Premier League returns: Chelsea's mid-season review
The January transfer window is just around the corner and several Premier League clubs are already hard at work behind closed doors to establish their plan of action for the mid-season market. Just shy of £300million was spent by teams in England's top flight in January earlier this year and it seems as though a similar collective outlay could be splashed on new players over the coming weeks as managers up and down the country look to prepare their ranks for the all-important run-in.
Manchester United are widely expected to be active in the market next month as Erik ten Hag aims to improve his squad, with the Red Devils said to be targeting Croatia duo Josip Juranovic and Dominik Livakovic among a handful of other players. A renewed move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was pursued by United over the summer, could also be in the works at Old Trafford amid the continued uncertainty over the Dutchman's long-term future at the Nou Camp.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were the Premier League's biggest spenders in pre-season and have been tipped to splash the cash once again in January in order to add some extra quality before the mid-season window draws to a close. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City will also be hard at work behind the scenes to set out their respective plans of action, but it remains to be seen which club will manage to take the biggest strides over the course of next month.
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Express Sport is on hand to keep you up to date with the latest transfer news (Image: GETTY)
Thank you for following with us and keep coming back to Express Sport for all the latest news and updates as the opening of the transfer window grows ever nearer.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 'right hand man' lands in Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo's 'right-hand man' Ricardo Regufe has reportedly flown out to Saudi Arabia according to reports from Portugal.
The 37-year-old has a two-and-a-half-year contract on the table from Al-Nassr said to be worth around £175million.
Ronaldo has been on the lookout for a new club since leaving Manchester United last month and a move to the Middle East is starting to look increasingly likely.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has issued an update on Lionel Messi stating he would like to see him back at the club one day.
The World Cup winning captain had been linked with a return to the Camp Nou but reports this week have suggested he is set to extend his stay in Paris by another year.
“Messi is the best player of all time. He’s Barça fan, his heart beats for Barça… so the links are normal” he told BarcaTV.
“Will Messi return? He’s PSG player. We’d love to have Leo back here one day — but we will see”.
Mateusz Klich has found match action hard to come by this season and it now appears that he may be set to leave Elland Road.
The 32-year-old could soon link up with Wayne Rooney at DC United according to Polish sports reporter Tomasz Wlodarczyk with a three year deal believed to be on the table.
Kilch has made 192 appearances for Leeds in all competitions scoring 24 goals and was part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
Atletico Madrid have placed an £88million valuation on Joao Felix according to ESPN.
The Portugal star has been linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, Aston Villa and most notably Manchester United.
Felix is believed to be seeking to leave the Wanda Metropolitano after falling out with Diego Simeone but his price tag may mean a loan move could be the most likely departure route.
Manchester United could reap the rewards of a January move for Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos after his World Cup heroics for Portugal over the last few weeks, according to former Red Devils midfielder Kleberson.
"They need someone who can come in and get goals, Goncalo Ramos can be that guy," he told Ladbrokes.
"He’s really young, but he’s already shown us what he’s capable of, on the biggest stage of all at the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland.
"The way he plays, and how he moves and interacts with his teammates… he could be their new Cristiano Ronaldo. A move to United would be a good thing for him."
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has moved to play down the idea of Lionel Messi returning to the Nou Camp on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old is widely expected to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain to keep him in France until the summer of 2024, with discussions reportedly set to begin next month.
"Messi is the best player of all time, he’s a Barca fan, his heart beats for Barca so the links are normal," Laporta told Barca TV.
"Will Messi return? He’s a PSG player. We’d love to have Leo back here one day but we will see."
Lionel Messi will be a free agent next summer as things stand (Image: GETTY)
Fulham are interested in striking a deal with Everton to land Abdoulaye Doucoure before the end of next month, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Mali international joined the Toffees in 2020 for a fee in the region of £19m but has been restricted to just seven Premier League appearances since the beginning of the campaign.
Fulham are interested in Abdoulaye Doucour\u00e9, he\u2019s one of the targets for January window \u2014 still early stages as also depends on Everton decisions \u26aa\ufe0f #FulhamFC
C\u00e9dric Soares, also in Marco Silva\u2019s list but it\u2019s not advanced yet with Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/NpQsM35V58
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that another striker could be signed in January to fill the void left by the absence of Gabriel Jesus, who is currently sidelined with an injury picked up while playing for Brazil at the World Cup.
