Real Madrid are ready to splash £25m on Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, and nothing’s going to stop them. Well, nothing except the Fifa-imposed transfer ban which isn’t due to end for another 13-and-a-bit months, but Real have already signed up a team of legal galácticos and are pretty confident of jinking and lollipoping their way around it. The player himself is, the Sun report, “frustrated by his lack of opportunities to play a central role” at Arsenal and the chances of the move going through are increased both by the fact Real are ready to ship out James Rodríguez and Luka Modric to make space in their midfield, and by the fact that Arsenal still owe the Spaniards £11m of the £42.5m they promised to pay for Mesut Özil.
Internazionale’s Geoffrey Kondogbia is being linked with a move to Chelsea again, the update being that the player would also now be keen. The Mirror report that since Frank de Boer was sacked the player has decided that “Inter is in meltdown” and now “wants out”. The move might suit both parties, given that the French international hasn’t started a league game since August. “If the situation doesn’t sort itself out, it would become difficult not to think about other things.” His arrival would be bad news for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the youth system graduate who has played just eight minutes of league football this season and is set to join the lengthy list of Chelsea loanees.
In an unusual and unexpected move, Manchester United have decided to throw money at their misfiring team in the next available transfer window, with Napoli’s Elseid Hysaj one of the names on their shopping list. The defender’s agent, Mario Giuffredi, has encouraged rumours by saying that “if they arrive with an offer which is tempting, we must take them into consideration. I do not say that it can be made in January, but if an offer arrives we would think about it.” José Mourinho is apparently ready to splash £25m on the centre-back, but Napoli are considered unlikely to let him leave in January.
Everton appear to have made an actual real-world cash bid for Charlton’s £10m-rated Ademola Lookman. Sadly, however, it was £3m short of that rating, and given that Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are also interested, it’s been rejected.
Leicester are happy to let restless players leave, with both Jeffrey Schlupp and Leonardo Ulloa being targeted by other clubs and considering their options. “If they don’t feel good because they want more,” mused Claudio Ranieri, “it is important to speak for what is the best for the club, the team and them.” Sunderland, one of the clubs recently linked with a move for Ulloa, hope to bring in the Dundalk winger Daryl Horgan to provide him with goalscoring chances but might find their route blocked by local rivals Newcastle, also keen on the Republic of Ireland wideman.
Assistant managerial news now, and it looks very much like Aston Villa have swooped on the Seagulls and carried off their No2, with Colin Calderwood resigning and placed on gardening leave after deciding to leave Chris Hughton and Brighton in order to join Steve Bruce in Birmingham. Awkwardly, all this has happened in the week that Brighton host Villa in the Championship, a match that will be played on Friday evening in a very much Calderwoodless, and potentially rather frosty, atmosphere.
