Neil Armstrong? Meh. Buzz Aldrin? Pffft. Truth be told, the Rumour Mill has always preferred Pete Conrad, the Apollo 12 astronaut, pub quiz staple and lesser known third man on the moon. “Ooh, that is soft and queasy,” he said, upon stepping down from the ladder of his spaceship, little knowing that in years to come he’d be featuring in the opening paragraph of a short but beautifully formed tedium of football transfer speculation led by the slightly underwhelming news that Barcelona are about to make Neymar the world’s third highest-paid footballer by doubling his wages and hosing him down with £500,000 per week. And the other two? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, of course.
The Brazilian’s former Barcelona team-mate Pedro is understood to be warning friends to be careful what they wish for, with some sources reporting that he’s regretting his move to Chelsea and would prefer a return to the Camp Nou to the new and unimproved bit-part misery he’s currently enduring at Camp Mou. Tired of being an understudy at Barcelona who rarely got to play a full game, Pedro impressed on his first appearance for Chelsea against West Bromwich Albion but is believed to be extremely frustrated at being once again reduced to occasional cameos. And to think some people would kill for 20 Capital One Cup minutes at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium.
The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is wanted by Manchester United, who will have to pay the thick end of £29m to get the Turkey international to Old Trafford. A 21-year-old free-kick specialist who can play out wide or in the centre, Calhanoglu has been on the United radar for months, according to German newspaper Bild, who report that the Premier League club plan to lure him to Old Trafford during the January transfer window.
“I have said that we need creative, speedy players in attack,” said Louis van Gaal, who has fielded Wayne Rooney on 15 different occasions this season. “You have seen which players I have bought; I like that profile, but we need more. I think that all the players I want do want to come. It is not a question of the players, it is a question of the clubs who are stopping them.” If United are to sign Calhanoglu, they’ll have to fight off interest from Atlético Madrid and Arsenal.
Manuel Pellegrini was so impressed with the performance of Sevilla’s Argentinian midfielder Éver Banega during Manchester City’s Champions League win over the La Liga side that he wants to bring him to the Etihad Stadium as heir apparent to Yaya Touré, who isn’t getting any younger and recently admitted the only reason he stayed at City last summer because his Chilean manager was like a father to him.
The Liverpool Echo report that Everton are prepared to let Romelu Lukaku go if they get a reasonable offer. Paris Saint-Germain are reported to be teeing up a £40m bid for the Belgium striker this January and his agent Mino Raiola has told a French radio station that the Everton manager Roberto Martínez has said “he would let him leave Everton if a good offer comes in”. If true, it is news that is unlikely to gladden the heart of Everton fans.
“If we had met each other earlier, he wouldn’t have played for Everton,” said Raiola, in other news that is unlikely to gladden the heart of Everton fans. “Maybe somewhere else, maybe he would still be at Chelsea. I want to be clear: Romelu is a better striker than Diego Costa and could have done the same as the Spaniard did this season. But the Chelsea directors had decided to buy another star rather than giving confidence to one of their young boys.” Oof.