"It’s a huge blow for us, obviously," said Arteta when quizzed on Jesus' latest setback.
"He’s such an important player, he’s brought something very different to the team and it’s impossible to replace him.
"But we have other players, other alternatives and we’ll try to get that sorted. The transfer window is another option."
David Detro Fofana will undergo a medical at Chelsea today ahead of his exepcted January move to Stamford Bridge, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 28-year-old is set to join the Blues from Molde for a transfer fee of around £10.5m and will become their first signing of the mid-season window.
Excl: David Datro Fofana to Chelsea, done deal and here we go! There\u2019s full agreement between all parties, deal sealed. \ud83d\udd35\ud83e\udd1d\ud83c\udffb #CFC
Been told medical tests will take place today in London, on his birthday.
Born in 2002, Ivorian striker will join Chelsea from Molde for \u20ac12m fee. pic.twitter.com/3JVwIxWSZu
Barcelona are weighing up the idea of cutting ties with Raphinha after being left unconvinced by his performances since joining the club from Leeds over the summer, according to Sport.
It is said that club chiefs expected the Brazilian winger to have a bigger impact on proceedings in the final third and will be looking for him to improve his return over the coming weeks and months.
Raphinha's situation will reportedly be assessed at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether he will he shipped out of the Nou Camp after just one year on their books despite being contracted until the summer of 2027.
Raphinha has failed to meet expectations at Barcelona this season (Image: GETTY)
Benfica will not entertain the possibility of selling Enzo Fernandez for less than his £105m release clause before the end of the January transfer window.
That's according to AS, who claim that Liverpool and Real Madrid are interested in snapping up the 21-year-old after his stellar World Cup campaign for Argentina.
There is a chance that Benfica could be willing to budge on their asking price at the end of the season, although they are determined to avoid losing their prized asset over the coming weeks unless his release clause is met.
Barcelona manager Xavi has asked club chiefs to ignore any January bids for the services of Frenkie de Jong, according to Sport.
The Dutchman was heavily pursued by Manchester United over the summer and is thought to remain a target for the Red Devils, who have been tipped to resume their efforts to snap him up over the course of next month.
However, it seems as though any offers from United could fall on deaf ears, with Xavi unwilling to let De Jong leave the Nou Camp for the foreseeable future.
United are said to be long-term admirers of Frenkie de Jong (Image: GETTY)
Cristiano Ronaldo is on the brink of signing a mega-money deal with Saudi outfit Al-Nassr that could run for up to seven years, according to the Daily Mail.
It is said that Ronaldo is 'ready' to put pen to paper and has been lined up to play until 2025 before taking on an ambassadorial role at the club.
Part of his off-pitch role will be to help Saudi Arabia, together with Egypt and Greece, in their bid to host the World Cup in 2030.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, are also preparing to cut three players in order to free up enough room financially to sign the veteran forward.
Chelsea have reached out to Juventus to discuss the availability of Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the upcoming January window.
That's according to Ben Jacobs, who claims that Chelsea are on the lookout for a new striker to lead the line with Armando Broja out for the season after suffering a long-term injury earlier this month.
Juventus are believed to value Vlahovic, who joined them from Fiorentina last year, at around the £80m mark and several clubs have already been in touch with the player's representatives in order to register their interest in his services.
Dusan Vlahovic has reportedly emerged as a January target for Chelsea (Image: GETTY)
Manchester United have added Croatia duo Josip Juranovic and Dominik Livakovic to their list of potential January targets, according to Sportske Novosti.
Juranovic is reportedly being eyed as a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has played only a handful of Premier League minutes this season and could leave the Red Devils next month.
Livakovic, meanwhile, is also thought to have cropped up on United's radar as they seek the addition of a new first-choice goalkeeper in the not-too-distant future.
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of all the latest transfer news, with just 10 days left until the January window finally opens.
We'll be on hand to keep you updated with the biggest stories from the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe throughout the day, so grab a coffee and stay tuned...
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