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Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing 🚨 Christian Falk's Fact Files - Jude Bellingham update, Chelsea could secure €100m defender, Liverpool looking at Chelsea's Enzo Fernández talks, and more Today's exclusive transfer round-up from Bundesliga insider Christian Falk, featuring Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool and more. Christian Falk https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/christian-falks-fact-files-jude-bellingham Today’s top stories: Chelsea have a big advantage in the Youssoufa Moukoko transfer race Liverpool have between £200-250m to spend in the summer And plenty more on Dortmund, Barcelona, Manchester United and Newcastle Arsenal Evan Ndicka has an offer from Frankfurt - a three-year extension specifically. I think there’s a good chance that he’ll sign this contract but there are many clubs interested at the moment, one of them is Arsenal. It’s not so concrete that Frankfurt are really afraid of losing him. 📰 Mikel Arteta wants to bring Declan Rice to Arsenal in the summer (Fichajes) Atlético Madrid I’m not sure if Dortmund want to keep Raphaël Guerreiro anyway. It isn’t clear how serious Atlético’s interest is. I think Dortmund knows that Guerreiro won’t sign a new contract, so Atlético could fit. Barcelona A move to Barcelona could happen for Benjamin Pavard. Pavard changed his agent - his new agent is Pini Zahavi - and if you see Pini’s friends, there are always two clubs. One is Chelsea. When he’s talking about Chelsea he’s often talking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘we’, so he’s really close. He’s living in London, so that’s why there were many rumours in the past around Pavard and Chelsea. [Benjamin Pavard walks away from the World Cup trophy - photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images] But the other club, and a big friend of his, is Joan Laporta’s Barcelona. He’s always got a bit of back and forth with him; we saw it with Robert Lewandowksi and at the end it worked. So yes, it’s true - Barcelona and Pavard, there is a connection at the moment. If they do it, it will depend a bit on Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich Alphonso Davies is the future. The bosses at Bayern Munich won’t sell him to Real Madrid. There’s no price on him, so no, no they won’t. Nobody knows when Manuel Neuer will return or how he’ll return, so Yann Sommer sees a big chance at Bayern. It’s a dream for him and he’s got a guaranteed six months’ worth of game time. After the six months, we have to look at what shape Neuer is in and then he can show if he’s better or not. [Yann Sommer and Manuel Neuer during a UEFA Nations League clash between Switzerland and Germany - photo by Ina Fassbender / AFP via Getty Images] Bayern Munich would love to sign Florian Wirtz because he’s one of Germany’s biggest talents at his age. But he signed a new contract with Bayer Leverkusen (set to last until 2027), which I heard Bayern Munich’s bosses weren’t so happy about, as he no release clause in this contract. Jamal Musiala has a very new contract. It’s not that they have to hand him a new one soon but they see that they have to do something because he keeps getting better. He has an English past so everybody knows that in his head he’s still thinking a little bit about the Premier League. They are talking now about a new contract, if they do it, it’ll only be until 2027 (his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2026). He can get a bigger salary than the one he’s got at the moment. He’s not in the range he should be, so they want to put a little bit more money in his contract. 💬 Should Bayern Munich make Yann Sommer their new No.1 even once Manuel Neuer is fit and back in action? Tell us what you think in the comments! Borussia Dortmund Dortmund are searching for a player like Weston McKennie but I heard that option No.1 is Mohammed Kudus of Ajax. There are still talks with him and they want to sign him if it’s possible to arrange. I’m sure McKennie’s on the list but I think they’re talking mainly about other names but if they don’t come then he could, I think, be an option. [Mohammed Kudus in action against Napoli - photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images]. Daichi Kamada has been offered a three-year contract extension like Ndicka but Gladbach aren’t so sure that he’ll sign it, so Dortmund is a possibility for him. He has so many options. I think he will leave the club and maybe stay in the Bundesliga for Dortmund. Many clubs are interested, he’s got many opportunities, I think he won’t stay. Chelsea There are many clubs showing interest in Joško Gvardiol. He was always good in the Bundesliga and now everybody has seen him at the World Cup. Chelsea made very concrete talks in the past. On Leipzig’s end, they gave him a new contract until 2027 and they added a clause that allows him to leave in 2024. The interesting thing now is that they’ve set a benchmark of €112m and they don’t want to sell him this summer. Leipzig could lose him if Chelsea offer to pay €100m. That’s really in their mind and they know they can’t say no for a second time if such an amount of money is on the table. The Blues won’t be alone in their interest, however, with London rivals Tottenham also very interested in the Croatian for the summer. It’s looking like Youssoufa Moukoko is really keen on leaving Dortmund. It’s a question of money. I have heard, and this is a very interesting point for England, that Chelsea has a really good opportunity because they have Christopher Vivell now and he knows Moukoko very well from his time in the Bundesliga. He liked the player during his time at RB Leipzig, he always had an eye on him, so I think he has a good advantage in the poker game, which means there’s a good chance for Chelsea to get Moukoko. 💬 Should Chelsea sign another forward in January? Is it worth attempting to land Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Eintracht Frankfurt I think, in this case, Randal Kolo Muani’s own club are in the driving seat when it comes to his future. Eintracht can say no and I think they will say no. They have their own targets - they want to play in the Champions League. I don’t know if they will this time but any league in Europe is, for them, a success. They’ve done very well this year and they don’t want to sell him now. They know they can’t hold him for years but for one more year, they think they can do it. He hasn’t got a release clause, they’ve made it clear that they won’t sell in winter. Germany Hansi Flick will be our coach at the European Championship in Germany - that’s clear. Thomas Tuchel had an eye on Germany, he also had an eye on England but Gareth Southgate is also staying, so he won’t be a national coach for either. I was really happy to hear again that Jürgen Klopp said in an interview that he still has an eye on the national job. I think he can be the future in many years but not in the next two. Hansi Flick will be the Bundestrainer in Germany and after that they have to talk again. Gladbach It’s also a question of money but Gladbach knows that they will let Kouadio Koné go in the summer unless there’s an opportunity to keep hold of him. Liverpool are watching him, Newcastle were very interested in him, PSG also interested. Bayern says no, that’s my concrete information, they don’t want to buy him. Not this summer, perhaps in future but then he’s gone. Bayern have enough midfield players so they’re not in the race. Dion Beljo is on the list of Gladbach. He’s the No.1 option in case Marcus Thuram leaves. David Kownacki, he’s playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the second league, he’s also an option for Gladbach. Liverpool There’s not much in the way of hope that Jude Bellingham will stay at Borussia Dortmund. There isn’t a clause in his current contract allowing him to leave in the summer but they told him that if there’s a big opportunity for him (ultimately, he has a career plan - that’s why he came to the Bundesliga), he can leave. They have to talk, if he wants to talk. I think they will have to talk. I noted on Twitter a few weeks ago that his father is very keen on the prospect of his boy going to Liverpool. I don’t think a January exit will happen, Dortmund doesn’t like to do that. Money will be the main point for Liverpool but don’t forget about Real Madrid, as they have more at the moment. I heard in Liverpool that Jürgen Klopp really wants him. We call him a ‘mancatcher’ - if he wants to pursue a person, he can do that but he also has to pursue the club. I heard the club has about £200-250m that they want to spend in the summer, so there’s a good chance they get Bellingham. [Jude Bellingham (far left) celebrates with Dortmund teammates - photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images] Jurgen Klopp: “Jude is a great player who we are familiar with, of course. We’d be stupid not to have him on our radar. But there’s nothing more to say at the moment.” 💬 Will Jude Bellingham join Liverpool in the summer? Leave a comment below and let me know! Manchester United Dani Olmo is another case like Gvardiol because Leipzig really want to keep him, so it’s not getting easier for any interested clubs. They want to give him a new contract. Yes, United is an option, of course. They have money but I’m not sure they want him enough to make the payment. 📰 Manchester United have tabled a bid Dani Olmo but will face competition from Bayern Munich who have also submitted an offer (Nacional) Newcastle Newcastle’s interest in Marcus Thuram was serious, that’s true. They decided already in this window that they won’t go to Newcastle. Everyone has to see what happened with Newcastle, nobody knows if they’ll get Champions League football. [Marcus Thuram (left) on the France bench with Kylian Mbappé - photo by Jewel Samad/ AFP via Getty Images] From Thuram’s side, they made a plan and decided to stay at Gladbach for the moment. If there’s a big offer, it has to come from a very big club - United is one of them, Bayern is one, Inter Milan and PSG. These four clubs are in their head. If they bring a good offer and Gladbach says ‘okay, for this money we have to sell him because we’ll lose him anyway’ they will do it. He won’t sign now at Newcastle as he’ll have so many options in the summer. But if one of these four clubs is knocking on his door then things could progress quickly. PSG If a player is injured there is always hope of his club agreeing a contract extension. It really was a pity for N’Golo Kanté to be injured before the World Cup. I spoke about PSG. I know that Thomas Tuchel, back when he was Chelsea’s manager, was very interested in new players in Kanté’s position because he knew already that they can lose Kanté to PSG. Tuchel heard about the interest and searched for new players in his position. The only thing is, he was injured, so perhaps he is more likely to talk now about his future because the situation isn’t quite as good as it was before. I think the situation is open. Paris is Paris, it’s France. Perhaps it’s a really good last step for him but perhaps they feel there are more interesting players on the market now, so I would say 50-50.

