BBC
Tottenham could bring in 22-year-old Brazilian defender Eder Militao - wanted by Roma, AC Milan and Inter - on loan from Real Madrid with an option of a permanent move. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian)
Jose Mourinho's Spurs have joined Leeds and Juventus in the pursuit for Stuttgart winger Nicolas Gonzalez, 22, with the Argentina international a target for the summer transfer window. (Athletic - subscription required)
There may also be movement the other way for Spurs, with Valencia interested in signing 24-year-old England midfielder Harry Winks on loan. (Football London)
Brighton are confident they have beaten Newcastle United to the signing of Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle. (Talksport)
Chelsea and Manchester United were among a host of Premier League sides interested in 19-year-old Caicedo, who is likely to be loaned out by the Seagulls. (Mail)
Arsenal are interested in signing Brighton's 24-year-old Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma, though a move is more likely in the summer. (Football London)
World Cup-winning France midfielder Steven N'Zonzi could have his loan stay with Rennes cut short, with Arsenal and Everton linked with the 32-year-old Roma man. (Foot Mercato - in French)
Lyon's French striker Moussa Dembele is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid after previously turning down the chance of a move to West Ham. (Telefoot via Sky Sports)
Dembele, 24, will initially join the La Liga side on loan, with an option to buy for £29.6m. (Goal)
Arsenal are no longer chasing the signature of Norwich midfielder Emi Buendia after the Championship club reportedly put a £40m price tag on the 24-year-old Argentine. (Express)
Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is set for a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge as the 26-year-old Frenchman continues to impress on loan at Napoli. (Star)
Dutch defender Jetro Willems appears to have teased a return to Newcastle United from Eintracht Frankfurt, it comes after the 26-year-old had been strongly linked with another spell on Tyneside. (Chronicle)
Leeds United have been linked with Sampdoria's in-demand 22-year-old Norwegian defender Fredrik Andre Bjorkan. (La Repubblica via Yorkshire Evening Post)
Burnley are set to make a move for Everton's 23-year-old Jonjoe Kenny, having previously missed out on bringing the former England Under-21s defender to Turf Moor. (Football Insider)
Juventus are in talks with Sassuolo about a move for 22-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca, who is currently out on loan at Serie A rivals Genoa. (Goal)
RB Leipzig's France international Dayot Upamecano, 22, is wanted by Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga side now joining Chelsea and Manchester United in their pursuit of the defender. (Marca)
Stoke City look to have won the race to sign Charlton Athletic midfielder Alfie Doughty, 21, ahead of rivals Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers. (Mail)
Premier League sides Everton, Leicester and Wolves have registered their interest in Middlesbrough's England youth international winger Marcus Tavernier, 21. (Teamtalk)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Tom Davies
José Mourinho has his eye on defensive reinforcement, as per, with Real Madrid’s Éder Militão tickling his fancy. The Brazil international, who turns 23 next week, is being sought on a loan deal with a view to making it permanent, reports Corriere dello Sport. Not only that, Tottenham also like the cut of the Stuttgart winger Nicolás González’s jib, though they see the 22-year-old Argentina international as a more likely summer recruit than someone they wish to throw into England’s Covid winter weirdness.
However, Spurs face a tussle to keep hold of Harry Winks, in whom Valencia are interested. According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham have rejected one offer from the Spanish club, but Valencia aren’t taking no for an answer at this stage. The 24-year-old has made only seven league appearances this term but Mourinho is keen to keep him.
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are both hovering around the Brest midfielder Romain Favre. The 22-year-old joined from Monaco for £450,00 only last summer, but his capabilities as both an attacking midfielder and wide man have attracted the attention of clubs with deeper pockets. The French outlet Le10 Sport claims that, despite signing a five-year deal in 2020, Favre could be lured to Old Trafford come the summer.
Another one-time Manchester United target, Moses Caicedo, is likely to be on his way to Brighton, who are close to completing a deal for the Ecuador midfielder with his club, Independiente del Valle, thereby foiling Newcastle’s interest.
Lyon are closing in on a deal for Leicester’s Islam Slimani, who has fallen down the pecking order of late but is still in reasonable demand across Europe. And the Leicester Mercury reports that the Algeria striker is due to have a medical with Lyon on Wednesday. On the other side of the ledger, Leicester have been linked with the promising Middlesbrough midfielder Marcus Tavernier. They may face competition from Everton and Leeds, mind, and with Tavernier having signed a new contract at the Riverside only last summer, he won’t come cheap. Leeds have also been linked with Sampdoria’s 22-year-old Norwegian defender Fredrik Andre Bjorkan, according to the Yorkshire Post.
Moussa Dembélé could be poised to swap a French title race for a Spanish one, with La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid reportedly close to securing a deal for the former Celtic and Fulham striker. Goal.com claims that Diego Simeone, Atlético’s manager, is confident a deal – likely to be an initial loan with an option to buy – will happen and that Dembélé has told Ligue 1 leaders Lyon he wants a new challenge.
And Burnley are planning to use some of that takeover cash to lure the Everton right-back Jonjoe Kenny to Turf Moor.
Guardian
Craig Dawson's first West Ham goal ends stubborn Stockport resistance
Stockport 0-1 West Ham
Late header by defender Dawson settles tie on boggy pitch
Jamie Jackson at Edgeley Park
Craig Dawson (No 15) rises highest to send a fine header into the Stockport County net and send West Ham through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Photograph: Martin Rickett/Reuters
West Ham broke a doughty Stockport County right at the end, Craig Dawson’s header preventing extra time and earning David Moyes’s side the right to face Doncaster Rovers at home in the fourth round.
The centre-back’s rise in the rain, meeting Jarrod Bowen’s cross from a crowd of players, epitomised a hard-fought tie on a boggy surface that might have gone either way.
On loan from Watford, it was Dawson’s first West Ham goal. The 30-year-old was born in Rochdale and his career began at Radcliffe FC, a few miles from here in Greater Manchester.
“It was tough tonight,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played in conditions like that but it’s great to get a goal at the end. The goal was something we worked on in training. The lads put in a great shift and it was a great clean sheet. Stockport are doing great in their league and it’s not easy coming to these grounds – so a great performance from the lads tonight.”
Stockport found this defeat hard to swallow and understandably so: the refusal of Jim Gannon’s team to bow down until the very end was in keeping with a weekend of fine FA Cup action, and might have earned them a further 30 minutes at least.
“The players are disappointed but I think that’s a testimony to how they played,” said Gannon. “West Ham had lots of possession but the lads did really well. They gave us a chance of getting a goal and possibly winning the game with the opportunities we had. It was always a stretch for us but the performance showed we are a cut above this level [National League].”
Declan Rice was the standout player, a midfielder whose box-to-box contribution ensured the Hammers’ attitude was right. It was the England man who created the first chance – a heavy touch bringing an opportunity to a skate along the right and cross. Saïd Benrahma’s skill took him into space and his shot clipped Ben Hinchliffe’s left post.
After 15 minutes a volley of fireworks went off outside the ground, behind Darren Randolph’s goal, which prompted the referee Mike Dean to pause the match, and on resumption the game had an entertaining tempo and flashes of quality.
Andriy Yarmolenko roved inside and attempted an eye-of-the-needle pass for Michail Antonio that was intercepted. Then Manuel Lanzini let fly and Hinchliffe clutched the ball gratefully. Stockport’s centre-backs Jordan Keane and Liam Hogan were finding Antonio a handful. The latter was the target again with a high ball and Keane got in the way. Antonio then appeared to finally be in when West Ham next attacked, but Mark Kitching nipped in from left-back and stuck boot on ball.
The visitors dominated the first half but lacked the killer touch. It meant Stockport were still firmly in it and the vocal Gannon – he hardly paused for breath – had something to work with for the second half.
When the sides resumed the heavens opened as they had before kick-off. The surface was increasingly heavy and the question was: would that help Stockport? The initial answer was no as West Ham claimed a corner. But again they did not capitalise.
Now Stockport forced a free-kick – but John Rooney hit it straight at Randolph. The pitch had become close to unplayable – players and ball getting caught in divots. A West Ham attack was stymied that way, and passing the hour mark, it had become a battle of who wanted to progress most.
Rice tried to show the way forward for West Ham with a surge from near halfway that scattered blue shirts all around him before he was finally crowded out in Stockport’s penalty area.
The prospect of a smash-and-grab strike from Gannon’s men remained: Lois Maynard hoped to do precisely that but it was Rice – again – who intervened, this time in his own area. For Moyes, there may have been contentment in the application if not the execution of his players. The manager saw Dawson block a Connor Jennings pile-driver, then Lanzini cede possession lazily: West Ham’s night, thus far, in microcosm.
The tie entered squeaky posterior time. A mistake might be joyous for one side, heartbreak the other. Gannon tried swapping his focal point – Alex Reid – for Richard Bennett, while, for the closing stages, Moyes replaced Ben Johnson with Aaron Cresswell. Then came Dawson’s late intervention.
Tractor Boys blog
Leeds and West Ham Baggott Talks Claim
Leeds and West Ham continue to be linked with Blues youngster Elkan Baggott with claims that the Indonesia U19 international could be available for between £150,000 and £300,000 in compensation during the January transfer window.
Last week it was reported that the two Premier League clubs are eyeing Baggott after the centre-half turned down the offer of a professional contract with the Blues.
Now, according to Football Insider, who behind the previous story, the Whites and Hammers have held preliminary talks regarding Baggott who they have been told will cost between £150,000 and £300,000.
However, TWTD understands Baggott has not turned down Town’s contract offer, although has asked for time to consider the deal.
The 6ft 4in tall defender is currently a second-year scholar with an agreement for a third year in the academy already in place and Town are confident he will ultimately put pen to paper on pro terms. It also seems unlikely that the Blues would have named a price in the manner suggested.
The Thailand-born defender made his first-team debut in the Papa John’s Trophy tie at home to Gillingham earlier this season and travelled with the senior squad for the League One fixture at Plymouth last month.
Baggott has been one of the top performers for the Blues' U18s who have reached the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup this season.
Last week, former Blues striker Darren Bent said he had been impressed with what he has seen of Baggott.
