the Daily Briefing - the TRUTH about Messi's Barca return, Man Utd also wanted Nkunku, Arsenal's midfielder search, and more
My exclusive transfer round-up, featuring Lionel Messi, Christopher Nkunku, Erling Haaland, Piero Hincapie, and more!
Good morning everyone and welcome to my latest Daily Briefing, ad-free and straight to your inbox as always - enjoy!
Today’s top stories:
Arsenal
Arsenal had an interest in two Brazilian midfielders in the summer, but what next? Click here for an exclusive update.
Could the Gunners be set to move for this South American wonderkid? Click here to find out more.
Aston Villa
Is Douglas Luiz still an Arsenal target for January?
Barcelona
Is Lionel Messi really all set for a return to Barcelona in 2023? Click here to find out all you need to know.
Bayer Leverkusen
Are Arsenal and Tottenham really working on signing this €40m Bayer Leverkusen talent? Click here to find out more.
📰 In other news, former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is being linked with the Bayer Leverkusen job (Sport1)
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich director Oliver Kahn on Jude Bellingham: “We are not thinking about it at all. Of course Bellingham is an outstanding player. But we’ve Kimmich, Goretzka, Gravenberch, Sabitzer … I can say we're well equipped in that position.”
Bayern are confident of signing Konrad Laimer as a free agent in June 2023. The player agreed terms in July but Bayern couldn’t reach an agreement with RB Leipzig, so it fell through. Still, Laimer wants to join Bayern and Julian Nagelsmann has been pushing to sign him since summer 2021.
Chelsea
Chelsea are in pole position to sign Christopher Nkunku, but could their rivals still hijack the deal? Click here for my exclusive update.
I can confirm that Chelsea’s owners are exploring a multi-club model and are looking at teams in Portugal, Belgium and South America - click here to read more.
Graham Potter on Christopher Nkunku: “I’m not gonna speak about players that are not in our team”.
And Cristiano Ronaldo? “We can spend all day with these questions. Whilst they aren't our players, I don't speak about them.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi on Chelsea’s recall clause for January: “It’s not up to me, I don’t know… I can only do what I can do now, give everything that I can. We don’t know what'll happen between January, or from now until the end of the season, so we just wait and see.”
📰 In other news, Chelsea are leading the race to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan (Daily Star)
Inter Milan
Inter CEO Marotta on Milan Skriniar and PSG links for January: “We know Skriniar so well since long time, he’s key player and a guarantee for our squad.”
Inter have offered the defender a new deal as he’s currently heading towards being a free agent in 2023. Chelsea considered him in the summer but focused on Wesley Fofana as a priority, while PSG have shown the strongest interest so far.
Manchester City
Does Erling Haaland have a release clause that becomes active in 2024, and could it pave the way for him to join Real Madrid?
Manchester United
Manchester United were also interested in Christopher Nkunku, so why are Chelsea now in pole position for this deal?
Donny van de Beek wants to play more - is he going to leave Manchester United in January to fulfil his wish?
Nottingham Forest
Steve Cooper is not looking set for the sack at Nottingham Forest, despite rumours. It looks like he still has one more chance to turn things around. Despite 22 summer signings, they’re bottom of the Premier League table with just one win from eight matches.
📰 In other news, Rafael Benitez is being considered as a candidate to be the next Nottingham Forest manager if they do decide to sack Steve Cooper (Guardian)
PSG
Lionel Messi remains focused on winning the Champions League with PSG despite rumours of agreeing a return to Barcelona - click here for more details.
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti on Eden Hazard, who has only played 158 minutes so far this season: “He knows the situation very well, every player understands his situation very well: there’s lot of competition here.”
Is everything pointing towards Real Madrid signing Erling Haaland in 2024? Click here for my exclusive insight.
Sampdoria
Dejan Stankovic is set to be appointed as the new Sampdoria manager. A full agreement is now in place, with contracts just needing to be signed.
Tottenham
Are Spurs set to rival Arsenal for this exceptional 20-year-old talent? Click here to find out.
🔒 (Subscribers Only) Has Messi agreed Barcelona return? Could clubs still hijack Nkunku to Chelsea move? Plus two Arsenal midfield targets and Haaland clause
My exclusive column, featuring an update on Lionel Messi, plus a look at how close Chelsea really are to completing the Christopher Nkunku signing.
Is Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona really a done deal?
There have been many rumours about Lionel Messi and a possible Barcelona comeback in summer 2023. Speaking to sources close to Leo, there is nothing decided yet - there is no agreement with Barcelona. It is true that Barca are dreaming of his return, and it’s something discussed internally at the club, but at the moment there is still nothing agreed, and there’s no offer.
We also have to mention PSG - Messi is happy there and they want to offer him a new contract, so PSG will fight to keep Messi, even if Barcelona will be there to try to sign him as a free agent.
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