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing 🚨 the Daily Briefing - Pulisic could leave Chelsea, Kudus' future, Andrey Santos had Premier League offers, and more. Today's exclusive transfer round-up, including Christian Pulisic, Mohammed Kudus, Andrey Santos and more. https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/the-daily-briefing-pulisic-could Good morning guys, welcome to today’s Daily Briefing, brought to you straight to your inbox and ad-free as always. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! 🙂 Today’s top stories: Christian Pulisic could leave Chelsea this January. Andrey Santos had Premier League offers. No offer from Manchester United for Mohammed Kudus. Ajax Official, confirmed. Geronimo Rulli has joined Ajax on a permanent deal from Villarreal. Contract will run until 2026 with an option for a further year. €8m fee plus €2m in add-ons. Arsenal Mykhaylo Mudryk’s agent Alekhin on Arsenal and Chelsea: “Mudryk is a Shakhtar player and the decision on his transfer will be made by the board of the club.” “Mykhailo is now preparing to go with Shakhtar to the training camp.” I’m not aware of private conversations between Thomas Partey and Joao Felix. However, these conversations are absolutely normal so I don’t see this as a key factor for Felix. It depends on Atletico Madrid’s final decision. I think Felix has to go wherever he is guaranteed to play as a starter. At the moment, he’s not a starter. Atletico Madrid Atletico Madrid will keep pushing to have Caglar Soyuncu in January. Talks will take place with Leicester in the next few days. In any case, Soyuncu is expected to join the club in June as a free agent if all goes to plan. Barcelona Barcelona president: “Ruben Neves is a top player but it's part of private conversations. Busquets has to decide his future, he has proposals from MLS and so we're exploring options for the future.” Barcelona have always been the most interested club in Neves. Nothing will be decided now, they will discuss summer plans in the next few months, but the relationship with his agent is great. It also depends on Busquets’ future, he has to make a decision. Ousmane Dembele on PSG’s interest: “I’ve signed a new deal with Barcelona just few months ago. I’m happy here and I want to keep going with Barça. Paris? No, I feel good at Barça. Xavi and the board trust me. I’m happy with their faith in me". Bayern Munich Bayern Munich director on Yann Sommer: “I don't like talking about players of other clubs, but Sommer is definitely a topic, of course. We are considering our options and will make a decision in the near future.” Benfica Benfica coach Roger Schmidt: “It's clear what Enzo Fernández did wasn't right, that’s why he wasn't in the team. I’m happy to announce from tomorrow I'll see Enzo in training.” “He is our player, we need him… now Enzo can focus on Benfica and football again.” Benfica’s position is clear and doesn’t depend on Enzo. €120m release clause or nothing. No other way for Rui Costa. As it stands, nobody is paying this clause. We will see what happens in the next weeks - as of now it’s gone quiet again but the market is open. Enzo of course was dreaming of the Premier League but he’ll be back in the Benfica squad. Chelsea Official, confirmed. Andrey Santos has signed as a new Chelsea player on a long-term contract from Vasco da Gama. Chelsea will pay €12.5m fee to Vasco for Santos. Newcastle and the City Group were both interested in signing Santos, before Chelsea secured the young talent. The player was tempted by Chelsea for the future with many young talents involved. After many conversations in Brazil, he chose Chelsea. At the moment, there is nothing concrete or advanced, but I’m told Christian Pulisic could leave the club in January if Chelsea bring in a new winger. Of course, it depends on clubs making offers and many other factors - as of now it’s a scenario and not a negotiation. Manchester United Manchester United consider Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot new contracts among their top priorities to be solved as soon as possible. Contracts are already taking place. Erik ten Hag wants both to be part of his long-term project. He was clear when PSG made a move for Rashford, no way. Manchester United have officially confirmed the signing of Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland on loan for the rest of the season. Ten Hag on Jadon Sancho: "I've also to show patience. We have some hurdles to take, but I think he's in a good direction. In this moment he's not fit enough. I hope Jadon can return quickly but I can't say a duration of how long it will be.” After signing Antony, Lisandro Martinez, and Ten Hag, it would be interesting to see Manchester United pay Ajax big money for another one of their players, in Mohammed Kudus. I’m not aware of any contact or negotiation between Manchester United and Kudus as of today. 💬Is Mohammed Kudus the type of player Manchester United are missing? Should they be looking to make a move for him? Let me know your thoughts. Napoli Napoli have submitted an opening proposal for Morocco star Azzdeine Ounahi. Opening offer was €15m to sign the player now but allow him to stay at Angers for the rest of the season. Portugal Roberto Martinez is one of the options in the list for the Portugal national team job, still waiting for the final decision. Martinez received many approaches after World Cup with Belgium. PSG Marquinhos: “I’m hopeful, confident on new deal to be signed soon. Talks are progressing very well, I’m happy here — I feel at home at PSG.” RB Leipzig RB Leipzig director on Josko Gvardiol: “Thanks to the contract extension with Josko, we are in control — the club has done an outstanding job.” “Football has gone crazy, but our interest is zero that we want to sell Josko Gvardiol in the summer.” 💬Chelsea fans - would you like to see your club sign Josko Gvardiol despite already bringing in Benoit Badiashile? Let me know in the comments! Southampton Southampton have now approached Manchester City on hiring highly rated academy director Jason Wilcox as new director of football. Southampton will offer Wilcox to lead infrastructure, first team, Academy, recruitment and sports performance and analysis. Southampton have completed the signing of Mislav Orsic for a fee of around £6m. Contract valid until June 2025. Tottenham Tottenham midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is in talks with Serie A side Salernitana over a potential loan deal. Pedro Porro is top of the list for Tottenham as new right-back. Spurs will try to sign Porro and the player would be keen on the move. It’s a difficult deal in January as Sporting have been very clear - €45m release clause or no way.

