Arsenal will have pay €80m if they want to sign winger Nicolas Pepe in January, says Lille coach Luis Campos
Tuesday 25 December 2018 06:44, UK
It’s Christmas Eve which means there’s just a week's wait until the January transfer window arrives and clubs across Europe can buy and sell players once more.
The transfer rumour mill is in full swing and our friends at Football Whispers have scoured the back pages to bring you the best of the continental transfer headlines today.
Lille coach Luis Campos says Arsenal will have pay €80m if they want to sign prolific winger Nicolas Pepe in January. The Ivorian wideman has 12 goals and five assists in Ligue 1 this season already. Asked how much the 23-year-old would cost, he replied: "€80m. But [any club] will also have to convince the player." (Telefoot)
Adrien Rabiot is closing in on a free transfer to Barcelona. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has decided not to renew his contract with Les Parisiens and, despite offers from Juventus, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, will sign for Barca on a free transfer. The Catalans will have to fork out a reported €10m signing-on bonus, however. (Telefoot)
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Juventus are keen to sign Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who will be out of contract next summer. The Gunners have confirmed they will not offer the 27-year-old a new deal and he will be free to speak to clubs outside of the United Kingdom about a pre-contract agreement in January. (Sky Italia)
The Bianconeri aren't the only Italian side interested in Ramsey. Rivals Inter and A.C. Milan had been keen on the Welshman but have been priced out of a move because of the midfielder's wage demands, thought to be around £9 million a year. (Calciomercato)
Another Premier League player Juventus are keen on is Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has scored just twice in the league since September, but Juve see him as a long-term successor to Mario Mandzukic. (Calciomercato)
Italian agent Federico Pastorello says he can see benefits for all parties following talk of a potential swap deal between Chelsea and A.C. Milan for Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain. "I see some benefits from both, he said. "Higuain is not succeeding to be decisive as before, while Morata at Chelsea showed only partially its value because probably English football does not suit him.
"Sarri has always wanted Higuain, as Milan has already tried Morata in the past, so there is no nothing in the air, and tactically this operation would surely make sense." (Radio24)
Southampton's Italian misfit Manolo Gabbiadini looks set to end a frustrating spell at St. Mary's by returning to his homeland to join Fiorentina in January. The 27-year-old has scored just one Premier League goal this season. (La Nazione)
Real Madrid have been offered Olympique Lyonnais captain Nabil Fekir. The 25-year-old, who was heavily linked with Liverpool in the summer, has also been subject of Barcelona transfer rumours. However, with the Blaugrana focusing on a deal for Ajax's Frenkie de Jong, Madrid will look to tie up a deal for the French international. (Marca)
Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi is out of contract next summer and has suitors across Europe with Roma, Napoli, Alaves, Celta Vigo, Real Betis, Schalke, Marseille and West Ham all believed to be keen on the 23-year-old Spain international. (Mundo Deportivo)
James Rodriguez was expected to make his loan deal at Bayern Munich permanent at one stage. That looks increasingly unlikely, however, and Real Madrid could sell the Colombian playmaker to Juventus instead. Rodriguez has no future at the Santiago Bernabeu - that much is certain. (Don Balon)
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl has no future at the Signal Iduna Park, despite playing in this weekend's win over Borussia Monchengladbach, and could land at Roma who want him on loan until the end of next season. Weigl's former coach at BVB, Thomas Tuchel, is also interested in bringing him to PSG. (Bild)
