What the papers say
Arsenal’s pursuit of Dusan Vlahovic has been dealt a blow, with the Daily Mail citing reports in Italy that the 21-year-old Fiorentina striker is only interested in moving to Juventus. According to the Italian press, Vlahovic has already agreed terms with Juve.
But Mikel Arteta and the Gunners are moving closer to signing Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, according to The Sun. The newspaper – citing French outlet Get French Football – reports Juventus have begun talks to bring on Lyon player Bruno Guimaraes as a replacement for the 25-year-old Melo. The lack of a replacement has been reported as one of the major barriers standing in between Arsenal and the Brazil midfielder.
The same paper reports that Liverpool and West Ham are in a transfer fight over Fulham winger Fabio Carvalho. The 19-year-old, whose contract is up in six months, is worth around £5 million (€6 million) to the Reds according to reports. But there is also interest coming from Leeds and Porto.
Brentford have offered Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen a six-month contract, with an option to extend next season, according to The Times. The 29-year-old – who suffered a cardiac arrest during a match at Euro 2020 – left Inter Milan last year due to regulations prohibiting players with defibrillators competing in Serie A. Eriksen has seen interest from Newcastle and Leicester, too, but the paper reports a move to his former club Tottenham seems unlikely.
Social media round-up
Man Utd leave door open for Andreas Pereira to return after 'rejecting Flamengo's bid to make loan transfer permanent'https://t.co/l6l7xzXgCR
— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) January 19, 2022
😬 Barcelona have seemingly reacted to Liverpool and Man City's interest in Gavi
🖊 Barca want to tie the wonderkid down to a new contract
Find out more ➡️ https://t.co/iG3TKEGNPu pic.twitter.com/mjuktBJjQP— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 18, 2022
Players to watch
Djed Spence: The 21-year-old Middlesbrough full-back is on loan at Nottingham Forest but is being chased by Arsenal, Tottenham and Leeds, according to Sky Sports.
Attila Szalai: The 23-year-old Fenerbahce centre-back is drawing attention from West Ham, Newcastle and AC Milan, also according to Sky Sports.
