THE January transfer window is OPEN and deals are being made!
SunSport can exclusively reveal Liverpool are eyeing a £60m deal for Porto’s Colombian winger Luis Diaz.
And Phillipe Coutinho has completed a return to the Premier League.
Barcelona have accepted a loan offer from Aston Villa, bringing the former Liverpool star back to England.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have secured their first signing of the window by bringing in Three Lions full-back Keiron Trippier.
And Erling Haaland is a summer target for Real Madrid, who are confident they can land both him and Kylian Mbappe.
When does the 2022 January transfer window close?
The transfer window opened on January 1, and closes on the 31st at 11pm.
Clubs will be able to sign and sell players during that time, with the Premier League’s winter break due to take place while the final week of the window is going on.
Get all the latest transfer news, gossip and updates here…
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Wolves issue hands off warning
Manchester United have been warned off a £35million swoop for Wolves star Ruben Neves.
SunSport exclusively revealed that United wanted to sign the 24-year-old midfielder this month.
But Wolves have yet to receive a bid for Neves or Spanish striker Adama Traore, who is wanted by Tottenham.
But boss Bruno Lage said: “When you want to do the next step and every time you are selling your best players, then the next step can never happen.
“We are here with the project and our ideas — that’s everyone: the chairman, sporting director and the manager.
“The main point is to continue with the same players, try to improve them and go to the next level.
“Do you receive the money and use it to improve the team, or do you continue with the same players?”
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Jones to the World Cup?
Phil Jones will be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2022 World Cup.
That’s the view of talkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein following the Manchester United defender’s long-awaited return against Wolves on Monday night.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I’ll make a statement. Phil Jones is going to go to the World Cup with England.
“We’re not blessed with centre-halves. I think there’s a couple centre-halves he’s better than on his day.
“I think he’s better than Mings, and I’d rather have Jones in a back two. If Jones carries on like that he’ll be going to the World Cup.
“In his pomp, I think he’s better than John Stones. I always worry about John Stones. Phil Jones is going to the World Cup.”
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Coleman lands job in Greece
Chris Coleman is back in management with Greek Super League strugglers Atromitos.
The ex-Wales boss has been out of work since he was sacked by Hebei China Fortune in May 2019.
But Coleman, 51, has signed a short-term contract with the Athens-based outfit until the end of the season.
Former Fulham, Coventry and Sunderland chief always stated he wanted to get another job aboard.
And after spells in Spain with Real Sociedad, Larissa in Greece and his Chinese adventure, Coleman is back in work overseas.
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Bayern Munich beaten at home
Bayern Munich were stunned by Borussia Monchengladbach as they relinquished a first half lead to lose 2-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern remain nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, but second place Borussia Dortmund now have a game in hand.
It all seemed to be going according to plan when Robert Lewandowski, as usual, netted the opener in the 18th minute.
The hosts looked to be in total control but shortly before the half hour mark Monchengladbach suddenly drew level.
Joshua Kimmich failed to clear his lines and midfielder Florian Neuhaus made the perennial German champions pay by firing in between the legs of Sven Ulreich.
And things got even better for the visitors just four minutes later when they pinched a second at an empty Allianz.
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Gerard Pique releases ban statement
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has hit back at claims he is earning £450,000 per week by posting a bank statement on social media.
The 34-year-old centre-back was one of three players whose wages were supposedly leaked by Spanish TV3 programme Onze – with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also reported to be on huge salaries with the cash-strapped club.
But Pique has shut down those claims with a screenshot showing half his annual pay – £2million.
This means that for the year of 2021 he was paid £4m, a sum which works out as roughly £75,000 per week.
He tweeted: “Characters like this charging for public television to defend their friends.
“Here are 50 per cent of my payroll earned on December 30th. Respect yourself a little.”
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Red Devils give up Haaland
Manchester United are no longer interested in signing Borussia Dortmund ace Erling Haaland this summer.
The Norway international, 21, is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe after scoring 76 goals in 74 games for his current team.
A host of clubs have been linked with Haaland in recent months, including Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
However, according to the Daily Star, United are not considering making an approach for the highly-rated youngster.
It’s believed Haaland has “set his heart” on a move to Real and the Red Devils have reluctantly accepted his decision.
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Bale to hang up boots?
Gareth Bale is considering ending his playing career this summer if Wales fail to qualify for this year’s World Cup, but could consider joining a Championship club if he helps his country make the tournament in Qatar.
Wales face a play-off against Austria in Cardiff in March and, if they win, they will then face a showdown against either Scotland or Ukraine for a place in the finals.
But if Wales fail at the play-off stage, retirement could be on the cards for Bale, whose Real Madrid contract expires at the end of the season.
However, if Wales do reach their first World Cup in 64 years, Bale could consider signing a short-term deal with a Premier League or Championship side to ensure he is ready for the tournament.
It is believed Bale, who turns 33 in July, could consider joining Cardiff or Swansea.
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‘Delighted to continue my journey’
Michail Antonio has sent a message after signing a new contract with West Ham United.
