Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd ready to take ‘concrete steps’ to sign destructive midfield talent; Juventus offer Arsenal controversial swap for Charlie Patino
Youssouf Fofana is wanted by Man Utd in January
Erik ten Hag has reportedly instructed Manchester United to step up their pursuit of a top Monaco midfielder, while Juventus have offered a former Everton flop to Arsenal in exchange for a highly-rated Gunners starlet – according to Friday’s European transfer gossip.
MAN UTD STEP UP CHASE FOR MONACO MAN
Manchester United are reportedly ready to take ‘concrete steps’ to sign Monaco and France international midfielder Youssouf Fofana during the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old has emerged as a key player for the Ligue 1 club, but they are still willing to accept a fee of around €30million (£26m) for his services, as reported by Rudy Galetti.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is keen on bringing in midfield recruits, especially with Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat not expected to be at the club beyond the current campaign, while there are also doubts over Christian Eriksen’s future too.
And Fofana is described as an upgrade on both Casemiro and Amrabat in the defensive midfield role due to physical and technical attributes.
The Monaco man can operate as a central midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder but it’s the latter role that United have struggled with this season, and that is where Fofana would be expected to play.
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Destructive Fofana firmly on United’s radar
The midfielder has one goal and three assists this season but they are not particularly stats United are bothered about, with his ability to break up play and get the ball into the feet of the more creative players at Old Trafford more in their thoughts.
And, according to transfer insider Galetti, the Red Devils are ‘still monitoring with interest Youssouf Fofana’ and ‘are ready to take concrete steps for him soon’.
Fofana is not the only linked with a switch to Old Trafford though, with Thursday’s EPT reporting that Benfica midfielder Joao Neves also remains a top target.
Meanwhile, former United striker Dimitar Berbatov has named Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich as the ‘perfect’ option for Ten Hag’s engine room.
BARCELONA INTENSIFY CHASE FOR TOP ARSENAL TARGET
Barcelona are ready to step up their interest in Aston Villa midfielder and long-time Arsenal target Douglas Luiz. (Sport)
Roma are preparing to assess other options, including West Ham’s Thilo Kehrer, after it looked as though they were moving closer to signing Union Berlin defender Leonardo Bonucci. (Calciomercato)
Spanish midfielder Isco has extended his contract with Real Betis until June 2027. (Various)
AC Milan technical director Geoffrey Moncada is an admirer of Bournemouth centre-back Lloyd Kelly and watched the player in action against Burnley recently. (MilanLive.it)
Barcelona have agreed to bring forward Vitor Roque’s arrival by six months in order to start his adaptation early and give them an alternative up front but they are facing a potential registration issue. (Cadena Cope)
Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche is ‘intensively negotiating’ a loan deal for Wolves star Sasa Kalajdzic. (Florian Plettenberg)
JUVE OFFER SURPRISE SWAP FOR GUNNERS STARLET
Juventus are interested in Arsenal midfielder Charlie-Michael Patino and are ready to offer former Everton winger Moise Kean in a swap deal for the 20-year-old. (Tuttosport)
Young Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino alongside the Juventus badge
Real Madrid have extended the contract of manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose current deal was due to expire next summer. (Relevo)
Roma are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain to terminate Renato Sanches’ loan early. (Sky Italia)
Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are eyeing a move for Barcelona winger Angel Alarcon. (Marca)
Fluminense have submitted a second bid to Real Betis to sign Brazilian forward Luiz Henrique. (Globoesporte)
Brazilian veteran Fernando has reached an agreement to terminate his contract with Sevilla. (Globo)
