Once the January transfer window comes around, there’s bound to be movement from the blue half of west London as Chelsea attack the market once more.

It’s become something of a theme of Todd Boehly’s ownership that he needs to flex when the game’s best talent becomes available.

Though he certainly can’t be accused of not backing his managers in the transfer market, there’s a cogent argument as to whether the club’s current transfer policy is the best way of doing business.

In any event the wheels already appear to be being set in motion for one player that’s yet to be put on the market by his current club.

That’s because Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is clearly one of the top young talents in European football, and any team would benefit by having him in their side.

TeamTalk note that Chelsea are showing the most interest in him, but he’s also being monitored by Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle.

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Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also mentioned as possible destinations for the 20-year-old.

Despite his relatively young age, Wirtz has played for the German national team on 12 occasions (per TeamTalk) and very obviously has the brightest of futures in the game.

It remains to be seen whether Leverkusen can hang onto him, with perhaps the future of coach, Xabi Alonso, tied into Wirtz’s.

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Aston Villa have made an impressive start to the current campaign and in a bid to try and push for a top-four finish this season, Unai Emery is likely to recruit more stars in January. 

The Birmingham club are sat fifth in the Premier League, just four points behind leaders Tottenham, whilst Villa are also second in their Europa Conference League Group.

One problem that could hamper Unai Emery’s side from having an extraordinary campaign is squad depth but the Spanish coach will look to fix that in January.

According to TNT Sports, Aston Villa are keen to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios, who has made a strong contribution to the German club sitting top of the Bundesliga.

The report states that the Villans could face stiff competition to sign the Argentina international, who is also being tracked by Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Emery already has an abundance of exciting midfield talent in his squad but the acquisition of the 25-year-old star will only make them perform better and make Villa’s squad stronger to compete on several fronts.

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Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly among the clubs interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

That’s according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, who claim the young German playmaker is attracting a wealth of high-profile attention following what has been an excellent start to the season.

As things stand, Xabi Alonso’s side sit top of the Bundesliga table, unbeaten on 25 points after nine games, and Wirtz, 20, has been instrumental.

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It isn’t just domestically that the 20-year-old has shone though. Also contributing heavily in Europe, Wirtz already has five goals and eight assists to his name across all competitions.

And while Alonso and Leverkusen’s fans will be loving the young German’s impact, there will now be concerns over his future. Not only are Chelsea and Pep Guardiola’s City chasing his signature, but Barcelona and domestic rivals Bayern Munich are also thought to be big admirers of the Pulheim-born playmaker.

A transfer will almost certainly not be allowed to happen in January, but the young star is a player worth watching the closer next year’s summer window gets.

Since being promoted to Leverkusen’s first team in 2020, Wirtz, who has four years left on his deal, has directly contributed to 66 goals in 116 games in all competitions.

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Manchester City and Newcastle United are reportedly among the clubs interested in a potential transfer move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios.

The Argentina international has been one of the stand-out performers in the Bundesliga this season, playing a key role in Leverkusen’s remarkable rise under Xabi Alonso.

According to TNT Sports, Palacios now has interest from a host of top clubs, with Man City and Newcastle said to be among his main admirers.

The 25-year-old is surely good enough to come in as a replacement for Sandro Tonali at St James’ Park after his 10-month suspension, while City might also benefit from signing cover for the injured Kevin De Bruyne.

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Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic joined City in the summer to bolster their midfield options after the exit of Ilkay Gundogan, but they’ve arguably not had the desired impact, so there could perhaps be room for Palacios.

Leverkusen will surely want to keep this squad together after their improvement under Alonso’s management, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to fight off interest in a talent like Palacios.

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Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz looks like one to watch on the market for 2024, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano in the latest edition of his exclusive column for the Daily Briefing.

Wirtz is an exciting talent who will surely have a great career at the highest level, and it remains to be seen how much longer Leverkusen can keep hold of him, with Romano admitting that top clubs from the Premier League and elsewhere are keeping an eye on him.

Nothing is happening with Wirtz at the moment, but Romano says the 20-year-old could be set for a big move in the summer, after Euro 2024.

“Florian Wirtz is showing himself to be a top player at Bayer Leverkusen – one of the most exciting young talents in Europe, for sure, and Bayern Munich director Christoph Freund has already been asked about him,” Romano said.

“For now, Bayern are playing down the links as they have a lot of top players in a similar position, but from what I’m hearing there were a lot of big clubs looking at Wirtz in the summer. Nothing happened because Leverkusen considered him untouchable, but after Euro 2024 it could be possible for him to move.

“For now there is nothing concrete and it’s not guaranteed yet, because it will depend on the proposals and on the player’s decision, but many top clubs from Germany, England and Spain could be in the race. They are keeping an eye on him, and his form looks better than ever, so it’s not surprising that he could be one of the big names to watch on the market in 2024.”

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It seems no particular club is leading the race for Wirtz’s signature at the moment, but this is surely going to be a saga worth following closely, as we could soon see clubs start work on trying to get into pole position for the Germany international.

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Manchester United have been linked with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, but Fabrizio Romano has slightly played down those transfer rumours in the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column on Substack.

The England international has been a key performer for Palace in recent times, and is also starting to become more of a regular for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions side as well.

Man Utd are interested in a top signing at centre-back for 2024, according to Romano, but for the time being he’s only aware of four targets that he’s previously reported on – Antonio Silva, Goncalo Inacio, Jean-Clair Todibo and Edmond Tapsoba.

