for a deal.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have awarded a six-year contract to Pape Matar Sarr following his impressive season and have their sights set on Genoa defender Radu Dragusin. Spurs are reportedly hoping to finalise a £25m deal to bring the 21-year-old centre-back to the Premier League, although Napoli are now also in for the Romanian.
Elsewhere, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is making his presence known at Old Trafford following his minority takeover. The billionaire is now in charge of football operations and wants to bring Newcastle United chief Dan Ashworth on board to replace John Murtough as sporting director. Ashworth impressed during roles with the FA and Brighton before joining Newcastle 18 months ago and Ratcliffe is prepared to pay ‘whatever it takes’ to secure his services.
Follow all the latest news, transfer rumours and done deals below, and get all the latest football betting sites offers here.
Anxiety weighing heavily on Arsenal but is Ivan Toney the answer?
In the last week, Arsenal’s hierarchy have been attempting to work out whether they can make the finances work to get Ivan Toney. There are no questions about whether he is worth going for. Mikel Arteta wants him.
That is partly because the Arsenal manager himself is trying to work out what has gone wrong with his attack.
With just four goals in five games, it is the primary reason why they have only taken four points from those fixtures and thrown away the opportunity for a commanding position at the top of the league. It’s not even like they’ve been squandering that many chances, either. Arsenal just aren’t creating with the fizz and finesse they had been for much of last season, and some of this. There’s been an anxiety to their recent build-up that has fed into an agitation at training.
Everything suddenly feels forced and prescribed again, in the way it was in Arteta’s difficult first two years. The manager is also one of the Premier League’s more intense figureheads, which can grate on players that bit more when form isn’t going well.
Anxiety weighing heavily on Arsenal but is Ivan Toney the answer?
The Gunners’ flaws have been exposed in the past month and Mikel Arteta is desperate to find a solution
West Ham defender joins Monaco on loan
West Ham United defender Thilo Kehrer has joined French side Monaco on loan for the rest of the season and the deal includes an option for Monaco to buy the 27-year-old at the end of the campaign.
Kehrer was a key part of West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph last season with 38 appearances across all competitions but has seen his opportunities limited this season after the arrival of fellow defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart.
Kehrer has made only four substitute appearances in the Premier League this term.
Spurs face competition for Dragusin
Tottenham are hoping to finalise £25m deal to sign Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin this week, according to the Daily Mail but face a stumbling block in the form of Napoli.
The 21-year-old came through Juventus’ youth system and joined Genoa permanently last summer after spending one season on loan at the club.
The Romania international has started all 18 Serie A games this term and is seen as a quality defensive replacement for the injured Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
However, Dragusin‘s agent says the defender is not thinking about leaving Genoa during the January transfer window. Florin Manea, the player’s representative admits the centre-back is receiving interest from the Premier League but wants to remain where he is.
“He does not think about money, but about prospects for growth and the team he can play for,” he told Play TV. “We were contacted by Saudi Pro League clubs, but he did not even want to listen to their proposals.
“Personally, I have not been contacted by Napoli, Roma or AC Milan. In any case, Radu is not thinking about leaving Genoa mid-season, it would be like leaving some unfinished business for him.
“I have had contact with clubs in the Premier League, including Tottenham and others, but at this moment he does not want to leave.”
In addition, Sky Sports Italy are claiming that Napoli are pushing to overtake Spurs in the race to sign Dragusin and have seemingly presented a cash-plus-player deal offering £17.3m plus defender Leo Ostigard.
Genoa originally valued the Romania international at £30m, with the aim of closing around £26m to whichever club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe targets Newcastle chief for sporting director role
The new minority owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is looking to assert his influence on the club as he takes over footballing operations for the January transfer window.
Far from landing a big money player - which may yet come - Ratcliffe’s priority is to sign Newcastle United chief Dan Ashworth and is reportedly willing to pay whatever figures the Magpies demand according to the Daily Mirror.
