Alexandre Pato to Chelsea; Manchester United to rival Leicester for Ahmed Musa; Liverpool want Piotr Zielinski

A round-up of the biggest transfer news and rumours on Friday 29 January

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Manchester United could make a late bid to try and beat Leicester to the signing of CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa, with the Nigeria international gaining interest in the Premier League.

Leicester have already been linked with the 23-year-old, and are believed to have had a £15m offer rejected by the Russian club as they look to hold out for a fee of at least £18.9m.

But The Express reports that United are showing interest in Musa ahead of Monday’s January transfer window deadline, and they could launch a bid over the weekend to try and snatch the striker out of the grasp of the Premier League leaders.

Musa has scored 10 goals this season, and his arrival would give United manager Louis van Gaal more options in attack, given that the club have scored the least number of goals this season from the current top eight.

Liverpool meanwhile are believed to be considering a move for Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski, although the Reds could be forced to wait until the summer before agreeing a move for the 21-year-old Poland international.

The Mirror is reporting that Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is ready to go ahead with an £11m bid for Zielinski, who is currently on loan with fellow Serie A club Empoli, but the player is believed to favour delaying any move away from the club until the summer in order to maximise his chances of playing for Poland at Euro 2016.

Despite reports that Chelsea will not allow defender Gary Cahill to leave, Italian side Roma are interested in his services and could launch a late bid to try and test the Blues’ resolve, reports the Evening Standard. Chelsea are reluctant to sell Cahill given the lack of time remaining in the transfer window to sign a replacement, even though they are on the verge of signing United States international defender Matt Miazga.

The Blues are also expected to complete the loan move for Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato later today, although the switch was delayed by negotiations over a loan fee.

Manchester City have been handed a boost in their hope of being able to sign Barcelona forward Neymar after the Brazilian admitted he would “love” to play for manager Pep Guardiola, with the Spaniard widely expected to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium in the summer.

Neymar is wanted by both City and United, and his future remains uncertain with contract extension talks yet to reach a conclusion with the Catalan club. However, former Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizzareta claimed this week that Neymar is “very, very, very happy at Barca”.

Finally Newcastle are ready to shelf plans to sign West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino despite being prepared to offer over £20m for the 22-year-old striker, who is also wanted by Tottenham. The Newcastle Chronicle reports that West Brom’s lack of encouragement over negotiations have put them off making an offer, while The Telegraph adds that the Magpies will now target Chelsea striker Loic Remy instead with the France international struggling for games at Stamford Bridge.