The January transfer window nears its conclusion and we have our daily gossip column to keep you in the loop.
Here, we look at the top transfer stories doing the rounds in Europe on Tuesday.
FRED
Manchester Evening News have quoted journalist Duncan Castles who claims Manchester United will battle Manchester City for Brazilian midfielder Fred.
The Shakhtar Donetsk player is expected to cost £50m and Jose Mourinho is keen on swooping for him despite City being ahead in the race.
Castles suggests Mourinho wants Fred to come in and play alongside Nemanja Matic so Paul Pogba can play further forward.
RATING
VERDICT: 4/10
While there’s no question that United need midfield reinforcements with Michael Carrick approaching the end of his career and Matic being heavily relied upon, City are well ahead in the chase for Fred. Of course, that didn’t stop the Reds from stealing Alexis Sanchez from under their noses but this seems out of their reach.
Despite the success of securing United’s new No7, Mourinho is not a fan of the January transfer window and would be far more inclined to make a major purchase in midfield over the summer.
City close in on Fred
DAVID LUIZ
The Daily Star reports that Chelsea are prepared to part with David Luiz in a bid to secure the signing of Olivier Giroud from Arsenal.
The proposed swap deal would prompt the Blues to allow Michy Batshuayi to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Borussia Dortmund, who would then be free to move to Arsenal.
RATING: 6/10
VERDICT
In theory, the carousel of transfer moves appears to make sense but there are a lot of moving parts and if one piece drops out, there goes the whole puzzle.
Luiz isn’t the most disciplined defender but is a step up from the quality and experience at Arsene Wenger’s disposal at the moment. Giroud on the other hand could see a lot more playing time at Chelsea as he guns for a spot in France’s World Cup squad.
Batshuayi and Aubameyang’s moves both have logic attached to them as well. It all really depends first and foremost on whether Wenger is even keen on Luiz.
Giroud and Luiz to swap sides?
