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Transfer news as it happened: Philippe Coutinho pushing Barcelona switch as Arsenal eye Mesut Ozil replacement

Live Blog

All the latest news and rumours as the January transfer window finally opened

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The Independent Sport

Tuesday's transfer talking points:

  • Manchester United to bid for Paris Saint-Germain's Lucas Moura
  • Stoke, West Ham and Southampton want Moussa Dembele
  • Leon Goretzka rules out Arsenal or Tottenham move
  • Chelsea to make January move for Leicester's Riyad Mahrez

Philippe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk are grabbing the lion’s share of the headlines, but they’re not the only high profile players involved in the January transfer madness.

No, the incredibly active Liverpool are also eyeing up a bid for Thomas Lemar while Jurgen Klopp may also be tempted into a last-minute bargain basement deal to further bolster his defence. Will he be successful? Meanwhile Manchester United have once again been linked with a bid for old boy Cristiano Ronaldo while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also rumoured to be on his way out.

Manchester City appear to have entered the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Emre Can along with Bayern Munich, but Juventus remain the favourites to land the Germany midfielder – whose contract expires at the end of the season. Another free agent in the summer, Alexis Sanchez, looks set to stay at Arsenal despite claims that Arsene Wenger wants to sell him to Paris Saint-Germain in January.

So follow all of the live news below...

Live Updates

That's all from today's transfer blog. Join us tomorrow for more from the rumour mill as the January window begins to kick into gear. Until then, bye!
Costa set to push out Vietto
 
Atletico Madrid will let striker Luciano Vietto leave the club after Diego Costa finally returned to the club in an official capacity. 
 
Vietto, a talented Argentinean striker who thrived at Villarreal, made his professional debut under Diego Simeone at Racing Club in his homeland before eventually being reunited in the Spanish capital. 
 
But with the young forward struggling for regular games at Atleti he is set to depart on loan, with Valencia and Sporting CP leading the race for his signature. Atletico would demand a £12m clause to trigger a permanent deal. 
is Vietto on his way out?
 
Romero seeking Old Trafford exit
 
Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero wants to leave the club in January to cement his place in Argentina's World Cup line-up.  Currently back-up to the imperious David De Gea, Romero is concerned about losing his spot in Jorge Sampaoli's first XI for this summer's tournament in Russia.  The United No 2 is under pressure from Real Sociedad's Geronimo Rulli and Agustin Marchesin, who plays in Mexico. 
 
Read more:
 
 

Argentinean wants to leave Man United to secure World Cup place

And more on Coutinho...
 
Liverpool will demand at least £130m before discussing a deal for Philippe Coutinho, according to the Telegraph, a significant increase on Barcelona's summer offer. 
  ↵
Coutinho pushing for Barcelona move
 
Representatives working on behalf of Philippe Coutinho are continuing with their efforts to convince Liverpool to allow the Brazilian playmaker to leave this month. 
 
Barcelona remain keen on the 25-year-old midfielder and are confident that they will eventually get their man, but after getting over-confident on a deal in August there is now a distinct sense of déja vu, with the local media in Catalonia leading with a seemingly imminent deal over the last week.
 
As far as Liverpool are concerned, there has been no bid for the twinkle-toed Brazil international since the summer and as long as that continues to be the case there is obviously nothing to discuss. Similarly, Jurgen Klopp has no great desire to lose one of his best players halfway through the season. 
 
Read more:
 
Darmian going nowhere:
 
Manchester United have no intention of selling Matteo Damian in January, according to his agent, despite the Italian being linked with a return to Serie A.
 
The full-back has barely featured for United this season but agent Tullio Tinti told Rete Sport: "At the moment, the lad's not for sale." 
 
Matteo Damian made a rare appearance in the EFL Cup defeat to Bristol City in December
 
Klopp laughs off Coutinho rumours:
 
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was in no mood to discuss Nike’s ill-fated Philippe Coutinho advert, which advertised Barcelona shirts with the Brazilian’s name on them.
 
In fact, the Liverpool manager laughed off the entire saga: “I heard about it. I couldn't be less interested in anything in the world,” he said.
 
“But somebody told me and I thought 'wow'. Top story.”

Conte provides Chelsea transfer update:

Antonio Conte says Chelsea must sign players before any leave.

