Transfer Talk: Villa, Newcastle, Brighton battling to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain

The January transfer window is closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Chelsea to rival Man United for Osimhen

Manchester United are expected to make Napoli striker Victor Osimhen one of their key transfer targets in the summer, but they won’t be the only club trying to sign the Nigeria international.

Osimhen has scored 25 goals in 29 games in all competitions this season with Napoli are on the brink of winning the Serie A title, and into the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Football Insider reports that Chelsea have now identified the former VfL Wolfsburg, Charleroi and Lille attacker as the possible solution to their goal-scoring problems, and are preparing a bid in the region of £100m.

However, Chelsea are unlikely to be in the Champions League next season — unless they win the competition this season. The Blues are 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points adrift of the top four, and face Real Madrid in the last eight of the UCL.

United remain in pole position to sign the 24-year-old, though the Red Devils have also been linked with moves for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos and Tottenham Hotspur‘s Harry Kane.

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10.10 BST: Brazil’s football confederation (CBF) has sent an emissary to Lisbon to hold talks with Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, Record reports.

Jesus, 68, has been in charge of Fenerbahce since last summer and is under contract with the Turkish outfit until June 2026. However, he is reportedly unhappy at the club and would be open to guiding the Seleccao. He is well known in Brazil after a successful 2019-20 season guiding giants Flamengo, winning five trophies and 43 of the 57 games in charge.

CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues recently said that Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti would be “an obvious choice” if he becomes available at the end of the season. Ancelotti is under contract with Los Blancos until June 2024 and has insisted he wants to honour his contract.

Brazil have been looking for a manager since Tite stepped down after they were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup by Croatia in the quarterfinals.

09.22 BST: Antonio Conte left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent late on Sunday night after 16 months in charge.

Spurs are fourth in the Premier League but will not end their 15-year wait for a trophy this season after exiting all cup competitions in recent weeks as relations between Conte and the club deteriorated at all levels.

Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been named acting head coach for the rest of the season with Ryan Mason chosen as Stellini’s assistant.

08.30 BST: Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion have all earmarked Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a potential signing, according to the Daily Mail.

While the 29-year-old looks unlikely to sign a new deal at Anfield with Jurgen Klopp’s side set to undergo a midfield overhaul in the summer, he will seemingly have no shortage of options ahead of next season.

Brighton were reported to have held an interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain in January, however, the Seagulls were ultimately prepared to wait until the summer, knowing that the former Arsenal playmaker would be available for free at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Newcastle are planning to be very active in the transfer window as coach Eddie Howe looks to build a side that can compete for the title next season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has previously tasted Premier League success, winning the title with Liverpool in 2019-20. Alongside the trio of Premier League clubs, the report reveals that there is also interest from several Serie A sides.

The England international has struggled for minutes this season, making just 12 appearances for the Reds, and only managing five starts. Injuries have stifled his progress over the past few seasons, with a hamstring injury in preseason becoming the latest set-back for the midfielder.

PAPER GOSSIP

– N’Golo Kante is on the verge of signing a new contract with Chelsea, as negotiations over the midfielder’s future progress well, reports Fabrizio Romano. The France international is set to see his deal at Stamford Bridge expire in the summer, and the 31-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Chelsea. However, Romano has revealed that Kante could be set for a new two-year deal, with a further option of a year.

– Liverpool are in the running for Josko Gvardiol and are well-placed to sign the defender, as per Football Insider. The 21-year-old has attracted attention from top clubs across Europe, with the report stating that Liverpool face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid. Coach Klopp is looking for a centre-back to partner Virgil van Dijk next season, and the RB Leipzig defender has been identified as the ideal partner for the Netherlands international, with Klopp urging the Liverpool board to invest heavily this summer.

– Harry Kane is prepared to stay at Tottenham if the club re-appoints Mauricio Pochettino as manager, with the striker enduring a good relationship with the Argentinian, according to Football Insider. The 29-year-old has been identified as the ideal striker for Bayern Munich and Manchester United, however, the England captain could be tempted into signing a new deal with Spurs, should Pochettino replace Antonio Conte, who departed the club late on Sunday. Kane played under the former Spurs boss for five years, netting 169 goals during his tenure.

– Liverpool will not look to sign Arthur Melo permanently as Juventus look to offload the midfielder, reports Sport. The 26-year-old has failed to impress on loan at Liverpool, with injuries plaguing his time at Anfield this season. The Brazil international’s future looks uncertain, as his parent club Juventus are also reluctant to keep Arthur at the club, with his career stalling following his move from Barcelona in 2020.

– Marcel Sabitzer is happy on loan at Manchester United and would like to sign permanently for the Red Devils, however, the midfielder could still have a future at Bayern Munich under new manager Thomas Tuchel, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Austria international joined United on loan in January, however, there is no option to sign the 29-year-old permanently. Sabitzer’s career at Bayern was thought to be over under former coach Julian Nagelsmann, but this could change under Tuchel, with a decision over his future thought to be made in May or June.