Diego Costa’s rumored bust-up with the Chelsea management has set the transfer circle alight. There’s plenty of talk about if Diego Costa will leave and where he will end up, but there’s also chatter of who Chelsea might replace him with should he leave.
Costa’s departure would be a huge blow to Chelsea’s title chances, but if they can replace him, it might soften the blow. According to multiple reports in both England and elsewhere, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has inquired about the availability of Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
Morata was an integral part of Madrid’s squad early in the season, and scored four goals, but an Achillies injury halted that for a bit. He’s just returned from those injury issues, and is back to his goalscoring ways. However, there seems to be little room in the squad for Morata with Benzema and Ronaldo both in the starting lineup, and it would seem he could thrive in an environment like Chelsea. Morata signed for Juventus two years ago with Antonio Conte in charge, but Conte resigned a week later to take the Italy job.
The biggest roadblock to the potential transfer would be Real Madrid’s current transfer ban which would keep them from signing a replacement.
From a potential transfer to an unlikely one, there are reports across Europe that Paulo Dybala will sign a new deal with Juventus, warding off speculation about Arsenal, Manchester United, and others. According to a report in AS, 23-year-old Dybala will become joint-highest paid player at Juventus alongside Gonzalo Higuain.
Dybala’s rise has been stunning, and he is now an integral part of the Juventus machine. He scored 19 league goals last season as they won Serie A easily, and he now has four goals in 11 appearances this season, with those numbers hampered slightly by a 6-week injury absence.
With Dimitri Payet not playing for West Ham at the moment, the Hammers have to scramble to figure out a backup plan. Reports in The Sun suggest that to pick up the slack, the Hammers might splash the cash to the Championship. The report states West Ham is tracking Brentford striker Scott Hogan, willing to go as high as $18 million, a significant price tag for a player in England’s 2nd tier. However, the report states that West Ham knows to please fans they will need to supplement that signing, as leaving Hogan as the marquee haul of January could be a bad look.