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BBC
Everton have joined the race to sign Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, 28. The Englishman is also wanted by his first club Southampton, with the Gunners set to ask for close to £30m. (Liverpool Echo)
RB Leipzig could let Guinean midfielder Naby Keita join Liverpool this month. The Reds have already agreed to sign the 22-year-old in the summer for £48m but may be able to take him in January for an additional 15-20m euros payment. (Bild - in German)
Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill was set to meet with Stoke City officials on Wednesday over the vacant managerial position, with assistant Roy Keane also expected to move if he takes the job. (Irish Independent)
Guangzhou Evergrande say they will not enter a bidding battle with fellow Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan for the services of 28-year-old Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. (ESPN)
Tottenham have begun informal discussions with midfielder Dele Alli. The club are said to be confident of agreeing a new deal with the 21-year-old England international. (Daily Mirror)
Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan has said the club's 17-year-old English left-back Ryan Sessegnon will not be sold this month, amid interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. (Daily Telegraph)
Manchester United will have to pay up to £27m to sign 22-year-old Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Anderlecht in January. (Manchester Evening News)
Crystal Palace could complete the signing of Senegal striker Diafra Sakho, 28, from West Ham by the end of the week. (Daily Mirror)
Huddersfield have agreed a £14m deal with Norwich to sign winger Alex Pritchard, 24. The Englishman left Tottenham for £8m in the summer of 2016. (Daily Mail)
West Ham have been told that they will have to pay £15m for Bournemouth and Republic of Ireland midfielder Harry Arter, 28. (Daily Mirror)
Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has informed the club he wants to leave, with Liverpool reportedly interested in signing the 21-year-old Spaniard. (Diario Gol - in Spanish)
Hearts are set to sign Manchester United left-back Demetri Mitchell on loan. The 20-year-old English defender would be the Scottish side's first signing of the January transfer window. (Edinburgh Evening News)
Barcelona's Gerard Pique has warned Manchester United that fellow defender Samuel Umtiti will stay at the club for "many more years". The 24-year-old Frenchman has a £55m release clause in his contract. (Metro)
Meanwhile, the Catalan club are about to sign Palmeiras defender Yerry Mina. The 23-year-old Colombian will sign a five-and-a-half-year contract. (Radio Catalunya - in Spanish)
He is set to replace 33-year-old Barca and Argentina defender Javier Mascherano who is expected to join Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune. (Goal)
Germany and Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira, 30, says he is not keen to play in Major League Soccer and wants to stay in Turin when his contract expires in 2019. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Millwall have approached Aston Villa about signing 30-year-old defender Tommy Elphick on loan for the rest of the season. Villa manager Steve Bruce has refused to rule out the Englishman leaving the club this month. (Birmingham Mail)
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez is expected to reiterate his appeal to owner Mike Ashley and managing director Lee Charnley to get player signings completed before his self-imposed deadline of 20 January. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Wolves plan to make the loan deal for Porto's 26-year-old French centre-half Willy Boly a permanent one should they win promotion this season. (Express & Star, Wolverhampton)
Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino says the club is "no longer the same" without his "magical brother" Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian playmaker, who was the best man at Firmino's wedding last year, confirmed his £142m move to Barcelona on Monday.
Best of Wednesday's gossip
Real Madrid have made an approach to Eden Hazard's representatives as they plan a bid for the 27-year-old Chelsea and Belgium playmaker. (Radio Montecarlo, via Mail)
Manchester City are to open preliminary talks with England's Raheem Sterling, 23, regarding a new contract - and could make the winger one of the club's highest-paid players. (Guardian)
Manchester United are interested in Paris St-Germain's Lucas Moura but have not yet made a bid for the 25-year-old Brazil winger. (Sky Sports)
Manchester City have offered Arsenal £20m for striker Alexis Sanchez, 29, with the Chile forward understood to have agreed terms on a £250,000-a-week contract. (Guardian)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Barry Glendenning
Occasionally scampering Arsenal staple Theo Walcott has no shortage of admirers and Everton have joined Inter, a milkman, Roma, a vicar, Southampton and three over-worked nurses in the politically incorrect Benny Hill-style chase to capture his signature. With Francis Coquelin off to Valencia and several other dressing-room pegs likely to be freed up at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground in the next couple of weeks, the Mirror say Arsène Wenger hopes to sign Bordeaux’s 20-year-old Brazilian Malcom in a bid to take the bare look off the place.
Having already agreed a £50m fee to take Naby Keïta from RB Leipzig in the summer, Liverpool will be allowed to bring the move forward by several months for an additional payment of £13m. In less good news for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham have announced they have no intention of selling 17-year-old tyro Ryan Sessegnon this month.
Having caught the eye playing for Norwich City against Chelsea in the FA Cup last Friday, midfielder Alex Pritchard is Huddersfield-bound. Having been snapping at the heels of the 24-year-old playmaker for some time, the Terriers have agreed an £11m fee and Pritchard is just a couple of coughs for the doctor away from finalising the deal.
Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter is wanted by West Ham, who will have to shell out £12m to bring him to the London Stadium. Stoke’s £15m-rated Joe Allen is also wanted by the Hammers, but could be tempted north by the lure of Celtic. Meanwhile in Italy, Serie A leaders Napoli are hoping to bring former Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu on board from Barcelona to bolster their league title tilt.
