January 1. Here we go again.
The transfer window is back on Saturday. Only 31 days ’til deadline. Things are going to get heated.
In the gossip columns anyway. Nothing will probably actually happen in real life but, by God, we’re going to have a fun month talking about what might have been.
The summer of 2015 was particularly special. Days upon days of endless speculation, every big player in Europe was on the move and they were all coming to the Premier League as chance would have it. In the end, Victor Moses got a loan move on Deadline Day and that stole the show.
The paper talk was so extreme though that we even managed to put together three cracking teams of players linked with a move to England all summer and ended up going nowhere. Expect these guys to revive their roles this January.
But some of it might not be total bullshit. Right?
Liverpool fans will certainly hope there’s some truth in the madness because they are front and centre of the first transfer rumour mill from what is sure to be a long month. It seems that Jurgen Klopp is going with youth as his first port of call and targetting the highly-rated Marko Grujic as his first signing at Anfield.
The 19-year-old Red Star Belgrade midfielder is one of the most exciting talents on the continent and Liverpool are expected to confirm the signing as early as Monday. Some of their fans would tell you it’s already done though, having already edited the Serbian international’s Wikipedia page and gifted him a famous enough club number too. (Daily Star)
Remember Charlie Austin?
Remember he was moving here, there and everywhere? Remember he ended up staying at QPR? Well, he’s definitely moving this time. Maybe.
Crystal Palace lead the chase for the English striker who banged them in for fun the last time he was in the Premier League. Super Alan Pardew has made Austin his number one priority for January as he hunts down a Champions League spot – a not-so-unprecedented Champions League spot in his head. If he isn’t careful, he could get the England job at this rate. (Daily Express)
@FYPFanzine No, has to be this one! https://t.co/Vn0rsB8GCM #cpfc
— CP Supporters' Trust (@PalaceTrust) December 31, 2015
Manchester United have greenlit another heavy spending spree this January after their worst ever December… after another heavy spending spree in the summer.
Louis van Gaal will be given one last chance – in this case, around £25om – to get things right at Old Trafford so stand by for Ronaldo, Bale, Neymar, and James Rodriguez rumours for the rest of the month. Sorry. (The Independent)
Say what you will about Louis van Gaal but if United DO get Ronaldo, Bale, Neymar and Rodriguez, they'll be a force next year#MUFC
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) December 23, 2015
Manchester City aren’t ones to sit around either. Where Liverpool are landing Grujic, the Eastlands club are spending another fortune in Germany. 19-year-old Schalke forward, Leroy Sané, is being hunted by Manuel Pellegrini with a hefty £32m as bait. The Bundesliga outfit are expected to hold out though – because they know Man City will give them 60 if they have to. (The Guardian)
And it wouldn’t be a transfer round-up without Arsenal looking for a defensive midfielder. So make Mohamed Elneny of FC Basel the first of their linked players. The £5m-rated Egyptian is being touted as the 217th missing piece of the Arsene Wenger jigsaw. (The Sun)
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