Saturday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Tottenham are in advanced talks to sign England defender Fikayo Tomori, 27, from AC Milan. (Sky Sports), external

Mathys Tel has rejected a move from Bayern Munich to Tottenham after the clubs agreed a £50.1m deal for the 19-year-old French forward. (ESPN), external

Tel would prefer to make a loan move to Manchester United. (the i - subscription required), external

After missing out on Tel, Tottenham have made an enquiry for Manchester United's Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho, 20. (Mail), external

Chelsea have joined the race to sign Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, 20, from Brighton. (Guardian), external

Manchester City have made an approach to sign Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez, 23, from Porto before the transfer deadline. (Mail), external

Manchester City are unwilling to meet the £50m release clause for Gonzalez before the transfer deadline. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Brighton have rejected an improved bid of £75m from Al-Nassr for Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma, 27. (Sun), external

Darwin Nunez wanted to speak with Al-Nassr before they signed Jhon Duran but Liverpool told them the Uruguay striker, 25, was not for sale at any price. (Sun), external

Everton are working on a complex deal to sign English midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, 21, from Chelsea before the transfer deadline. (Football Insider), external

Sunderland have rejected a bid from Brighton for 18-year-old English winger Tommy Watson. (Northern Echo), external

Arsenal are interested in Norway Under-21 midfielder Sverre Nypan, but the 18-year-old is expected to stay at Rosenborg until the summer. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Manchester United are considering a summer move for Atalanta's 23-year-old Ivory Coast striker El Bilal Toure, who is on loan at Stuttgart until the end of the season. (Footmercato - in French), external

Leicester have explored the possibility of putting together a loan move for Wolfsburg's Austria winger Patrick Wimmer, 23. (Express), external

Brighton's Ghana right-back Tariq Lamptey, 24, is heading to Ajax in a £1.5m deal. (Mail), external

Lille have agreed a loan deal with an option to buy English striker Chuba Akpom from Ajax, with the 29-year-old choosing the French side instead of Fiorentina and Sunderland. (De Telegraaf - in Dutch), external

Canada striker Jonathan David, 25, is expected to leave Lille in the summer amid interest from Newcastle United. (Football Insider), external

Arsenal transfer target Sverre Nypan is expected to stay at Rosenborg until the summer before a definitive decision is made over any potential move for the Norwegian midfielder, 18. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda, 17, from Sporting in the summer transfer window. (A Bola - in Portuguese), external

Manchester United have engaged several agents to try to sell Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 32, before the transfer deadline. (Manchester Evening News), external

Former Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos, who is currently a free agent, is set to have a medical before the 38-year-old travels to Mexico to complete a move to Monterrey. (Marca - in Spanish)




Sky Paper Talk

THE SUN

Marcus Rashford is a late January target for Aston Villa - with a move to Barcelona looking increasingly unlikely.

Brighton have rejected a whopping £75m bid from Al Nassr for Kaoru Mitoma.

Government cash could ease the way for Chelsea to move from Stamford Bridge to a new site at Earl's Court.

England will sell out Thomas Tuchel's first game as manager at Wembley - before potentially heading to a venue they haven't played at in over a century.

Arne Slot faces a challenge to build bridges with Darwin Nunez after Liverpool blocked a big-money transfer to Al Nassr this week.

Robert Lewandowski has forked out £9.2m on a luxurious Mallorca villa.

THE GUARDIAN

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has warned that football cannot afford to overlook the threat posed by A22, whose latest proposal for a European Super League was unveiled in December.

Marcus Rashford has his heart set on a loan move to Barcelona before Monday's transfer deadline but could take up interest from Aston Villa if a deal with the Catalan club does not go through.

David Moyes has expressed surprise at the extent of the financial restrictions imposed on Everton but is closing in on the first signing of his second spell in charge, a loan deal for Flamengo midfielder Carlos Alcaraz.

THE TIMES

Aston Villa are weighing up a move to sign Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United before Monday's transfer deadline.

Everton are hoping to seal a loan agreement for Flamengo midfielder Charly Alcaraz, which would include an obligation to buy the former Southampton player.