One man who is unlikely to leave Barcelona is Manchester United target Samuel Umtiti, who is not for sale according to team-mate, Gerard Piqué. “Umtiti is a great player and we expect him to stay at Barca for many more years and for him to enjoy his football with us,” said Piqué. “We’re very happy with him and I’m sure he’s going to stay here for a very long time.” The same might not be said for midfielder Rafinha, who faces stiff competition for a place in Barcelona’s starting line-up now Philippe Coutinho is on the scene. Arsenal, Celta Vigo and Inter have all been linked with the 24-year-old.
Bean-counters from Manchester City and West Brom are continuing to shout numbers at each other as they negotiate the future of central defender Jonny Evans, with a fee of around £21m being mooted for the Northern Ireland international. Arsenal’s interest in Evans is also well-documented, but he doesn’t want to live in that there Big London and would quite like another Premier League winners’ medal to add to the three he won previously with Manchester United.
And finally, reports from the Emerald Isle suggest Martin O’Neill has held talks with Stoke City, where he is likely to be joined by his glamorous assistant Roy Keane. The FAI says it has not been formally approached by Stoke, who don’t need permission to ask for O’Neill’s hand in managership as the new two-year deal he agreed with his employers some months ago remains resolutely unsigned. Proof, if proof were needed that a verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s not written on.
Sport Witness
Club ‘not adverse’ to West Ham signing player, boss says on transfer “We’ll discuss with agent”
On Wednesday evening we covered claims from Italy that despite reports Inter Milan are keen to sign Andre Schurrle, the Italian club aren’t actually that bothered.
It was presented more as Schurrle being offered to Inter and the Serie A side having a long term interest, but deciding to do nothing about it right now.
West Ham were also linked and that’s the case again today with a report from Bild.
The German newspaper go over claims of Inter interest, and then mention West Ham. It’s explained Schurrle wouldn’t be too thrilled about a return to England, which isn’t the best news for Hammers interest, but he may not have a lot of options if he wants to leave Borussia Dortmund this month.
Bild say BVB are ‘not adverse’ to a January transfer, partly because they’d be able to get his €7m wages off their bill.
Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke is quoted as saying: “All I’ve heard is that the agent thinks Andre needs more play. If a player desperately wants to go away, we will discuss this with his agent.”
That very much sounds like the German club dipping their toes into the market for Schurrle, and now it’s down to clubs to decide whether to make a move.
Will that include West Ham? It could depend on what type of deal is available and whether BVB would accept a loan agreement, with a buying clause down the line.
ESPN
West Ham's Diafra Sakho set for Crystal Palace medical, £10m move
Peter O'Rourke
Crystal Palace have agreed a fee of £10 million with West Ham United for striker Diafra Sakho, sources close to both clubs have told ESPN FC.
Sakho has now been given permission to hold talks with Palace and undergo a medical at Selhurst Park.
Hodgson has been looking to bring in cover and competiton for Christian Benteke with Palace short of forwards.
West Ham are happy to offload Sakho as he is well down the pecking order in David Moyes' first-team plans at the London Stadium.
Sakho, who came close to leaving West Ham last summer to join Rennes, has not started a Premier League game this season with most of his appearances coming off the bench.
HITC
Fiorentina want Pedro Obiang; West Ham could listen to offers
Danny Owen
Premier League side West Ham United could consider selling midfielder Pedro Obiang to Serie A giants Fiorentina as La Viola aim to replace their key man.
West Ham United are determined to bring in a new midfielder this month. The Hammers have been reportedly interested in a number of Premier League options while Belgian international Leander Dendoncker has been strongly linked with a £19 million move from Anderlecht in the last few days, as reported by Nieuwsblad.
But while one new face could arrive at the London Stadium, could one be leaving, too?
Corriere Dello Sport have reported that the future of Pedro Obiang could soon come under question, with Fiorentina keen to bring the former Sampdoria midfielder back to Serie A.
It is understood that La Viola have identified the 25-year-old as a potential replacement for Croatian international Milan Badelj, who looks set to finally depart the Stadio Artemio Franchi this month with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The report adds that West Ham value Obiang at around £10 million – a rather low fee in today’s market. And it is a price that Fiorentina, if they do sell Badelj, should have no trouble paying, although Corriere Dello Sport point out that they are more likely to make their move in the summer rather than in January.
Obiang has developed into a key player for West Ham in the last two-and-a-half years, his strength and work rate in central midfield earning him fan favourite status.
His long-range rocket in the recent 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Wembley also looks a shoo-in for the club’s Goal of the Season.
That may be a fitting send off for Obiang with Fiorentina making him their top target.
Star
West Ham offer £19m for Leander Dendoncker, in advanced talks for Jonjo Shelvey
WEST HAM have launched a £19m bid for Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker.
By Aaron Stokes
The versatile Belgian can play as a defensive midfielder or at centre-back and is being eyed by David Moyes to shore up the Hammers' defence going into the business end of the season.
Manchester United were heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old in summer.
And while Jose Mourinho is reportedly still chasing Dendoncker, West Ham have attempted to win the race for his signature with a £19m bid, according to the Daily Express.
Belgian champions Anderlecht currently sit 13 points off the lead in their battle to retain their title.
And the club are preparing to sell their best assets to fund a squad revamp this month.
“We want to cherish him, but if a club is willing to pay between €25million and €35m, we have a problem," said Anderlecht chief Herman van Holsbeek.
“Against Man United [in the Europa League], he has shown twice that he has the potential to play at a top European club.”
West Ham are also in advanced talks with Jonjo Shelvey.
The Daily Express also report the club have offered £12m bid for the Newcastle midfielder.
However, Rafa Benitez will only sell the 25-year-old if he can bring replacements to Tyneside this month.
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