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Kylian Mbappe won’t rush decision on his future
We’re now entering into important months for Kylian Mbappe’s future. There is no concrete update yet, but of course he is now free to negotiate with other clubs, so the situation is quite open.
Paris Saint-Germain are still waiting for Mbappe’s communication, and they’re still hoping for him to sign a new contract, but at the moment it is not guaranteed at all. We know Real Madrid are also working on this behind the scenes, this is no secret and has been the case for a long time.
It’s on Mbappe now, so let’s see what happens. From his camp, it’s total silence, they’re taking their time. His mother, father and lawyers are working on it, discussing internally what to do, so let’s see what will happen, but I don’t think it’s guaranteed that Mbappe will decide his future in the coming weeks. I know there have been reports about deadlines, but I’m not sure there is a deadline and I think Mbappe will take his time before deciding.
Things can change quickly in football but Victor Osimhen still looks likely to stay at Napoli until the summer
Everything is possible in life, but I still don’t think the Victor Osimhen deal will happen at all this January. After what happened with Enzo Fernandez last year you have to say anything is possible, but in that case there was a release clause, whereas here the situation is different as the release clause is only for the summer, not for January.
I don’t see Osimhen leaving Napoli in January and I think his contract extension was part of the project between Osimhen and Napoli to continue together until the end of the season, and then to maybe leave in the summer.
Of course, it could be that clubs like Chelsea try to reach a pre-agreement on personal terms in January, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy, I don’t think it’s guaranteed that he will commit to anything in January. We know in football that six months is like six years in other sports – many things can change, such as the coach, the directors…so I think he is going to take his time and it’s not going to be that easy to reach an agreement with Osimhen in January.
Also from what I know about Napoli, I don’t think it’s going to be easy to negotiate with them this month, so I think this is a saga for the summer, and for the next few months leading up to it.
Conor Gallagher situation could be similar to Mason Mount
I think it’s possible that Conor Gallagher will stay at Chelsea this January, and that maybe a move is more of a possibility in the summer if they can’t agree a new contract. In that case, I think it would be a serious possibility for Gallagher to leave in the summer, but for January it will only happen if someone will put serious money on the table.
I saw some reports of £30-40m, but I don’t see Chelsea selling Gallagher for that sort of money. I think they will wait until the summer transfer window, in a similar situation to what happened with Mason Mount last summer. If he doesn’t want to agree a new deal with Chelsea, he can be free to leave, but only on Chelsea’s conditions.
Contract talks remain active, but it’s not something close at this point. I’m also told that, despite reports, there are no conversations between Tottenham and Chelsea over Gallagher at this stage. Tottenham’s interest is there since the summer, and Ange Postecoglou is a big fan of the player, but they are not negotiating to sign Gallagher now.
Another important story at Chelsea is Andrey Santos returning from his difficult loan spell at Nottingham Forest. The plan remains for him to go out on loan again for the next six months. There is interest from many clubs but loan spots situation is not easy so Chelsea will take some time before understanding how to proceed with that domino. As for when Santos could be involved in Chelsea’s first-team, their plans for next season plans are not decided now so Chelsea will see in May/June how’s the situation and then assess Andrey’s situation for next year.
Brentford know they’re in a strong position on Ivan Toney
I think there is a very good chance for Ivan Toney to stay at Brentford, honestly. This is the feeling, and only if they receive a really important proposal could this change. Rumours started in November about an asking price of around £60-65m, but then Brentford understood that there are no other top strikers available on the market, and so now the idea of Brentford is something more like £90-100m for Toney this January.
I don’t think it’s going to be easy, and any teams interested in Toney might have to be creative, so maybe a loan deal, but only if there is an obligation to buy. So, only if there is a guaranteed sale of Toney, and only for big money, otherwise I think he is going to stay at the club and then probably leave in the summer transfer window.
The idea of the player himself remains to leave and to try a top club experience. Still, he’s not in a rush to leave Brentford now, so he could wait until the summer transfer window.
Jadon Sancho wants Manchester United exit as soon as possible
Jadon Sancho’s return to Borussia Dortmund is gather pace – negotiations are going very well and moving very quickly because Sancho is pushing for the move. He has had a few difficult months at Manchester United as he’s been out of the team after complications with Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.
Sancho also had an opportunity with Juventus, but in the end they were not willing to pay the loan fee or salary coverage, so Juve decided to invest in different players. Dortmund, however, need a player like this to make an impact now after some difficult weeks at the club, and Sancho is the player they want, and he wants to go back there.
Sancho has sent a very clear message to Manchester United – he wants to go as soon as possible, in the next couple of days, not at the end of the January transfer window. Important hours and days are ahead, with negotiations continuing over his return to Borussia Dortmund.
Staying with Man United, some fans have asked me about the Michael Olise story yesterday. I’m not denying any story at this point but it’s just too early to say for sure. INEOS will decide on the summer plans in the next months, not now. Obviously all top clubs in England are monitoring Olise – he’s doing fantastic at Crystal Palace, so I’m not surprised by the stories. But I’m still told that the time for decisions on summer moves is not now.
Radu Dragusin to Tottenham talks progressing well
I think Radu Dragusin moving from Genoa to Tottenham is now more than a possibility – it’s not done yet, but it’s progressing really well. There is a constant contact between the two clubs, the conversation is very positive, and the player has also said yes to Tottenham, while Ange Postecoglou is also a big fan of Dragusin.
We know that Jean-Clair Todibo was also a top target for Tottenham, but Nice are not open to selling the player in January, so that deal has basically collapsed now. The conversations between Tottenham and Genoa are more positive, with the Italian club looking for something like €30m, while Spurs are offering more like €23m, so it’s a verbal conversation, nothing official at the moment, so let’s see how it progresses in the next few days.
Pedro Neto deal looks difficult for Arsenal this January
Arsenal are being linked again with Pedro Neto, and it’s hardly surprising after his fine form for Wolves, while it’s also clear the Gunners are not quite clicking in attack at the moment.
Still, I think this is a difficult one for January, so it could be one for the summer. Neto was already on Arsenal’s radar years ago, he’s always been appreciated but there are also other clubs interested, so nothing is guaranteed.
Personally, I think Neto is a very, very good player, underrated at some points. He’d be a perfect fit for Arsenal, in my view. Let’s see how the situation will evolve in the next few months.
Saudi interest in West Ham star remains, but it’s not straightforward
There is interest from Saudi Arabia in West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd. There was already interest at the end of the summer, the beginning of September, but West Ham said no.
There is interest from Saudi again, but for West Ham the only way for this to happen is if it’s a permanent transfer, and if they can find a replacement. For example, Milan and Roma have also been interested in Aguerd and showed an interest in recent weeks over a loan deal, but West Ham said no, it’s only a permanent transfer or nothing.
Aguerd is very happy in the Premier League, it’s not about money, but he’s very happy playing at this competitive level, and so this is why he is not desperate for a move to Saudi, even if the interest is there.