English Football
Wout Weghorst force Man Utd move, Atletico extend Joao Felix contract
Burnley’s Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst, 30, who is on loan at Besiktas, has offered to pay a compensation fee to the Turkish club out of his own pocket to force through a move to Manchester United, and could seal the switch by Tuesday. (Gokhan Dinc via Express)
Benfica boss Roger Schmidt says Chelsea’s pursuit of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has a release clause of about £106m, is “closed”. (Mirror)
Atletico Madrid want to extend Portugal forward Joao Felix’s contract by one year until 2027 before the 23-year-old joins Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season. (Marca – in Spanish)
Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 25-year-old France forward Marcus Thuram, whose contract runs out in the summer, and the Blues are also considering a move for PSV Eindhoven and England Under-21s forward Noni Madueke, 20. (Times – subscription required)
Brighton have rejected a verbal offer from Tottenham for Belgium forward Leandro Trossard and the Seagulls have no intention of selling the 28-year-old in January. (Football Insider)
West Ham United have renewed their interest in Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri and hope to sign the 25-year-old Morocco international on loan for the rest of the season. (Times – subscription required)
Leeds United are in advanced talks to sign French forward Georginio Rutter, 20, in a move worth up to a club record £35.3m from German club Hoffenheim. (Sky Sports, via Sky in Germany)
Leeds United will allow English forward Joe Gelhardt to go out on loan in January as the 20-year-old has been told he does not figure in manager Jesse March’s plans for the rest of the season. (Football Insider)
Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder Danilo for £18m plus add-ons from Palmeiras. (Mail)
Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr want to sign 34-year-old Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets, whose contract with Barcelona will run out in the summer. (ESPN)
Arsenal have appointed former England Futsal player Hussein Isa, nicknamed ‘Tekkers Guru’, as a technical coach. The 34-year-old Spaniard, who has worked on TV adverts as a Lionel Messi body double, will start his role before the 2023-24 season. (Athletic)
