Arsenal join the race to sign Rodrygo, Man Utd target defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba.

The winter transfer market is witnessing a flurry of activity as top Premier League clubs begin their squad upgrade campaigns. Attention is focused on Madrid, where the future of winger Rodrygo is becoming a hot topic in international sports news.

A three-way race for Rodrygo's signature.

According to AS, 24-year-old striker Rodrygo is considering leaving Real Madrid to seek a new challenge. Immediately, the Premier League's power trio of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool have entered the fray. All three clubs are ready to roll out the red carpet for the Brazilian international, who is seen as a quality addition to their ambitions of winning both domestic and continental titles.

Manchester United's plan to strengthen their midfield.

At Old Trafford, manager Ruben Amorim is actively working to strengthen the midfield. His top target is Carlos Baleba, the Brighton midfielder. At 21 years old, the Cameroonian has impressed experts with his abundant energy and effective ball recovery skills.

According to Sky Sports, despite admiring Baleba's talent, Manchester United are likely to make a formal offer in the summer transfer window rather than this January. Simultaneously, the Red Devils are also closely monitoring Watford's young talent Othmane Maamma, who is also being targeted by Liverpool and Newcastle. Conversely, winger Sam Mather is preparing to leave the club to seek opportunities in Türkiye or Major League Soccer (MLS).

Movement in London and other clubs

Chelsea are showing ambition to rejuvenate their squad by targeting Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal. However, CaughtOffside believes these are extremely difficult deals because Rogers is currently an irreplaceable key player for manager Unai Emery, while Arsenal will certainly not easily let go of their prized gem to their city rivals.

Meanwhile, West Ham are actively negotiating to sign striker Taty Castellanos from Lazio for a fee of around £25 million. The London club are also targeting Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell to strengthen their defense. However, they face the risk of losing Guido Rodriguez as Juventus have begun contacting them to inquire about buying the midfielder this winter.

In other developments, Newcastle are considering Joe Willock's future amid interest from Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. In Germany, Eintracht Frankfurt are confident of securing a loan deal for striker Arnaud Kalimuendo. Meanwhile, Fulham are still struggling to convince PSV Eindhoven to release striker Ricardo Pepi.