Wesley Moraes is a striker in big demand and the word in the Sun is that Unai Emery has hunkered down and got on his mark in the “£15m race” for the Club Brugge striker’s services. With nine goals in 20 appearances to his name already this season, the 22-year-old Brazilian has also turned heads at Fiorentina and Valencia, in a state of affairs that could prompt a January auction.
Currently living the purgatorial, borderline-pointless life of a third-choice goalkeeper, Burnley’s club captain, Tom Heaton, has decided he wants to leave Turf Moor. Heaton has made just three appearances for the club since recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him in September 2017 and in that time has dropped below Joe Hart – and the currently recuperating-from-injury Nick Pope – in the pecking order of shot-stoppers at Burnley.
Aston Villa are favourites to sign Heaton in January, in a move that could thwart Tottenham’s plans to bring Nick Pope to White Hart Lane to compete with Hugo Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga. Tottenham’s current third-choice keeper, Michel Vorm, recently admitted he is bored with not playing and may well leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. Also in need of a goalkeeper to act as cover for Bailey Peacock-Farrell after the Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman suffered a broken leg, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has ruled out moves for both Heaton and Newcastle’s Freddie Woodman because he doesn’t think either player is good enough with the ball at their feet.
The Galatasaray central defender Ozan Kabak is only 18 but is already inching his way across radars at Arsenal, Roma, Inter and Manchester United. Inter have also been hitching their skirts at United full-back Matteo Darmian, who is wanted by Fulham but rumoured to be more keen on a return to Italy. Meanwhile at Molineux, Wolves are waist-deep in an £18m move for Shoya Nakajima, the Japanese midfield schemer who currently plies his trade with Portimonense in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Leicester and Southampton have also been linked with the 24-year-old.
Chelsea are hoping to make the loan signing of Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic more permanent next summer, but may have to fend off interest from Tottenham, if reports from Spain are to be believed. Reeling from their surprise defeat at Wolves last night, Chelsea are also sniffing around Napoli’s Albanian full-back Elseid Hysaj.
Unwanted by Crystal Palace and due to return from a loan spell in Major League Soccer with Vancouver White Caps, Jordan Mutch could be on the verge of a January return to his former club Cardiff City. And finally, Ipswich Town have dismissed tabloid speculation suggesting Marcus Evans has put the club up for sale. It had been reported the businessman was asking for £35m, but unwilling to write off a debt of almost £100m owed to him by the club. The East Anglian Daily Times say an Ipswich spokesman has dismissed the story as “rubbish”.