Man Utd respond as Rangnick offered ‘wildcard’ Barcelona star in swap deals; Chelsea transfer twist

• Ralf Rangnick is targeting £33m midfielder Amadou Haidara to implement his pressing style at Manchester United.
• Ralf Rangnick’s first Champions League match in charge of Manchester United could be switched to a neutral venue due to fears over the spread of the Omicron variant.
• Barcelona have confirmed that they have held talks with Manchester City about the possibility of signing Ferran Torres.
• The Premier League has pledged to investigate the growing links between cryptocurrency companies and clubs amid fears about the lack of regulation in the industry.
• The Premier League are seeking urgent clarification from the government about their clubs’ exemption from travel restrictions amid fears that next week’s Champions League and Europa League ties could be affected by the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.
• Tottenham have been dragged into the fraud allegations against Juventus, with Italian police investigating the transfer history of summer signing Cristian Romero and the role of the club’s managing director Fabio Paratici.
• Arsenal are hopeful Bukayo Saka has avoided significant injury after he was forced off against Newcastle.
• James Justin’s return to action for Leicester has been pushed back to next month after he suffered ‘a reaction’ to his recovery from a serious knee injury.
• Juventus could be relegated to Serie B and have their 2020 top-flight title stripped off them due to their investigation into capital gains, a consumer rights watchdog in Italy has claimed.
• Manchester City have stepped up their efforts to extend Riyad Mahrez’s contract.
• Kylian Mbappe looked furious after finishing ninth in the 2021 Ballon d’Or vote.
• Cristiano Ronaldo may be banned from driving his £17m fleet of supercars to Manchester United training under Ralf Rangnick.
• Roman Abramovich attended his first Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge for over three years during the draw against Manchester United.
• Federico Chiesa is being monitored by Chelsea and Bayern Munich, according to reports.
• Chelsea forgotten man Malang Sarr is reportedly set to be thrown a career lifeline by Inter Milan.
• Manchester United are pioneering a new approach to getting their youngsters a taste of first-team football.
• Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba recently spoke with Paris Saint-Germain club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during a brief meeting in France, according to reports.
• Arsenal have lined up Ianis Stoica, dubbed as ‘the next Kylian Mbappe’, to replace Alexandre Lacazette.
• Manchester United may have appointed Ralf Rangnick as their new interim coach, but it has since emerged that Paris Saint-Germain were willing to part ways with their top target Mauricio Pochettino if their demands were met.
• Barcelona are reportedly targeting former Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu as a possible replacement for Sergio Aguero in 2022.
• Celtic are trying to push through a deal to bring in Reo Hatate for the opening of the January window and a potential debut against Rangers.
• Rangers have told confused supporters they still have no information on the ticket allocation for the club’s Europa League clash against Lyon – just 10 days before the game.
• Celtic coach Gavin Strachan is favourite for the top job at former club Hartlepool United.

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Barcelona have offered Manchester United the chance to sign Philippe Coutinho in swap deals for either Anthony Martial or Edinson Cavani, according to a report.

Barcelona’s transfer focus has switched from big-money signings to swap or loan deals following their massive financial struggles in recent seasons. Nevertheless, they still have interest in some of Europe’s top players.

According to Sport, Barcelona’s main focus is on signing a striker in the January transfer window. As such, club executive Mateu Alemany and CEO Ferran Reverter travelled to Manchester last week.

While they talked to City counterparts about a deal for Ferran Torres, they did not miss the opportunity to assess a potential raid on United. Indeed, Martial and Cavani were in the pair’s sights in the discussions.

Sport reports that Barcelona offered former Liverpool midfielder Coutinho to the Red Devils in separate swap deals for the pair. He is the club’s ‘wildcard’ option for transfers in their new approach. However, they received a frank ‘no’ from United officials.

New Red Devils interim manager Ralf Rangnick and his club want to keep Martial and Cavani, despite their struggles for match action this season.

Martial has only played nine games this term, most of them substitute outings. He is back fit following a knee injury last campaign, but he has not carved a way into the side.

Cavani, meanwhile, featured up top alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s change of system before he got sacked. However, the Uruguayan has also suffered from injury.

As for Coutinho’s future at Barcelona, the 29-year-old’s contract runs out in 2023 and he has failed to fully impress after his mega-money move from Liverpool in 2018.

As such, Barca are looking to move him on for a predictable loss. Still, any departure which brings in funds would be welcome amid their financial struggles.

AND THE REST FROM EURO PAPER TALK

The agent of Chelsea defender Malang Sarr has proposed a transfer for his client to Inter, but the Serie A side have no interest. As a result, the representative is looking elsewhere. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Meanwhile, Chelsea could add another centre-back to their ranks as they seek a deal for Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo. (Sport)

But Liverpool are also watching the Uruguay international closely as they look to bolster their ranks. (Sport)

Everton were among a host of teams to send a scout to watch Anderlecht left-back Sergio Gomez on Saturday. He scored twice against RSC Charleroi. (HLN)

Leicester, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Valencia still have interest in Hammarby IF winger Akinkunmi Amoo. (Complete Sports)

EURO PAPER TALK – BALLON D’OR REACTION

Toni Kross has slammed the decision to hand Lionel Messi a seventh Ballon d’Or, instead claiming that his Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema should have scooped the award. (Mundo Deportivo)

The owner of Romanian club FSCB has said that he wants to sell wonderkid Ianis Stoica for a big fee in the future, despite reported Arsenal interest now. (Digi Sport)

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is ready to let go of Steven Bergwijn. Indeed, the manager opposed the forward’s transfer from PSV Eindhoven when he was in charge of Inter. (Soccer News)

LIVERPOOL EYE JUVENTUS STAR

West Ham have submitted a bid worth around €20million (£17million) for Basel striker Arthur Cabral, whose January departure is consequently approaching. (4-4-2.ch)

Flamengo are offering Manchester United loanee Andreas Pereira psychological support to ensure he gets back on track following his mistake in the Copa Libertadores final defeat to Palmeiras. (Globo Esporte)

Liverpool are targeting a move for Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey, but his arrival would only be to provide competition and rotation. (Fichajes)

WOLVES INTERESTED IN LIGUE 1 ACE

Wolves are still showing interest in a deal for Lille defender Sven Botman, who was a summer transfer target. (L’Equipe)

Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with Ferran Torres, but must now work with Manchester City to sign the winger. (Sport)

The La Liga club have also proposed a €40million (£34million) move for RB Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi. While spending is currently impossible for Barca, they are working on plans to free up funds. (Sky Germany)