A round-up of the latest transfer gossip from around Europe as Chelsea see a bid for striker target Viktor Gyokeres rejected and Brentford contact Tottenham over a loan.
Stamford Bridge chiefs are keen to reinforce Mauricio Pochettino’s attack this month beyond Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja and Christopher Nkunku. The west London outfit only rank eighth in the Premier League so far this season for goals scored with 35 through 21 matches.
But Sporting Lisbon are thwarting Chelsea while they target a transfer for Gyokeres, who has scored 20 goals this term. The 25-year-old has only played 24 games to date but is thriving since joining from Coventry City in July. He has also scored three in five Europa League ties.
HITC Football paper round-up
Reports by Record claim that Sporting Lisbon have rejected an initial €80m (£69m) bid from Chelsea for Gyokeres’ transfer. The Blues also offered a further €5m (£4.5m) in add-ons. But the Leoes will not let the Sweden forward leave for below his €100m (£86m) release clause.
Meanwhile, TEAMtalk notes that Trevoh Chalobah might even leave Chelsea within the next week. AS Roma and SSC Napoli are both very keen to see the 24-year-old move to Serie A, too. But Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are also interested in him staying in England.
ACF Fiorentina are showing the most interest in the transfer of Moise Kean with the forward likely to leave Juventus. That is according to Calciomercato, which claims that Kean is having to consider his future in Turin as he is the player most at risk of the Bianconeri trying to sell.
Alvaro Fernandez is closing in on a permanent transfer from Manchester United to Benfica, reports Sky Sports. The left-back rejected a move to Brentford to join the Portuguese giants. So, the Bees have also moved and asked Tottenham Hotspur about loaning Sergio Reguilon.
Brentford have an array of attacking targets, too, with Sky Sports noting interest in transfers for Norwich City’s Jon Rowe, Antonio Nusa of Club Brugge and TSG Hoffenheim’s Max Beier. They are also interested in Assane Diao and view the Real Betis winger as their prime target.
But Beier, Diao and Nusa are unlikely to be unavailable for a transfer in January. So, Rowe is emerging as a potential signing for Brentford before the transfer deadline day. Yet he is also on Aston Villa and Tottenham’s radars during his breakthrough season in the Championship.
Besiktas are making progress in their efforts to sign Cedric Soares from Arsenal after naming Fernando Santos as their manager. Record notes that Santos knows Cedric well and admires the 32-year-old. Arsenal are also unlikely to block a transfer once they receive an official bid.
Aston Villa and West Ham United are rivalling English and Italian interest in the transfer of Albert Gudmundsson, per Calciomercato. But Genoa will not sell the striker for a fee under €30m (£26m) with Juventus keen. The 26-year-old also has 10 goals in 20 games this term.
Hamed Traore arrived in Rome on Tuesday morning to undergo further medical checks for a transfer from AFC Bournemouth to Roma. Sky Sports notes that the two teams agreed to an initial loan over the weekend. His move will also include a £21.5m option to buy the winger.
BK Hacken prospect Momodou Sonko is attracting serious interest from Bologna, Liverpool and RB Leipzig, according to Fotboll Direkt. The three clubs have also met Hacken to discuss the 18-year-old winger’s availability. But Sonko will cost 80m Swedish Krona (£6m) to sign.
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