Football Transfer Rumours: Liverpool’s Tchouameni Bid and Other Friday Gossip

Reports indicate Liverpool is preparing an offer for Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, while Manchester United is expected to renew its pursuit of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, and Arsenal has engaged in discussions with Sporting forward Geovany Quenda. According to Fichajes (in Spanish), Liverpool is reportedly readying a £50m offer for Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid’s 24-year-old France international midfielder. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian) states that Juventus is interested in Lille striker Jonathan David, though the Serie A team faces rivalry from Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal for the 24-year-old Canada international. The Mail (subscription required) reports that Manchester United is poised to reignite its pursuit of Everton’s £70m-rated centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, given that the Merseyside club is reportedly unable to finance a new contract for the 22-year-old England international. Football Insider indicates that Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen are among the clubs showing interest in Strahinja Stojkovic, the 17-year-old Serbian defender from Red Star Belgrade. Teamtalk reveals that Arsenal has engaged in discussions with the representatives of Sporting forward Geovany Quenda, a 17-year-old who is also being monitored by Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool. According to Sport (in Spanish), Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, 36, is willing to accept a reduced salary to extend his tenure at Barcelona, with his strong performance leading the Catalan club to diminish its interest in Manchester City’s 24-year-old Norway forward Erling Haaland. Calciomercato (in Italian) reports that AC Milan is prepared to double the salary of Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 26, in an effort to deter interest from Manchester City and Tottenham. Caughtoffside suggests that Manchester City is monitoring Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 30, although Bayern Munich is currently in the leading position to secure the Turkey international. The Times (subscription required) indicates that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will have input in selecting Edu’s successor as the club’s sporting director, following the Brazilian’s choice to resign. The Telegraph (subscription required) reports that West Ham anticipates its technical director, Tim Steidten, might be considered by Arsenal as a potential replacement for Edu. Fussball News (in German) states that Eintracht Frankfurt has informed Liverpool and Bayern Munich that a fee exceeding £50m would be required to sign 25-year-old Egypt striker Omar Marmoush from the club. GiveMeSport (subscription required) suggests that Tottenham defender Cristian Romero might pursue a transfer to Real Madrid this summer, should the La Liga club intensify its interest in the 26-year-old Argentina international. Le Parisien (in French) reports that Paris St-Germain has already dismissed the possibility of acquiring Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, 26, notwithstanding his impressive goalscoring performance for Sporting. The Mail (subscription required) confirms Arsenal’s continued interest in RB Leipzig’s Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko, 21, whose contract includes a £55m buyout clause. The Telegraph (subscription required) indicates that Wolves manager Gary O’Neil’s position could be at risk if his team fails to defeat Southampton in the Premier League this weekend. RMC Sport (in French) reports that Paris St-Germain is prepared to allow France striker Randal Kolo Muani, 25, to depart in January, with interest from clubs in both the Premier League and Bundesliga. Christian Falk reports that Bayern Munich desires Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz, 21, and might propose a swap deal that includes on-loan 18-year-old Germany Under-21 midfielder Paul Wanner.