Premier League transfer news LIVE: Varane likely to leave Man United, Bournemouth to reject offers for Solanke, Brentford want to keep Toney

Euro millions

Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard has hinted that his team will return to the European market in January.

The Liverpool legend was behind moves for Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Demarai Gray last summer.

He said: "To assure our fans, we are going to scour Europe for more options. But we'll also, more importantly, need to scour locally to improve this squad to be more competitive."

Kon artist

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté has admitted that he can imagine himself one day playing for Paris Saint-Germain.

Asked by Canal Plus whether he’s ever imagined himself playing for PSG and replied, “If I said no, I’d be lying, but if you’re asking, is it one of my objectives? Not at all.”

He added: “PSG has made sure to recruit players who understand each other well and who play with each other for the France national team. Even for the people and the Parisian fans, it makes them happy. It’s what they’ve been waiting for for years, having Parisian players or at least French players in the team."

Phillips a wanted man

Kalvin Phillips' future is likely to be one of the key transfer stories of the January window.

The Manchester City midfielder is likely to be made available by his club after failing to make much of an impact since joining from Leeds in the summer of 2022.

Liverpool, Juventus and Newcastle are all keen on the England international and reports in Italy now suggest that Tottenham are also set to join the race.

Spurs are mounting a serious title challenge this season and Phillips would add some much-needed squad depth to allow them to push on and really challenge City and Arsenal.

However, if Spurs are still ahead of the Citizens by the time the transfer window opens, it would be a surprise if they sanctioned a move to Tottenham.

Madrid eye Davies

After a relatively modest summer transfer window by Real Madrid's standards, with Jude Bellingham the only significant addition, the Spanish giants are preparing for a huge splurge next year.

And one of their key targets is a new left-back with Alphonso Davies the one they want.

Reports in Spain claim Los Blancos are starting to feel confident that they can convince the Canadian international to ditch Bayern Munich next summer.

His contract expires in 2025 and talks over a new deal are yet to start, leaving the door open for Real Madrid to beat any Premier League competition to Davies.

Antony swap deal

Manchester United are reportedly exploring ways to ship Antony out.

Since joining the club last summer from Ajax for in excess of £80million, he's really struggled to show any kind of form.

The Daily Mirror claim the Red Devils are willing to sanction an incredible swap deal for striker Gabriel Barbosa.

The Brazilian, known as Gabigol, currently plays for Flamengo and has 18 goals this season.

He's played in Europe before and has been linked with moves to West Ham and Newcastle in the past, but he could turn out to be the experienced striker that Manchester United have craved.

Wirtz the one for Klopp

Liverpool have jumped to the front of the queue in the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Daily Star report the Reds are now leading the chase for the 290-year-old forward.

Manchester City and Bayern Munich are also very keen on Wirtz, who is valued at £80milllion.

Liverpool are likely to need a Mohamed Salah replacement soon, with the Egyptian being looked at for a huge move to Saudi Arabia next summer.

And given Wirtz has directly contributed to 68 goals in 118 games for Leverkusen, he could be exactly who Liverpool need.

Bee sting

Ivan Toney has already been dubbed as a player who will slot in seamlessly at Arsenal should he sign for the Premier League title contenders.

An asking price of £80million has been set though as Arsenal, along with London rivals Chelsea, track his situation.

Should he sign, a move to the Gunners could prove to be beneficial for Toney, with talkSPORT host Ade Oladipo liking the idea of him at the Emirates.

Speaking on Thank Football It's Friday for talkSPORT, he said: "I like the way he drops into the hole, he doesn't rely on pace, he's an intelligent footballer, he just seems like an Arsenal player."

There is little doubt that Toney, who scored 20 Premier League goals for Brentford last season, would improve Arsenal's attack.

However, Rory Jennings believes that Mikel Arteta's side already have enough to win the title having come so close to doing so last term.

"I believe that Arsenal are going to win the league," he stated.

"But I don't believe it's a pre-requisite that they sign Ivan Toney, I don't think they need Ivan Toney to win the league.

"If you look at the way Arsenal play, if you look at the setup, if you look at the way Mikel Arteta wants his team to play, it isn't reliant upon one obvious goal scorer, so they don't need an Ivan Toney."

Sandro oh no

Sandro Tonali is being investigated by the FA to establish if he has broken betting rules since joining Newcastle last summer.

TalkSPORT understands the matter is separate to the offences Tonali committed in Italy resulting in a ten-month worldwide ban.

Tonali is believed to be cooperating with the FA amid fears he could face further sanctions.

Tonali facing potentially longer ban

Well, this ideal for Newcastle.

