21st January, 2016
Chelsea have agreed an £8m deal for Corinthians’ 26-year-old Brazil striker Alexandre Pato, while Spain winger Pedro, 28, is set to leave Stamford Bridge. (Daily Express)
Pato is willing to take a pay cut to join Chelsea and has agreed a three-year deal in principle. (Daily Mail)
Meanwhile, South American football expert Tim Vickery says that big clubs are “playing poker” with Brazilian Pato, who is being touted to Europe’s top clubs. (BBC Radio 5 live)
Aston Villa are in talks with former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic about a return to the Premier League. (Sun)
Manchester United are considering making an official bid for Paris St-Germain’s Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, 28. (ESPN)
Arsenal are willing to spend £37m on Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka, 23, who could leave Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer. (Daily Star)
And Xhaka has joked with reporters that he has already asked the Gunners’ French midfielder Francis Coquelin, 24, for the number 34 jersey. (London Evening Standard)
Saido Berahino is being kept waiting over whether he will be allowed to leave West Brom in this window. The 22-year-old striker would like to go to Tottenham, but the Baggies are keen to sell him to Newcastle for £15m. (Daily Mirror)
Fellow West Brom striker Salomon Rondon, 26, admits he is feeling the pressure of his £12m price tag from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg. (Birmingham Mail)
Tottenham are ready to pay Sandro Ramirez’s £9m release clause to sign the 20-year-old Spanish striker from Barcelona this month. (Daily Express)
France defender Eliaquim Mangala, 24, may have cost Manchester City £42m rather than the £32m they originally claimed, according to a leaked transfer document. (Manchester Evening News)
Meanwhile, Manchester United could eventually pay £61.5m to Monaco for Anthony Martial, 20, if all of the clauses in the deal for the France forward are met.(Sky Sports)
Standard Liege are set to offer Spanish keeper Victor Valdes an escape out of Old Trafford on loan until the end of the season. (Daily Mail)
Daniel Sturridge’s poor injury record at Liverpool means the 26-year-old England striker’s cost to the club is now a staggering £542,000 per goal. (Independent)
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce is offering Italian forward Fabio Borini, 24, back to Swansea City in a bid to sign Ghana international Andre Ayew, 26.(Sun)
But the Black Cats have given up their hopes of signing Lorient and Ivory Coast defender Lamine Kone, 26. (Sunderland Echo)
Real Madrid are closing in on £10m deal for 18-year-old Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur from Boca Juniors.(Daily Mirror)
Stoke City have had a £7m bid for 23-year-old Burnley defender Michael Keane rejected. (Metro)
However, the Championship club insist they have not received any bids for the highly-rated former Manchester United defender.(Lancashire Evening Telegraph)
Swansea have made contact with Liverpool about Joe Allen, to see if they can tempt the 25-year-old Wales midfielder back home to the Liberty Stadium. (Wales online)
Manager Alan Pardew says Crystal Palace are unlikely to make a big-money “statement signing” this January . (Croydon Advertiser)
Newcastle are determined not to sell France midfielder Moussa Sissoko, 26, and Spanish forward Ayoze Perez, 22, during this January’s transfer window, but will listen to offers for Yoan Gouffran, 29, and Sylvain Marveaux, 29. (Newcastle Chronicle)
A female footballer in Spain who said a referee tried to ask her out during a game will not file a formal complaint because it’s her word against his. Romanian defender Elena Pavel accused referee Santiago Quijada Alcon of trying to provoke her by asking her on a date in Sporting Huelva’s first-division game against Santa Teresa on Sunday. (Marca)