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing Exclusive: Ben Jacobs Takeover Why Arsenal will be in the frame for Declan Rice, issues with Man United's striker search + who's in pole position for Moises Caicedo? Exclusive transfer news column, featuring the latest on Declan Rice, Joao Felix, Jude Bellingham, Moises Caicedo and more! https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/exclusive-ben-jacobs-takeover-why Ben Jacobs Hello and welcome to my first column! It’s a pleasure to be joining Fabrizio Romano and the other contributors to the Daily Briefing in partnership with caughtoffside.com. I look forward to sharing my exclusive transfer news insights with you, and please feel free to leave a comment with any questions you’d like me to answer in next week’s column. Why Arsenal are alongside Chelsea & Man Utd in the frame for Declan Rice West Ham are resigned to losing Declan Rice. They were very bullish last summer, telling suitors that it was a £100million-plus deal. Now, I think that West Ham will sell Rice at a fraction of that, and suitors such as Chelsea and Manchester United see an opportunity to move for something around the £70-75million mark. Speaking at the World Cup, Rice said he’s envious of his teammates playing in the Champions League. He won’t be moving in January so he can assess the situation by the summer and see who’s playing in the Champions League. Chelsea have put in a little more leg work on this deal than most, but it’s going to be quite an open race and Arsenal might well enter it a bit later. If they win the league or at least qualify for the Champions League, they could be in a strong position. Sources have said on multiple occasions that Rice would like to stay in London, which opens the door to both Arsenal and Chelsea, perhaps more so than Manchester United. Another issue with United is until the ownership situation changes, we don’t know what kind of budget they’re working on. So, Arsenal and Chelsea will definitely be in the race for Rice. He’s a priority for Chelsea, but I think Arsenal could assess that area and weigh it up against other targets. Chelsea’s interest is more concrete than Arsenal’s, but there’s a growing sense that Arsenal might enter the race because the price he’ll be available for is becoming more realistic; it would have been something approaching a Premier League record fee in the summer, but now the landscape has completely changed. Rice, personally, is ready for a new challenge, and he’s spoken positively about Arsenal, praising Mikel Arteta. We forget as well that footballers are human beings as well, and being in the right city for them is important. In the case of Chelsea and Arsenal, they’ll both be able to offer Rice what he’s looking for - a competitive team in London, and likely some form of European football. Arsenal are near-guaranteed Champions League football and Chelsea aren’t. Having said that, I don’t think it’s Champions League or bust for Rice. Chelsea have an ambitious project built around young players that they want for the long-term, and I think that will trump something like Champions League football. Still, the Champions League does affect a club’s budget, it can stop you getting more than one marquee signing. We know Chelsea are bringing in Christopher Nkunku, and though it’s now looking like a long shot we know they’ve been in for Enzo Fernandez, if they were to move for Mykhaylo Mudryk, that’s another big outlay, and so they could be priced out of someone like Rice if they miss out on Champions League football on top of all that. Being in the top four is important in that sense, but I don’t think it will put Rice off. Chelsea are very clever in how they approach players - they make a strong pitch to a player and this tends to persuade them quickly, and they deserve credit for that. This has been apparent with Nkunku, he was very quick to sign. It’s also been apparent for Enzo Fernandez, who was ready to move even if the clubs haven’t agreed a deal. It was the same with Wesley Fofana in the summer. It might not always come off, but it will instil some confidence in the new ownership that when they get in front of a player, regardless of current form and league position, they can tempt them with the project. Chelsea also offer long-term contracts, which shows loyalty to the player. Todd Boehly is trying to get players like Rice on contracts of around 5-7 years, which helps a player feel settled, as well as being paid well of course. Chelsea have such a history of chopping and changing managers and personnel, so I think it’s important for them to try to make players feel more settled in this new era. Yes they won trophies under the Roman Abramovich regime, but it was very cut-throat, and you’d often see players signed at the request of one manager becoming a spare part under the next manager. This has created the sense that Chelsea are maybe not the most stable club for top young players, but now I think it’s the complete opposite - they don’t just buy for now, they have a long-term strategy. Someone like Rice might view it as a key factor that they’re investing in him for the long run. What really went on with Man Utd and Cody Gakpo and who they could target next I think it’s important to clarify a few things with the Cody Gakpo transfer situation. It’s crystal clear that, internally, Erik ten Hag wanted the player, and Manchester United started a dialogue on the player’s side to get a full buy-in. Beyond that, however, they didn’t do much - Ten Hag would’ve liked Gakpo, but United didn’t move. This either means they were too slow, or, more likely, the ownership weren’t ready to move because they don’t want to spend too big in January, because there is the feeling that a new owner could be ready to invest soon, in early 2023. If the Glazers have this outgoing plan, then it would be logical that they wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money even if Ten Hag wanted the player. I think it’s a mixture of two things internally at Manchester United, and these things are at odds - Ten Hag wanted to move Gakpo and is very disappointed that Liverpool signed him, and then you have the business side of things. This leads to a bit of a disconnect there, as Ten Hag may well have known that he wouldn’t get the backing, or that they simply mishandled the situation and let Liverpool get ahead of them. Either way it’s not good. Still, it remains the case that United never bid for Gakpo, so it’s not accurate to say Liverpool hijacked the deal, as there was nothing to hijack. Liverpool were secretive and quick, and there are some parallels there with how they brought in Darwin Nunez in the summer. Now of course we’re seeing United change their PR slightly, and they’re saying they’re focusing on a more traditional number 9 than Gakpo. In the context of Joao Felix, we wait and see - United want someone who can weigh in with goals and assists, so it’s just about if they want someone like that and a traditional number 9, or just a traditional number 9. United have had a dialogue with representatives of Joao Felix, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea. At the moment, none of the suitors see value in the deal unless Atletico Madrid’s huge loan fee is reduced, and his wages of £5.3million a year. So far there’s no give from Atletico, meaning no openness to a permanent deal or just a reduction in the cost of a loan. They want to have their cake and eat it - they want him off their books, his relationship with Diego Simeone has been difficult and he’s clearly not playing to his full potential, but at the same time, if there’s no option to buy it gives them the opportunity to bring him back and assess his situation again in the future. The Premier League is still Felix’s most likely destination, though, and the price is likely to come down towards the end of the transfer window, for two reasons. Firstly, even if the wages are still the same, January is out of the way, so it ends up costing a little less if you sign him right at the end, rather than on January 1st. The monthly cost is still the same, it’s just one month less. Another scenario is that Atletico realise they need to offload Felix, to get his wages off their books, but they’ll be more flexible on the loan fee. We’ll wait and see how it progresses but it wouldn’t surprise me if this one drags out a bit until the end of the window. One final thing to say on Felix is that you can’t rule out someone simply trying for a permanent deal. The price is high, though, and that’s not something Atletico are offering at the moment, but let’s see if clubs think there’s more value in that than a loan deal. It’s a very fluid situation. If United move for a traditional number 9, there are plenty of names who could be in the frame. We’ve seen United surprise us in the past with some of their forward signings, with slightly older names and left-of-field deals. It’ll be interesting to see if we see that from them again, as they might go for someone more short-term. A few different players have been linked, Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt is one, but that would require a massive outlay, probably €70-75million, and given United’s ownership situation I can’t see that happening in January. I know there have been some links in Italy have mentioned Olivier Giroud but there’s nothing to that at this stage, of course