Saturday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, sees no future for himself at Manchester United under manager Ruben Amorim and would consider a permanent move away from his boyhood club in January. (Mail - subscription required), external

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham have opened talks with 25-year-old Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo over a £65m move but must wrap up a deal with Bournemouth by 10 January to secure his services. (The i - subscription required), external

Manchester United believe Semenyo could strengthen their left side with Amorim having doubts over Denmark international Patrick Dorgu, 21, who was signed for £25m in February from Leece. (Sun), external

Bournemouth view Tottenham and Wales winger Brennan Johnson, 24, as an option to replace Semenyo. (Teamtalk), external

However, the Cherries are likely to face competition from Crystal Palace, who have registered an interest in signing Johnson from Spurs. (Guardian), external

Barcelona are increasingly likely to trigger a £26m clause to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United with the 28-year-old England forward rediscovering his form on loan in Spain. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish, external)

Sassuolo's 27-year-old French forward Armand Lauriente is set to push for a January exit amid ongoing speculation linking him with Sunderland. (Sunderland Echo), external

Real Madrid have emerged as a possible January destination for Al-Hilal and Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, 28. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

AC Milan want Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, 41, to return to the club in the winter transfer window, after he terminated his contract with Fluminense by mutual consent. (ESPN), external

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, 34, has triggered an appearance-related one-year contract extension that will keep the England centre-back at the club until 2027. (Sky Sports, external)

Manchester United, Newcastle and Aston Villa are all interested in Inter Milan and the Netherlands wing-back Denzel Dumfries, 29. (Teamtalk), external

Barcelona are set to seal a sensational deal to sign 15-year-old Norwich starlet Ajay Tavares, who has played for England at Under-17 level. (Sun), external

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, Strasbourg's Liam Rosenior and Como boss Cesc Fabregas are among the candidates Chelsea are looking at if Italian head coach Enzo Maresco leaves Stamford Bridge. (Caught Offside, external)




Sky Paper Talk

Man Utd Transfers

Man Utd have pulled clear of their competition and are now favourites to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo - i Paper

Man Utd are monitoring Al Hilal's Ruben Neves, Atletico Madrid's Conor Gallagher and Bournemouth's Tyler Adams as potential January signings - Guardian

Napoli are still at the front of the queue to sign Kobbie Mainoo. - Daily Mail

Man Utd have tabled a £450k bid for Sheffield Wednesday's teenage defender Yisa Alao. - Daily Mail
European football

Barcelona are increasingly likely to sign Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis after rediscovering his mojo at the Camp Nou - Mundo Deportivo

It's unlikely Bayern Munich will exercise their option to make Nicolas Jackson's loan move from Chelsea permanent in the summer - Bild

Discussions between Lyon and Real Madrid over a move for Endrick began this week - L'Equipe
Premier League

Chelsea's Josh Acheampong is attracting interest from European giants Manchester City and Bayern Munich - talkSPORT

Saint-Etienne have rejected an initial offer of €8m (£7m) from Chelsea for 17-year old wonderkid Djylian N'Guessan - L'Equipe

Manchester City winger Claudio Echeverri will return early from his Bayer Leverkusen loan - Mirror

Scottish football

Tromso sporting director Lars Petter Kaemer-Andressen admits he expects players to be sold in the winter window amid Rangers interest in Jens Hjerto-Dahl. - Daily Record





FLW

One issue is stopping West Ham push to sign Norwich City's Josh Sargent

West Ham’s interest in Norwich City striker Josh Sargent has hit one major stumbling block ahead of the January transfer window.

The American forward’s future at Carrow Road is up in the air as the new year approaches, particularly with the Canaries struggling for form in the Championship.

Philippe Clement’s side are firmly in a relegation battle due to their inability to string together consistent results in the first half of the campaign.

Liam Manning was dismissed as manager in November, leading to Clement’s arrival as his replacement.

The January transfer window will be his first opportunity to shape the squad to his liking, but handling the future of a key player like Sargent may become his greater focus amid the threat of League One football for Norwich in 2026.

West Ham’s stumbling block in Josh Sargent chase

 According to Teamtalk, West Ham are keen on a deal to bring Sargent to the London Stadium in the new year.

Nuno Espirito Santo is seeking reinforcements to his attacking options, with the club at risk of relegation from the Premier League.

However, it’s believed that the £20 million asking price set by Norwich could prove a major stumbling block in getting an agreement over the line.

West Ham aren’t currently willing to pay that much for the player ahead of the January window, which could prevent a deal from happening.

Clement will surely be keen to keep Sargent due to his importance to the team, with the US international holding a contract with the Norfolk outfit until the summer of 2028.

It’s understood that the Hammers are willing to seek other opportunities as long as the £20 million asking price remains in place.

Norwich have no immediate incentive to lower their demands, particularly with the club in a fight against relegation themselves.

Josh Sargent’s importance to Norwich

 Sargent has become a key part of the Norwich squad in recent years, scoring 44 goals in his last three full campaigns.

The 25-year-old has continued to find the back of the net this season, albeit results for the team have declined regardless.

If the Canaries were to accept a £20 million offer for the striker, then there would be a lot of pressure on sporting director Ben Knapper to find an adequate replacement for his goals.

It would also put Norwich at even greater risk of suffering relegation to League One given their first half of the campaign.

Sargent will be keen to have a strong second half of the season due to the USA’s hosting of the World Cup in the summer, which will also play a factor in his decision-making regarding his immediate future.

The opportunity to impress in the Premier League could give him the boost he needs for Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.

However, if the Canaries hold firm on their £20 million asking price, then West Ham may just look elsewhere in the winter market.

It will be very important for the Championship side that they don’t budge from their demands, as the less they accept for the sale of Sargent, the harder it will be to replace him.