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Transfer rumours: Costa headed to Italy, Newcastle close to edging Arsenal for Brazilian, Martial lands in Spain

Deli Alli in his Hotspur days. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Expert
26th January, 2022
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After rumours that former Chelsea striker Diego Costa could be headed back to the Premier League after being cut adrift from Atletico Mineiro in Brazil some months back, such talk has now ceased.

Now, Serie A cellar dweller Salernitana has loomed as a potential new home for the 33-year-old. One wonders whether any short term deal will have the obligatory out clause should the Garnets fail to avoid the drop in 2021-22.

At this stage, relegation seems almost inevitable and the signing of Costa a curious one considering the former star will not be keen to end his playing days in the second tier of Italian football.

It has been a horrible 24 hours for Newcastle United. An impasse appears to have been reached with Jesse Lingard’s management over a potential January move, with the player keen to get out of his frustrating circumstances at Old Trafford yet the numbers have not been agreed upon by the two clubs.

One wonders whether West Ham United could re-enter the fray and take another shot at the man who did so well for them last season, or potentially another Premier League that spots the eagerness Lingard has to depart and subsequently tables an offer to steal him away at the eleventh hour.

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To make matters worse for the Geordies, is the news that negotiations with Sevilla over the potential signing of Diego Carlos also appear to have been derailed and the vast amount of wasted time and energy used in the efforts to lure both players to the club, as they continue to fight relegation, will not sit well with the fan-base.

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While Newcastle will be angered by the double-barrelled bad news and Manchester United somewhat frustrated that it still cannot move on a player they apparently do not see as part of a winning squad, and one who would rather be elsewhere, Sevilla will be celebrating tonight.

Anthony Martial has signed on and destined to add some much needed flair and punch to the attacking options available to Julen Lopetegui.

Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial is crucial to the struggling United. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)

The Frenchman is on loan until the end of the season, yet considering the comments made and attitudes expressed by United manager Ralf Rangnick in recent weeks, the chances of Martial returning to Old Trafford appear slim to none.

More likely is a permanent contract or a return to the Premier League elsewhere, should another club see consistent form and a stellar attitude from the 26-year-old.

Martial will have his eyes on making the French squad for Qatar 2022 later in the year, yet with such little consistent football over recent months, his move to Sevilla could also serve as something of an audition for the national selectors, as well as potentially increasing his value across Europe.

It didn’t take too long for the Newcastle accountants to climb back on their bikes after the disappoints that beset them yesterday, with a reported £40 million offered for Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes.

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The 24-year-old Brazilian international, also reportedly coveted by Arsenal, will not be let go without adequate compensation and Lyon denied a deal had been done amidst increasing speculation overnight.

A club statement said: “Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media reporting an agreement between Newcastle and OL for the transfer of Brazilian international midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

“In this transfer window period where the slightest rumour is often presented as reality, Olympique Lyonnais reminds that only information officially released by the club is to be taken into consideration.”

Brighton, Burnley and Everton are all reportedly interested and in the race for Dele Alli, a player seemingly even more certain to be leaving Tottenham in the short term.

Sadly for all three clubs, Newcastle United also has an interest and considering the number of players who have slipped through their grasp in the last fortnight, a desperate swipe at Alli to aid the non-relegation cause is a serious possibility.

Bluntly, without recruitments, Newcastle stand to be relegated and as one after another rumour turns to nothing, the chances of picking up the players required to keep them up grow slimmer.

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Alli could well be the one they are able to grab considering his determination to leave Spurs. Moreover, should the London club manage to secure the services of Luis Diaz from Porto, there will be even more incentive to jettison Alli and give Newcastle their third major signing of the window.

In coaching news, Portuguese Vitor Pereira is looming as the likely man for the Everton job, Roy Hodgson has taken over at Watford with survival in the Premier League his No.1 goal and Antonio Conte awaits the Tottenham board to come to the party and give him what he needs, before frustration will almost certainly set in and he begins to entertain offers from elsewhere in Europe.

The January transfer window is approaching its conclusion, with just days remaining and still plenty of speculation and rumours to be settled. Keep up to date with all the deals and drama here on The Roar.

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