Osimhen not heading to Paris
Injured during the match against Saudi Arabia, Victor Osimhen's health condition is worrying Napoli. While waiting to know when he will return to the pitch, his current club is also thinking about the future of the Nigerian striker.
Despite an agreement in principle last summer for the renewal of his contract, now there is a stalemate between the parties that - for sure - they will try to resolve in the coming months. A process that will take time for this reason, a hypothetical transfer in January is virtually impossible, also in light of the Africa Cup of Nations that will take place over winter.
In the summer of 2024, however, the situation could change - for better or for worse. At the moment there is only one certainty, PSG is out of the race for Osimhen. The French club - interested in him in recent months - is no longer on his tracks.
Even with the possible farewell of Kylian Mbappe, PSG already have in the squad two important strikers with Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos and for this reason, an eventual replacement of Kylian will be a pure winger. A name, among others, on the list of PSG? Rafael Leao.
Not only Juventus after Sancho
Jadon Sancho would like to leave Manchester United as early as January to relaunch his career after the difficulties with Erik ten Hag - and many clubs in Europe are monitoring his situation.
Juventus are among the pack. The Bianconeri greatly appreciate the young English talent who, for sure, could strengthen their attack with his creativity. However, one of the main issues in bringing Sancho to Serie A is certainly the salary - 20 million euros per year is an unattainable figure for Juventus who would have to ask the player for an effort - that is to say a salary reduction - in order to find an agreement.
The situation of Paul Pogba - freeing up liquidity - could help the Bianconeri to improve the offer on personal terms, but the help of United, paying part of his salary, is essential to arrive at a possible white smoke.
That's why the Bianconeri's idea is to propose to the Red Devils a loan with salary sharing. Anyway, another obstacle for Juventus is that they are not alone in the race for Sancho. At least two important Premier League clubs are monitoring his situation which will become hot in the coming weeks.
Tottenham working on January plans
It seemed difficult at the beginning of the season, especially after the farewell of Harry Kane, but now it's a matter of fact - Tottenham are leading, with merit, the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou is working well on the Spurs bench and the results on the pitch are very positive. However, the season is long and what has been done so far might not be enough to remain at the top of the table. That's why Tottenham are already planning possible moves for the winter transfer window.
On the exits list, the main names are Giovanni Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The chances of seeing them leave in January - towards Spain - are growing. For the Argentine midfielder, Tottenham are also open to evaluating the idea of a loan, while as for the eventual farewell of the Danish midfielder - Atletico Madrid have always been interested. These sales could open up some scenarios, including the possible assault on Conor Gallagher.
However, the priority for Postecoglou is to replace Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon – both injured - on the left side of the pitch. To date, Spurs - among others - are monitoring Jota after his sensational move to Al Ittihad went sour. Coach Nuno Espirito Santo, for the moment, doesn't consider him an important player and this difficult situation could facilitate his transfer as early as January.
Napoli coach Garcia still at risk
After the unsuccessful attempt to replace the current coach Rudi Garcia with Antonio Conte, the position of the Napoli manager remains at risk.
President Aurelio De Laurentiis is using this international break to reflect further on the future of the French coach who, in these first months, has not obtained the desired results.
Further, the squad doesn't seem to have trust in him and this could jeopardise the race for the Champions League. Vincenzo Italiano remains the preferred name for next season. Napoli, after having already made an attempt for the Fiorentina coach last summer, have identified Italiano as the most suitable candidate, also for his tactical model (4-3-3), the perfect continuation from Luciano Spalletti's winning approach last year.
However, next season is still far away and Garcia's situation - if it does not improve - will be resolved before June 2024. For this reason, internal evaluations on possible replacements are still in progress. Igor Tudor, also in talks with Besiktas, after his experience at Marseille, is among the candidates, but the Italian club could also draw on other foreign coaches without a team, such as Hansi Flick who is appreciated, in addition to his 4-2-3-1, he does favour a 4-3-3 formation as well.
Inter on the tail of Taremi
Mehdi Taremi, as is well known, was very close to landing in Serie A this summer. AC Milan was one step away from signing the Porto striker who, surprisingly, changed his mind shortly before finalising an agreement with the Rossoneri.
The fate of the Iranian player, however, seems still to lie in Italy and, above all, the city of Milan. With his contract expiring in June 2024, the Portuguese club would like to monetise his transfer in January, before losing him on a free in the summer. Inter - who are not experiencing a good moment with their players in attack - would be ready for an assault this winter market session.
Beyond Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, in fact, the Nerazzurri are unhappy with the performances of the other strikers in the squad, Marko Arnautovic and Alexis Sanchez. If the Austrian player has had bad luck, getting injured immediately at the beginning of the season, the return of the Chilean player has failed to meet the expectations of coach Simone Inzaghi and his staff. Just four appearances so far in Serie A, zero goals scored and, above all, the almost total certainty that his contract will not be renewed in June.
And so Taremi, in the winter session, represents an opportunity that could be grasped with glee.