The FA are investigating if Sandro Tonali broke gambling rules AFTER joining Newcastle this summer.

Craig Hope of the Daily Mail reports that they are looking into the Italian's activities since he's been in England, which could mean a further ban.

Newcastle could see Saudi transfers blocked

Newcastle United's sporting director Dan Ashworth claims the club see attempts to sign players from the Saudi Pro League blocked.

The Toon have been linked with a loan deal for Ruben Neves, which would be controversial because Al-Hilal are owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who are majority shareholders at St James' Park.

The Magpies are going to be forced into a January signing after Sandro Tonali was handed a ten-month ban from football for illegal betting.

There are currently no laws in place to stop Newcastle signing Neves, but Ashworth thinks that could change.

Speaking to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, he said: "The current rules and regulations say there is nothing to stop it.

"Currently. But there is a potential that the various different organisations will look at things across related-parties, and what you can do to acquire players at a fair market value, which have already been in place for quite a while."

Real Madrid prepare James swoop

Real Madrid are reportedly lining up a stunning move for Chelsea captain Reece James.

TEAMtalk report that the LaLiga giants hope the right-back can become the club's next Jude Bellingham.

Carlo Ancelotti is a huge admirer of James and are set to make extensive checks on him this year.

Dani Carvajal isn't getting any younger, so a top-quality option on that right side of the defence is a priority next summer.

James has barely played for the Blues due to injury this year, but when fit, he's one of the best attacking full-backs around, so it's no wonder Real are keen.

Varane to join Ronaldo

Raphael Varane is the latest Premier League player being lined up for a move to Saudi Arabia.

Football Transfers claim the French centre-back wants to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

Varane has reportedly had enough of playing in England and wants to finish his career in the Middle East.

He played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid for many years, and with Manchester United struggling, he's reportedly ready for an exit.

Alli's Everton career in the balance

Dele Alli's Everton career is hanging in the balance and is likely to rely on Tottenham and the Toffees re-negotiating a clause in his contract.

The Times claim he is seven appearances away from a triggering a part of the deal that would see Everton pay Spurs £10million.

Talks are underway in an effort to lower that fee and prevent the Toffees from forking out some money they can't really afford.

Dele is currently injured and is in currently in rehab, but he could prove to be a great option for Sean Dyche once he's back and this clause is sorted out.

Kimmich the one for Pep

Manchester City have one of the best teams in the world, and they intend to make it a lot better with the addition of Joshua Kimmich.

Sport1 in Germany report that the Premier League side are keen to take advantage of the player refusing to sign a new deal with the Bundesliga giants.

Kimmich feels he's lost the club's trust and would be open to a transfer away from Bavaria.

The German international played under Pep Guardiola, making 36 appearances for the Spaniard, so he's someone he knows well.

And adding a player like Kimmich to City's team would be almost unfair, given how special he is.

Pog-banned

Paul Pogba's return to Juventus has been a total shambles and now, he's set for a minimum two-year ban from football.

Reports in Italy suggest the former Manchester United midfielder is set for a severe punishment after failing a drugs test and being accused of deliberately doping.

It's a horrible situation for the 2018 World Cup winner who was once of the most coveted players around.

Juventus will now likely try to cancel his contract, leaving Pogba in a difficult situation as he approaches the end of his career at the top level.

Hello, and welcome back to talkSPORT.com's liev transfer blog.

Let's start by looking at the biggest story at the moment.

Manchester United are looking to recruit an experienced striker in January to support Rasmus Hojlund, and Ivan Toney is a target.

The Daily Express claim the Red Devils are ready to join the race for the striker.

But talkSPORT understands the Bees want at least £80million and are unwilling to sell him in January.

Man United seek Hojlund support

Manchester United's January transfer window priority is going to be to sign a striker who can support Rasmus Hojlund.

The Daily Mail report the Red Devils believe the young forward needs some help to share the burden.

The Dane is yet to grab a Premier League goal, while those around him have also failed to find the back of the net.

Marcus Rashford is Man United's only striker to score in the Premier League this year.

So an experienced centre-forward is being targeted in January.

Olivier Giroud, anybody?

Former Liverpool man leaves club

Mamadou Sakho has confirmed he's terminated his contract at Montpelier after a huge fight with his manager.

The former Liverpool defender apparently grabbed Michel Der Zakarian by the neck in a huge bust-up.

There rumours he was going to be sacked, but Sakho has taken the decision into his own hands and ripped up his deal.

In a short statement, he said: "Following the incident that took place at the training centre last week, and for which I decline all responsibility, I have decided to end my collaboration with Montpelier."

Sakho then went on to thank the staff, players, sporting director and owner, but not the manager.

