Real Madrid aren’t doing very well. They sit fourth in La Liga, trailing Barcelona by eight points and by eight goals, with Cristiano Ronaldo having scored just four times in the league and Karim Benzema only twice – and this in a country where it’s so easy to score that West Ham flop and comedy penalty run-up king Simone Zaza, now at Valencia, has 10. Inevitably they want to do something about this, and the something they want to do is buy everyone else’s best players.
Thus they will set forth in January armed with a few choice chat-up lines and a monster chequebook. and hope to return with none other than Egyptian speed merchant Mohamed Salah. According to Don Balón, the hope is that Liverpool will accept a bundle of cash and Lucas Vázquez for the man who has taken England by storm since returning to these shores in the summer, but if that doesn’t work out they could sell the 26-year-old Spanish forward to Roma and return to Anfield with an even bigger bundle of cash.
This is terrible news for Liverpool, who are still trying to deal with Barcelona’s pursuit of Philippe Coutinho. According to L’Equipe they and Arsenal are preparing to have another go at signing Thomas Lemar in January, with both clubs making him their No1 choice to replace creative forwards who haven’t actually left yet but might, in the Gunners’ case Alexis Sánchez. The pair bid £90m and £100m respectively for the Frenchman in the final days of the summer window but might be able to snag him for less come the new year. This is just as well, with some Spanish sources saying that Arsenal have already agreed to pay £35.3m to Sevilla for Steven N’Zonzi.
Both clubs could lose other forwards if they’re not careful. The Mail suggests that Daniel Sturridge is pondering a move away from England in January, “with the likes of Real Betis and Valencia particularly keen”, as he attempts to win a place in the England squad. A similarly-motivated Olivier Giroud will “look at the opportunities” in January, knowing that “it won’t be easy to find the right solution” but that to “keep on track for the World Cup” he may have to leave Arsenal. “I have the World Cup at the back of my mind weekly, almost daily,” he said, adding that the France coach, Didier Deschamps, “wants me to play more”. Giroud is yet to start a league game this season, and his average top-flight appearance has lasted 19 minutes and 23 seconds (plus stoppages).
Chelsea are to knock once more on Ross Barkley’s door, hoping that the Everton midfielder will do in January what he refused to do in August and make the move from Goodison Park to Stamford Bridge. With his contract now but half a year from expiry January represents Everton’s last chance to charge a fee for their home-grown ace, whose hamstring injury has prevented him from playing this season and remains “at least two weeks away from fitness”, according to the Mail. Chelsea also have other targets, with scouts having watched the Augsberg left-back Philipp Max in their 1-1 draw against Hertha Berlin on Sunday, alongside representatives of Manchester United. Awkward.
And finally Crystal Palace think the former Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego López will be better at picking the ball out of his net than either Julian Speroni or Wayne Hennessey, and could thus make a move for the 36-year-old, who has spent the season so far warming the bench at Spanish strugglers Espanyol, in January.