This sluggish January transfer window -- apologies to Wilfried Bony -- is seeing some life with about a week to go, with Gabriel Paulista “very, very close” to an Arsenal move and Mohamed Salah hitting a very open market.
What else is cooking? Glad you asked...
Manchester United vice captain Darren Fletcher’s rumored move to West Ham United is far from a certainty, according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. The manager wants the 30-year-old Scot at Upton Park but doesn’t know if his odds are good. Fletcher is also said to be wanted by Valencia and West Bromwich Albion, according to Sky Sports.
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Sky Sports also says that Juan Cuadrado wants his rumored move from Fiorentina to Chelsea to happen in a hurry. Cuadrado was linked to Manchester United after the World Cup, but the Blues are the team rumored to meet his release clause this January. And if the player wants to go, the likelihood of a move is certainly higher.
Could one of the names of last January’s window be making a move this time around? Dnipro and Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka was tipped to go to Liverpool last year, but now is being linked with Merseyside rivals Everton. Konoplyanka is out-of-contract this summer, so it may not even cost Everton that much, according to The Daily Mirror. Roma and Spurs are also said to be interested in the 25-year-old.
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis has admitted he’s trying to bring Callum McManaman from Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic.
Nathaniel Clyne is yet to sign a contract extension with Southampton, and ESPN claims he’s headed to Manchester United to help clean up Louis van Gaal’s back line.