4 Premier League clubs to chase Gareth Bale, Brazilian star picks Manchester City over Manchester United, and more: Premier League transfer rumours - 23rd January 2018

Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer news of January 23rd, 2018. There are only 8 days left for the transfer window to slam shut, so clubs will be anxious to get deals over the line. And it only makes sense because a bit of carelessness could see deals dying before coming to fruition.

So, without further ado, here are the hottest rumours of the day…

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#5 Weird Chelsea and a bit of Merseyside

Barnes fighting off defenders

I mean, wow. How many strikers will the rumour mill link to Chelsea? Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, Fernando Llorente, Edin Dzeko and now, according to Sky Sports, Burnley’s Ashley Barnes.

They think that Chelsea are still on the hunt for a target man and have targeted the super-sub from Burnley, who are doing exceedingly well in the Premier League. At this rate, they could be linked with a million more target men

Meanwhile, reports in The Mirror claim that Merseyside clubs Everton and Liverpool have locked horns against each other to acquire the signature of Charlton’s young and talented defender Ezri Konsa, who the club are reportedly willing to sell for £5 million.

#4 Newcastle

Ramirez is a wanted man

Meanwhile, the good folks at the Chronicle report that Kenedy’s loan deal to Newcastle United will be completed in the next 48 hours. The Chelsea youngster has been targeted by Rafa Benitez for quite a long time and he finally seems to be getting his man.

The same outlet have also revealed in an exclusive that the club could break their transfer record of £16 million to bring in a striker. The Chronicle, however, didn’t mention any names, leaving a space of suspense for the rest of us.

In the same report, they have also revealed an update regarding the club’s link with Sandro Ramirez: that “the sources at Newcastle have also refused to dismiss” a loan move for the Everton forward.

#3 Arsenal

Aubameyang's antics have been frustrating

So it seems like Arsenal are not yet done in the transfer market. After officially acquiring Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Manchester United, Arsenal are perhaps on the go for a full sweep. Wenger realizes that he needs some more players to launch any sort of a challenge for the title.

As a result, he has targeted a few players.

According to The Gambling Times (that’s a new one), Arsenal have made an enquiry for another Manchester United player, Chris Smalling. United are said to be “open” to the idea, but are concerned about the availability of Eric Bailly.

Meanwhile, Express believe that Arsenal want to replace the goalscoring prowess of Alexis Sanchez with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and are negotiating a deal with Dortmund, who want £55 million for the player, but are unwilling to sell their striker without securing a replacement.

Finally, IBTimes report that Arsenal are considering a move for Lucas Moura, who is also being targeted by Spurs.

#2 Manchester madness

Griezmann is much coveted

I am so glad that I always have to write about this section whenever I do the roundups. It is an amazing feeling, like giving a child the candy she/he loves.

Anyways, we have another new entry here as Arab News seem to be convinced that Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred has chosen to join Manchester City instead of Manchester United. Guardiola wants more cover in midfield and has reportedly identified the Brazilian as someone with sufficient capabilities.

Meanwhile, reported in Don Balon claim that Pep Guardiola wants to get in the way of Barcelona as he is looking to sign their target, Antoine Griezmann, from Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman has a €100 million release clause and City might be willing to trigger it.

Finally, Goal reports that Manchester City are back in for Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte.

#1 Bale sells… and everyone’s buying

Bale scored a brace against Deportivo

I am a Megadeth fan through and through. So obviously, one of my favourite album from the Thrash Metal pioneers is Peace Sells… But who is buying? So I just want to paraphrase that a bit for the case of Gareth Bale.

The god of transfer rumours, Don Balon, believe that the Welshman doesn’t want to continue at the Bernabeu and is negotiating a deal to leave the club. Florentino Perez is also willing to cash in on the forward due to his persistent muscle-related problems.

The former Tottenham man scored a brace against Deportivo and was the best Madrid player on the pitch along with Nacho. He now wants to return to the Premier League, says the report, and the four teams that reportedly want him are Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and former employers Tottenham Hotspur.