Gossip: Icardi, Guardiola, Witsel, Rooney

Daniel Storey

ARSENAL PREPARING ICARDI MOVE
Arsenal will launch a bid to sign Internazionale captain Mauro Icardi in January, according to reports in Italy. Unfortunately those ‘reports’ are Calciomercatoweb and Tuttosport. We’re not talking a 100% success rate here.

Icardi has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all mentioned as interested parties. Arsenal reportedly had a £32m bid rejected for Icardi in the summer, presumably because Arsene Wenger wants to convert him into a defensive midfielder.

Unfortunately, any deal relies on Inter accepting the offer. Sporting director Piero Ausilio said he would hang up if any club rang to make an offer. Shame.

 

PEP TO SIGN NEW BAYERN DEAL
It’s the news that all Bayern Munich supporters have been crossing their fingers for, and Manchester City fans dreading. The Daily Mirror report that Bayern are confident Pep Guardiola will sign a new contract at the club.

We’re going to remain slightly unconvinced by this, however. Guardiola has long expressed a desire to manage in the Premier League, and City is such a perfect fit with Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain already in place.

The claim is that Guardiola will sign a two-year deal at Bayern. Stay for one and then move on?

 

SPURS LEAD WITSEL RACE
This is another rumour coming from Calciomercato.com, but makes a great deal of sense. Tottenham have been keen on signing Axel Witsel for a good while, and the site reports that they will try again in January.

Plenty of outlets are reporting that the Zenit St Petersburg midfielder wants to leave Russian football, with Spurs and AC Milan the two clubs most regularly mentioned. Whether Zenit coach Andre Villas-Boas would recommend Spurs to Witsel is open to debate.

Witsel, now 26, has 63 caps for Belgium and moved to Zenit for €40 million in September 2012.

 

AND THE REST
PSG will offer Cristiano Ronaldo £250,000-a-week AFTER tax in an effort to lure him to the French capital… Barcelona are keen on a move for Miralem Pjanic… Monaco & Marseille are ready to do battle over Everton winger Kevin Mirallas in the January window… Sven-Goran Eriksson, now manager at Shanghai SIPG, wants Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney to join him in China… Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have all been made aware of the availability of Brazil forward Alexandre Pato… Southampton will not sell forward Sadio Mane to Manchester United in January… Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt is wanted on loan by Leeds United, Reading and Cardiff City.