he’d be a wonderful signing for United but there’s not too much substance to that one at this stage. Vincent Aboubakar is an example of a left-of-field signing under consideration - he’s 30, partnering Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr at the moment, and there is the feeling that he could be available. There’s been no approach from United yet, but he is likely to be on the market so we’ll see if Premier League clubs think he might be a good short-term fix, though there’s also interest in Turkey and in Ligue 1. Al Nassr would certainly entertain an offer but are yet to receive one yet. Marcus Thuram is another name creeping into the conversation with Manchester United. I know that prior to the World Cup they were scouting him and keeping an eye on his progress, so we’ll see how that develops. It could be a more realistic move in the summer as he’ll be out of contract at the end of the season as things stand. United have been monitoring that situation, and it helps that he’s having a very strong season at the moment, with 13 goals in 17 games, and is someone who can play centrally or out wide. Still, for all the talk and excitement of the transfer window, and the good form in what feels like a new era under Ten Hag, there remains an issue with big players. United are a bit hamstrung by the likely change of ownership and by not being in the Champions League this season. I wouldn’t be too surprised if these issues mean that a loan deal is more likely than any permanent deal. Liverpool confident over Jude Bellingham, but have alternatives lined up I don’t think any club can bank on Jude Bellingham at the moment - it’s an open race. Liverpool look like the front-runners, but Manchester City will make a move as well. Chelsea could also be in the conversation, but no single club can really be confident they’re going to win the race. It’s worth saying, though, that Liverpool are feeling confident because of the leg work they’ve done on the deal - they’ve built a good relationship with Bellingham and his family, and he knows and likes players in the Liverpool squad, whilst also having a lot of respect for Jurgen Klopp. Young players these days are very careful about their moves - they will often score all the different elements, ranging from the football side to things like the city where they will live to determine whether that score matches their gut instinct, and that helps frame their decision. So a young player wants to know what they’ll earn, what level they’ll be playing at, but also what personality the manager is like, what a standard training session looks like, how far they’ll live from the training ground, what the culture is like, what the fan-base is like - all of these things are a reflection of elite young modern footballers, who consider the human aspects strongly. Another element is the media glare - will they feel they have a good level of privacy where they live, and what’s the media communications manager like in case the tabloids start following them around, taking photos and generating stories? What’s the club psychologist like, and their attitude to mental health? It’s not just about how good the team is, or what formation they play, it’s a variety of things. There’s also the brand perspective to consider - if Bellingham becomes a box office star, what are his commercial opportunities? How far can he pursue them as an individual, and what happens if there are conflicts with who he’s partnered with and who Liverpool are partnered with? This is something Liverpool do very well - they create a clear vision, there are few clearer in world football. But Real Madrid have also worked hard, and Man City expect to be in the race, so of course Liverpool have to look at other targets. Still, they’re confident they’ve put in a lot of work on Bellingham and that they can match the valuation. Then again, it’s not entirely impossible that Bellingham won’t take us by surprise and sign a new deal - we saw Christopher Nkunku do this with RB Leipzig in the summer and then immediately join Chelsea. So why did he sign? Firstly, because it allowed Leipzig to set a release clause slightly below market value so he knew someone would trigger it, as Chelsea did, albeit with a slightly higher offer so as to get different payment terms. By doing that, he signed a new deal knowing he could leave because the release clause would be so appealing. And it also meant he could improve his wages and therefore get better leverage against his new move to Chelsea. It’s the same with Bellingham - I don’t think it’s the most likely scenario, but he could potentially get better terms for himself and allow Dortmund to get a better price. We’ll have to wait and see, because I think the price will be key, particularly for Real Madrid, who have long been convinced that if they can get buy-in from the player, they could sign him for below €100million. I think this looks unlikely, but that’s been their starting position for a number of months. From Liverpool’s perspective, if they don’t get into the Champions League, their financial situation could change, which is another reason to keep an eye out for alternatives. We’ll see if they add anyone this January. My understanding is that they’ll only do so if the right opportunity presents itself. Matheus Nunes would be joining in the summer, even though Wolves say they know nothing about it. He’s a long-term option rather than for now, however, as he can’t play for Liverpool this season due to already representing both Sporting Lisbon and Wolves in the same campaign. Another name that keeps being mentioned is Moises Caicedo. I’m still told he’s on Chelsea’s radar more than Liverpool’s, but the Reds have a historical interest in him since before he joined Brighton. They seriously explored signing him, but it was a messy deal because Caicedo was represented by multiple agencies, there were loads of side-fees, and so even though the fee Brighton ended up paying was small, it was a complicated deal with other costs. I’m told this hasn’t really changed and so it’s unlikely Liverpool will bid for Caicedo this January, not just because of the need to negotiate with Brighton, but because of the other figures involved, this isn’t really how Liverpool do business. Right now, Brighton are quoting prices in excess of £70-80million, which is a huge outlay in what would generally be a complicated negotiation. This is why they haven’t bid and are unlikely to do so. With Chelsea, it could get a bit more interesting, because of the connections involved. Graham Potter came from Brighton and knows the player and his potential well, so if they don’t get Enzo Fernandez, and that deal has hit significant hurdles, could they potentially turn to Caicedo? We’ll see, but for me Chelsea is a more likely destination than Liverpool for the Ecuador international. Tottenham entering a vital stage if they want to keep Antonio Conte and Harry Kane Tottenham got a fantastic win at Crystal Palace yesterday, taking them up to fifth in the table, and even though some of the teams above and below them have played fewer games, it’s worth noting that they’re still only three points off second-place Manchester City. If Spurs could get going defensively and go on a bit of a run, things could turn positive very quickly. The club remain calm over the renewal of Antonio Conte, and I think it’s logical to some extent for all parties to wait a bit longer before everything is formalised. Tottenham want to be seen as more like Chelsea - someone who won’t be in and out of the top four, but who are likely to be consistently in the mix for the title and who maybe finish fourth in a bad season, ensuring the Champions League is always there. There’ll have to be a discussion over Conte’s future, but there’s no hurry. The points tally is good, even if performances haven’t always been as expected - they’re either climbing mountains of their own making or winning the hard way. They could do with more consistency of performance, and that’s where the pressure comes from. As long as Conte feels like he’s going to be backed in the market, I think he’ll be quite prepared to stay at the club. Daniel Levy invested a lot in the summer, and in addition to that, he gave Conte more control in the transfer window than managers usually get under Levy. Ivan Perisic, for instance, was a very un-Spurs-like signing, and that’s perhaps a clue that Conte got his way. So now we’ll have to wait and see this January and in the summer if this continues. I think Conte is invested in the project, even if he can be frustrated as well, as some signings haven’t really worked out. It’s not always clear if the players coming in are meant to be starters, or on the bench, or are players for the future, so they need to be certain their signings can go straight into the starting XI and improve them. It’s also vital for them to keep Harry Kane. That would be seen as a big step backwards if he were to leave. It’s a pivotal stage for the club, because there’s a lot of potential for the team, but it’s also a bit fragile. The coming months will really tell us if Spurs are moving in the right direction or the wrong direction. If things go well, then Conte and Kane will surely commit, but if not, then there could be wholesale changes at the club. As things stand it’s unclear what direction they’re headed in until we see how the next few games go.