The head coach has bemoaned the size of his squad, given the Blues are competing in four competitions.

With the winter transfer window now open, Conte believes Chelsea must recruit before allowing any players to move on.

"Our squad is not big. For this reason I think it's impossible to send on loan one player or to sell one player, if we don't take another player," Conte said today.

Read more:

Antonio Conte says Chelsea must sign new players before any can be sold

 

Real close to Kepa signing
 
​
 
Real Madrid want to complete the signing of Athletic Club goalkeeper Kepa this week.
 
The Bernabeu club are determined to upgrade on incumbent Keylor Navas and have already laid the groundwork for a deal with the Basque goalkeeper.
 
David De Gea has been a long-term target for Florentino Perez, who also holds an interest in Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois, but with the potential cost of both of those deals spiraling out of control, Real Madrid are instead keen to seal Kepa's signing before their next La Liga fixture at Celta Vigo on Sunday night.
Stoke to consider Mark Hughes' position:
 
 

Stoke are considering boss Mark Hughes' future following their defeat to Newcastle.

The club's board are assessing all of their options, including sticking with the manager.

Hughes is under growing pressure at the bet365 Stadium following their 1-0 New Year's Day loss at home to the Magpies.

It followed a 5-0 thumping at Chelsea where Hughes was criticised for making six changes as he looked to keep some stars fresh to face Newcastle.

The former Wales and Blackburn manager has insisted he remains the best man to keep Stoke in the Premier League, with the Potters two points above the relegation zone.

Stoke have won just twice in their last 12 games, losing seven, with some fans holding 'Hughes Out' banners at the game on Monday.

Hughes has been in charge since replacing Tony Pulis in 2013 and has won 71 of his 199 games, losing 80 and drawing 48.

Who's in the bargain bin this January?
 
Clubs don't necessarily have to spend millions and millions of pounds to snap up their transfer targets this January as a number of talented players are available on a free this winter.
 
We've compiled 50 of the best and you can see them all by clicking the below link:
 
Wenger hits out at transfer rumours
 
Arsene Wenger has denied Arsenal will make bids for Chelsea defender David Luiz and Monaco forward Thomas Lemar this transfer window.
 
"I don't want to speak about any special name but these reports are wrong," said Wenger, whose side face Chelsea tomorrow.
 
Coming soon to a club near you...
 
Former England boss Steve McClaren is ready to manage once again after returning from a spell in Israel.

The 56-year-old, who parted company with Derby for the second time in March last year, is back in the country after five months working as a consultant to Maccabi Tel Aviv boss Jordi Cruyff and is currently being linked with the vacancy at Sheffield Wednesday.

Asked about the link, McClaren told Sky Sports News: "Out of sight, out of mind, so I've come back to get more in sight and in mind. I want to manage again, I am motivated to do that, especially after five months in Tel Aviv.

Full story:

Steve McClaren returns to England ready to manage again

 

Arsenal transfer latest:
 
Arsene Wenger has denied that Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are any closer to leaving Arsenal, while the club have also lined up a new midfield transfer target.
 
More on those topics here:
 
Our very own Jack Pitt-Brooke has selected the ten young players it's well worth keeping an eye on in 2018.
 
Will any of them be on the move this January? One name has certainly been in the newspapers a lot recently...
 
AC Milan want Tottenham midfielder Dembele
 
​
 
The Italian media are reporting that AC Milan will make a January offer for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele.
 
Milan are having a dreadful season and the Italian press are claiming the club are willing to spend their way out of trouble this winter.
 
And according to Corriere Dello Sport, Dembele has emerged as their top transfer target.
 
They hope a large bid will test Tottenham's resolve over a player who is no longer an automatic starter for the club because of his many injury problems.
Wenger denies rift
 
Arsene Wenger has downplayed reports of a rift between Alexis Sanchez and his Arsenal teammates, insisting there have never been any issues in the squad.
 
Sanchez is expected to leave the club this summer, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season. This has prompted plenty of speculation over the Chilean's future, as well as suggestions he has fallen out with his teammates.
 
"There was never a problem inside," he said.

"There are some people who want to always create problems. We focus on our own problems and that is the only important thing."
Here's more on the story that Jose Mourinho now appears far more willing to dip into the January transfer window:
 
N'Zonzi interest: 
 
Everton target Steven N'Zonzi is set to hold talks with Sevilla over his future at the La Liga club, the Liverpool Echo reports.
 
