Man City demands 200 million euros for Haaland, Barca sends Ter Stegen to Girona.
The transfer market was rocked on the evening of January 20th by a half-billion euro bid for Erling Haaland and Barcelona's decision to let Ter Stegen leave in order to reduce their wage bill.
The winter transfer window is entering its most dramatic phase as European giants begin to activate their expensive personnel plans. The focus is on Erling Haaland's future and the unexpected developments at Camp Nou.
Man City sets up a financial hurdle against Real Madrid.
To protect their brightest star from intense interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City have set a record price. The Etihad Stadium club have stated they will not enter into negotiations if they receive any offer below €200 million for Erling Haaland.
Notably, including salary and signing bonuses in a long-term contract, the Spanish royal club could have to spend up to 500 million euros to acquire the Norwegian striker. This is seen as a move by Man City to end the hopes of their rivals.
The multi-million pound battle for Julian Alvarez
Former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez is becoming a top transfer target as he looks to leave Atletico Madrid and return to the Premier League. Chelsea fired the first shot with a $100 million offer. However, Bayern Munich are ready to jump into the race with a dominant €130 million bid to make the Argentinian star a replacement for Harry Kane.
Major changes at Barcelona: Ter Stegen leaving, replacement being targeted.
In an effort to reduce their excessive wage bill, Barcelona caused a major surprise by reaching an agreement to loan their number one goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to Girona for the remainder of the season. This decision not only freed up financial space for the club but also created a significant shock in the La Liga transfer market.
To fill the void in goal, the Camp Nou side immediately added Alex Remiro of Real Sociedad to their priority recruitment list. In another development, Barca also failed to lure Marcus Rashford when their €18 million plus €4 million add-ons offer was flatly rejected by Manchester United as it was lower than his €30 million release clause.
Manchester United's plan under Michael Carrick
Manchester United are showing a clear transfer strategy by targeting technically gifted young talents. Michael Carrick is pushing the club's leadership to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for £30 million. At the same time, Man Utd representatives have also held talks with the agent of Marc Casado of Barcelona to discuss a potential transfer.
Chelsea are preparing a replacement for Enzo Fernandez.
With Real Madrid eyeing Enzo Fernandez for €120 million, Chelsea have already begun preparing a replacement. Their target is PSG's Joao Neves, a young midfielder expected to cost the London club around €125 million.
Other notable deals
- Arsenal:Arsenal are pursuing Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco, but the defender is reportedly preferring to sign a new contract at San Siro rather than move to London.
- Man City:Rico Lewis's future is uncertain as manager Pep Guardiola is willing to let the young defender leave if he receives 35 million euros.
- Atletico Madrid:Diego Simeone's team is targeting Goncalo Ramos (PSG) as a replacement for Sorloth or Griezmann, and is also competing with Man Utd for the signature of midfielder Ederson (Atalanta) for around 40 million euros.