CIES Football Observatory n°403 - 05/01/2023 Bellingham tops transfer value table https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp/2022/wp403/en/ Jude Bellingham heads the list of the 100 players worldwide with the top estimated transfer value according to the statistical model exclusively developed by the CIES Football Observatory research team. His owner club, Borussia Dortmund, could potentially earn up to €208m by transferring the 19-year-old English prodigy. With Bellingham’s contract running out in June 2025, this is probably the transfer window during which the Germans could make the biggest profit. Despite relatively short contracts lasting until June 2024, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are also in the top four (both €191m), just ahead of Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland (€175m). With a contract running until 2027, the latter’s value is set to rise in the coming months to approach or even surpass that of the players ranked ahead of him, including that of his Manchester City’s teammate Phil Foden (€200m), currently second. The greatest estimated value for players outside of the big-5 was measured for the recent World Cup winner Enzo Fernández (€80m). The estimates for all big-5 league players are available in free access here. A paper presenting the method used is also available in the peer-review and open access journal Economies. An online platform with the valuations of >30k players from 75 leagues worldwide is accessible by subscription. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

I smell Behdad Eghbali all over that tbh. He has popped up lately far more and seems to be taking a more active role. It's a typical hedge fund/venture capitalist (which is how he made his billions) move. we are a commodity to them listed between Chef's Cut beef jerky and CompuDyne smdh

