January 5 – Despite being welcomed to Saudi Arabia as one of its league’s marquee summer signings, Brazilian centre-forward Roberto Firmino (pictured) is on the verge of a return to the Premier League, with Fulham leading the chase for the ex-Liverpool man.
His current club Al-Ahli have offered the chance to sign Firmino to multiple Premier League clubs.
The striker’s disastrous stint in Saudi is summed by his three league goals across the opening 19 games of the season, all of which were scored on the opening day of the season in a remarkable debut hattrick.
With fellow ex-Premier League stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrovic racking up enormous tallies in the SPL, it is even harder to ignore the Brazilian’s shortcomings in front of goal.
Brentford have set an asking price of £100 million for 27-year-old striker Ivan Toney. Reports suggest Chelsea, who are no strangers to £100 million+ transfers in recent windows, could look to offload players in January to fund a move for the England international. Arsenal are also linked to the player.
Players at risk at Stamford Bridge include January 2023 signing Noni Madueke and Cobham’s own Connor Gallagher. 23-year-old Gallagher has been a shining light in a struggling Chelsea team this term and reportedly wants to stay at the West London Club.
Everton defensive midfielder Amadou Onana has been linked with a move to Arsenal as the Gunners look to further strengthen their midfield options. The 22-year-old has impressed since moving to Merseyside from LOSC Lille in summer 2022 and has looked good value for his €35 million price tag. Now valued at €50 million by Transfermarkt, Everton will likely demand a significant fee for the Belgian international.
Manchester United are not expected to activate an option to extend France striker Anthony Martial’s contract and the 28-year-old is set to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer. The Frenchman signed for the Red Devils in a €60m move from Monaco in 2016 in a deal that included a Ballon d’Or clause.
Bayern Munich have enquired about AC Milan’s 26-year-old English defender Fikayo Tomori in an effort to reinforce their defensive line as the club looks to climb out of their unfamiliar second place position in the Bundesliga table. The English defender’s contract at Milan expires in 2027, so fans can expect the fee to climb above Tomori’s €40 million Transfermarkt value with the Rossoneri under no pressure to sell.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1735092288labto1735092288ofdlr1735092288owedi1735092288sni@g1735092288niwe.1735092288yrrah1735092288