With the clock ticking inexorably down to Deadline Day and Newcastle still desperate to get new recruits in the door, fans who have spent the past few months crowing about the wealth of their new Saudi owners now seem weirdly surprised by the notion that clubs who currently employ players they are interested in might want to take them for a ride.
Eddie Howe has insisted the club will “draw a line” on prospective deals if they feel they are being rinsed by opportunistic rivals, in a stance likely to be tested to within an inch of its life over the next few days. But, for now, it seems they have abandoned all hope of bringing Jesse Lingard to St James’ Park for the remaining six months of his contract because they feel Manchester United are taking massive liberties by asking for a £10m loan fee.
Robin Gosens is another player who has been repeatedly linked with a move to Tyneside in the current window but the Atalanta left-back looks set to join Internazionale for £21m, while Sevilla continue to play hardball over Diego Carlos and have turned down yet another bid for the Brazilian central defender and declared he is not for sale. Newcastle have also tabled an offer of £33m for in-demand Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimarães, who would rather go to Arsenal or Juventus.
Despite giving him very limited game time, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick doesn’t want to let Donny van de Beek leave Old Trafford. The frustrated midfielder is believed to have other ideas and may stamp his feet until he is allowed to go to Crystal Palace or Valencia on loan. The south London club are believed to be in the box seat, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reporting that they have “submitted a straight loan proposal” to United.
Currently representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, where his side booked their berth in the last eight with a win over Malawi, Sofyan Amrabat may be off to Tottenham on loan. The Fiorentina midfielder has been identified as a replacement for the Paris Saint-Germain-bound Tanguy Ndombele and will go on loan with an option to buy in the summer for £12m. Spurs seem less likely to sign Luis Díaz, having had a bid rejected by Porto for their Colombian winger.
The slump in form being endured by Dele Alli hasn’t put off a raft of Premier League suitors who are willing to take a punt on the notion that a change of scenery might help the Tottenham midfielder rediscover his long-departed mojo. Burnley, Brighton, Newcastle, Everton and Southampton are all believed to be interested in giving the out-of-sorts-but-undeniably-gifted midfielder a chance to resurrect his stagnating career.
Brentford have upped their bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Brennan Johnson, who showcased his skills to a wider audience during his side’s win over Derby last Saturday.
Meanwhile in Lancashire, Burnley are in advanced talks with Dinamo Zagreb regarding the prospect of bringing Croatia midfielder Mislav Orsic to Turf Moor. Along with Newcastle and Crystal Palace, Burnley are also being linked with a move for Juventus outcast Aaron Ramsey, who will be keen on getting game time unlikely to be afforded to him by his current employers before the first of two potential World Cup eliminators for Wales in March.
