Barcelona set to sign Chelsea superstar in January, Chelsea identify €80 million Eden Hazard replacement and more: Transfer Roundup, 17 December 2018

By Shambhu Ajith

Modified Dec 17, 2018 14:57 GMT

Ernesto Valverde will likely have a busy winter

Galatasaray chief arrives in England to discuss deal for Ozan Kabak with Manchester United

Will Mourinho finally get the centre-back he desperately needs

Manchester United have now entered into negotiations with Turkish club Galatasaray to sign central defender Ozan Kabak. Galatasaray chief has jetted into England to hold talks with the Manchester club's officials over a potential move, according to Daily Star.

Ozan Kabak is only 18-years-old. However, an impressive string of performances has seen him become a starter over the course of the season for Galatasaray and with Manchester United's defence looking worse than it ever has, they might be willing to take the gamble.

Mourinho is reportedly weighing up an £18 million bid for the youngster. However, the report also claims that Galatasaray chief Mustafa Cengiz also held talks with Manchester City.

Kabak recently signed a 5-year contract at Galatasaray which will see him earn a sizable amount for the Turkish star.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad