Gossip: Erm… Fabregas to move back to Arsenal?

Daniel Storey

MARTIAL TO BARCELONA OR REAL MADRID NOW?
On Thursday, The Sun’s website had an exclusive splash that Paris St Germain were eyeing a move for Manchester United’s Anthony Martial. By Sunday, we have an update.

However, it’s no longer Paris St Germain that are credited with the most serious interest, but Barcelona and Real Madrid.

An exclusive by Ken Lawrence claims that Martial is in a £60m battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona. You’d think that Manchester United would at least be present at that fight.

Anyway, Lawrence goes on to say that Real are in the driving seat over the deal because Jose Mourinho wants to sign James Rodriguez. Real’s current ban on registering new players, that lasts until January 2018, isn’t mentioned.

 

FABREGAS BACK TO ARSENAL? REALLY?
Now who among us wouldn’t want to see the reaction of Arsenal supporters if Cesc ‘the snake’ Febregas was to come back to the club? That weird combination of wanting a player to help your club but also still being angry for him leaving in the first place is a ruddy good spectator sport.

It’s the Sunday Express who report that Arsene Wenger wants to re-sign Fabregas in January, courtesy of a Neil Fissler exclusive. You do wonder what percentage of these exclusives come off.

‘Arsene Wenger is keen to keep his Premier League title challenge on track and is ready to offer Fabregas a way out of his Stamford Bridge hell,’ Fissler writes. That first Premier League title wasn’t so bad.

‘Wenger is looking for reinforcements and is looking at making an offer for Fabregas who started his career with The Gunners where he won the FA Cup in 2005,’ he continues. From ‘preparing to make offer’ to ‘looking at making an offer’ in three paragraphs worries us.

Look, we’d be surprised. Very surprised.

 

EVERYONE WANTS ASHLEY YOUNG
To ESPN now, who claim to have reports from sources close to Manchester United that Ashley Young is wanted by a number of clubs in January.

The story claims that Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Swansea are all after Young, who has only been given fleeting appearances in a United shirt this season.

That’s fine, but one sticking point will be the ludicrous £120,000-a-week new deal that United gave Young in summer 2015.

Is the winger really going to accept wages of half that amount at another club, especially when it might be his last big career move?

 

AND THE REST
Manchester United have pulled off a coup by signing Dutch wonderkid Millen Baars from Ajax… Roma have lodged a loan bid for Manchester United flop Memphis Depay… Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is eyeing a £50m double deal for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Celtic forward Moussa Dembele… West Ham and Crystal Palace will battle for Newcastle forward Aleksandar Mitrovic in January… Schalke striker Eric Choupo-Moting has emerged as a January target for Stoke City… Everton boss Ronald Koeman has joined the race for in-demand Burnley star Michael Keane.