Good morning and welcome to
Sports Mole's live transfer blog. We have another day of transfer activity ahead of us, as the closing point of the winter window draws ever nearer.
Will today be the day that Wilfried Bony completes his move to champions Manchester City? Will Adnan Januzaj finally secure a loan move away from Old Trafford? Will Jermain Defoe make a return to the Premier League?
Be sure to stick with us as we look to provide the answers to these questions and many more throughout the course of the day.
Reported interest in Manchester United forward Adnan Januzaj has certainly not been short in recent weeks, with an array of clubs linked with a loan move for the Belgian.
It is now claimed that Louis van Gaal does not see the 19-year-old as part of his plans, and he will be shipped out before the close of the current transfer window.
Read more on that developing story right here.
He may have only been at the club for a couple of weeks, but new West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis is reportedly keen to ship out some deadwood this January.
Georgios Samaras, who has failed to make a single start for the club since joining on a free last summer, is among those said to be surplus to requirements at The Hawthorns, while Blackburn's Rudy Gestede has emerged as a target.
There has been plenty of speculation emerging overnight regarding some of world football's biggest names, which we have neatly rounded up in one place.
Today's morning update includes the latest on Adnan Januzaj, Samuel Eto'o and Jermain Defoe, who have each been linked with moves away from their current clubs this January.
BREAKING NEWS! Reports have emerged in the last minute or so suggesting that West Bromwich Albion have made an enquiry to sign Darren Fletcher from Manchester United. More on that to follow.
Here's a little more on that breaking news story regarding Darren Fletcher, with reports suggesting that West Bromwich Albion have made an enquiry to Manchester United over the midfielder's availability.
The Scotland international has been at Old Trafford since 1995, but with his contract due to expire in the summer he could now be on his way out of the club. Click here to read more.
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Well we've experienced a somewhat busy morning already with news surrounding both Jermain Defoe and Darren Fletcher, who could be on their way to Sunderland and West Brom respectively this window, while I'm sure the speculation will continue to heat up throughout the day.
Joe Fish will be on hand to take you through the next few hours, with any news on completed moves from across the transfer window as and when they happen.
Thanks Dan. The latest on Jermain Defoe is that Sunderland are believed to be
in talks with Toronto over a swap deal which would see Jozy Altidore move the other way. An agreement is yet to be reached, but the former Spurs striker, 32, is expected to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Black Cats, who would become his fourth Premier League club after West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham.
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Another striker who could be on the move this month is Blackburn's Rudy Gestede. Both West Brom and Hull are believed to be keen on bringing the physical Frenchman to the Premier League, and the Tigers are reportedly
ready to make the first move with a £4.5m offer.
BREAKING NEWS! Wilfried Bony is
now a Manchester City player! Well, according to the Ivory Coast Football Federation, with whom the striker is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty. The English champions have been in talks with Swansea over a reported £30m move for Bony since the start of the transfer window and that now seems to have been finalised. Nothing official from the two clubs as yet. Any word from them and I shall let you know.
Read more here.
Interesting this from the official Swansea City Twitter account. It appears as though the Ivory Coast FF may have jumped the gun a little on the Bony deal. More on this new development shortly.
Here is more on
Swansea's Bony denial. They have stressed that it will be them and not the Ivory Coast FF who will announce when the striker's transfer to Man City has been finalised. Confirmation is expected later today, once all the paperwork has been submitted.
We shall let you know as soon as the Bony deal has been completed, and could another of the Premier League's top African talents be on his way to Manchester? Reports are claiming that Man United are
keeping tabs on Alex Song, who is currently on loan at West Ham from Barcelona. The former Arsenal midfielder is expected to make a permanent return to England in the summer, but not necessarily with the Hammers and it seems that United could pounce.
Read more here.
Stoke defender Robert Huth has just been
charged with misconduct by the Football Association for comments made on social media. If a ban is to follow, he could have played his last game for the Potters as Tony Pulis reportedly
wants to bring him to West Brom.
And I shall finish the hour with a line from France which may have implications for Liverpool. Lille have apparently
made a bid for Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. If they land the Finn, who has previously been linked with QPR, they may allow loanee Divock Origi to return to the Reds.
Another striker on the move could be Yannick Sagbo. The Frenchman is
desperate to leave Hull, having not started a Premier League game this season, and wants the Tigers to release him so that he can secure regular football. However, injuries to Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez mean that Steve Bruce is unlikely to part with any of his fit forward options before he brings a replacement in.
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BREAKING NEWS! Wolves have
confirmed the signing of Benik Afobe from Arsenal. The 21-year-old, who scored 19 goals in 31 games on loan at MK Dons in the first half of this season, has penned a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Championship club.
Read more here.
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DONE DEAL: One final line to bring you before I sign you over to Jack Prescott for the next few hours comes from Championship promotion hopefuls Brentford, who have signed teenage midfielder Josh Laurent on an 18-month contract from QPR. Over to you Jack, beat that one.
Hello and good afternoon! Let's start with some news that involves Manchester United as Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels insists that he is
happy at the club amid speculation over his future. The Germany international has been heavily linked with a move away from Dortmund in recent months, with United thought to be keen on signing him.
Krystian Bielik is reportedly
closing on a move to Arsenal after the Gunners agreed a price with the teenager's current club Legia Warsaw. The Premier League side have been strongly linked with the 17-year-old over the last couple of weeks, but were having difficulties agreeing a figure with the Polish outfit.
Sevilla are reportedly
interested in signing Hull City midfielder Mohamed Diame this month. The 27-year-old only moved to the KC Stadium last summer and has impressed for the Premier League outfit this term.
