It’s day 11 of the transfer window and, with Ronaldo’s stock not getting any lower after his Ballon d’Or win last night, there are less glamorous targets in sight for Premier League clubs.
Not that there are no big names involved though as Manchester United are finally ready to pull the trigger on their long-teased deal for Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller.
Louis van Gaal’s ears will have pricked up with reports in The Daily Star claiming that the 25-year-old World Cup winner is eager to secure a move away from Germany.
LVG is more than a little familiar with the versatile forward from his time as Bayern manager and Muller has recently been quoted as saying “It’s no secret that Louis van Gaal and I have a relationship that goes a little beyond the normal relationship between coaches and players.”
United also look set to resort to the philosophy of “if you can’t beat them, get them to join you for €32million” by bringing Morgan Schneiderlin to Old Trafford.
The Southampton midfielder pulled the strings in the Saints’ 1-0 victory over the Red Devils on Sunday and van Gaal seems to be a fan of the Frenchman.
Arsenal have long been linked with a move for the 25-year-old but Ed Woodward could be set to spoil that party with a United bid if they cannot secure the signature of Roma’s Kevin Strootman. (Daily Express)
Meanwhile Liverpool’s midfield could be set for a switch-up as Brendan Rodgers is willing to let Lucas Leiva leave Anfield if he can sort out a move for Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph.
The Mirror report that Leiva could be on his way to Napoli for a reunion with the man who brought him to Merseyside, Rafael Benitez.
A loan move for the Brazilian could be contingent on Liverpool securing the services of recent England call-up Delph whose contract with Paul Lambert’s Villa runs up in the summer.
It is believed that Rodgers sees Delph as the long-term replacement for his outgoing skipper, Steven Gerrard. They’re some big, slippy shoes to fill.
Meanwhile, another departure from Anfield might be met with less concern from Liverpool fans as Juventus have confirmed their interest in bringing struggling striker Mario Balotelli back to Italy on an initial loan move.
An article in The Times includes a quote from current Juve manager Massimo Allegri, who managed the controversial Italian during his spell with AC Milan, saying: “We would like to recruit him, but we do not know if it’s possible. Mario had a good season with me. Unfortunately he’s built up a character outside the world of football and everyone talks about what he does off the pitch. All coaches love to lead the best players.”
The move for the 24-year-old, who has yet to score a Premier League goal for Brendan Rodgers, could be the best thing for Balotelli as he has been under increasing scrutiny from the British media since his return to the Premier League.
Swansea City have begun the process of replacing their departing talisman Wilfried Bony with Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse at the top of their wish list.
Bony is close to securing a big-money move to Manchester City and Swansea are wasting no time in attempting to find someone to take his place as their go-to goalscorer.
The Magpies could cash in on their top-scorer, who is currently on African Cup of Nations duty for Senegal, for around €9m with the Welsh club the most likely destination according to The Telegraph.
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