Juventus central midfielder Paul Pogba is arguably the best in the world at what he does and has been the subject of a couple of contrasting rumours in the past 24 hours. Italian newspaper La Stampa suggests Manchester United have submitted a bid of £61.25m for the ball-winning France international who left Old Trafford on a free transfer in 2012 after failing to establish himself in the first team, while the Express says Chelsea are prepared to offer various players plus £20m in cold hard cash in a bid to prise him away from Turin. Ramires and André Schürrle have been mentioned as potential makeweights.
Manchester United are also being linked with a preposterously expensive £112m deal for Paris Saint-Germain Brazilian central defender Marquinhos, who went to the French capital from Roma for over £30m in the summer of 2013 despite having just 32 senior appearances on his curriculum vitae. Behind Thiago Silva and David Luiz in the PSG hierarchy, the 20-year-old has previously been mentioned in conjunction with moves to Barcelona, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Wolfsburg playmaker and one-time Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne also features prominently on the shopping list of Louis van Gaal, although Arsenal are also sniffing around the £25m-rated Belgian. “I know some clubs are interested in him,” said the player’s agent, Patrick De Koster, of his 23-year-old client. “This is normal. It’s recognition for his and our hard work.”
With James Milner’s contract talks reported to have hit an impasse at Manchester City, Liverpool’s hopes of bringing him to Anfield remain high. Anxious for more playing time, which his current club can’t guarantee him, the 29-year-old midfielder will be a free agent come season’s end and is also wanted by Valencia and Inter.
With Wilfried Bony having signed for Manchester City and Bafétimbi Gomis being mooted as a possible £9m signing for Crystal Palace, Swansea City are in urgent need of a striker. The Welsh club’s chairman, Huw Jenkins, likes the cut of Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes, but may have to wait until the summer to lure the 24-year-old Oldham native to the Liberty Stadium from Ewood Park.
Having failed to make an impact at Inter after leaving Southampton on a loan deal, Dani Osvaldo could be given the chance to resurrect his troubled career by Harry Redknapp at QPR. Having already had very public fallings-out with sometime team-mates such as José Fonte, Erik Lamela and Mauro Icardi, it’s difficult to imagine what could possibly go wrong, although Juventus and Boca Juniors are also believed to be interested in securing the striker’s services.
Samuel Eto’o’s move from Everton to Sampdoria could yet hit the skids after the Italian club’s president, Massimo Ferrero, comically claimed “nobody can figure out who’s in charge” at the Merseyside club. Should the deal fall through, the Cameroonian striker could join up with equally sprightly young striker Raúl at New York Cosmos. Meanwhile at West Brom, Giorgios Samaras looks to be heading for the Hawthorns exit door, with Saudi side al-Hilal rumoured to be taking him on a six-month loan deal, with a view to making the move permanent if the Greek striker comes bearing gifts in the shape of lots of goals.
And lightning fast Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado is the subject of Chelsea interest, with our own Dominic Fifield revealing that the Blues have let Fiorentina know that they want to sign the right-sided midfielder in the current window to grease the wheels of possible moves for Mohamed Salah and Schürrle to Roma and Wolfsburg respectively. Chelsea had a bid of £20m for the Colombian rejected by the Serie A side on Wednesday and Fiorentina’s coach, Vincenzo Montella, has dismissed the notion of Cuadrado leaving for Stamford Bridge before the summer.
