Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd hatching £22m plan to land brilliant left-back as double signing nears; Klopp standing firm over Barcelona Anfield smash and grab
Miguel Gutierrez; Oscar Zambrano Man Utd targets
Manchester United could be closing in on a January transfer window double deal for a talented new left-back and a South American midfielder, while Jurgen Klopp is playing hardball over Barcelona’s chase for a Liverpool midfielder – all in Friday’s European Transfer Gossip.
RATCLIFFE OPENS TALKS OVER €70M MAN UTD DEAL FOR LENY YORO
Manchester United could be on the brink of a double deal as they reportedly close in on a new left-back and central midfielder.
The Red Devils are not expected to be hugely active in the January window, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s impact on the club not expected to be fully felt until the summer.
But, despite that, the club are still looking to get more young talent on board and any bargains that might just drop in their lap.
And one of those bargains could come in the form of Girona’s highly-rated left-back Miguel Gutierrez, although any potential deal is likely to hinge heavily on Real Madrid.
United are expected to try and sign another left-back after they allowed Sergio Reguilon to end his disappointing loan spell early and return to parent club Tottenham.
Girona have been making big waves in Spain so far this season as they, emerging as unlikely title contenders, and Gutierrez has been one of their most influential performers.
Indeed, the 22-year-old’s displays have seen some of Europe’s elite clubs sit up and take notice – with Manchester City and Arsenal licked previously.
United, Milan and Borussia Dortmund all hold interest in the player, with reports suggesting that the Red Devils have sent scouts to watch Gutierrez on multiple occasions in recent weeks.
The report adds that United scouts are admirers of Gutierrez due to his ‘football IQ and attacking profile’, with the full-back so far notching three assists and a goal in his 20 appearances this term.
However, there are significant obstacles to getting a deal done, one of which is the fact that Gutierrez is a Real Madrid academy graduate.
Tothat end, Los Blancos hold a significant 50 percent sell-on clause on the player as per the terms of his switch to Girona in the summer of 2022.
The report goes on to outline that Gutierrez, who was the subject of a failed £10.5million bid from Dortmund in the summer, could be prised away from Girona for as little as £22m, although Real could decide to re-sign him and sell him on themselves.
United move for Ecuador midfielder moves to next level
Meanwhile, there has been a fresh update on United’s bid to sign LDU Quito midfielder Oscar Zambrano.
Dubbed the ‘new Moises Caicedo’, we reported earlier on Friday on United’s chase for the 19-year-old and the fact they still have regret over snubbing the chance to sign Caicedo did back in 2021.
Oscar Zambrano (l) has emerged as a Man Utd target
United were well in the mix to sign the now-Chelsea man back in 2020 but third-party transfer involvement made them back away from any deal.
Caicedo ended up on the south coast before then moving to Stamford Bridge for a British record transfer fee, and United re determined not to miss out on another top South American talent.
Indeed, Diario Olé Ecuador now claims that Old Trafford transfer chiefs will ‘accelerate’ their efforts to sign the talented teenager.
That is largely due to the fact that fellow Premier League dup Luton and Bournemouth are also keen on closing deals for the midfielder.
According to Olé, Zambrano owns 15% of his rights and Quito would like him to give up his share, which is why the Hatters couldn’t close any deal of their won.
Olé adds that the midfielder’s future will be defined in the ‘next few hours’ and that whoever wants to sign him will have to pay around $7m [€6.4m].
BAYERN CHASING ANOTHER FULHAM STAR
Bayern Munich have identified Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo as a transfer target for January. (Fussball Transfers)
Napoli have dumped the idea of signing Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg from Tottenham and Pablo Fornals from West Ham, in favour of a move for Leicester City’s Boubakary Soumare. (Corriere dello Sport)
Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab have made a €12m offer to sign Napoli striker Matteo Politano. (Sky Sports)
Brentford are willing to pay the €30m release clause Real Betis want for attacker Assane Diao in January. (Estadio Deportivo)
Roma have found an agreement with Juventus over a loan deal for 18-year-old defender Dean Huijsen until the end of the 2023-24 season. (Various)
Barcelona sporting director Deco is happy with the squad and does not intend to offload any players in this transfer window. (ESPN)
Villarreal have completed another early move in the January transfer window with Ben Brereton Diaz leaving on loan for Sheffield United. (Football Espana)
KLOPP DETERMINED TO STOP BARCA RAID
Barcelona want to re-sign Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara in January, but Jurgen Klopp is determined to keep hold of the star. (Various)
Thiago Alcantara screams behind manager Jurgen Klopp during Liverpool game
Everton are ‘still working’ on a deal with Leeds United on an agreement to sign Wilfried Gnonto in the January transfer window. (Rudy Galetti)
Hellas Verona ‘could give in’ to a €10m offer from Aston Villa for Cyril Ngonge, even after setting their initial demands at €15m. (Verona Sera)
Genoa are looking at Como loanee Marco Curto and Union Berlin’s Leonardo Bonucci as they prepare to replace Tottenham target Radu Dragusin, despite reports the Romanian has changed his mind over a move to north London. (Calciomercato)
Lille defender Tiago Djalo is getting closer to joining Juventus despite long-term interest from Inter Milan. (Sky Sports Italia)
Milan are among a list of several clubs across Europe interested in signing Brest defender Lillian Brassier. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
Inter Milan have reached an agreement to loan midfielder Lucien Agoume to Marseille. (Calciomercato)
Tiago Pinto will officially leave Roma next month and is now reportedly being targeted by Saudi side Al-Nassr. (TMW)
Napoli and Udinese are very close to reaching an agreement for Lazar Samardzic to join the Azzurri. (Matteo Moretto)
