Tottenham and Liverpool would both like to buy Lucas Alario of River Plate. Liverpool have already had a bid of £8.5m rejected, and though they are ready to “go again”, we all know how that one ends – all the more so given the involvement of Daniel Levy, thought to be preparing a bumper offer of £8.4m. Alario’s release clause is actually £15.2m; Internazionale and Joehart’s Torino are also thought to be interested.
In other Spurs news, Danny Rose is expected to follow Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier in extending his contract at White Hart Lane. Apparently, this is some kind of coup, rather than someone finding his level and being rewarded with a pay rise, so Mauricio Pochettino is pleased: “I can promise that in the next few days that maybe another player will appear in the same way.” The casualwear colour dark black duly enjoyed a steep rise in its share price.
Meanwhile, across London, Antonio Conte would still like to buy Roma’s Radja Nainggolan, the problem being that the midfielder is just as uninterested in the move as he was the last time it was put to him – roughly 34 seconds after whenever it is you read this sentence. He is expected to sign a new contract in the near future, or a come-and-get-me-plea, as it’s known in SW6.
Conte is also concerned about Chelsea’s strength in depth – or, to use the technical term, “whatever” defenders. Although he already has Marcus Alonso, David Luiz and César Azpilicueta, none bring to his squad quite the whatevz factor of Matteo Darmian, capable of performing listlessly in any position across the back four or five. Darmian has yet to feature for Manchester United this season, and is available for purchase in January.
United, meanwhile, are keen to fortify the midfield that was so overrun in Saturday’s Manchester derby. To the untrained eye, Manchester City had one extra man in the centre and two extra fit ones out wide, but José Mourinho has deduced the crucial factor to be the absence of Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho. As such, United will try to sign him when the transfer window re-opens; so long has he been linked with the club that he is virtually theirs already, yet another product of the fabled Carrington production line.
And United are also keen on Grigoris Kastanos, Juventus’s 18-year-old Cypriot midfielder; they spotted him earlier this year at the Viareggio youth tournament and are certain that he will soon like Vimto sufficiently to count as a local. Though he will be offered a new deal to keep him in Turin, various other clubs would like to intercede, one of which is believed to be Everton; in that connection, Ronald Koeman has invested in a selection of untraceable telephones and developed a flawless Argentinian accent.
