Manchester United turn down chance to sign Karim Benzema – Paper Talk – Sky Sports
Transfer Centre
Plus: Chelsea hold an interest in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and are considering a surprise bid this month; Celtic are bracing themselves for more bids for Matt O’Riley after Atletico Madrid made the first move; Nathan Jones is a contender to take over at Charlton Athletic
Thursday 25 January 2024 07:41, UK
The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s newspapers…
THE SUN
Manchester United have turned down the chance to land Karim Benzema with the club refusing to enter talks due to what they claim are “exorbitant” sums involved in bringing the 36-year-old, who earns £86m a year, to Old Trafford.
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Nathan Jones is reportedly a contender to take over at Charlton Athletic.
Luke Littler has pocketed £59 per dart in his opening three senior tournaments.
Roy Keane has admitted the dynamics of an international role appeal to him as he continues to be linked with the Republic of Ireland managerial vacancy.
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has called for a change in VAR rules following the “foamgate” incident involving Ivan Toney during their game against Brentford.
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West Ham have seen a £16m bid for Ghana wonderkid Ibrahim Osman rejected by his club Nordsjaelland.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Chelsea hold a legitimate interest in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and are considering making a surprise bid for the Colombia international before the closure of the January transfer window.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team’s powerbase at Manchester United is set to significantly widen with the Glazers agreeing that Ineos should have a broader influence encompassing key decisions across the business.
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Maro Itoje has handed a major boost to Steve Borthwick by committing to play for his country until the World Cup in Australia in 2027 “at the bare minimum”.
George Skivington, the Gloucester head coach, has turned to mentors Warren Gatland and Stuart Lancaster for advice on how to turn around the club’s concerning form in recent months.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted he is baffled by handball rules, confused by criteria used to decide offsides and completely opposed to the introduction of sin bins in football. He would also like to see VARs being used in a much-reduced role.
DAILY MAIL
The influence of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team will stretch beyond football operations, Manchester United staff have been told.
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Miguel Almiron is set to remain at Newcastle this month after telling the club he wished to stay at St James’ Park.
Atletico Madrid are prepared to shell out £20m to land Matt O’Riley from Celtic in the summer.
Crystal Palace are in talks with Blackburn Rovers over a move for midfielder Adam Wharton.
Championship clubs are lining up for Liverpool’s fringe stars this month, after Reds assistant boss Pep Lijnders said defenders Nat Phillips and Calvin Ramsay are likely to go out on loan in the last week of the transfer window.
Eden Hazard has reunited with the ball boy he kicked over 10 years ago, who has subsequently gone on to become a successful businessman and is worth over £40m thanks to his vodka empire.
Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami has proved an astronomical success both on and off the field – with the club now worth an incredible $1.02bn following his arrival last summer.
Nottingham Forest face further financial turmoil if they go down this season as many of the squad do not have relegation wage-cutting clauses in their contracts.
Besiktas maintain an interest in signing Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles.
Crystal Palace have made an approach to sign Blackburn’s England U20 midfielder Adam Wharton.
Marseille are providing competition for Nottingham Forest as they try to get a deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Gio Reyna over the line.
Leeds United are seeking to sign Everton defender Ben Godfrey, who is also interesting Serie A side Genoa.
THE TIMES
Adrian Meronk is expected to join LIV Golf for the start of the breakaway league’s season next week in Mexico.
Manchester United’s hopes of offloading Anthony Martial in the January transfer window have been dashed by the news that he will be out for 10 weeks due to a groin injury.
Ollie Lawrence could be ruled out until the latter part of the Six Nations with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from England’s pre-tournament preparations in Spain.
The Premier League is confident it can prove Joe Lewis is no longer involved with Tottenham amid fresh scrutiny after he admitted fraud in New York.
Geraint Thomas will have another go at starting both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year despite the relatively short break between the two gruelling races.
DAILY MIRROR
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is facing a major goalkeeper dilemma ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Newport County.
Under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to discover his fate next month once incoming part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is allowed speak publicly about his plans.
Liverpool have placed Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi at the top of their shopping list to replace Joel Matip.
Andre Onana was ready to quit the Africa Cup of Nations and return to Manchester United after a bust-up with Samuel Eto’o but has since put his personal differences aside despite the realisation he might remain on the bench.
Sunderland are looking to push through deals to sign Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore and Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles.
DAILY EXPRESS
Manchester United could hand a debut to goalkeeper Altay Bayindir in their FA Cup fourth round clash with Newport County after Andre Onana decided not to return early from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Tottenham are reportedly not listening to offers from Barcelona for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, a player once recommended to them by Lionel Messi.
Cardiff Rugby have secured their long-term future after Helford Capital Limited’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in the club was ratified.
THE SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic are bracing themselves for more bids for Matt O’Riley after Atletico Madrid made the first move.
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DAILY RECORD
Celtic are digging their heels in over a sale of Matt O’Riley in the January transfer window with Atletico Madrid the latest club to make a move.
St Mirren are closing in on a deal to land James Scott.
Rangers have been credited with an interest in Ajax left-back Anass Salah-Eddine but they are likely to face competition from Serie A club Torino.
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