Football's lawmakers will be asked next month to change the drop-ball rule relating to what happens when the ball hits a referee.

A 49 per cent share of the Lord's Hundred franchise has been sold to a consortium of Silicon Valley tech giants for £147m after a fierce three-hour bidding war.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Aston Villa have surprisingly joined the market for Marcus Rashford and will look to explore a loan deal for the Manchester United forward.

Manchester City are in talks over a deal for Porto midfielder Nico González but are unwilling to meet his £50m release clause ahead of next week's transfer deadline.

Celtic have warned their fans against making travel plans for their Champions League match at Bayern Munich after confirming the Scottish club face a ban from selling tickets for the clash.

Ruben Amorim has made it clear he wants to keep his two best young players after Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were both linked with moves away from Old Trafford this month.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged Mohamed Salah to snub the Saudis again and sign the lucrative Anfield contract extension on the table.

DAILY MAIL

Aston Villa have declared an interest in signing Manchester United's out-of-favour striker Marcus Rashford.

Manchester City have made an approach to land Porto's Nico Gonzalez as they look to end the window with a new central midfielder.

Manchester United have reportedly agreed a deal that will see Sporting Lisbon starlet Geovany Quenda join the club this summer.

Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey is heading to Ajax whose English striker Chuba Akpom is himself on the move to Champions League club Lille.

Tottenham have made an enquiry for Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho after missing out on Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid and Spain legend Sergio Ramos is closing in on his next move at the age of 38.

DAILY MIRROR

Millwall are closing in on a deal to bring England Under-20 winger Benicio Baker-Boaitey to The Den.

THE ATHLETIC

Brighton full-back Valentin Barco is close to joining Strasbourg on loan with an obligation to buy.

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will stay at Ajax despite an approach from Monaco.

Newcastle United are in talks to sign talented teenager Baran Yildiz from Turkish side Genclerbirligi.

Brighton are set to complete the signing of South Korean prospect Yun Do-young.

Adidas has unveiled the official match ball of the 2025 Club World Cup.

SCOTTISH SUN

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is intensifying his search for left-back cover after being told pre-contract capture Kieran Tierney won't be coming in this transfer window.

Cyriel Dessers could seal his Ibrox exit before the end of the window with one club eyeing a late deal, according to a report.

Aberdeen are plotting a surprise swoop for AC Milan striker Marko Lazetic and are keen to bring him to Pittodrie before the window slams shut on Monday.

Former Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov wanted to work with Celtic before taking over the Jambos, it has been revealed.

Greenock Morton are facing an exile of at least six weeks from playing at their own ground due to Storm Eowyn.

DAILY RECORD

Celtic are considering a move for Slovan Bratislava's £8m-rated frontman David Strelec.

Cyriel Dessers remains the "favourite" Cagliari option to replace Gianluca Lapadula.

Wolfsburg have no interest in recalling Rangers ace Vaclav Cerny this transfer window and have slapped a £6.75m price tag on him.





Give Me Sport

West Ham Want to Sign 'Incredible' £125k-a-Week Star for Potter

West Ham United are eyeing Lloyd Kelly but face serious competition from European clubs for the Newcastle United defender, according to TBR Football.

Kelly joined the Magpies last summer after leaving Bournemouth but hasn't featured as much as desired since signing a five-year deal at St James' Park. The English centre-back has made nine Premier League appearances, four as a starter, and his lack of first-team opportunities has led to talk regarding a potential early exit during the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old has been on Juventus' radar, and the Serie A giants tried their luck with an offer to sign the Englishman on loan with an option to buy, which was turned down by the Tyneside giants, per Fabrizio Romano. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe made it clear that he wanted to keep Kelly and that his limited minutes were because of the defensive duo Dan Burn and Fabian Schar's form.

