by The Guinean striker’s excellent start to the Bundesliga season has attracted the attention of clubs across Europe, netting 14 goals in his first eight league games. Manchester United and Newcastle are among a number of English clubs who have shown an interest in signing the player who joined Stuttgart on a permanent basis from Rennes in the summer after initially moving there on loan. His club are tight-lipped about his €17.5m (£15.2m) release clause and may be forced to cash in on Guirassy after the 27-year-old’s representatives indicated he would be keen leave if a team from the Premier League came calling. . The expected participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts on January 13, could complicate things, however.
Unhappy with Pep Guardiola after 18 months watching from the sidelines, Phillips is desperate to return to action and was told in October that he was free to leave “if he decides to”. With a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad on the line and having featured for 89 minutes in the Premier League this season, the 28-year-old has accepted his departure from the treble winners. -any choice after his transfer from Leeds for an initial £42m. Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Juventus are interested in taking him on loan.
Related: Premier League half term fan reports, part one: Arsenal to Fulham
The Mexico forward capped off an impressive 12 months in which he scored 31 Eredivisie goals when he was named man of the year by the famous Dutch football magazine Voetbal International. Giménez has broken the record held by Luis Suárez and is set to follow in the Uruguayan striker’s footsteps by moving to the Premier League. Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham have been linked but Feyenoord are likely to demand around £60m, while a number of La Liga clubs are also believed to be interested. Giménez was born in Buenos Aires but grew up in Mexico following his father, Christian – who used to El Tri international – moved there to play professionally.
The England striker has been back in training since mid-September and admitted his enforced absence was “like being in football prison”, serving an eight-month ban for gambling offences. Toney’s ban ends on January 16 and the question is whether he will still be at Brentford at the end of the month, with their technical director, Lee Dykes, admitting last week that “the time may come very soon Ivan will move on to another club. “. Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have discussed a potential move for Toney, who has scored 32 goals in 68 Premier League appearances. It remains to be seen how much Brentford demand to allow the sale of their prized assets, and a reported price tag of £100m in January is likely to put off many suitors – especially as it is expected to be significantly reduced by summer.
Viktor Gyökeres, Sports
This time last year Gyökeres was helping relegate Coventry to Championship contention, but is now flying high in the Portuguese top flight having scored 17 times in 20 games in all competitions. The 25-year-old Swedish forward was on Brighton’s books for three years but had never made a Premier League appearance before moving to the Midlands. The club paid a club-record €20m to sign him in the summer but set his release clause at €100m. That has reportedly not stopped Arsenal, Chelsea and Milan, among others, from considering a move in January.
AndréFluminense
Fulham have been robbed of a march on others who have tried to sign the highly-rated Brazilian midfielder after holding talks over a potential £30m move, although that could change in the coming weeks. André – part of the Fluminense team that beat Manchester City at the recent Club World Cup – has been heavily targeted by Liverpool and Manchester United in the past and may have his sights set higher in the table. “I see the Premier League and it’s a big dream to play there,” he said last week. “I am focused on finishing the season with Fluminense. But my dream is clear: to be a player in the Premier League.”
Leaving Old Trafford seems to be Sancho’s only option with Erik ten Hag still in situ, but finding a suitable destination will be difficult. United are keen to recoup as much as possible of the £73m fee they paid Borussia Dortmund for the England international two years ago, but are still aware that the January deal is not the issue. A loan until the end of the season could suit all parties, with RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and Juventus linked with a move for the 23-year-old. Sancho was reportedly offered to clubs in Saudi Arabia during a recent visit there by United director of football John Murtough.
Related: Premier League fan half-term reports, part two: Liverpool to Wolves
The Bournemouth defender has impressed a number of clubs with his composed performances over the past 18 months and has held off on extending a contract that expires in the summer. Liverpool and Tottenham are believed to have shown an interest in the 25-year-old, who is understood to have been offered a new bumper deal to stay. “We’ll see what the market brings us,” said Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. “As a coach you don’t want to lose him but you never know when the market opens, you never know what’s going to happen. I think players have to make their own decisions.” Bournemouth are determined not to let their top scorer Dominic Solanke leave despite interest from Arsenal and West Ham, after signing a new deal in September.
Job-sharing with David Raya hasn’t quite worked out for the England goalkeeper and he could be tempted to knock on Mikel Arteta’s door at the start of January after making five Premier League appearances this season. There would be no shortage of suitors if he did, with Chelsea and Newcastle rumored to be interested in a loan following injuries to their respective first choices, Robert Sánchez and Nick Pope. Ramsdale was in the latest England squad despite being out of favor at his club but Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone was clearly given the nod to play against Australia in October. The former Sheffield United goalkeeper will know he can never take his place at Euro 2024.
The 19-year-old only joined Metz in February but scouts across Europe took notice when he scored from his own half against Monaco in October. The latest talent to emerge from the Génération Foot academy in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, which produced Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr, Camara was this month crowned CAF’s young African player of the year after 12 months of remarkable progress. After being voted player of the tournament as Senegal won the African Nations Championship for home players in January, he was also named the best player in the African under-20 team in March. Compared to Kevin De Bruyne and Toni Kroos, the midfielder is reportedly on the radar of a number of English clubs including Brighton and Chelsea, who are also expected to sign Senegal under-17 midfielder Pape Daouda Diong. Another rising star being watched closely is Génération Foot winger Amara Diouf – a 15-year-old who won her first senior cap in September.