I really have utter disdain for our transfer (both in and out) record (for fully adult players, over 21yo as of now) over the past 5 years, plus our contract management here are the 22yo and up players we have currently on the Sr team who are not academy products, plus the 22yo and ups out on loan bold black the only ones I consider great to good buys bold italics are ones who were good buys for a spell, but now need to GO bold red are shit buys horrific 2 lists! shambolic the ones currently here, in order of oldest to youngest: Thiago Silva Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang César Azpilicueta N'Golo Kanté Kalidou Koulibaly Jorginho Edouard Mendy (one year wonder) Marcus Bettinelli Hakim Ziyech Mateo Kovacic Kepa Arrizabalaga Raheem Sterling Denis Zakaria (loan) jury still out Ben Chilwell (too many injuries though) Marc Cucurella (insane overpay, he is a £25-30m LB, max) Christian Pulisic Kai Havertz Wesley Fofana (so far a sht buy for the price) on loan now or sold or released or lost on frees recently (so many NIGHTMARES and the only 3 decent buys ALL left on frees!!!) Tiemoué Bakayoko - still on the books Emerson Malang Sarr (free transfer, but his salary is cray and he is UTTER SHIT, never should have came here) - still on the books Romelu Lukaku - still on the books Michy Batshuayi Kenedy Antonio Rüdiger (disastrously left on a free) Andreas Christensen (left on a free) Marcos Alonso (left on a free) Abdul-Rahman Baba - still on the books Ross Barkley Danny Drinkwater Saúl Ñíguez (loan, but a disastrous loan)

