Gossip: Hegazi to Liverpool, Manchester clubs battle
LIVERPOOL AND LEICESTER LIKE HEGAZI
If you thought that Liverpool’s central defender wish-list began and ended with Virgil van Dijk, you might be wrong. According to ESPN, Liverpool are also interested in West Brom centre-back Ahmed Hegazi.
We’ve just realised that Hegazi is only on loan at the Hawthorns from Al Ahly, so it’s hardly surprising that clubs might be sniffing around him. The Egyptian has been largely excellent since arriving in the Premier League. ESPN also say that Leicester are interested.
Unfortunately, the last line of the article pours a fair amount of cold water on any excitement amongst Liverpool supporters: ‘West Brom have an option in Hegazi’s loan deal to sign him on a permanent basis for €5 million.’
So West Brom sign him and then sell him to Liverpool for a whacking great profit?
DAVID LUIZ CONSIDERED BY REAL MADRID
David Luiz is currently persona non grata at Chelsea, left out of the side to face Manchester United by Antonio Conte who then cryptically said that Luiz needed to ‘get on with other players’. He’s not broken back into the team since.
Still, Luiz’s silver lining might be bigger than the cloud itself. The Daily Telegraph report that Real Madrid are drawing up transfer shortlists, and that Luiz has been mentioned as a potential defensive target.
It’s worth saying that this is a long way off ‘Real Madrid want David Luiz’. Presumably their shortlist will contain a number of names and, given the likely asking price for a player who has already turned 30, there must be better options.
‘David Luiz moves on to Real Madrid’s January transfer radar’ is how the Telegraph headline the story. Let’s wait and see for how long.
MANCHESTER CLUBS TO BATTLE FOR LENGLET
Now here’s a new name for our gossip column. Pretty sure we haven’t heard from Clement Lenglet before.
The Daily Mail make the bold claim that Manchester United and Manchester City ‘could go head-to-head’ for the Sevilla defender, who can play as both a left-back or central defender.
The ‘could’ in that headline worries us. We ‘could’ become familiar with Angelina Jolie, but it seems unlikely.
Still, the Mail believe that both clubs are tracking a defender with a £28m release clause who has been capped by the France Under-21 side but not yet the senior team. As a natural central defender, is that really something that United need? Is Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof not enough?
They report also mentions that Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all also scouted Lenglet. The SEO holy quinity! (Not a word, is it?).
AND THE REST
Manchester City are ready to hand David Silva a new contract amid interest from Italy and Spain… Manchester City’s Leroy Sane is also set to be offered a new contract… Sam Allardyce will earn £100,000 a week as new Everton boss… Watford insist Richarlison is not for sale… Shakhtar Donetsk blocked Everton’s approach for their manager Paulo Fonseca.