January 17 | European football transfer round-up
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Day 17 of the winter window and the rumours are growing rapidly as they wave white towels and hitch across the universe. Today’s fluff has taken off much like an old man walking about in the mall as Edinson Cavani desperately looks for a way out, Manchester United search for players and a few more.
Aston Villa interested in loan deal for Islam Slimani
With Wesley out for the season, Aston Villa have struggled to find a potential replacement for the former Club Brugge striker. Their options have either rejected a move or have struggled with injuries themselves although the club has completed an £8.5 million deal for Mbwana Samatta. The Genk striker is set to sign for the club shortly but Dean Smith wants more in the form of Islam Slimani. The former Leicester City striker is on loan at AS Monaco so that makes the deal a little more complicated as Villa would need to get both sides to agree to the deal. However, Smith wants the Algerian at the club on a short term loan spell with Slimani also looking for more game-time.
Bayern Munich look towards Nelson Semedo to solve their problems
Unhappy with the way Joshua Kimmich and Benjamin Pavard have played as right-backs, Bayern Munich are looking for a brand new option in the form of Nelson Semedo. The Barcelona man has done well for his current side but EL Desmarque have revealed that the 26-year-old is open to the move and might even consider regular football to be his prize. The report further added that the Bavarians consider Kimmich to be a better defensive midfielder and Pavard is a better center-back, which has seen them consider Semedo. A move might even be possible despite the fact that he has a £100 million buyout clause.
Olympique Lyon keen on a move for Karl Toko Ekambi
France Football has reported that Lyon are set to sign Karl Toko Ekambi from Villarreal for a fee of about £20 million. But in possibly the most modern way possible, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has taken to Twitter to reject that claim and has instead suggested that a loan move with an option to purchase is what has been discussed between the two sides. The 27-year-old striker has done relatively well for the La Liga side and with Memphis Depay set to miss the rest of the season, Olympique Lyon believes that the Cameroonian will provide ample back-up to Moussa Dembele.
AC Milan scout West Brom full-back Antonee Robinson
With their team in shambles, their management in shambles, their recruitment policy now become so bad that they hire 38-year-old has-beens to the club, Milan are now ambling about in England. They’re on the search for the next big thing with their target reportedly being West Brom’s Antonee Robinson. The young left-back has made quite the impact across the lake it seems with the Rosonerri keen on adding him to their collection of misfits.
Diego Simeone admits Thomas Lemar can go
Many claimed that Thomas Lemar wasn’t as good as the world made him out to be, that he was the worst pick of the lot from AS Monaco’s superteam and yet he earned a £52 million move to Atletico Madrid to help transform their side. But now two years on and it does look like Lemar’s at the end of his rope with the Wanda Metropolitano side as they look to sell him and potentially try and earn back as much as the £52 million they can.
That has been confirmed via Diego Simeone with the Atleti boss revealing that Lemar can leave and that the Frenchman has not met the expectations set for him by the club. Simeone went on to admit that he doesn’t know what will happen and that doesn’t bode well for the former Monaco man.
