Welcome to the latest edition of Last Word On Football’s round-up of the latest transfer rumours. This time, we’ll be looking at the interest Chelsea are supposedly showing in Wilfried Zaha and whether Manchester United are still in for Christian Eriksen.
Latest Transfer Rumours
Chelsea Eyeing Zaha
Following the reduction in their transfer ban, Chelsea are looking to bring Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha to the club. Tom Kershaw of The Independent reports that Zaha’s agent has held talks with Marina Granovskaia, the Blues’ director of football, about getting a move done.
Despite both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic recently committing to long-term contracts, Chelsea are still keen to bring the 27-year-old Ivorian to the club. Kershaw reports that Zaha is desperate to play Champions League football. With Frank Lampard’s young side looking good for a top-four finish, Zaha may well get his wish.
It would all depend on how willing Palace are to sell. They were reluctant to do a deal with Arsenal in the summer. Club chairman Steve Parish rebuffed several offers from the Gunners for his prized asset.
United Still Keen on Eriksen
Manchester United remain positive that they can secure a deal for out-of-favour Tottenham Hotspur star Christian Eriksen. The Dane’s performances and body language at Spurs since the start of the season have fuelled rumours that he is not happy in North London.
That’s where United feel they can come in. Darren Lewis of The Mirror reports that although Eriksen rejected a move to Manchester in the summer, he may be persuaded if United make a second attempt.
It would likely have to come down to a huge pay-packet to get Eriksen to make the move. However, given how far United have fallen, particularly this season, it’s clear that he would be one of the stars of the team, far from what he is at Spurs in the current climate. That could also be a deciding factor in his personal decision. This is one of the transfer rumours that certainly isn’t over yet.
West Ham Ready to Ship off Roberto
West Ham United are reportedly ready to give up on Spanish goalkeeper Roberto. The 33-year-old joined the Hammers in the summer as a back-up to Lukasz Fabianski but was forced to step in after the Poland international suffered a hip injury.
However, Roberto’s performances left a lot to be desired as he appeared slow and sluggish. He was dropped for the Irons’ surprise 1-0 win at Chelsea last weekend, with fellow new signing David Martin coming in and keeping a clean sheet on his debut for his boyhood club.
Now, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg says that West Ham are going to try and ship him off in January. Director of football Mario Husillos, who brought Roberto to the London Stadium, is also likely to leave the club due to the board’s frustration with the signing.
Steinberg says that the Hammers are well aware that it will be hard to fetch a fee for Roberto after such high-profile errors – particularly with £30,000 wages. Therefore, they could attempt to loan him out in January, with Turkey being considered as a possible destination.
Dembele’s Agent Meets With English Clubs
The agent of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has met with representatives of both Chelsea and Manchester City, according to Xavi Perez of El Desmarque. The Frenchman is currently in Qatar seeing specialists about an ongoing injury.
With Barcelona demanding a high figure for Dembele, it would seem likely that City would have the cash to do a deal given the heavy investment they receive in the playing squad. Perez reports that a fee of €95 million could be enough for a deal to be done.
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