The latest on Manchester United's pursuit of Erling Haaland can be found in the Insider Notebook. Dusan Vlahovic is in demand.
Jump to: Hazard's uncertain future, Martial, Bailly want out, Spurs stand firm over Bergwijn valuation, and San Siro not pitch perfect.
The United out of Haaland race.
According to sources, Manchester United are out of the race to sign Erling Haaland, with the club ready to focus on alternative attacking options having been made aware that the forward favours a summer move to Real Madrid.
Haaland is expected to leave the club at the end of the season due to a 75 million release clause in his contract.
Each club's prospects of landing him ranked is Haaland's next move.
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The club had a long standing interest in Haaland dating back to his emergence as a 16-year-old atMolde in Norway. According to sources, senior figures at Old United believe that Haaland is going to Real this summer and that United are not in a position to convince the player or his advisors to change their minds.
With Edinson Cavani out of contract and likely to leave at the end of the season, United are focusing on other options to solve their search for a proven goalscorer.
The LaLiga champion face strong competition from Manchester City for Haaland, who will command wages of £30m-a-year at whichever club he ends up at, although Real are attempting to sign both Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe this summer.
Despite City's interest and ability to compete with any financial package presented to Haaland by Real, they lag behind in the battle to sign the Norway international.
Sources have said that the turmoil at Old Trafford has damaged United's chances of signing Haaland, but that the dismissal of Solskjaer as manager in November did not contribute to their diminishing hopes.
Although the Haaland camp are admirers of the work done by United interim manager Ralf Rangnick at previous clubs, the prospect of signing for United while they remain in a period of transition, and potentially out of the Champions League, has made the 20-time English champions an unappealing proposition.
United know that Haaland does not see them as a viable option in the present circumstances and are focusing on the recruitment of a permanent manager rather than the pursuit of a player who wants to leave.
Erling Haaland wants to go to Real Madrid.
The race is hot.
According to sources, as many as eight of Europe's leading clubs are interested in the Serbia international.
The 21-year-old has scored 20 goals in 24 games for Fiorentina so far this season and is one of the hottest properties in the game. The player is not going to be moved in January, but they face competition from Europe's biggest clubs.
The transfer window is inside.
Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are likely to be the most sought after centre-forwards in the transfer market this summer. If the club decides to let Robert Lewandowski go, he would be available if he wanted to stay.
Sources said that Vlahovic is likely to move to a team that misses out on Haaland and Kane. If Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe leave the Allianz Arena and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, then a number of European clubs will be in the market for a new forward. Sources said that Vlahovic could be a target for both Atletico Madrid and Juventus, but the rivalry between the two clubs could make it difficult for them to fund a bid.
Sources have said that the club will have to sell the player this summer to avoid losing him for nothing next year.
Play.
Dusan Vlahovic is a goal- scoring sensation for Fiorentina.
The Bundesliga giants are interested in the deal.
According to sources, the favorites to land Denis Zakaria are the three biggest German teams, as well as the Reds.
At the end of the season, Zakaria is out of contract and his agents have held talks with some of Europe's biggest clubs. According to a source close to the negotiations, the three sides that have made the most serious approaches are:
The Swiss international will be free in the summer if Monchengladbach lets him leave this month. The player's camp is willing to wait until the end of the season to make a move, but they are also open to making a move in January. They've held talks with both Manchester United and Juventus, but a move to Old Trafford is not seen as an option in this transfer window. The source said the uncertainty at United, with interim coach Ralf Rangnick only in place until the summer, has counted against them.
Monchengladbach welcomed Zakaria from Young Boys. He has made over 100 appearances for the German club but is ready to take the next step in his career.
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Real Madrid have money for two big transfers in the summer.
Hazard is staying put.
Sources close to the dressing room told ESPN that Hazard's Real Madrid teammates believe he will stay at the club until the summer before making a decision on his long-term future.
With Madrid favourite to win the LaLiga title this year, Hazard wants to stay at the club and still has hope of making an impact, having already picked up the first silverware of the season by winning the Spanish Supercopa. Sources said that a departure this month would be difficult because of the Belgium international's large wages. In two and a half years in Spain, Hazard has scored four league goals.
I don't have to tell Hazard what to do. "He has the experience and character to choose what's best for him," Carlo said on Wednesday.
The club have been willing to let Hazard go since last summer, despite reports that he has been made available by Real Madrid this month. He was angry when he saw a picture of him laughing with his former teammates after they knocked Madrid out of the playoffs.
There have been no offers for Hazard, with interest hit due to his injury record, the costs involved in any potential deal, and the player's desire to stay in Madrid.
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The two men say that Ralf Rangnick has handled Anthony Martial poorly.
Martial and Bailly want out.
Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly are worried that they will be priced out of loan moves away from Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to sources.
Martial and Bailly are open to leaving the club this month in the hope of finding more first-team football elsewhere, but they are not convinced that deals will come to fruition.
United only consider loan offers for first-team players that include a guarantee that their wages will be covered and a loan fee.
Sevilla have already had a bid for Martial knocked back by United, who would need to drop their demands before they would be interested in the Frenchman. AC Milan don't have the money to match United's conditions and are interested in signing Bailly until the end of the season.
According to sources, the interim manager wants to keep the majority of his squad together until the end of the season because of the possibility of losing players.
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Frank Leboeuf thinks that Spurs were deserving of their win.
Spurs are firm over hero Bergwijn.
According to sources, Steven Bergwijn's dramatic match-winning cameo againstLeicester on Wednesday has reinforced the valuation of the Spurs, which has so far been frustrated by the negotiations.
The majority of the 32 million that Spurs paid for PSV in January 2020 is believed to be their goal, but they have so far only shown a willingness to pay half of that.
Spurs' resolve has been strengthened by Bergwijn's brace off the bench.
After coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute, he scored twice in the last minute to give Spurs a crucial win in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Should an agreement not be reached with Ajax, Antonio Conte is willing to continue using Bergwijn. It's not clear if Wednesday's outing convinces Ajax to raise their offer or if it marks the beginning of Bergwijn's revival in north London.
San Siro's pitch has been blamed for causing injuries.
San Siro has pitch concerns.
The San Siro pitch is likely to be a topic of concern this weekend, with two matches in two days, including AC Milan's clash with Bianconeri.
AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori had to have surgery on his knee after he injured it during the team's win over Genoa. The Italian Super Cup took place a day after the match.
The pitch can't be the best during this time, according to AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli. There is no time for an intervention in the games. We hope to play on a cleaner pitch after the international break.
San Siro deserved a better pitch after their match against Milan, according to the boss of the Reds.
The state of the turf will be tested with three important matches in quick succession. Inter Milan plays Venezia at 12 p.m. Milan will play Juve at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The day after. The Milan derby will take place on Feb. 6 at San Siro.
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