The forward penned a fresh two-year extension to his deal in East London on Friday, taking the length of his contract up to 2025.
He tweeted: “Delighted to extend my contract and continue the journey with this incredible team.”
Antonio, who has scored nine goals in 22 games across all competitions this season, joined the club from Nottingham Forest in 2015 will have been at West Ham for a decade by the time his contract is up and has formed a major part of David Moyes’ impressive rebuild.
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‘A very serious football man’
Ralf Rangnick must be able to manage the “big egos” within Manchester United’s dressing room if he is to succeed as the club’s interim manager, according to Roy Hodgson.
He told Sky Sports: “He’s a very serious football man who’s had fantastic results wherever he’s gone.
“I have sympathy and empathy with anybody who finds themselves in the firing line because I’ve been there myself.
“I think one of the problems with Ralf might have been that people have built up him and his methods in a way which is going to be very difficult to live up to.
“Certainly in the conversations I’ve had with him, it’s not been a question of ‘I know something in football that nobody else knows’.
“Coming into Manchester United, he’s definitely come into a club where there are a lot of big players, a lot of big egos, and trying to mould them together to get that balance that he really wants is never going to be an easy job. It’s going to take time.”
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Dani Ceballos throws a strop
Former Arsenal loanee Dani Ceballos was left raging after Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told him to return to the bench on Wednesday evening.
Heading into the Copa del Rey third round clash against CD Alcoyano, Ceballos was yet to feature for Madrid this season – since returning from his two-year spell at Arsenal – mainly due to a serious ankle injury.
But it appeared he was ready to come on for the first time in the 2021-22 campaign as he stripped down to his kit in the 86th minute.
However, Ceballos was made to wait a little longer when Ancelotti told him to return to the bench for a few moments.
And the Spaniard did not take this well as he threw his hand up in disgust at the Italian.
Seconds later Ceballos did enter the fray as he replaced former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.
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‘Very easy marriage for Coutinho’
Roy Hodgson is certain that Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard played a big role in the loan signing of Philippe Coutinho.
The pair played together at Liverpool and Hodgson thinks the mutual respect between the two would have persuaded the Brazilian to join.
He told Sky Sports: “I think Steven had a big part to play and I know everyone who has worked with Steven or played with Steven has enormous respect for him.
“Both as a footballer and a football man but also as a person, so I can imagine it was quite an easy decision for Philippe Coutinho wanting to play regular football.
“Coming back to a man he knows well and knows he has a great admiration and respect for him.
“It seemed to be a very easy marriage that one.”
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‘The door is always open’
Antonio Conte is delighted to see Christian Eriksen preparing for his football comeback months after he collapsed during a game.
He hinted at a potential Tottenham return but refused to make any guarantees.
He said: “For the people that work with him and the people that know him, I was scared.
“And now to see him ready to play football is great news. For Christian the door is always open.”
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‘The outlook is promising and positive’
David Brooks has delivered a ‘promising’ and ‘positive’ update on his battle with cancer.
The Wales and Bournemouth star, 24, was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin Lymphoma in October.
Brooks says he is halfway through a treatment of chemotherapy for the illness but the outlook on a recovery appears bright at this stage.
Brooks tweeted: “Firstly, Happy New Year to everyone! I felt that now is the right time to update you all on my progress following my diagnosis in October last year.
“I am currently undergoing treatment and, although I’m only halfway through, the progress is good and the outlook is promising and positive.
“I look forward to hopefully sharing more good news in the months ahead.”
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Villa spending big on Coutinho
Aston Villa will actually be paying 100% of Philippe Coutinho’s wages during his six-month loan after Barcelona head coach Xavi confirmed he’d agreed to cut his salary.
Villa have finalised a deal to keep Coutinho for the remainder of the season, with a £33m option to buy, and were initially believed to be paying anywhere from 50% to 85% of his wages, with Barcelona paying the rest.
However, Xavi confirmed in his press conference ahead of Barça’s game with Granada that Coutinho had agreed to lower his salary before heading back to England, with reports suggesting he’s taken a 35% cut, meaning Villa will be the only team paying him.
Xavi said: “It says a lot about him that he wanted to leave.
“He has seen that it has cost him to have minutes at Barça, he wants to succeed and has sought a solution. He is a great professional, his salary has been lowered.”
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Pep to swoop for youngster
Man City are reportedly keeping tabs on a Barcelona starlet Gavi.
According to El Nacional, Gavi has a £42million release clause in his current deal with the Catalan giants, which runs until the summer of 2023.
Cash-strapped Barcelona could be forced into selling him if a suitable offer is made or his release clause is met, helping make a small dent in their huge £1bn debt.
And City could be the club to make a move for Gavi who has since broken into the Barcelona first team in the past year.
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Spurs plot first Conte signing
Tottenham are showing strong interest in Wolves attacker Adama Traore.
Spurs were in talks to sign him at the end of the summer transfer window.