I think he is shit as an EPL striker now we never should have purchased him other than the U21 buys (which have been great so far) most of our transfers have been shit in 2021 and 2022

clown show if we do not sort this (and THAT looks almost impossible) we may have made an enemy for life of Enzo would not be shocked at all if he comes back in the future with another team and kicks us in the jacobs we hung the kid out to dry that is bad fucking karma Now as a man is like this or like that, according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be; a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad; he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds; And here they say that a person consists of desires, and as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his will, so is his deed; and whatever deed he does, that he will reap.

those were NOT the 'only other options', in summer 2021, not even close smdh Have you already forgotten the whole Håland thing?? In summer 2021 I was pushing hard (and before 2021 as well) for Dusan Vlahovic (then at Fiorentina) and Victor Osimhen (and in 2020 and 2019 as well) plus, zero chance Icardi would have cost anywhere remotely near Rom (not that I ever said to pursue Icardi by then) by the summer of 2021 Icardi had already collapsed and was benched at PSG, he went on to only score 5 goals all comps all season, and then was loaned to Galatasaray

overrated atm IMHO he has only started one league game so far for Brighton, and then two league cup games, with one of those being an emergency LB, not at RB only 555 minutes so far toal, all comps ironic as he left us because he knew he would never be the starting RB here as long as we had Reece he also missed around 300 days with various injuries (mostly a recurrent hamstring issue) over a year and a half span

told you now Chelsea now consider move to sign £18m right-back who just shut down Vinicius Junior last week https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/report-Chelsea-now-consider-move-to-sign-18m-right-back-who-just-shut-down-vinicius-junior-last-week/ Chelsea are reportedly interested in a potential move for Real Valladolid youngster Ivan Fresneda. Fresneda, who’s just 18, is a talented right-back that’s starting to attract a lot of interest. The full-back has made just 11 senior appearances to date, but an eye-catching performance against Real Madrid last week has helped enhance his growing reputation. He was excellent last Friday when defending in direct competition against Madrid’s superstar left-winger Vinicius Junior. Fresneda was given a 7:06 match rating after making eight tackles, three clearances and two interceptions (WhoScored). Chelsea interested in Ivan Fresneda According to 90min, Fresneda is now wanted by a host of top sides across Europe. It is understood that Premier League teams Chelsea, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United are all considering approaches for the young defender. Also, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus have set sights on the Spaniard. The report claims that Valladolid may be prepared to cash in on their prized asset and sell him for around €20million (£18million). A lot of Chelsea fans are campaigning for the club to sign a new right-back this January. With Reece James currently out injured, combined with repeated knee problems, the Blues need better full-back cover. The Daily Mail recently claimed Chelsea are keen to accelerate their interest in Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic. However, Fresneda is a really exciting youngster to now emerge on the radar, who does fit the kind of profile the club have been investing in.

lol, how many fullbacks/wingbacks are spuds going to buy????????? Porro would make EIGHT Ryan Sessegnon Ben Davies Ivan Perisic Destiny Udogie (beast potential LB, out on loan still) Emerson Royal Djed Spence Matt Doherty

Callum Hudson-Odoi: Chelsea winger on life in Germany, Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea (video) https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/football/63350452 Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, talks to BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan about playing in the Bundesliga and his club and international future.

