EXCL: Salah latest as Gerrard makes plea, Kepa return, Echeverri is EPL bound, Real Madrid’s Varane decision, Conte to Milan? … and more

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·27 December 2023

EXCL: Salah latest as Gerrard makes plea, Kepa return, Echeverri is EPL bound, Real Madrid’s Varane decision, Conte to Milan? … and more

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OneFootball Videos

Salah not part of Steven Gerrard’s January influx

I’m not aware of specific names yet for Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq, but for sure it will be a busy January for them. There will be many signings and the number will depend on the opportunities. Gerrard told the board in a very clear way, both in private and public, that he needs new players.

The situation is very quiet with Mo Salah and a Saudi switch, however.

Salah is fully focused on Liverpool as they’re flying in all competitions, but the Saudis still like him obviously and they still dream of Salah for their project. This is not something concrete for the January transfer window.

Too early for Kepa speculation but Cucu is going nowhere

Despite some recent reports, I can say no, Marc Cucurella will not go to Sevilla and he’s also currently injured so there’s nothing more to speak about on this at this stage. Marc will be out for some weeks and in any case, Sevilla is not a likely destination.

Regarding a return to Chelsea for Kepa, to be honest, I’ve absolutely zero idea of what’s gonna happen in June. Too early. It depends on Kepa performances, Lunin performances, Madrid strategies, Chelsea strategies… nothing to be decided in December or January.

This kind of stuff is always decided in May… the only guarantee now is that Kepa will stay at Real Madrid until the end of the season.

Echeverri to Man City is almost done

Claudio Echeverri is close to joining Manchester City and today I want to explain to you what’s going on around this boy, because Barcelona really wanted him.

Deco is a big fan of the player and also other people in the club know this talented boy very well. He’s playing for River Plate and was under contract until December 2024, a dangerous situation for River because his release clause is just €25m euros going up to €30m in the final 10 days of the window.

It’s impossible for Barcelona to make the deal happen because of Financial Fair Play restrictions, even though he was really tempted by the opportunity to join Barcelona because he’s understood to be a big fan.

Chelsea made some contacts to make sure they were in the race for Echeverri, but at the end of the day, Manchester City are the big favourites and are advancing to the final stages of this story.

They’re now negotiating directly with River Plate whom they have an excellent relationship with after what they did with Julio Álvarez, and the plan is to do it again with the same structure.

City will let Echeverri stay at River Plate for at least six months, then will decide whether they want to bring in the player next summer or next winter. The deal is advancing but is not done yet.

No Real Madrid decision on Varane

Meanwhile guys, on the other side of Manchester we’ve also heard many rumours about Raphael Varane, and in this case about a potential move to Real Madrid.

As I told you, Madrid are still discussing internally about the possibility to bring in a new centre-back at some point. After the injury to David Alaba, we know that Carlo Ancelotti and people on the board are involved in the decision.

What Real Madrid are doing is to explore the market at the moment, and from what I’ve heard, Raphael Varane is not in contact with them and neither have the club approached Manchester United at this stage.

There is still a chance for the Frenchman to stay at United until the end of the season and then leave the club in the summer too. The situation remains open and it depends on the proposals Los Blancos receive.

Next summer could see Šeško switch, not before

I see Benjamin Šeško staying at Leipzig in January and maybe leaving in the summer. All the top European clubs are tracking him, it’s normal, he’s one of the best talents in the world. Nothing happening now as it’s not one for January.

Antonio Conte not joining Milan… yet

There’s also nothing happening right now between AC Milan and Antonio Conte according to my information. Pioli is staying but he has to win against Sassuolo next weekend. In any case, Conte would not be a candidate now as there are no negotiations ongoing at present. In the future, we will see!