Manchester United have swooped in with a £25m bid for Arsenal contract rebel Alexis Sanchez, according to reports.
The move puts Manchester City‘s pursuit of the Chilean in jeopardy, whose contract at the Emirates Stadium runs out in the summer.
Sky Italia and The Guardian claim United are prepared to outbid their crosstown rivals for the 29-year-old while also offering the player a higher wages.
Another advantage the Old Trafford outfit could have over City is that they’re also willing to offer Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a makeweight to sweeten the deal.
Given that Arsenal will be desperate to recruit reinforcements with Sanchez and Mesut Ozil as well on the way out, the prospect of signing the Armenian in return could be an appealing one.
Interesting turn of events with Manchester United coming in for Sanchez, with Mkhitaryan going the other way. Can see the appeal for both clubs. United get a top player, and stop him going to City, and Arsenal get an excellent footballer in place of someone who wants away.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 11, 2018
The transfer window is well and truly in full swing!
Here, we take a look at the biggest stories dominating the headlines on Thursday.
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REAL BETIS IN NO RUSH TO SELL PROMISING MIDFIELDER
Barcelona have been knocked back in their attempts to sign Real Betis star Fabian Ruiz, according to Sport.
Both Blaugrana and Valencia have been monitoring the 21-year-old, who has been at the heart of everything good about the Betis central midfield this term.
The home-grown talent, who rose up through the Andalusian side’s youth ranks, is seen as a star of the future and Barca were rumoured to be weighing up a €15m bid during the transfer window.
However, it looks unlikely Betis will want to off-load Ruiz, who spent last season on loan at Elche, this month.
RATING: 8/10
VERDICT
Ruiz is tipped to become a lynchpin of the Spanish national team for years to come and Barcelona have been shrewd in declaring their interest early doors.
While it is extremely unlikely a deal will be done in the January transfer window, expect the Catalan giants to come calling in the summer when they trim other areas of their squad.
Fabian Ruiz has netted twice in La Liga this term.
TRANSFER FOR BARCELONA STAR RAFINHA STRIKES ROAD BLOCK
Inter Milan’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has hit a snag, with both clubs remaining miles apart over an agreement.
The Brazilian is destined to leave the Camp Nou this winter but only at the right price as Barca look to offload numbers in midfield and recoup some cash following huge outlays on Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina.
The 24-year-old, who has spent his entire career in Catalonia, has also been linked with Arsenal but the Nerazzurri are said to be in pole position to land him.
However, the sticking point seems to be the nature of the transfer as Inter only want to take Rafinha on loan initially.
Barcelona, though, are convinced they need to cash in on the homegrown star for a fee of €35m right away.
RATING: 9/10
VERDICT
Rafinha undoubtedly needs a fresh start to his career having not featured this season. While the Catalan giants are desperate to sell, they may be willing to allow him to leave on loan until the end of the current campaign at least.
Rafinha has lost his way at Barcelona.
RAMIRES SET TO MOVE BACK TO EUROPE
Former Chelsea midfielder Ramires could be set to end his stint in China, according to reports.
The Brazilian, who is currently playing in the Chinese Super League with Jiangsu Suning, is attracting interest from Inter Milan.
The San Siro giants are looking at ways in which they can bolster their squad as they chase down both Napoli and Juventus in the Serie A title race – and see 30-year-old Ramires as a man who could quickly bring a lot of experience to the table.
La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting Inter have a firm interest in the central midfield talent and want to bring him back to Europe.
RATING: 8/10
VERDICT
The Brazilian chased the riches of the CSL in 2016 after six seasons at Stamford Bridge but it now seems, after two years, he has completed his stint in Asia. Sources close to Ramires have suggested he wants to play at the highest level of football again.
Ramires has previously proved his worth in the Premier League.
Colombia centre-back Yerry Mina joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras on Thursday on a five year contract for a fee of 11.8 million euros ($14 million), the Catalan club announced.
The 6ft 5in 23-year-old is set to fill the void left by Javier Mascherano, who is on the verge of a 10 million euro switch to China’s Hebei Fortune.
The Colombian international will be Barcelona’s second signing of the January transfer window after Philippe Coutinho’s 160 million-euro capture from Liverpool.
Mina has a 100 million euro release clause attached to his contract.
With Mascherino set to leave and injured young French centre-back Samuel Umtiti widely reported to be in talks with Manchester City, Barcelona had faced being left with only two recognised centre backs in Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen.