100m euros or pounds? I assume you mean euros, in which case Benfica will tell us to fuck off likely even at £100m, even thsough that is only £5m short of the release clause of €120m (£105m) the 85m offer we short armed was euros (£74m)

Chelsea players “concerned with the situation” as injury crisis gets ridiculous https://www.Chelsea-news.co/2023/01/Chelsea-players-concerned-with-the-situation-as-injury-crisis-gets-ridiculous/ Chelsea lost two more players to injury in last night’s game, taking the total of Blues out of action to ten. That’s an astonishing number, and puts us clear of the competition as the most injured club in Europe over the last two years according to Nizaar Kinsella’s article in the Evening Standard today. A few months ago the club doctor and team physio were both sacked by the new owners, but our fortunes haven’t changed – and in fact the appointment of a private physiotherapy firm more used to dealing with pop singers has only made things worse. Worryingly, Kinsella claimed that “players are concerned with the situation” – who could blame them? A couple of years ago N’Golo Kante was the best defensive midfielder in the world, and now it’s not even certain he will get a new contract because of how little he’s featured, with setback after setback. He’s made his money and is into his 30s – it’s the players in their early 20s who will be most worried.

finally! https://vasco.com.br/boasorteandreysantos/ Vasco da Gama agreed this Friday (01/06) the definitive transfer of the athlete Andrey Santos to European football. Born in the youth ranks of Gigante da Colina, the midfielder will defend the colors of Chelsea, from England, in the coming seasons. The youngster will end his first spell at the club from São Januário at the age of 18 with 38 appearances and eight goals. ANDREY SANTOS In São Januário since 2011, Andrey Santos started his career in futsal and it didn't take long to become the main reference of the 2004 Generation. by the Hill Giant. In 2021, after debuting in a Carioca Championship match, Andrey Santos became the youngest player to ever play for Vasco da Gama in the 21st Century, leaving behind names like Talles Magno, Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho. The definitive promotion of Andrey Santos to the professional, however, only happened last season, during the dispute of the Brazilian Championship.

the release clause was €120m, I am sure the extra €7m or whatever was floated to see that if we overpaid a wee bit, would that get them to accept a better (for us with FFP) instalment payment scheme zero chance Benfica and Enzo would have went and continued if we had laid out €85m officially to start

Chelsea Women hold minute's silence for Gianluca Vialli at training, as fans begin to leave flowers at Stamford Bridge in tribute to 'Luca' after the death of their former manager at 58 A minute's silence was held before Chelsea Women trained on Friday afternoon Gianluca Vialli dead: Ex-Chelsea and Italy striker dies from cancer aged 58 Vialli was incredibly popular at Chelsea as a player and then a manager later on OBITUARY: Vialli was football's 'Lion King' and he showed his class until the end LIVE: Follow all the latest updates as tributes pour in for the popular Italian https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11606671/Chelsea-Women-hold-minutes-silence-Gianluca-Vialli-training.html

yep, and meanwhile there is now revisionism going on that tries to gaslight and paint Boehly as an innocent party, that the bid all along was always portrayed to Benfica from the start as €85m, as if they would have given that the time of day, as if Enzo would have agreed to terms for an offer that was guaranteed to be rejected instantly

There was no (or very little) media manipulation. The reporting on the instalments (for paying the full release clause) came because that is what we lead Benfica to believe we were going to do. They have confirmed thsi at multiple levels. We also agreed to terms with the player. Benfica would never have held multiple meetings if we walked in and said from the beginning, well we think he is worth €85m, not €120m, so that is our offer. Enzo would have never bothered talking terms with us if he knew we were going to make an official bid that was 100% guaranteed to be rejected. It is not rocket science to see what happened.

It's just LUDICROUS that some here are still saying nothing out of the normal happened between us and Benfica. That we did nothing except make one official offer of €85m, and that was it. We agreed to terms with the lad, ffs. He was already halfway (or more) in his head in London. We discussed instalment payments based off the release clause (where the hell do you think that overpay came from??? We floated that to see if Benfica would let us really break up the payments). Why the hell would Benfica discuss instalment terms on a TOTAL offer that was €35m UNDER the release clause? Come on!

every player you listed IS INJURED! and Chilwell and Fofana are fucked atm (quality wise) due to multiple injuries (especially Fofana), which is likely going to be the case for Broja too, when he comes back in late 2023 or early 2024

let's see him do it game in, game out

Nope, Benfica confirmed what happened. I am not going to let revisionism take hold and the gaslighting start without some serious pushback. We discussed FFP-friendly installment payment terms based off the release clause (where do you think that overpay figure came from?? come on!), but then, when the official offer was made by us, we low balled the RC by 35m euros, after also winding up Enzo by agreeing to personal terms. It was a cunt move. End of story. Marina, for all her faults, NEVER would have done that. I can totally understand us not wanting to spend the full €120m, absolutely I can, and would have completely accepted that, no problem, but don't play games and string them (including the player) along, then insult them with an offer you KNOW is never going to be accepted. There is NO chance Benfica would have talked to us for so long if they knew we were coming in with an offer that was wilfully €35m light. To suggest otherwise beggars belief, sorry.