With Real Madrid expected to consign Julen Lopetegui to his local Oficina Empleo this morning, Antonio Conte has been installed as the favourite to replace him as long as he can extricate himself from the contractual ties that bind him to Chelsea. Reports from Italy suggest the Italian and his former employers have agreed on a compromise over the £9.5m pay-off he received upon leaving the club last summer, which Conte would be obliged to forego if he takes another job this season. Following Real’s thrashing at the hands of Barcelona on Sunday, Lopetegui’s dismissal after 14 games in charge is a formality and Conte is eager to replace him.
Speculation abounds, however, that the 49-year-old is not necessarily Real’s first choice and Tottenham Hotspur fans will be displeased to hear the Spanish club are hitching their skirts at Mauricio Pochettino, who distanced himself from the gig on Friday. “I don’t have social media so I don’t receive much information,” he said. “That’s why my head, my face, I look younger than I am. Stuff like that happens in football. You can’t change anything.”
Liverpool’s well documented pursuit of Piotr Zieliński could be about to hit the buffers. Reports from Italy suggest Napoli’s Polish midfielder is on the verge of inking a new deal with the club that will significantly increase the £60m release clause the Merseyside club were hoping to trigger in January.
Manchester United are giving lank-haired Atlético Madrid left-back Filipe Luís the glad eye and could move for him in the new year. Having come on as a half-time substitute in his side’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday, the 33-year-old Brazilian promptly rifled a smashing effort into the top corner to get himself on the scoresheet.
Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is a 21-year-old in big demand, with Juventus, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea all believed to be interested in securing his services. City got to see exactly how effective he can be in their defeat at the hands of the French side in their opening Champions League match this season, while United and Chelsea are reported to have had him scouted at Hoffenheim last Tuesday, when he got among the goals in Lyon’s 3-3 draw with the Bundesliga side. Like Benjamin Mendy, Ndombele hails from the Parisienne suburb of Longjumeau and is renowned for his dribbling, ability to beat a man and pick out a pass. Tottenham were strongly linked with him last summer before he made his loan move to Lyon from Amiens permanent.
On £70,000 per week at Tottenham Hotspur when he could almost certainly be earning at least double elsewhere, Christian Eriksen is ready to re-open contract talks with his chairman Daniel Levy and ask for a hefty pay rise that would make his salary commensurate with what a man of his sublime talents surely deserves. The mild-mannered 26-year-old is contracted to the club until June 2020 and last signed an extension just over two years ago.
Meanwhile in Italy, Juventus vice-president Pavel Nedved has appeared on Sky Italia to pour a big bucket of cold water over speculation that Juventus are planning a January raid on Old Trafford for their former midfielder Paul Pogba. The midfielder’s teammate Juan Mata, meanwhile, could sign for Arsenal if he leaves United on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer.
