Manchester United reveal decision on Tottenham contract rebel Christian Eriksen move

Manchester United have reportedly ruled out making a bid to bring Christian Eriksen to Old Trafford in this window.

Reports have linked United with a £20m offer for the Tottenham midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the season, but no bid has been made.

United held discussions with Spurs about a deal for Eriksen last summer but the player remained in north London.

However, according to Sky Sports, Eriksen sees his future away from the Premier League and is likely to be on his way to Inter Milan.

The Italian club’s chief executive Giuseppe Marotta confirmed earlier this week that they are interested in the Denmark international but said they have had no discussions with Spurs yet.

Antonio Conte slugs it out with Chelsea over Serie A prolific striker

Reports in France and Italy claim Chelsea and Inter Milan are set to do battle for Napoli’s all-time record scorer
Dries Mertens whose contract expires in June.

The 32-year-old Belgium international remains in limbo, as he has not yet been able to agree a new deal with President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

He has been at the club since 2013 and is their all-time record scorer with 118 goals in 304 games.

The longer Mertens goes on without clarifying his future, the more speculation will inevitably swirl around his situation.

According to French site le10sport.com, Inter and Chelsea have made initial approaches to see if Mertens would be available to join them for free next season.

Inter’s interest has been well known for some time, where he would reunite with fellow Belgian Romelu Lukaku, but Napoli would not willingly sell to a direct rival in January, report Football Italia.

If he did move to Chelsea, it would probably be a return to the wider role that Mertens had for most of his career, before Maurizio Sarri turned him into a False 9.

REVEALED: Why Chelsea delay Nathan Ake swoop

Fresh reports have emerged over the reason Chelsea are delaying bringing Nathan Ake back to the club.

The Blues are keen to enact their £40million buy-back option for Ake, who has developed into a top class centre-back while playing for Bournemouth.

According to The Sun, the London club are waiting until they can offload AC Milan target Andreas Christensen from their wage bill.

Boss Frank Lampard has highlighted the need for another defender to come in to help shore up a defence which leaks too many goals.

But before he can bring anyone else in, Lampard would need to get rid of one of the four central defenders currently in the first team squad at Stamford Bridge.

Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma are the first choice pairing at present, and the club have high hopes Fikayo Tomori will continue to develop into a quality player over the coming 18 months.

It means Danish international Christensen is the man surplus to requirements and Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for the 23-year-old.

But though there is plenty of interest in Christensen as a player, there is a shortage of clubs willing to match or improve his current £80,000-a-week wages.

AC Milan are one of the clubs who have registered an interest as they search for a new centre-back this month.

But they would prefer a loan deal for the remainder of the season with an option to buy in the summer – and are not keen to meet Chelsea’s valuation of £35m for the defender.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Atletico Madrid offer Chelsea Arsenal target

There are reports that La Liga club Atletico Madrid have offered Chelsea the chance to sign Thomas Lemar for £50m.

The winger has been linked with both Arsenal and Spurs already in the January transfer window, but the Evening Standard say Chelsea have now been offered the attacker.

Lemar is seen as a cheaper alternative to the £80m-rated Wilfried Zaha, and Lampard is keen to bring in a wide attacker with Willian’s future uncertain and Pedro set to leave either this month or at the end of the season.

The Blues could sign the 24-year-old on a loan deal until the end of the season worth £5m, and Atletico are said to be willing to do a permanent deal for around £50m – almost half the £90m price that Arsenal offered when trying to sign the winger from Monaco in 2017.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Chelsea starlet undergoes medical for Swansea move

Reports in England claim that Chelsea defender Marc Guehi will undergo a medical on today ahead of joining Swansea on an 18-month loan deal.

Guehi, 19, is travelling to Wales to complete the formalities of the move and should be available to make his debut against Cardiff this weekend.

The defender, who has made two first team appearances at Chelsea this season, has opted to follow Rhian Brewster in linking up with former under-17 World Cup winning boss Steve Cooper in South Wales.

Striker Brewster signed on loan from Liverpool on Tuesday.

Guehi and Brewster both played under Steve Cooper in the England under-17s side that claimed World Cup glory in 2017, with both players netting in the final against Spain.

Cooper has persistently said that the club do not have money to spend in this window, but it seems he may well be ready to take advantage of his strong relationship with some of England’s brightest young talents.

Chelsea believe the Ivory Coast-born defender has the potential to become a fixture in their first team in the coming years but are keen for him to gain regular first team football to develop.

According to The Sun, Frank Lampard has agreed to sanction an 18-month stay with the Swans confident Cooper will give him the game time and guidance to see him progress and develop.

Premier League clubs Southampton and Norwich, along with Nottingham Forest, had all been interested in taking Guehi on loan.