There are reports that Manchester United have beaten Tottenham to former Watford striker Odion Ighalo after agreeing terms with the Nigerian.

Spurs have been linked with move for a number of short-term options to cover for the injured Harry Kane this month.

According to SkySports, Manchester United are trying to package a six-month loan for the Shanghai Shenhua striker, with an option to buy.

The Old Trafford club are now in contact with the Chinese club to finalise the move.

Ighalo is in pre-season training with Shenhua, but the new Chinese Super League season has been delayed due to the escalation of the coronavirus.

A medical could be held in China, but United still face a race to complete a move before the 11pm deadline closes.

Ighalo is scheduled to fly to England tomorrow to complete his loan move to United.

Tottenham also made their own late attempt to secure a loan deal for former Watford striker Ighalo on Deadline Day.

United earlier had a £20m bid for Bournemouth striker Joshua King rejected as the club target cover in the absence of the injured Marcus Rashford, but their pursuit of the Norway international appears to have ended.

Premier League club Brighton have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign right-back Tariq Lamptey.

According to The Sun, The 19-year-old has snubbed the offer of a new deal at Stamford Bridge and the Seagulls have agreed an undisclosed fee with the Blues.

Lamptey had been in talks with Lille over signing a pre-contract agreement to move to France when his contract with Chelsea ran out at the end of this season.

But Brighton boss Graham Potter moved quickly to persuade the defender his best option would be to make the switch to the Amex.

Lamptey made a huge impression in his first team debut for Chelsea in the win at Arsenal and boss Frank Lampard was keen to keep him in his squad.

But the right-back, who can also play midfield, had concerns that his first team opportunities would be limited by competing with Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James.

Potter sold Lamptey on the prospect of being given the chance to develop with more regular senior football at a club that likes to play football on the ground.

Reports in Italy and England claim Napoli are making Chelsea’s move for Dries Mertens very difficult after rejecting the Blues’ first offer for the Belgian.

Chelsea are still trying to convince Napoli to let Dries Mertens join Stamford Bridge before the end of the transfer window on Friday.

The Belgian striker wants to sign for the Blues but the discussions between the two clubs are moving slowly.

According to the Telegraph, Napoli insist Mertens will not be sold before Friday’s 11pm deadline but Lampard is desperate to add another attacking option.

Chelsea will make a last-ditch bid to try to sign forward Mertens after their first approach was rejected by Napoli.

Napoli told Chelsea they do not want to sell Mertens before Friday night’s deadline, despite the fact his contract expires at the end of the season.

But that will not stop Chelsea making one last offer for Mertens, as they desperately try to boost Frank Lampard’s attacking options before the window closes at 11pm on Friday.

Napoli’s stance means Chelsea know they face an uphill battle to land Mertens and if they fail it could impact Olivier Giroud’s future.

Reports in Italy claim Inter Milan are looking to hijack Chelsea’s move for Dries Mertens as the Premier League close in on the Belgium international.

Mertens is out of contract in the summer and would cost at least £5million.

Calciomercato claims Antonio Conte is preparing a two-year contract worth £7million to bring the Napoli star to the San Siro on a free transfer this summer.

And that would leave Chelsea empty-handed ahead of Friday’s winter transfer window deadline.

Frank Lampard is keen on bringing Mertens, 32, to Stamford Bridge as he looks to secure a top-four finish ahead of Spurs and Manchester United.

Chelsea had been looking at Edinson Cavani before Atletico Madrid made a £15m bid.

Former Chelsea star Salomon Kalou is set to return to London as David Moyes is interested in signing the forward to bolster West Ham attack for the second half of the season.

The Hammers’ 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night left them lingering down in 17th and with a battle to avoid relegation on their hands.

Moyes desperately needs some firepower to help blast his flagging side up the table, with just goal difference keeping them above Bournemouth, who join Watford and Norwich in the drop zone.

German outlet Kicker report West Ham have now made an approach for Hertha Berlin striker Kalou as Krzysztof Piatek, who Moyes looked at earlier this month, closes in on a move to the Bundesliga side.

Kalou is best known in the UK for his six-year stint at Chelsea, during which he won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup and the Community Shield.

Moyes apparently sees the Ivory Coast international as the man to come in and give his faltering frontline a boost, with £45m Sebastian Haller so far failing to justify his mammoth price tag.

Photo Credit: Twitter @salomonkalou

There are reports that Serie A club Lazio have made an offer for Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud but the Frenchman is looking to remain in London amid interest from Tottenham.

The 33-year-old has longed for the exit door from Stamford Bridge having seen game time severely limited for the west London club this season.

And with the Euros coming up this summer, Giroud is in need of consistent playing time to make it into Didier Deschamp’s squad for the tournament.

Giroud had been linked with a move to Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan this month. However, that transfer has gone cold and is unlikely to happen.

Reports on Wednesday suggested that Spurs may be interested in securing the services of Giroud to cover for the injured Harry Kane. However, the striker’s allegiances to Chelsea and Arsenal make that move complicated, although he is keen to stay in London.

Now, according to Sportsmail, Italian side Lazio have approached Chelsea over their back up striker. Ciro Immobile has fired Simone Inzaghi’s side to third in Serie A, having scored 23 goals in 20 league games this season.

A move to Lazio may not see Giroud get the game time he is so desperately craving, and having been settled in London since making his switch from Montpellier to Arsenal in 2012, he would prefer to stay in the capital.

Photo Credit: Twitter @chelseafc.com

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ensured leaders Liverpool beat West Ham United 2-0 to go 19 points clear at the top of the table.

Mohamed Salah’s penalty in the 35th minute gave the Reds the lead, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored on the counter-attack not long after half-time, to send all three points back up to Merseyside with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

For the Hammers, a battling performance yielded few rewards, although David Moyes’ men were not without their chances. Robert Snodgrass and Declan Rice both tested Liverpool’s Alisson with fine efforts, met by equally fine saves.

Liverpool appeared to be in control of the contest from the first whistle.

However, it would take until the 24th minute for them to create the first goal-scoring opportunity.

Andrew Robertson had an effort cleared off the line by Issa Diop before Salah put Liverpool in front after 35 minutes.

The Egyptian fired past Lukasz Fabianski from the penalty spot after Diop fouled Divock Origi.

The visitors continued with their dominance following the half-time interval.

Roberto Firmino was denied by a fine low save from Fabianski until Oxlade-Chamberlain eventually made it 2-0.

Liverpool launched a breakaway from a West Ham corner as Salah’s exquisite outside-of-the-boot pass put Oxlade-Chamberlain through on goal.

The No.15 proceeded to brush off a challenge before coolly finding the back of the net.

Alisson Becker denied West Ham a quick response as he palmed away Robert Snodgrass’ long-range effort. The Brazilian then batted away a Declan Rice shot. Liverpool were fortunate as Trent Alexander-Arnold nearly put the rebound into his own net, only for the ball to strike the post and bounce clear.

West Ham were unable to find a breakthrough as Liverpool claimed a 15th consecutive victory.

A run of four matches without a win leaves the Hammers 17th with 23 points, clear of the bottom three on goal difference.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Reports in England and Spain claim Everton have rejected an £85m (€100m) offer from Barcelona for Richarlison.

The Catalan giants are desperate to find a suitable replacement for Luis Suarez who will be on the sideline for four months over an injury.

And, their effort to sign Valencia striker Spain international Rodrigo Moreno has been futile.

According to SkySports, Everton rejected the offer immediately, unwilling to sell one of their prized assets as they look to strengthen their squad – rather than deplete it.

The Brazil international has scored 21 goals in 57 Premier League appearances for the Toffees.

Richarlison is a long-standing target of Barca’s sporting director Eric Abidal, who enquired about the 22-year-old’s availability last summer but saw those advances knocked back.

Abidal believes Richarlison, who signed a new five-year deal at Everton in December, would complement Luis Suarez’s style of play.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Mikel Arteta has rubbished reports Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is eyeing a late January move to Barcelona.

The 30-year-old has been prolific for the North London club since his January 2018 switch from the Bundesliga, scoring 56 goals in 89 appearances.

“I want Aubameyang here 100% and I can’t wait to have him back after his suspension,” Arteta told reporters, as cited by El Mundo Deportivo.

The striker is currently serving a suspension after a red card in the recent draw at Crystal Palace and is thought to have been a target for leading Spanish clubs.

Diario Sport recently reported on Barcelona’s interest in Aubameyang but stated that whilst he always preferred a move to Real Madrid but that his intention is to play in Spain and would be open to a move to the Camp Nou.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

There are reports that Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea look to have missed out on AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek.

The Premier League trio were linked with AC Milan’s talented forward, who has been made available following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return.

According to Football Italia, Piatek has taken a private flight to Germany, where the striker will have his Hertha Berlin medical Thursday morning.

The Poland international is ready to complete the transfer, worth €27m plus performance-related bonuses.

He had joined from Genoa only a year ago at a cost of €38m, but scored just 16 goals in 41 competitive games.

Sky Sport Italia and others pictured Piatek arriving at Linate airport in Milan to take the private plane to Berlin.

Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United were linked, but they all wanted to take him on loan with option to buy.

The Rossoneri were determined to make it a permanent sale and Hertha Berlin met their conditions.