The Red Devils could also surely do well to sign someone like Guehi, but it seems the links to the 23-year-old might be a tad premature if Romano’s info is anything to go by.

MUFC fans might be disappointed that there’s not too much to read into the Guehi stories, as he has the advantage of being proven in the Premier League, unlike those other names on their list.

“Marc Guehi is continuing to do really well for Crystal Palace and for England as well, so we’re inevitably seeing some fresh rumours about his future, with Manchester United linked with him by some media outlets,” Romano said.

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“As I’ve previously reported here, we know Man United want a top centre-back for 2024, so we’re going to see a lot of names linked. Personally, I have had no updates since sharing my information that the names they’re watching are Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Edmond Tapsoba.

“Guehi is another fine option, but I personally rate all those players – they all have their different qualities and could be good signings. Still, for now there are no concrete talks, it’s just about scouting. Someone like Guehi has the advantage of being proven in the Premier League, of course, but they’re all top players.”

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Time waits for no man, and for Newcastle ace, Callum Wilson, his time at St. James’ Park could be coming to an end when the 2023/24 campaign concludes.

Eddie Howe needs to build a team for the future and whilst Wilson has still been in amongst the goals for the Magpies, being the wrong side of 30 isn’t going to do him any favours as owners, the Saudi Public Investment Funds (PIF), look to provide Howe with the money to buy some of the best players in the top five European leagues and beyond.

Staying within the realms of Financial Fair Play (FFP) is paramount for the club, and so moves for players such as Victor Osimhen may not be viable.

However, as The Sun (h/t Football Transfers) report, Newcastle might well turn their attentions to ‘Osimhen MKII’ – Bayer Leverkusen sensation, Victor Boniface.

According to WhoScored, the 22-year-old already has eight goals and three assists in nine matches for the Bundesliga outfit this season, numbers that are a big reason why Leverkusen sit proudly at the summit of the German top-flight.

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It’s unlikely that he would come cheaply or that Xabi Alonso would be willing to allow him to leave, however, the Newcastle project is certainly an exciting one and it’s going to be difficult for any player to turn down were they to be approached.

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When there’s the opportunity of signing a player that’s just 20 years of age and who has been directly involved in 60 goals in his career already, Liverpool have to be in the conversation for his signature.

Jurgen Klopp has shown how adept he is at bringing through young players, and a possibility of signing Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz isn’t one that should be passed up.

According to Fichajes, the Reds face competition from the likes of Premier League rivals, Man City, Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich, and La Liga’s reigning champions, Barcelona, for his signature and no wonder.

Transfermarkt note the impact he’s had at Leverkusen with those 60 goal contributions, which is astonishing for someone so young in the modern game.

Given Liverpool’s studious knowledge of the transfer market in Germany, it places them at an advantage over the other clubs that are potentially interested.

The Hard Tackle note that Wirtz wants to play for the club at some stage, though they’re unlikely to be able to afford him at this point. Moreover, a squad reshuffle would be needed to accommodate him and that’s not really an option at this moment either.

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With a contract at Leverkusen until 2027, there’s no rush for the player to make any sort of rash decisions that could affect his position in Xabi Alonso’s team.

A team that, at present, sit proudly atop the Bundesliga with six wins and a draw from their seven games, scoring 23 and conceding just six, according to the official Bundesliga website.

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West Ham could consider allowing their captain Kurt Zouma to move to Saudi Arabia in January should a big offer arrive at their doorstep and the London club already have two replacements lined up. 

According to 90min, Man United’s Harry Maguire and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba are the two names David Moyes wants to be brought to the club should his captain leave but it could be hard to sign either one mid-season.

The Hammers saw a move for the England star fall through this summer as they could not reach personal terms with the centre-back, despite a £30m fee being agreed.

This will only occur though if Zouma leaves and as of now, Middle Eastern clubs are interested in signing the defender in January as talks over a new deal have stalled at the London Stadium.

The Frenchman has played every minute of the Premier League season so far for West Ham and have helped the club to their best start to a season since 2015/16 as well as continuing their excellent form in Europe.

It would be a big loss for Moyes should he go but it is clear they have adequate replacements lined up.

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The post West Ham lining up duo to replace important star should he leave in January appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool are believed to be on alert over their next coach as Xabi Alonso will be allowed to leave Bayer Leverkusen next summer if another club comes calling.

That is according to the Daily Mirror, who reports the Spaniard’s potential exit from the Bundesliga club as there are several European giants keeping an eye on the highly-rated coach.

Real Madrid will be the favourites to land their former star as Carlo Ancelotti is set to leave the La Liga giants at the end of the season but the Spanish outfit will have competition, with Liverpool named as another club interested in the former midfielder.

? Xabi Alonso will be allowed to leave Bayer Leverkusen next summer if another club comes calling – putting Liverpool on red alert.

(Source: Mirror Football) pic.twitter.com/wBbMr5M7tV

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) October 12, 2023

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However, the difference between Real Madrid and Liverpool is that the Premier League club already has a coach contracted at Anfield until 2026.

It is very unlikely that the German coach will leave before this unless he changes his mind about the Germany job. Julian Nagelsmann occupies that role until EURO 2024 is over and if the 36-year-old leaves, they will likely move for Klopp again.

Should the Liverpool boss say yes, that opens the path for the Reds to move for Alonso, but this is the only way in which the Spaniard takes over at Anfield before 2026.

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