BBC
West Ham could end their pursuit of a new striker in the transfer window if they can secure the loan signing of Manchester United's England winger Jesse Lingard, 28. (The Athletic - subscription required)
France midfielder Paul Pogba, 27, says he will hold talks with Manchester United at the end of the season to resolve his future at Old Trafford. (Mail)
Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, 19, is set for a six-month loan to boost his chances of securing a place in Scotland's European Championship squad. (Telegraph - subscription required)
West Brom have agreed a deal to sign Galatasaray and Senegal striker Mbaye Diagne, 29, on loan for the rest of the season. (Express & Star)
Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli is keen to join Paris St-Germain, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to let the 24-year-old leave. (ESPN)
Should Spurs let Alli leave, they could move for Borussia Monchengladbach's 23-year-old German midfielder Florian Neuhaus. (Mirror)
Tottenham are monitoring Napoli and Serbia centre-back Nikola Maksimovic, 29. (Sun)
Juventus are set to open talks over signing French midfielder and former Arsenal target Houssem Aouar, 22, from Lyon in the summer. (Sky Sport - in Italian)
Monaco are interested in signing Lucas Torreira on loan from Arsenal. The Uruguayan midfielder, 24, is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid. (AS - in Spanish)
Paris St-Germain have been "disrespectful" in their pursuit of Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi, 33, according to Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta, who has threatened to report the Ligue 1 champions to Fifa. (Goal)
Manchester City have agreed to sell Spanish defender Eric Garcia, 20, to Barcelona and the player will play for free for six months to make the move possible, says presidential candidate Victor Font. (Goal)
USA international wing-back DeAndre Yedlin's future at Newcastle could hinge on the club's success in bringing in loan deals in the last few days of the transfer window. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Galatasaray have made an offer for 27-year-old Yedlin. (ESPN)
Thomas Tuchel is bringing his trusted backroom staff with him to Chelsea, with assistant Arno Michels and coach Zsolt Low set to join him at Stamford Bridge. (London Evening Standard)
Defender Lukasz Bejger, 19, says he had to leave Manchester United and return to his native Poland with Slask Wroclaw in order to gain experience in senior football. (Manchester Evening News)
Brighton and Swansea are among the clubs interested in MK Dons defender Matthew Sorinola, the 19-year-old English wing-back. (Football League World)
West Ham will offer Scottish manager David Moyes, 57, a new long-term contract after he steered them into the Premier League's top four. (Mail)
Manchester United have agreed not to make an 'aggressive' attempt to sign Spain defender Sergio Ramos, 34, who is out of contract at Real Madrid this summer. (Sun)
Nottingham Forest are trying to sign English striker Glenn Murray, 37, who is currently on loan at Championship rivals Watford from Brighton. (Mirror)
Preston and Blackburn have opened preliminary talks with Everton over signing their 19-year-old English midfielder Anthony Gordon this month. (Football Insider)
League One side Wigan Athletic could have new ownership in the shape of a group led by former Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson, 33, who is now playing for Salford City in League Two. (Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Niall McVeigh
With Monday’s deadline fast approaching and most Premier League clubs keeping their cash firmly in their pocket, it’s all a little quiet for our liking. That’s why the Mill is heading west in search of transfer gold. If you’re looking for top-flight clubs who might sign someone, West Brom and West Ham are the places to be.
With West Ham unexpectedly pushing for Europe, David Moyes is mulling over his attacking options. Talks are ongoing for Jesse Lingard, with Saïd Benrahma’s loan having been made permanent, freeing up a loan space. Moyes also fancies a new striker: RB Leipzig’s Hwang Hee-chan, Cádiz’s Anthony Lozano and Reims’s Boulaye Dia are all on his shortlist.
At West Brom, Allardyce is working to hastily assemble a band of mercenaries capable of escaping relegation. Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury is a target for Allardyce and the equally sweaty-palmed Steve Bruce at Newcastle. If Brendan Rodgers doesn’t give the OK, Allardyce will move for Celta Vigo midfielder Okay Yokuslu. Galatasaray forward Mbaye Diagne is also expected to rock up at the Hawthorns on loan.
Let’s stay out west, specifically west London, where young Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour has seen the writing on the wall after Frank Lampard’s departure. Gilmour reckons a loan move is his best chance of breaking into Scotland’s Euro 20201 squad, with his former club Rangers leading the queue. There is perhaps a cautionary tale here for Josh Doig, the young Hibernian full-back attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, among others.
With Arsenal moving up the table, Mikel Arteta can afford to relax and plan a little summer spending. Arteta is keen to bring in Celtic forward Odsonne Édouard and Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, and may try to tempt Eric García to join the Gunners instead of Barcelona.
Arteta’s hopes of signing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar have taken a hit, though, now that Juventus have got wise to the midfielder’s availability. Lucas Torreira may be redeployed at Monaco after struggling at Atlético Madrid.
How about Manchester United, eh? Once Ed Woodward has finished wiping the tea off the Old Trafford dressing-room walls, he’ll work on clearing out the squad. Marcos Rojo wants a move to Boca Juniors, full-back Brandon Williams could be loaned to Southampton and young forward Facundo Pellistri is set for a loan move to either Club Brugge or Alavés. As for Paul Pogba, he’s warming to the idea of staying put and is open to extending his contract this summer.
One long-term United target that appears to have got away is Moisés Caicedo, with the Ecuadorian teenager set to join Brighton. Graham Potter also wants MK Dons full-back Matthew Sorinola to join his all-passing, no-scoring performance art project. Liverpool are also keeping tabs on lower-league talent, with 16-year-old Derby playmaker Kaide Gordon set to be their only January recruit.
Categorically not staying put is Leicester’s Demarai Gray, who has reportedly chosen Bayer Leverkusen as his next destination; another winger on the move is Everton’s Yannick Bolasie, who is off to Middlesbrough. Burnley have been told to up their £4.5m bid for Stoke defender Nathan Collins, while Scott Parker has just found Jean Michaël Seri hiding in a Craven Cottage cupboard and will ship him off to Bordeaux tout suite.
PAOK Salonika are partying like it’s 2014 after signing Shinji Kagawa and Baba Rahman on loan, while Udinese want Wolves forward Patrick Cutrone to partner new recruit Fernando Llorente up front. Finally, Parma think they’ve found the Man to ease their relegation fears – Romanian winger Dennis Man, currently playing for Steaua Bucharest.
Guardian
West Ham pushing for Lingard loan after sealing permanent Benrahma deal
Manchester United and West Ham must agree loan fee
Benrahma had been due to complete deal in summer
Jacob Steinberg
West Ham remain in talks with Manchester United over a deal for Jesse Lingard after freeing up a loan spot for the midfielder by bringing forward the permanent transfer of Saïd Benrahma.
Lingard has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford and West Ham are keen to sign the 28-year-old until the end of the season. The transfer is likely to hinge on whether they can agree a loan fee, with the clubs still apart in their valuation.
David Moyes managed Lingard at United and believes the England international can improve his squad. Lingard has made three appearances this season and needs a move to revive his career. Newcastle, West Brom and Sheffield United have also shown interest.
West Ham, fourth in the Premier League, have paved the way for Lingard to arrive by converting Benrahma’s loan. Premier League clubs are allowed two domestic loans at any time. Moyes had borrowed Craig Dawson from Watford and Benrahma from Brentford.
West Ham paid a £5m loan fee to sign Benrahma last October and were due to sign the Algerian for £20m plus £5m in add-ons at the end of the season. That deal has been brought forward.
Moyes will not stop his search for a striker if he signs Lingard. West Ham need cover for Michail Antonio after selling Sébastien Haller to Ajax. They are considering a loan for RB Leipzig’s Hwang Hee-chan.
TBR
Rangers want Kwadwo Baah; West Ham have made bid
By Jordan Harris
Rangers are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Kwadwo Baah, with The Athletic reporting that several European heavyweights are also keen on the Ibrox target.
Baah has caught the eye with some outstanding displays for Rochdale. The teenager – who celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday – has scored three goals and contributed two assists in League One.
The Athletic reports that Rangers are monitoring the wide midfielder. But they are joined in the running by West Ham, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
It is claimed that Rochdale would be prepared to sell him in this window as his contract is up in the summer. And The Athletic has suggested that a number of bids have come in – with West Ham one of those to confirm their interest with an offer.
David Moyes has reportedly discussed the winger with Dale boss Brian Barry-Murphy, who played under the Hammers coach during his career.
Baah looks to be an incredibly exciting prospect. He has a thunderous shot on him, and certainly has a piece of skill up his sleeve as he looks to beat a full-back.
Of course, the stature of the clubs chasing his signature highlights what a coup it would be for Rangers to sign the youngster.
Steven Gerrard’s men look set to be able to offer Champions League football to potential targets from next season.
Meanwhile, West Ham are doing superbly under Moyes. And they have enjoyed a lot of success when it comes to signing players from EFL clubs in recent years.
