The transfer window is closed until January but that doesn’t keep the rumour mill churning as clubs look to get a leg up on potential transfers.
Here are three big stories dominating the headlines on Tuesday.
Will any of the following deals happen?
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BARCELONA TRACKING YOUNG FRENCH STARLET
Barcelona are monitoring the progress of Lyon star Houssem Aouar very closely, according to Marca.
The Camp Nou club have apparently already contacted the French side to declare their interest in the 19-year-old – stating that they are are watching his development closely.
The midfielder’s rise to stardom this year has been rapid, with Aouar going from strength to strength since his Europa League debut against AZ in the Europa League in February.
Barca will be wary that upheaving a young talent so early on in his career could affect the player’s progress, but Blaugrana have simply set down a marker by kicking off initial talks.
RATING: 7/10
VERDICT
Aouar is without doubt one of the rising stars in French football, and if he continues his scintillating form this term which has yielded eight goals in Ligue 1, then Barca are right to track the attacker.
The Lyon-born star developed through the club’s academy and a move away from his boyhood team would not be easy, but expect the Catalan giants to rev up their attempts to sign him in the summer.
Aouar has starred throughout 2017.
MANCHESTER UNITED SCOUTING LAZIO STAR
Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is on the radar of Manchester United, Calciomercato reports.
The Premier League club reportedly had scouts watching the 22-year-old star in Lazio’s comeback victory over Sampdoria on Saturday, scoring one goal and creating the other.
Lazio are likely to want an €80million transfer fee for their Serbian midfielder.
RATING: 6/10
VERDICT
Milinkovic-Savic fits the bill of a Jose Mourinho midfielder. Powerful and technically gifted, he could forge an excellent partnership with Paul Pogba, and the presence of veteran compatriot Nemanja Matic would help the youngster settle into the club.
United are likely going to be in the market for a midfielder, even though they’re well-stocked in that department at the moment. Marouane Fellaini hasn’t signed a new contract yet, Ander Herrera hasn’t hit the heights of last season – although he’s begun to show that form recently – and Scott McTominay still needs time to develop. The club’s lack of midfield depth was exposed recently with injuries to both Pogba and Fellaini leading to a poor run of form as Mourinho couldn’t rotate Matic and Herrera, so the need for someone of Milinkovic Savic’s calibre is obvious.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could be the perfect fit at Manchester United.
MAN CITY OFFERED MESSI MAMMOTH DEAL
Marca claims Manchester City offered Lionel Messi a €100million signing bonus and a salary of €50million per year to join his old manager Pep Guardiola at the Premier League club.
Guardiola has subsequently denied that the club tried to sign Messi, but Barcelona were reportedly stunned enough by City’s offer that they matched it in order to ensure their talisman stayed.
RATING: 7/10
VERDICT
Guardiola can deny as much as he wants, but before Messi signed his new Barcelona contract, there was plenty of speculation regarding the possibility of joining City. Whether or not he was ever close to leaving Barca, it’s definitely unlikely that City wouldn’t even have tried, especially given the relationship between Guardiola and Messi.
The fact that Barcelona felt compelled to match City’s offer shows they thought the threat from the English club was genuine enough to need warding off. While it will probably never happen now, it seems Messi to City was closer than anyone ever realised.
How close were Messi and Guardiola to a reunion?