West Ham set their sights on Kelly amid Graham Potter's desire to add a new defender to his injury-depleted squad before the transfer window closes on Monday (February 3). A potential move for the Bristol-born centre-back sitting on purported wages of £125,000 per week won't come cheaply, and they will also have to see off competition from Juventus and Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

The Hammers have shipped 44 goals in 23 Premier League games, the fifth-worst record of all 20 teams in the English top flight this season. Potter was without all but one central defender for a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa last weekend (January 26) and was forced to play Aaron Cresswell in the left centre-back role.

Former Bournemouth boss dubbed Kelly 'exceptional' while working with the player. He offers versatility as he can play in central defence and at left-back, and Potter may consider using him in the left centre-back role in his 3-4-2-1 formation. Other options on the Irons' shortlist include Wolverhampton Wanderers' Craig Dawson and Brighton & Hove Albion's Adam Webster, while Manchester United's Victor Lindelof has 'no interest' in making a move to the London Stadium.




C&H

West Ham The Winners as True Loss Revealed on Starlet

Leeds United have sold former Hammer Sonny Perkins at a significant loss Claret and Hugh have learnt overnight.

Perkins, who joined the West Ham United Academy at Under-14 level, rejected the club’s offers of a professional contract in 2022 and joined Leeds as a free agent much to the club’s disappointment.

At the time of his departure, West Ham released a statement saying

“West Ham United invests millions of pounds annually into its world-renowned Academy of Football – and naturally the Club is extremely disappointed that Sonny has chosen not to continue his development with the Hammers. The Club is disappointed with Perkins’ representatives and strongly believe he was approached to sign for another club which led to him asking to be released from his scholarship at West Ham United.

West Ham United take this matter very seriously – we believe the rules and structures in place at the Football Association and Premier League should be upheld at all times.”

Compensation for his training was set by an independent tribunal with West Ham receiving £2m from Leeds United for Sonny Perkins.

Perkins now age 20 struggled to break into the first team at Elland Road and had an unsuccessful loan spell at Oxford United last year, he joined League One club Leyton Orient on a season-long loan in the summer of 2024 which became permanent yesterday.

While the transfer fee is undisclosed it is widely known to be a nominal fee which one source described as ‘next to nothing’ with a substantial sell-on clause which may never be activated.




Standard

Favour Fawunmi leaves West Ham with PAOK ready to swoop

Teenager rejects new deal with Hammers after recovering from injury

Favour Fawunmi has left West Ham upon the expiry of his contract and has interest from Greek side PAOK.

Following injury last season, the 18-year-old right-winger signed a short-term contract in the summer which expired on January 31. He is now a free agent.

Standard Sport understands he declined the offer of a new contract this month. The offer was a one-and-a-half-year contract running to summer 2026, with the club retaining an option to extend it by a further year.

But Fawunmi will instead now explore other opportunities and is liked by PAOK, who are fourth in the Greek Super League and into the play-off round of the Europa League.

He has been offered a three-year contract. If PAOK win the race to sign him, they plan to use him in the second team until the summer, before sending him on pre-season with the first team.

Fawunmi, who also has interest from other clubs, spent time on trial at QPR last February.

The Englishman signed scholarship terms with the Hammers ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season.




Football Insider

Exclusive: West Ham submit Eli Junior Kroupi offer, transfer mission today

West Ham have made an offer worth up to £30m for highly-rated Lorient forward Eli Junior Kroupi, sources have told Football Insider.

Kroupi, 18, is a target for a number of Europe’s top clubs after impressing at French second-tier outfit Lorient.

West Ham have made a formal move for the French sensation, who is also attracting interest from Tottenham and Chelsea.

West Ham and their London rivals are among clubs set to watch the forward in action for Lorient against Red Star in Saturday’s Ligue 2 clash.

The wonderkid is considered one of the best young talents in France after breaking into the Lorient side in Ligue 1 at just 16.

West Ham look to the future with bid for French sensation Eli Junior Kroupi

Kroupi has become a key player for Lorient as they push for promotion back to the French top flight, starting 11 of his 18 games across all competitions, scoring nine goals, and providing two assists in his 989 minutes of action.

Graham Potter’s side is currently without a traditional number nine, with Michail Antonio, Niklas Fullkrug, and Jarrod Bowen injured for extended periods.

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