This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io
The latest on Tottenham’s centre-back search
The centre-back situation at Tottenham is clear – they want their new signing for that position to join next week. They had talks with Nice over Jean-Clair Todibo but at the moment there is no agreement. They don’t want to lose a lot of time, they don’t want to spend too long in negotiations, and so the Todibo deal looks close to collapsing.
Instead, Tottenham have opened talks with Genoa over signing talented young Romanian centre-back Radu Dragusin. He’s been great in Serie A, and Ange Postecoglou really appreciates the player, who has said yes to the move. With the player everything will be okay, and so now it’s about negotiations between the clubs.
Negotiations are ongoing, it’s advancing, everything is going very well, and so the idea is for Dragusin to be the favourite option to strengthen Tottenham at centre-back. The fee is likely to be around €30m, so cheaper than Todibo, and I can also reveal that Barcelona sent scouts multiple times to follow Dragusin, and Newcastle too. Newcastle decided not to invest in that position, while Barca are also not looking to make that kind of investment in January.
And back to Todibo for a moment – I’m sure Todibo remains on Manchester United’s list since last summer and even now; but could he be one for June. Nice want big money now so it looks like a difficult deal.
Which players could leave Chelsea this January?
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed he will be involved in what will be an important January transfer window for Chelsea. It’s important to mention that it’s not just about signing players, but also selling players.
One to watch will be Ian Maatsen, because he has chances to leave Chelsea this January. We know about interest from Borussia Dortmund, so let’s see what’s going to happen there after he also came close to a move in the summer with Burnley.
It’s a similar situation for Trevoh Chalobah, who rejected a move to Nottingham Forest, but who was also the subject of interest from Bayern Munich. From what I’m hearing, it will take some time for Chalobah to assess his options, as well as recover from his injury, but he looks like one to watch for the second half of the January window.
We also keep hearing about Conor Gallagher, but I’m not aware of talks taking place now between Tottenham and Chelsea for Gallagher. He’s appreciated by Spurs since last summer, Ange Postecoglou likes him, but there are no talks ongoing so far. Despite the speculation, there’s really not much more to say about it at this stage.
Potential striker ins and outs at Arsenal
Ivan Toney continues to make headlines, perhaps even more so now after Arsenal struggled to put away their chances in the defeat against West Ham. I can understand fans crying out for a new striker, but I’m afraid I don’t have much of an update for you just yet, guys.
As I said before, Arsenal like Toney, but as I always mentioned, Brentford want a big amount of money or there’s no chance for him to move in January. So it will be a difficult deal for Arsenal or any other club.
I’m also aware there’s been speculation again about Eddie Nketiah being a target for Crystal Palace. My understanding is that Palace have liked Nketiah for a long time, but at the moment the situation is still quiet on club side as Arsenal are counting on him. I think Palace could be a great solution for him to play more and to show what he can do in the Premier League, but also – he wants to succeed at Arsenal.
Man City closing in on wonderkid deal
For Manchester City, it’s time to prepare all the documents for the Claudio Echeverri. Everything is almost done, it’s just a case of preparing the final paperwork and then Echeverri will become a Man City player.
This super talented boy, still only 17, will then stay at River Plate for another year. In January 2025 he will join the City Group, so it could be Manchester City or maybe Girona – they will discuss that, but for sure he is closing in on a move to City, not Barcelona, as some other sources reported.
Mason Greenwood impressing in La Liga but no decision yet
Mason Greenwood has impressed a great deal during his spell on loan at Getafe, and it’s sparked some talk of big interest from top Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
However, it’s not one for January, for sure. Nothing is happening right now, but it’s going to be one to watch for the summer for many clubs. For now, no decision has been made on a next move, and he’s expected to stay at Getafe until June.