That interest has remained despite the change of head coach from Nuno Espirito Santo to Antonio Conte.
Traore is out of contract in June 2023 and a new deal has been on the table for 15 months, with Wolves keen to keep the Spain international.
Spurs are prioritising two positions this month; a right wing-back and another striker.
Sky Sports News has been told Spurs see Traore as someone who could play well as a right wing-back in Conte’s system.
There has been no bid or direct talks between the clubs at this stage.
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Barcelona to come knocking soon?
Bruno Fernandes will be Barcelona’s No1 summer transfer target if they cannot secure Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
The 27-year-old Portuguese star has struggled in recent months during Manchester United’s poor run of performances.
According to El Nacional, Barcelona’s main priority is to sign Haaland in the summer.
But if they miss out on the 21-year-old Norwegian then next on their list of targets is Man Utd man Fernandes.
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Big fallout at Vicarage Road
Danny Rose is ‘disillusioned’ with Claudio Ranieri’s ‘tactics, play and training ground manor’ at Watford.
The left-back is unlikely to play for the Hornets again following an alleged falling out with Ranieri.
According to The Athletic, things have since gone sour – with Rose very unlikely to play for the Hornets again.
Rose has become deeply unhappy at Ranieri’s tactics and training methods.
He is also frustrated with the pair’s interactions.
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Mendy still suspended by City
Benjamin Mendy will remain suspended by Manchester City despite being granted bail on Friday.
The French international defender, 27, is accused of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault and will stand trial later this year.
Mendy was granted bail during a hearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday and will be back to enter a plea on January 24.
However the Man City player will not be returning to the Etihad upon his release from prison.
Mendy was suspended by the club when he was arrested in August – and that remains in place.
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Tottenham suffer huge injury setback
Tottenham have suffered a huge injury blow with Heung-Min Son set to be out until February.
The Spurs star was subbed in the 79th minute during their 2-0 defeat away to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
But boss Antonio Conte has revealed this was NOT because of injury, which was only picked up by the medical team a day later.
Following a scan on Son’s leg after the player complained of muscle discomfort, he will now miss the next month – returning after the upcoming international break.
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Caballero extends his Southampton stay
Southampton have secured veteran keeper Willy Caballero’s services until the end of the season.
The 40-year-old Premier League legend, who’s previously played for Chelsea and Manchester City, initially joined the Saints in December for one-month.
The Argentine was roped in to help the Saints deal with a keeper crisis – with both stoppers Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster out injured.
But Caballero’s impressed boss Ralph Hasenhuttl during his brief stint and the Saints head coach has decided to keep him around until the season ends.
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Prem return for Alexis Sanchez?
Everton have been offered Manchester United flop Alexis Sanchez on a FREE transfer by Inter Milan.
Toffees chief Rafa Benitez fears he may be forced to lose either England’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Brazilian Richarlison.
But he will bring in a striker if either leaves and Sanchez is one of two potential answers.
The other is New York City’s Argentina under-23 striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos, top scorer in the MLS last term.
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Digne wants to leave Everton
Chelsea have received a boost in their pursuit of Everton’s Lucas Digne after Toffees boss Rafa Benitez confirmed he wants to leave the club.
Speaking ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie against Hull, he said: “I think it was very clear.
“I want to ask the question to every fan and former players – what Peter Reid will do and say when a player says he does not want to be there. It’s there, simple.
“A couple of conversations with [Digne], he told me what he thought. What do you expect the manager to do when the player is thinking about leaving?
“I will say again: the fans, former players. What will Peter Reid say if a player goes to the manager and says he does not want to be here?
“I am using him (Reid) as an example so that people understand my idea. I don’t try to criticise anyone. Everyone has their opinions.
“When I was talking about Peter Reid, it was about someone who cares; who was always pushing for the best from everyone on the pitch. That was the idea.”
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Issa Diop to follow Trippier?
Newcastle are reportedly preparing a swoop for West Ham defender Issa Diop.
The Magpies bolstered their backline today when they completed the signing of England full-back Kieran Trippier for £12million from Atletico Madrid.
A new centre-back remains high on Howe’s wish list and L’Equipe claim that 24-year-old Diop has emerged as a potential target.
They state that Newcastle have been monitoring the Frenchman closely for a while.
And now they are ready to table an offer between £8.3m and £10m ‘in the coming hours’ to West Ham for him.
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‘Realises he made a mistake’
Lionel Messi could be prepared to QUIT Paris Saint-Germain this summer if the French giants fail to win the Champions League, it’s claimed.
Ex-Barca star Lobo Carrasco said on Spanish TV that victory in Europe is going to be crucial to PSG keeping hold of their star.
He told El Chiringuito TV: “Messi will always miss the ‘modus vivendi’ he had in Barcelona.
“If he succeeds, which means winning the Champions League, he could extend his stay for another year.
“If PSG don’t win the Champions League then this year is going to be a long one.
“I don’t think he regrets his decision in a sporting sense, but on a personal level he realised (he made a mistake).”
