Football transfer rumours: Willian José to Wolves? Divock Origi to Inter?
Origi #Origi
Sam Allardyce wants a striker, but any deal will be complicated by a multitude of factors. First of all, Allardyce and West Brom will need to be convinced that the player will improve their squad, then the player will have to be convinced that half a season of Allardyce-flavoured action will improve their career, and finally – and this is where it gets really troublesome – the selling club will have to be convinced to give the player to them completely gratis.
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According to the Mirror, Allardyce is only able to conclude “free transfers or loan deals, with a view to making deals permanent later on if Albion stay up”, which sounds very much precisely the kind of conditions that no club whatsoever would willingly agree to in the mid-season window unless it is to wash their hands of the most irredeemably misplaced of lost causes. So far Albion have identified Benfica’s Swiss international Haris Seferovic as a player they would like to sign, if only his club would not almost certainly reject their lamentable approach out of hand. Galatasaray forward Mbaye Diagne is a moderately more rational target.
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David Moyes wants a striker, but Sevilla are unlikely to be impressed by the bid West Ham are putting together for Youssef En-Nesyri – the Spaniards want £35m to be transferred before they allow the player to leave; the Hammers want to pay £32m in a series of bite-sized chunks. Boulaye Dia of Reims and, as previously rumoured, Gaëtan Laborde of Montpellier are mentioned as potential alternatives. “Do I want a striker? I really do,” says Moyes, “but I’m mindful a lot of clubs are on the verge of going bust and I’ve got to make sure I do things correctly.”
José Mourinho wants a striker and fancies Southampton’s Danny Ings, whose contract runs out at the end of next season and will insert a release clause into any new one, says the Mirror. Tottenham might end up with Diego Costa instead, because they can sign him now without paying any transfer fee at all.
Sean Dyche wants a striker, and has put Bournemouth’s Joshua King at the top of his wish list. King turned 29 last week, has not scored a league goal this season – and has only scored at all against League Two side Oldham – has started one game since the start of November and is out of contract in the summer, so you would have thought that this is the kind of January transfer coup that Burnley could pull off.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants a striker, and Wolves have thus launched into negotiations with Real Sociedad for Rumour Mill regular Willian José. Nuno appears to be on track to actually get his man, with an initial loan move mooted. Could the Brazilian finally be on his way to the Premier League?
Antonio Conte wants a striker, and reckons the answer for Internazionale could be a loan deal for Liverpool’s Divock Origi. Arsenal want Real Madrid’s Martin Ødegaard, another loan. And finally, Everton want someone to give them £9m for Bernard, who they signed for nothing in 2018.