CHELSEA are targeting Torino’s Gleison Bremer to solve their defensive crisis, SunSport can exclusively reveal.
The Blues have four of their defenders out of contract at the end of the season including Germany star Antonio Rudiger.
Elsewhere, Eddie Howe is eyeing up Stoke striker Tyrese Campbell as his first signing at Newcastle.
The son of former Everton forward Kevin Campbell, Tyrese has scored twice in nine games for the Potters this season.
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Get all the latest football news, updates and transfer gossip below…
TOON BLOCKED FROM NEW DEALS
New sponsorship rules preventing Newcastle from cashing in on their Saudi owners have been passed by Prem clubs.
The majority of Prem outfits ganged up on the new Toon overlords after league bosses waved through the £305m takeover.
Clubs put a temporary ban on any new sponsorship deals being agreed while new rules were drafted.
Only Manchester City declined to support a vote for new regulations which will see clubs forced to prove any deals with owner-linked companies are paid at ‘fair market value’.
While it will not prevent Newcastle inking deals with Saudi companies, they cannot agree contracts that are artificially boosted to get round Financial Fair Play rules.
Instead, Newcastle and all other clubs will now have to show the deals were at a commercially-justifiable level.
The new regulations, drafted by a sub-committee comprised of eight clubs – including both Newcastle’s Amanda Staveley and Manchester City’s Simon Cliffe – represent a financial straitjacket for the Toon and their owners.
Chelsea, Aston Villa, Burnley, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United complete the group.
The new regulations were supposed to be agreed last month but the planned meeting of clubs was put back a fortnight.
It is understood around a third of top flight clubs attended the League’s headquarters near Paddington in person with the rest present virtually.
Clubs had also been planning to discuss the proposed ‘Owners Charter’ but amid talk of a ‘compromise’ deal to get those measures through the issue will be put on the back-burner until the New Year.
RED DEVILS TO RE-OPEN TRAINING GROUND TOMORROW
Manchester United will reopen their training ground to the first team tomorrow and check all their players following a Covid outbreak in the camp, writes NEIL CUSTIS.
The Red Devils’s away trip to Brentford this evening was called off just before midnight on Monday following an appeal from United.
SunSport understands that there are four players and some staff who were involved in the 1-0 at Norwich City that tested positive for Covid on Sunday.
They were sent home to self isolate and will not be able to return to Carrington until next Tuesday.
The club will now decide as to whether to appeal to the Premier League to have Saturday’s home game against Brighton called off based on the new test results.
If any more players are found to be positive then that game will be in jeopardy.
Brighton themselves have had a small Covid outbreak in their camp which has also threatened their game against Wolves tomorrow night (Wednesday).
United had their game postponed after they appealed to the Premier League claiming they had not been able to train properly and would only travel to Brentford on the day of the game.
However, if no new tests, come through and the outbreak has been contained they will train as normal from tomorrow.
They could promote some Academy players into the first team squad to make up for the absentees and there is also the possibility of Edinson Cavani returning from injury.
BRANDON: GREENWOOD WAS ALWAYS SPECIAL
Brandon Williams says Mason Greenwood was always destined for greatness.
Full-back Williams, 21, is on loan at Norwich while 20-year-old fellow Manchester United academy product Greenwood is now a Red Devils’ regular up front.
The duo are strong friends after coming up through the Old Trafford ranks in the same age group.
And Williams told The Athletic: “He’s always been the top talent in the group, you could see a mile off he was gonna make it.
“But I scored my first Premier League goal five minutes before him. He’s got all these records but I’ll take that. I tell him all the time.”
Credit: Getty
VIEIRA: CONOR FINISHES LIKE LAMPARD
Patrick Vieira rates Conor Gallagher as a ‘manager’s dream’ with finishing ability similar to Frank Lampard.
Gallagher’s superb double in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Everton made Gallagher Crystal Palace’s six-goal top scorer on loan from Chelsea this season.
Credit: Getty And Eagles’ boss Vieira compared the new England midfielder’s energy and drive to Arsenal legend Ray Parlour.
Gunners’ all-time great Vieira said: “Conor has this passion for the game when he is on the field like a Ray Parlour.