The midfielder clashed with former manager Eduardo Berizzo but Vincenzo Montella, the side's new boss, has insisted N'Zonzi remains a "very important" player.
 
Sam Allardyce has expressed interest in being reunited with him having spent time together at Blackburn Rovers in 2009.
Diego Costa returns to Atletico bearing high expectations:
 
​
 
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone finally has his favorite striker back at the club.
 
Now expectations are high in the Spanish capital that Diego Costa can again make Atletico a title winner.

Costa helped the team win the 2013 Copa del Rey before topping that the following season with the Spanish league title — making Atletico the only team other than Barcelona or Real Madrid to win the competition in the last 13 years.

Costa also led Atletico to the first of two Champions League finals in the last four years, but he was forced to abandon the 2014 final early on due to injury and Atletico lost 4-1 in extra time to Madrid.

In the three years Costa was at Chelsea, Atletico only won the minor 2014 Spanish Super Cup.

Costa faces a challenge to win more silverware immediately. Atletico failed to advance from the Champions League group stage and, although it is second in the Spanish league, it trails leader Barcelona by nine points. Its best chances are in the Copa and Europa League.

"We were eliminated from the Champions League, which was bad luck, but we still have a lot to do this year and we are going to fight for everything we can achieve," Costa said at his presentation on Sunday before being greeted by more than 25,000 fans at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

His immediate goal will be to recover his full fitness after not playing since last season when he helped Chelsea win the English Premier League but fell out of favor with coach Antonio Conte.

Six months have passed since Costa played his last official match, scoring in a 2-1 win for Spain over Macedonia. He has been training hard with Atletico since the Spanish club agreed to a transfer fee reportedly worth 60 million euros ($72 million) in September.

"I am feeling a lot better than when I arrived," Costa said. "I have prepared well and I am anxious to play and do what I need to do, which is to help the team and score goals. I have been waiting a long time for this moment. I am tired of training, I want to play."

His first opportunity will likely come Wednesday when Atletico visits Lleida in the Copa del Rey's round-of-16. Next up is a league match against Getafe on Saturday.

Costa and fellow winter reinforcement Victor "Vitolo" Machin weren't allowed to play for Atletico until 2018 when the club's one-year ban on fielding new players expired. The ban was imposed by FIFA after the club broke rules regarding youth players.

Simeone is hoping that the 29-year-old Costa is still the same caliber as when he scored 20 goals to lead Chelsea to the EPL title.

The Brazilian-born striker will rejoin a team that maintains its pillars from 2014. Center back Diego Godin and left back Felipe Luis feature in defense, Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion and Gabi Fernandez are fixtures in midfield, and most importantly Simeone still stalks the sideline.

Costa's goals, physical play and "bad boy" attitude that rattles rivals are the perfect fit for Simeone's emphasis on hard work and a united
team.

Atletico tried several times to find a replacement for Costa. But neither Mario Mandzukic nor Jackson Martinez panned out, and current striker Kevin Gameiro has only given Atletico goals in bursts.

Costa will slot in beside forward Antoine Griezmann, the team's most creative player and its top goal scorer in recent campaigns who is reportedly being pursued by other clubs, including Barcelona and Manchester United.

In theory, the two should make a deadly force.

"We have worked very hard to get Costa and Griezmann together. I hope we can enjoy them for a long time," Simeone said Saturday. "We have two forwards coming to the team and the competition is good for Atletico."

Atletico has also strengthened its attack with Vitolo, who is similar in his large build to Costa. Vitolo spent the first half of the season on loan at Las Palmas after Atletico lured him away from Sevilla in the offseason.

The additions of Costa and Vitolo may mean Atletico will look to move one or more of its forwards. Besides Gameiro, Atletico's attack also includes Fernando Torres, Yannick Carrasco, Angel Correa and Luciano Vietto.

Costa also has a lot to play for individually. His spot on Spain's World Cup squad is in jeopardy after he was dropped by coach Julen Lopetegui given his hiatus from football.

"If I start scoring goals and the team plays well, it will be easier for me to make Lopetegui's list," Costa said. "I am ready to give it my all and later the coach will decide."

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