Ashworth impressed in previous roles at the FA and Brighton and has been identified as Man Utd’s key target by the Ineos billionaire. The Athletic previously reported that Newcastle, who have thrived during Ashworth’s 18 months at the club, would demand seven-figure compensation if they were to let one of their key assets go.
Now it is understood that Ratcliffe will pay whatever it takes to get Ashworth on board.
It is understood that United plan to appoint a new sporting director and head of recruitment to work with Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, with Ineos having full sign off on transfers and other major decisions like stadium improvements.
Brentford set huge Ivan Toney transfer price as Arsenal and Chelsea consider player sales
Brentford have set a price of £100m for Ivan Toney to be sold this January, as Chelsea are looking into making sales in order to challenge Arsenal for his signature.
While both of the wealthier clubs are unwilling to go to that price, Brentford’s position is bolstered by the fact strikers are at a premium as the most in-demand position with few options.
Arsenal have recently been seen as favourites to sign the 28-year-old, with Mikel Arteta now wanting him as they suddenly encounter attacking issues in the Premier League.
Brentford set huge Ivan Toney transfer price as Arsenal and Chelsea consider sales
It is understood both Arsenal and Chelsea would need to sell players first in order to meet Brentford’s £100m asking price
Chelsea ban season-ticket holder who barged into Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka
Chelsea have suspended the season-ticket holder who barged into Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka in December, and the club is ‘supporting’ police with a criminal investigation into the incident.
Chelsea beat Newcastle on penalties in the teams’ Carabao Cup quarter-final on 19 December, after Mykhailo Mudryk scored a dramatic late equaliser in regular time. The winger’s strike in the 92nd minute cancelled out Callum Wilson’s first-half goal, before Mauricio Pochettino’s side went on to triumph in the shootout.
As the Stamford Bridge crowd celebrated Mudryk’s goal, a fan invaded the pitch and goaded Dubravka, appearing to intentionally bump into the Newcastle keeper.
Chelsea ban season-ticket holder who barged into Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka
The fan took to the pitch at Stamford Bridge after his side’s late equaliser in the Carabao Cup quarter-final
Radulovic joins Huddersfield
Huddersfield have announced the signing of Serbian centre forward Bojan Radulovic on a permanent transfer from Finnish champions HJK.
Radulovic has joined the Terriers for an undisclosed fee and has signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal that runs until the summer of 2027.
His move is still pending international clearance from the football authorities.
Victor Osimhen to Chelsea?
The Evening Standard says that Victor Osimhen has ‘agreed’ to join Chelsea in the summer.
The newspaper cite a TEAMtalk claim that the Napoli striker, who has a release clause of around £112m, is willing to sign a pre-agreement in January ahead of a summer move.
Take this with a pinch of salt as the Blues would need to pay a hefty sum to secure the forward’s services and he hasn’t exactly been open to a move previously.
TEAMtalk suggest that the likes of former Chelsea stars, Didier Drogba and John Obi Mikel, have been in contact with Osimhen on the hopes that they can convince him to join the London club.
Stoke sign Iversen from Leicester
Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen has joined Stoke on loan for the rest of the season.
The 26-year-old has not made an appearance for Leicester this season, last making the matchday squad in August.
He made 12 Premier League appearances last year and ended the campaign as No 1 after displacing Danny Ward. But Iversen has since fallen behind Mads Hermansen and Jakub Stolarczyk.
Manchester United and Dortmund agree Jadon Sancho loan deal
Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund have agreed a deal in principle for Jadon Sancho to return to the Signal Iduna Park on loan for the rest of the season.
There are still important details to resolve and the two clubs are not yet sure when the winger’s move can be confirmed, but Sancho is set to rejoin Dortmund.
The Bundesliga club are expected to pay a loan fee and a percentage of his wages, with United set to have to subsidise them.
More info here:
Man Utd and Dortmund agree Jadon Sancho loan deal
The winger produced the best form of his career while at the Bundesliga club, prior to joining United in 2021
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