With six days to go before the January transfer window slams shut Europe’s big teams are readying themselves for a flurry of late activity.
While it’s been relatively quiet in the market so far, and January is always a tough time for teams to get value, anything can happen at the eleventh hour and somebody usually pulls a rabbit out of the hat. In Serie A league leaders Napoli have resumed talks with Manchester United with a view to bringing 20 year old winger Alejandro Garnacho to Naples.
The two clubs have already been in discussion and while their valuations are still some way apart the gap, the Partenopei want to pay £55m while the Red Devils re after £65m, is surely not insurmountable. Manchester United boss Ruben Amorin would rather keep the player but the decision may not be his, as the club would benefit from the sale of Garnacho in terms of complying with financial fair play rules. Napoli know that, and head coach Antonio Conte will hope a deal can be struck as he plots his team’s push for the Scudetto, but he may have competition from a former club of his.
Premier League rivals Chelsea have also been considering a move for Garnacho but I suspect Manchester United would prefer not to sell one of their best players to a rival, though the Blues’ fans may not see the 12th placed Red Devils as a direct rival at the moment. And Napoli may well up their interest as their alternative target, Karim Adeyemi, has said he wants to stay at Borussia Dortmund until the summer at least.
Either way, if the Argentine star does say goodbye to Old Trafford it would be more bad news for the embattled Red Devils faithful who are desperate for some good news for themselves and their relatively new manager. When asked about Garnacho’s future Amorin said: “Nobody knows. I don’t know what will happen. Let’s focus on the team and the players that we have here. We don’t know what can happen until the window closes.”
Amorin is much clearer on the future of Marcus Rashford, though it remains uncertain whether any club will be willing to take the England man on, after United failed to shift him on in summer. The boss made his most critical (and amusing) comment on Rashford this week, saying he would rather put his 63 year old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital, on the bench… with the suggestion his commitment is higher! Rashford wasn’t in the squad for Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Fulham last weekend; Lisandro Martinez’ deflected goal was the Red Devils’ only shot on target. That kind of output screams out the need for a good striker but it’s not Rashford, who’s most likely move looks like it may be to Turkish club Fenerbahce though he seems to be targeting a move to Barcelona.
Leverkusen close in on Buendia
After drawing 2-2 with Red Bull Leipzig last week, Bundesliga reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen have drifted six points behind leaders Bayern Munich and the latest Bundesliga betting odds, here at SBOTOP, have taken a sharp shift towards Bavaria. With 15 games to play there is still plenty of time but manager Xabi Alonso knows his team can not afford to drop many, if any more points. So he’s looked to strengthen his hand and Die Werkself are closing in on a deal to bring Aston Villa’s attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia to Leverkusen.
The two clubs have reached an agreement and the player is due to complete a medical on Tuesday, which would make him available for Bayer’s home game against TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday. The Argentine international, now 28, signed for Villa in 2021 for a club record fee of £38m after impressing at Norwich City, but he missed the whole of the 2023/24 campaign with a serious knee injury. He has returned to full fitness this season but he has not often featured in Unai Emery’s starting teams and a six month loan would work well for both player and club. Buendia could become a key player for Die Werkself as they balance domestic and European campaigns, particularly as summer signing Martin Terrier has suffered an Achilles injury which will keep him out for the season.
Over in France, Olympique Marseilles head coach Roberto De Zerbi is reported to be planning a raid on his old club Brighton and Hove Albion, with Irish striker Evan Ferguson in his sights. The 20 year old burst onto the scene two years ago and has scored 13 goals in 59 appearances, many of them from the bench, but his chances under new boss Fabian Hurzeler have been few and far between. De Zerbi will have competition with an un-named Bundesliga club apparently in the hunt, and Ferguson has also been linked with Championship promotion chasers Burnley.
And then there’s West Ham United and their new manager Graham Potter. As another former Seagulls boss Potter gave Ferguson his chance. His return to the English top flight made the Premier League news headlines and Potter’s first three games have yielded a win, a loss and a draw, and he will know whether Ferguson can help his lift the Hammers up the table.
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