Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea, Man Utd eye late Tel move

Manchester United and Chelsea are both considering a late move for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, while Al Nassr are eying two of Europe’s top strikers. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Fabrizio Romano says that Mathys Tel wants to leave Bayern Munich this window, with the club and forward now assessing potential transfer options, either on loan or permanently. Sky Sports Deutschland adds that Chelsea and Lyon are among the clubs showing a serious interest in the 19-year-old, while Manchester United may also consider a move for Tel — as they rate him highly — but will need to sort out the futures of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford first.

– Aston Villa will accept an offer worth over €70m from Al Nassr for Jhon Durán, reports L’Equipe, which adds that the 21-year-old is waiting for the clubs to agree a fee having come to personal terms with the Saudi Arabian outfit. Florian Plettenberg, however, says that Al Nassr have reached an agreement to sign Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen for over €60m. It remains to be seen if both strikers will head to the Gulf, or if Al-Alami are waiting to see which deal suits them best before proceeding. If Al Nassr do choose to sign Boniface, Mark McAdam reports that Leverkusen have lined up Brighton & Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson as a replacement.

Napoli have turned down a €65m offer from Galatasaray for the permanent transfer of Victor Osimhen, reports Corriere dello Sport. The Nigeria striker has impressed after joining Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in September, with 16 goals and five assists in 20 appearances across all competitions and has Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea on his trail. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis wants to wait until the end of the season to evaluate any offers for the 26-year-old, who has a contract until June 2026, but the club have already lowered Osimhen’s release clause from €120m to €75m in the summer and De Laurentiis is reluctant to accept any offers below that.

– Manchester City have made Juventus an offer to sign midfielder Douglas Luiz on an “expensive” loan deal, according to Nicolo Schira. The Bianconeri have responded by demanding that an obligation to make the move permanent is included for them to give the green light to the 26-year-old being transferred. The Brazil international was on the City books between 2017 and 2019 but did not make a senior appearance for the club.

– AC Milan will make a second offer to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez on Wednesday evening if they secure a place in the Champions League top eight, reports Calciomercato, which adds that it will be worth €35m-€40m with bonuses being part of that figure. The 23-year-old has put proposals from Ligue 1, the Premier League and Saudi Pro League on hold as Milan is his priority. In another Calciomercato report, it is stated that Feyenoord are taking a harder stance when it comes to Juventus’ interest in Dávid Hancko, but the Bianconeri will keep pushing to sign the defender — especially if Andrea Cambiaso leaves for Manchester City.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

– Neymar has agreed to return to Santos nearly 12 years after he left the Brazilian team, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira. The Brazil forward confirmed earlier that his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once. Read

– Fiorentina have signed Spanish defender Pablo Mari on a permanent transfer from Como. The former Arsenal player, who made 83 league appearances for Como, has signed a contract with La Viola until June 2027.

– USWNT defender Crystal Dunn is free to pursue new opportunities after NWSL side Gotham FC announced that she would be leaving the club. Read

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen explores interest in Bayern’s 19-year-old prodigy Mathys Tel.

While Tel’s talent is undisputed — his record at youth level for France is exceptional and he became Bayern’s youngest ever goal scorer (17 years and 126 days) when he hit the net in a cup game just a few weeks after his €20m switch from Rennes in the summer of 2022 — he has struggled to make a consistent mark for the German giants.

One reason for that is obviously the presence of Harry Kane as a No. 9, another being the perpetual dilemma over his future position: will he ever mould into an out-and-out centre-forward? Or does is he intrinsically a winger (as his heatmap suggests)? At only 19, such considerations are part of a player’s natural development but it’s problematic when a lack of playing time is thrown into the equation.

Whether he’d see more minutes for Chelsea or United remains unclear. But the Frenchman has everything in the locker to become one of the top forwards in European football. He’s wonderfully athletic — strong and fast with the acceleration to stretch defences. He also has excellent control and excels in attacking 1v1s through bursts or dribbling.

There’s a reason why his youth performances drew comparisons to Kylian Mbappe, but those impressive skills have only been witnessed in flashes at senior level. A change of environment to build confidence can prove wonders though. If (and it’s a big “if”) a big club can reinvigorate the teenager, they might well have a €100m player on their hands.

OTHER RUMORS

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– The WSL window ends tomorrow but Chelsea have shown interest in signing USWNT defensive midfielder Sam Coffey from the Portland Thorns. (BBC)

– Arsenal’s women are finalizing a deal for former NWSL rookie of the year and USWNT defender Jenna Nighswonger from Gotham FC. (Athletic)

– Marcus Rashford’s wage demands mean Juventus are his only option to leave Manchester United in January, although there is still the prospect of a Barcelona move in the future. The 27-year-old reportedly has little interest in the proposals from Tottenham and West Ham, while there is no prospect of a deal being completed to join Borussia Dortmund. (The Independent, )

– Chelsea are in advanced negotiations to sign 16-year-old left-back Denner from Corinthians for €8m and another €4.5m in add-ons. (UOL)

– Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has rejected the option to join Roma, as the Brazil international is not interested in a move to the Italian capital. (TNT)

– Santos are preparing for the return of Neymar but have also agreed to sign Chelsea forward Deivid Washington on loan until June. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Real Betis have already taken winger Antony on loan from Man United and the club are also keen to bring in left-back Tyrell Malacia. (Diario de Sevilla)

– Struggling Tottenham want to sign Lille midfielder Angel Gomes this month, with chairman Daniel Levy pushing for a deal. (GMS)

– Manchester City are close to a €70m deal to sign Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 24, but have to wait until after Wednesday’s Champions League match against Benfica, although he is injured and won’t play in the game. (GMS)

– Bayer Leverkusen have withdrawn their interest in Manchester City midfielder James McAtee as they are set to land Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Real Madrid won’t sign any players in January now but will try to persuade 26-year-old Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to join them in the summer. (Marca)

– RB Leipzig midfielder Eljif Elmas is set to undergo a medical at Torino, before signing on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Shakhtar Donetsk have submitted a €15m bid to sign West Ham’s 18-year-old winger Luis Guilherme. (Fabrizio Romano)