Sports Press Photo

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Let me clarify once again, there are no clear favourites for the signature of Jean-Clair Todibo, and the expectation is for him to move in the summer, not now.

It will take time before we know who the favourite is and what kind of evolution there will be in the next months.

My information remains that OGC Nice don’t want to sell Todibo in January.

Newcastle remain interested in Kalvin Phillips. He’s one of the players they have in the list but nothing is advanced yet because of Financial Fair Play.

Let’s see if other clubs will join the race for Phillips – I’d keep him as an option for Newcastle, by the way, because the deal with Juventus is currently off, as talks have not advanced since December.

Despite the rumours, Kylian Mbappé has not indicated the timing to announce his future move. His family statement confirmed last week that “no rumours will put pressure on Kylian’s timing,” so… we have to wait.

There’s absolutely nothing new on Victor Osimhen, including a move to Real Madrid instead of Mbappé.

As I said many times before, nothing is happening for Osimhen in January so it’s one that we will see what happens in the summer.

Nothing concrete and nothing serious now.

Dragusin is a very aggressive centre back, also a fast player and his personality is remarkable – perfect for the Premier League. He was on the list of Italian clubs also, not just Spurs and Bayern.

I think he’s similar to Cuti Romero in terms of the kind of signing, not as a centre-back but with that kind of potential.

It’s still very quiet for David de Gea and there’s still no decision to be made with regards to his future.

He will take time with his family to decide but I’m not aware of anything imminent…

He’s just waiting, nothing has changed since October when he was not convinced by proposals received in the final weeks of the summer window.

On Thursday night there was a big story about Atlético Madrid’s Ángel Correa.

New director of football at Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad, Ramon Planes, and manager, Marcelo Gallardo, are interested in him and looking at a deal.

There will be a negotiation and a discussion, and let’s see if Al Ittihad can pay what Atlético Madrid want. Also, they need to understand what the player wants to make the move happen because the acquisition is still at the early stages.

Thiago Almada is the player Atlético Madrid want in case Correa leaves the club, and it’s also important to say that Al Hilal are prepared to send a proposal to Olympique Marseille for Renan Lodi.

Keep an eye on this deal because Atlético Madrid negotiated a 20% sell on clause when Lodi was sold to Marseille, and Al Hilal are able to open talks at around the €20m mark.

As we can already see, the Saudi clubs are moving on the market once again these days, and in my opinion the Saudi Pro League will not be the same as the Chinese Super League. The project remains absolutely on and no player has left so far, so… I don’t see big changes honestly.

Jordan Henderson wants to return to Europe and Ajax are leading the race, pushing to make it happen but it’s not easy to agree terms with Al Ettifaq. More talks will follow soon.

Chelsea are still keeping an eye on the centre-backs market. Let’s keep an eye too on Trevoh Chalobah, who is still expected to leave Chelsea in the next weeks, and see what’s going to happen there.

This could be a position to watch for Chelsea, in the next few weeks, or months in case they decide to move for a new centre-back in the summer, not in January.

As we know, Chelsea are always attentive to the defenders market.

I also told you many times about Chelsea’s interest in Estêvão Willian, currently playing for Palmeiras and with a €60m release clause.

He’s a top talent, born in 2007, and on the list of many clubs, but let me explain the situation. Barcelona have been working on a deal for a long time, they have an excellent relationship and the player would love to join Barcelona.

At the moment, similar to the Echeverri story, because of Financial Fair Play, it’s not easy for Barcelona to go there and close the deal for ‘Messinho’ – but the interest is there and the player is attracted by the move.

Chelsea are pushing hard and working on a deal but at the moment it’s not guaranteed that they will pay the release clause, so talks are still ongoing to discuss the terms of the story.

It’s also important to mention that other clubs, from England and from France – with Paris Saint-Germain always attentive to the Brazilian market – could also join the race.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Dodgers add recently acquired left-hander to active roster
Report: 2023 No. 7 pick expected to terminate KHL contract, join Flyers
Mavericks advance to Western Conference Finals aided by controversial call late
Connor McDavid, Oilers hammer Canucks to force Game 7
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Seize the Grey wins in muddy Preakness
Even Mike Budenholzer admits the Suns need a point guard
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa lead at PGA Championship
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Panthers star named winner of 2024 Selke Trophy
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant

Want more Soccer news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.