“But I would say he has maybe the quality finishing of a Frank Lampard.
“It is a manager’s dream to have a player like Conor because when he is on the field, he will give everything.
“He is focused, concentrated and will always give his best. This is something that for me is really important.”
Vieira added of the 21-year-old: “I think it is his determination to progress.
“Every time he is putting his feet on the field, he wants to improve and to challenge himself.”
KAMARA LINKED TO UTD
Manchester United are set to make a surprise move for Marseille defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara for £10million, report FourFourTwo.
That’s according to reports that link new Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick to a move for the French contract rebel, who will be able to walk away from the south of France for nothing next summer.
Rangnick is keen to put his imprint on this United team, however, and Kamara represents exactly the kind of player he wants to bring to Old Trafford.
Kamara is 22 years old and has represented his nation at every youth level, racking up over a hundred appearances for l’OM. A combative force in midfield, he originally began life as a defender before finding a role higher up the pitch – and he has shone even in Marseille’s patchier moments over the past few seasons.
WRIGHT OF REPLY
Ian Wright offered a hilarious response to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.
The 32-year-old was removed from the role after his ‘latest disciplinary breach’ last week.
Wright, who was delighted when Aubameyang penned his new deal in 2020, offered up the perfect response as Arsenal confirmed that the captaincy would be changing hands.
The Gunners legend, 58, posted a meme of himself from earlier this season looking glum.
YUS PLEASE
Barcelona will NOT field wonderkid Yusuf Demir until February because of a contract issue, according to reports.
The teenage wonderkid is on loan at Barca from Rapid Vienna this season.
He has so far made nine appearances for Xavi’s side, with his next set to trigger an £8.5million permanent transfer.
Barcelona have been impressed by the winger and want to complete a deal.
But they cannot afford to pay the £8.5m fee in January.
According to Sky Sports, Barcelona will wait until February to trigger the deal, in order for the payment to come out of their budget for next summer.
TOP GUN
Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka are joint-favourites for the Arsenal captaincy, according to bookmakers Betfair.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will soon decide who should replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was stripped of the captaincy following a disciplinary breach.
Bookies Betfair have revealed their top five candidates for the role with Lacazette and Xhaka sharing odds of 6/4.
Striker Lacazette has taken the armband on several occasions down the years but might only provide a good short-term solution given this contract expires in June.
Xhaka could be viewed as a risky appointment given he’s already been stripped of the honour.
Kieran Tierney is next in the betting at 4/1 but there are concerns over his injury record and starting role.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who only joined the club in August, is available at 8/1 with centre-back Gabriel the outsider of the pack at 16s.
AUBA AND OUT?
Mikel Arteta has refused to confirm whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has a future at Arsenal.
The striker, 32, was stripped of the Gunners captaincy earlier today after his ‘latest disciplinary breach’.
Quizzed whether the Gabonese star will play for Arsenal again, Arteta said noncommittally: “We need a bit of time.
“It needs a bit of time to heal. For now he’s not involved in the squad.”
COULD SIGNE
Tottenham are reportedly leading the race to sign Napoli hot-shot Lorenzo Insigne.
Spurs are said to be wasting no time in their pursuit of the 30-year-old and plan to make a move for him in January when the transfer window re-opens, according to Sports Witness.
They had initially been linked with a move for Insigne in the summer but the switch failed to materialise.
Insigne’s contract with the Serie A side is up next summer meaning he can begin discussions with potential new suitors in the New Year.
SW report that journalist Fabio Santini claims Spurs boss Antonio Conte is in awe of the striker whose netted five goals in 18 games for Napoli this summer.
And the eager Italian wants to bring Insigne to White Hart Lane in January in a bid to salvage the North London club’s fledging season.
ARM-BAND OF BROTHERS
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as become the latest Arsenal captain to be stripped of the role after another disciplinary breach.
The forward is by no means the first Gunners skipper to enrage supporters and bosses, however.
In fact, a long line of Arsenal captains have had their issues, since Arsene Wenger appointed William Gallas in 2007.
ART ATTACK
Piers Morgan has blasted Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for a ‘shameful decision’ to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy.