Bridge under troubled water

In an exclusive column for talkSPORT.com, Mark Goldbridge explains why Erik ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes are not Manchester United's biggest problems.

Erik ten Hag has spent a lot of money but I suppose my instant comeback to that is that any United fan would have honestly said that this team needs at least half a billion to get anywhere near City and Liverpool.

Spending £400million doesn't bother me but you have to scrutinise the players who have been bought.

I think the Mason Mount one confused me. I don't know where he fits in. He can't play as a No. 8, we saw that against Newcastle and he can't defend.

And then you have Bruno Fernandes as our No. 10 so why are we spending £55m and giving him the No. 7 shirt to Mason Mount?

I like Antony but we overpaid a lot. I think if we spent what he is actually worth, around £50m, then there would be a lot less pressure on him. We overpaid on Antony.

I think the third one is Onana, because I look at the game against Newcastle and David de Gea probably would have saved one of those.

You talk about leaders, if Bruno is not the captain, you give it to De Gea. So you've lost a leader for free.

Weak, overpaid, selfish players... Man United have major problems - but don't sack Ten Hag

What the heck

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom admits he's getting bored of reading stories about his future.

Heckingbottom was the subject of several stories suggesting he was about to get sacked after last weekend's 5-0 defeat at Arsenal completed a harrowing opening ten games to the Premier League season, in which the Blades have taken just one point.

The boss has the backing of the club's board and says he does not 'need' a public statement of support, but is irked by constant press speculation.

Asked ahead of this weekend's clash with Wolves whether it was annoying, he replied: "Yeah. That's it.

"We are not winning, it comes with the territory. We will continue to work, if you watch the players, we will continue to do the best we can and will continue to push and push as best we can with the resources we have got.

"We speak all the time, myself, Steve (Bettis, chief executive officer), Prince Abdullah, the board, about lots of issues, the club going forward, where we need to improve, where we need investment. The longer-term plan for the club, we speak all the time.

"I have sat here lots of times and tried not to shirk any questions, but I am the last person to be speaking to you about it, what I can say is what I am saying now.

"There is nothing to add about it, we go about our work but this is a results business and it always will be when you're not winning."

Eze does it...

Roy Hodgson has revealed Eberechi Eze is close to signing a new contract at Crystal Palace.

As reported in this morning's talkSPORT Transfer Notebook, Eze - the Eagles' top scorer last season - will pen new terms with the London club to snub interest from Man City.

Palace this week announced goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and striker Jordan Ayew had agreed new deals at Selhurst Park.

The club also tied up playmaker Michael Olise to a four-year contract in August and are confident Eze, last season's top scorer, will follow suit.

"We had the good news with Michael Olise earlier in the year and now those two, and I believe the club are working very hard with Eberechi Eze," Hodgson said at his press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Burnley.

"I think they are fairly confident it won't be too long before we can announce him as well.

"It's good to know the players who we want to keep and who we want to help us are committing there futures to the club."

Cherry picking

Tottenham are ready to revive their interest in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly in January.

Spurs had an offer worth £20m for Kelly rejected by the Cherries at the back end of the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old remains high on Spurs’ list of targets and adding depth at centre-back is seen as a priority by their recruitment team.

talkSPORT understands Bournemouth would rather risk losing Kelly for nothing when his contract runs out next summer than put their Premier League status in jeopardy by selling him in the upcoming window.

Ex-Bristol City star Kelly also has admirers at Liverpool and Newcastle.

Eze work

Manchester City target Eberechi Eze is close to signing a new contract with Crystal Palace.

England ace Eze has been offered a deal worth around £100,000-a-week – TRIPLE his current salary – to commit his long-term future to the Eagles.

The agreement is expected to have a hefty release clause included.

Eze, whose teammates Sam Johnstone and Jordan Ayew this week penned new deals, signed on until the summer of 2025 when he joined palace from Reading for £17m in 2020.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined by a hamstring problem since Palace’s 1-0 win at Manchester United in September, but is back in training.

Real show of faith

Rodrygo has signed a new contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish giants have announced.

As expected, the Brazilian winger has followed Vinicius Jr is penning fresh terms with Los Blancos, tying him to the Bernabeu club until 2028.

Incredibly, the 22-year-old new deal features a €1BILLION release clause.

Rodrygo’s previous deal was set to expire in the summer of 2025 and, like Vinicius', his new deal was not a well kept secret with an agreement reached months ago.

The Brazilian has struggled this season, contributing just two goals and one assist in 14 games, but Real have rewarded him with a new and improved deal as a sign of their faith in the attacker and his bright future at the club.