BREAKING NEWS! Manchester City have confirmed that they have signed striker Wilfried Bony from Swansea City on a deal until 2019. You can read more about this developing story
here.
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Real Madrid are reportedly
prepared to break the bank for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. The 21-year-old joined Juve on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2012 and has since established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe.
BREAKING NEWS! A bit more breaking news regarding Manchester City now as defender Matija Nastasic official joins Schalke 04 on loan until the end of the season. You can read more on that transfer
here.
Roma are reportedly open to the idea of
loaning out striker Mattia Destro during the January transfer window. The 23-year-old recently suggested that he wants a move elsewhere due to a lack of first-team action at the Stadio Olimpico.
That's all from me for this afternoon, but I'm pleased to say that Liam Apicella will be here for the next three hours to keep you updated with all of the latest news and gossip from the transfer window. Enjoy!
DONE DEAL! Thanks Jack and afternoon all. Let's start with a completed loan deal in League One as Yeovil Town secure the services of Norwich City's young striker Jamar Loza for the next month.
More here.
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, it seems that Jermain Defoe is close to making a return. According to
Sky Sports News, the former England striker is now undergoing a medical at Sunderland.
Read more here.
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DONE DEAL! While Defoe is seemingly returning to England, someone that is leaving is Maurice Edu. The American played just nine minutes of action for Stoke City, before joining Philadelphia Union on loan. He has now signed for the MLS club on a
permanent basis.
DONE DEAL! Another Premier League departure, this time from Manchester United. Angelo Henriquez, who failed to make a single senior appearance for the club, has joined Dinamo Zagreb on a permanent deal.
More here.
Down in the Championship, it seems that there will be no fairytale return to Leeds United for Luciano Becchio. The Argentine is known to be keen to re-sign for the Whites, but owner Massimo Cellino has
poured cold water on that, insisting that the striker is the "past".
Meanwhile, over in France, Thiago Motta has insisted that he will
not be leaving Paris Saint-Germain. His former club Inter Milan and Juventus were said to be interested.
Back in the second tier of English football and Watford, who have
released Romanian centre-back Gabriel Tamas. It's been suggested that the 31-year-old is heading home with Steaua Bucharest.
A couple of departures from Chelsea perhaps. According to one report, the Blues are in talks to loan Mohamed Salah and Nathan Ake to Turkish outfit Besiktas.
More here.
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And that is my stint on this blog over, but fear not because up next is Joe Fish. Over to you, Joe.
Thanks Liam. Doubts over Lionel Messi's Barcelona future continue to surface during this transfer window, but the Catalonians are refuting any rumours that he could be on his way out. Manager Luis Enrique has today said that it is
'unthinkable' that the Argentine leaves the Camp Nou.
Good news for Roma fans, with Radja Nainggolan reportedly poised to sit down for
talks over a new contract in the coming weeks. The Belgian midfielder has been linked with Liverpool.
File this one under 'optimistic'. Inter Milan are believed to be
pursuing a loan deal for Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma. The young Frenchman has been third-choice centre-back at Stamford Bridge this season and Jose Mourinho is unlikely to let him go without bringing in a replacement.
West Ham United are reportedly
eager to open contract talks with goalkeeper Adrian at the end of the season. The Spaniard was the hero for the Hammers last night as he scored the winning penalty during their victory over Everton in the FA Cup.
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly
received no bids for experienced left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto this month. The 30-year-old has been with Spurs since 2006, but spent last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers after losing his spot in the team at White Hart Lane.
That's all from me for this evening, but Alex Meyers will now be with you for the next few hours to keep you updated across all of the latest transfer news and gossip. Enjoy!
Thanks Joe! I'll begin my stint on the blog with news that Manchester United are
preparing a bid for Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos. The 20-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from France and he could be on his way to the Premier League this month.
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Here's some news for Everton fans. Belgian winger Kevin Mirallas has said that he will
discuss his future with the club in the summer. He has 18 months left on his current deal and has insisted that talks have gone well with his manager and the chairman.
We've just had a couple of stories reach us from Italy this evening. Roma president James Pallotta has
admitted that he would be forced to listen to offers for Kevin Strootman, while the club are also said to be
in talks with Torino for defender Matteo Darmian.
Well, that's all for my spell on the blog this evening. I will now hand you over to Shane Callaghan, who will be taking you through the rest of the evening.
Thanks Alex. Good evening ladies and gents, and we'll start with the news that Carles Gil, Aston Villa's latest recruit, does not believe that he is at the level of David Silva....yet. Little more on this
in here.
Most Liverpool fans seem to have all but washed their hands with Mario Balotelli, who is certainly no Luis Suarez or Fernando Torres if early evidence is anything to go by.
However, one man who is keeping the faith is Kolo Toure, who says that the misfiring Italian is still "world class" and backs him to find his shooting boots soon.
The day seems to belong to Jermain Defoe, who is nearing a return to the Premier League with Sunderland, and the player himself has been speaking ahead of the switch. Here's what he has had to say -
click here for deadly Defoe quotes.
Here's a bloke never too far from the headlines, and Radamel Falcao is being backed by fellow Colombian and former Newcastle striker Faustino Asprilla to leave Manchester United because his relationship with Louis van Gaal is "
broken".
Just one last story to bring you now, and Lukas Podolski says that he remains in the dark over why Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger went cold on him this season. More to
read here.
Alright, well that's about all we've got time for tonight my friends, but there'll be stories flooding in throughout the early hours so don't venture too far. We've got the blog back online at 7 am - as in five hours away! - so join us at some point later on, won't you. Cheers!