And the TV star has slammed the ‘disgusting treatment’ handed out by the Gunners to the striker.
The forward was dropped for Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southampton after arriving back late from an authorised trip to France.
Now the 32-year-old has been handed the ultimate punishment of LOSING the captain’s armband.
And it has not gone down too well with renowned Gunners fan Morgan.
He tweeted: “Shameful decision by Arteta. What a disgusting way to treat a man who went – with the club’s full knowledge & permission – to help his sick mother.”
STRIKE OPTIONS
Teddy Sheringham says he would rather pick Harry Kane than Cristiano Ronaldo if he were putting together a dream team.
The Tottenham legend reckons Kane is more of a team player than the Manchester United talisman.
The 55-year-old told Football.London: “Tough one but Harry Kane.
“I just think he does things for the team. He works for the team.
“I know he scores his goals and he’s very selfish at times but you have to be like that as a centre forward but you know what you’re going to get from him, week in, week out.
“He leads the line for the team as well. He’s unselfish but selfish at the right times and that’s why he scores so many goals.
“Ronaldo has been one of the best two players but playing alongside him, it’s a funny one… he scores goals out of nowhere because of how good he is but doesn’t really play off other people.
“Might be a little bit harsh but I prefer the knowing what you’re going to get from a player when you’re asking who I would like to play alongside.”
CASTING ROLE
West Ham are among a host of European clubs keeping tabs on £15 million rated New York City hot-shot Valentin Castellanos.
The 23-year-old Argentine – known as ‘Taty’ – was the golden boot winner in the MLS last season when he scored 19 goals.
He also added to his tally as NYCFC were crowned US champions by edging past Portland Timbers on penalties at the weekend.
Although his strike celebrations were marred by shocking scenes which saw Castellanos’ team-mate Jesus Medina struck with a beer can thrown from the crowd.
The Hammers are looking for a forward in January to provide back up for Michail Antonio but are just one of several who have been alerted to the form of Castellanos.
Turkish giants Besiktas are keen – while Championship outfit Nottingham Forest were also prepared to pay around £8 million for him.
The City Football Group – who own NYCFC and his former club Torque – believe he is worth considerably more than that.
AUBAMEYANG SACKED AS CAPTAIN
Arsenal have announced that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the club captaincy.
A statement on Tuesday declared simply: “Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United.
“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”
SECRET SWITCH
Real Madrid will keep their proposed Kylian Mbappe transfer swoop under wraps until after they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, it’s claimed.
Mbappe’s move to Real now seems to be a foregone conclusion and as his contract with PSG is up in the summer, the 22-year-old can finalise his switch to Spain in January.
But the two European juggernauts will play each other in the Champions League early next year which means Mbappe will have to face his potential future team-mates before completing his transfer.
And to make sure that the focus is solely on the salivating tie, Real now plan to keep tight-lipped on the developments in Mbappe’s move to the Bernabeu, AS report.
AS claim that Real are aware of the wrath PSG fans will aim towards the French youngster throughout their Champions League clash if his move is made public, so they’ve decided to hold back on any announcements until the game has been put to bed.
AGUERO UPDATE
Sergio Aguero is set to make a statement about his future, Barcelona have confirmed.
The Argentina striker is rumoured to be considering retirement following the chest problems he encountered in October.
The 33-year-old was taken to hospital after clutching his chest and complaining of breathing problems and dizziness during a clash with Alaves.
He was ruled out of action for at least three months to undergo a period of observation before being diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia.
Barcelona made the announcement on Twitter.
The club wrote: “@aguerosergiokun will give a statement on his future from Camp Nou at 12pm CET on Wednesday December 15. The first-team football player will be joined by FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta.”
BELL BLOW
Former Barcelona technical secretary Josep Moratalla has admitted the club were on the verge of signing Jude Bellingham before he joined Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham signed for the German club in 2020 from Birmingham City for £21million.
The 18-year-old is now being linked with a £90m move to Liverpool after seeing his value sky-rocket in the last 18 months.
And Moratalla as revealed his regret at not signing the teenager before Dortmund did.
He told Spanish radio station Esport3: “We had Bellingham here before he signed for Dortmund, when I see now that Liverpool want to pay 100 million euros [£85m] I laugh.
