Only five days remain of what has felt like a mercifully underheated winter window, but Manchester United could be about to fire it up a bit with an audacious bid for Cole Palmer. Teamtalk claims that a move for the Chelsea and England star is “building up a serious head of steam”. The departure from Stamford Bridge of Enzo Maresca, with whom Palmer was close, has apparently made Palmer susceptible to the idea of returning to his home city. He’s under contract until 2033 though, such is the Chelsea way, and would cost a British record £150m.
Meanwhile, the interim United manager, Michael Carrick, could face an internal battle with club bosses over Harry Maguire, whom Carrick wants to keep despite the desire of others in the Old Trafford hierarchy to give younger players such as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven more of a chance.
In the Season Of The Set Piece, the dead-ball specialist James Ward-Prowse has somehow become something of a forgotten man. Burnley might be on the brink of rectifying that with a loan move for the midfielder, according to the Telegraph.
The sometime England international Angel Gomes is on Wolves’ radar. The midfielder has found game time at Marseille limited recently and could be tempted back to England to roll up his sleeves for Rob Edwards’s side as they seek an escape from the Premier League relegation zone.
Wolves are also keen on the Mali and Auxerre forward Lassine Sinayoko, whose performances at the Africa Cup of Nations pricked interest from several clubs. Sinayoko recently extended his contract to 2027 but could apparently be available for about £8m this month. He could, however, be tempted by a Championship promotion campaign rather than an uphill Premier League relegation battle: Coventry and Middlesbrough have also been linked with the striker.
Another Ligue 1 talent who could be plucked by the Premier League’s wad-waving vultures is the Rennes defender Jérémy Jacquet, over whom Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly tussling. Chelsea appear to be Jacquet’s preferred destination but Liverpool have stepped up their interest, with Bayern Munich also making eyes, though the summer window could be a likelier time for a move; Rennes are determined to hang on to him for now.
Real Madrid want to bring back their academy graduate Victor Muñoz from Osasuna. The 22-year-old winger has impressed since his move last year but Madrid have an €8m buy-back clause that they are now keen to activate, the Spanish outlet Fichajes reports. The plan is apparently “to regain full control of his contract with a clear financial strategy in mind”, because that’s just how modern football works, the plan being to sell him on again at a profit.
In the Women’s Super League, the relentlessly ambitious London City Lionesses have been linked with an eye-catching move for the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. The Spain and Barcelona playmaker was spotted in deepest Bromley last weekend watching London City go down 1-2 to Manchester City, while Talksport have been reporting that Michele Kang’s club are planning one more “landmark signing” this winter. We shall see.
