Frank Lampard’s Chelsea love all their bright young tyros who’ve shone so encouragingly this season, right? Sure they do, but splurging the cash is also in the club’s DNA and, having been denied the pleasure of retail therapy due to their transfer ban, they’re sizing up targets with relish when they return to the shops in January. One is Timo Werner, whose goal tally of 16 in 15 Bundesliga matches this term for Leipzig has attracted interest at the Bridge, according to the Mail. Another is Lyon’s Moussa Dembélé, who could also be tempted back out of the Eurozone to return to west London, where he performed with distinction for Fulham before his move to Celtic. They join the likes of Jadon Sancho, Wilfried Zaha and the Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey on an increasingly sprawling shopping list.
Rather in the manner of a demanding child wanting another kid’s birthday presents, Tottenham players took a look at Adama Traoré excelling against them for Wolves on Sunday and have demanded to José Mourinho: “I want that one.” The winger is only a year and a half into a five-year deal, though, so won’t come cheap.
Sheffield United want to add Mason Holgate to their sophisticated free-flowing central defender laboratory, reports the Yorkshire Post, but they may face competition from Newcastle and Bournemouth for the Everton centre-back, who is valued at £14m, and much may depend on the identity of the next manager at Goodison Park. That could well be Carlo Ancelotti’s.
Real Madrid are stepping up their interest in the Rennes wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga. The 17-year-old Angola-born midfielder has excelled for the French side this season and L’Equipe reports that Madrid intend to bid for Camavinga in the summer, though Rennes will hold out for a hefty wedge. Not that that will deter Florentino Pérez.
League Two high-flyers Swindon could be fending off bids for their German goalkeeper Steven Benda after Christmas, with Liverpool and Aston Villa tracking the Robins’ No 1. Liverpool could also be the destination for Coventry defender Sam McCallum. The 19-year-old is a graduate of Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy and has also been linked with Aston Villa, West Brom and Leeds.
And Leicester have hit the front in the race to sign Hull’s free-scoring winger Jarrod Bowen, leaving Southampton, Newcastle and Leeds in their slipstream.