“I have never understood why we never did more operations of these.”
ITALIAN JOB
Robert Lewandowski has hinted at a possible move to Italy as he collected the 2021 Golden Player award.
He picked up the award from Italian newspaper Tuttosport – who famously also hand out the Golden Boy award for best young player.
And speaking at the awards ceremony, Lewa flirted with the idea of a move to Serie A.
He said: “Play in Italy? I can’t say something that I don’t know yet, but I know that in Italy I have a great appreciation.
“It is possible, also because by coming to Italy I would have the chance to face great players and great teams.”
STAND AND DELIVER
Chelsea have confirmed that licensed safe standing will be in operation for their January 2 clash with Liverpool.
Standing at top-flight football matches in England has been banned for 30 years.
But that will come to an end next month, with three Prem clubs having been given permission to take part in a pilot scheme.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United will all allow standing in selected areas of their stadiums for matches in January.
The first of these will be when the Blues take on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
JOSTLING FOR JUDE
Manchester United are set to be rivalled for the signing of Jude Bellingham by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, it’s claimed.
United are desperate for reinforcements in midfield, with Bellingham a target for interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
And now Bayern Munich have joined the race for the England star, according to German outlet Bild.
Borussia Dortmund though are desperate not to lose one of their prized assets to their biggest rivals.
With Bellingham under contract with Dortmund until 2025, the club are in a strong position when it comes to transfer negotiations.
AUBA THE MOON
Arsenal club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ‘open’ to a shock January move to Barcelona, according to reports.
Aubameyang made headlines at the weekend after being left out of Arsenal’s matchday squad to face Southampton due to a ‘disciplinary breach’.
Spanish outlet El Nacional claim that Aubameyang would be willing to make the switch to Barcelona ‘without hesitation’ in January.
It could signal the beginning of the end of the striker’s Arsenal career.
He was also left on the bench for the 2-1 defeat to Everton last Monday, with Alexandre Lacazette instead preferred from the start.
The 32-year-old only has 18 months left to run on his current contract so Arsenal could be tempted to cash in as soon as possible.
‘I’M LOVING IT’
Mason Mount has continued to kick on during his first full season playing under Thomas Tuchel, and he has thanked the manager for his role in it all.
Mount was one of the Chelsea academy talents ushered into the first team by Frank Lampard, and while other Lampard favourites have moved on he remains an integral part of the Blues’ first team.
Mount said: “He’s been massive for me, to come in halfway through a season and do what he did last year, to win the Champions League and develop us all as players and as a group, he’s been brilliant since the first day he’s come in.
“For me personally he’s helped me on and off the ball, he’s helped me with confidence.
“And the way I like to play is very similar to his way he sets up and how he wants us to play.
“So I’m loving it, I’m loving every moment and hopefully we can keep winning things.”
CLARET LEGEND
Burnley have paid tribute to club legend Jimmy Robson, who sadly passed away at the age of 82.
The forward was part of the Clarets’ last title-winning campaign as they triumphed in the First Division back in 1960.
He was also part of the 1962 Burnley side that reached the FA Cup final.
Burnley paid tribute to their former star on Twitter.
The club wrote: “We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Jimmy Robson this morning.
“The Clarets legend won the First Division with Burnley in 1960 and made 242 appearances.
“The thoughts of everyone at Turf Moor are with Jimmy’s family and friends.”
OMICRON WORRY
Premier League clubs are fearing the season could be suspended due the rapid spread of Omicron after Manchester United’s game against Brentford was postponed.
A total of 42 confirmed cases were confirmed on Monday evening – the most recorded in a single week- with five clubs affected by outbreaks.
The Daily Mail reports that many players who want to receive a booster jab, which offers protection against the new variant, have been left frustrated in their attempts to get vaccinated.
Wolves are said to be the only club so far to have met Boris Johnson’s target of having all over-18s boosted by the end of the month, although Leeds and Brentford are on course to meet that requirement.
The Premier League remain adamant that with the current testing procedures and protocol in place, a pause in proceedings, like the one which interrupted the 2019/20 season, won’t be neccessary.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
