The clock is ticking and the window is sliding slowly downwards. With just over a week to go, there`s still plenty of time for deals to be done.
So the big question last night was, how much closer will Edin Dzeko be to becoming a Chelsea player tonight. The answer, according to the The Daily Mirror is considerably nearer. They say that Chelsea have agreed to pay Roma £50m for Dzeko and his teammate Emerson Palmieri
Dzeko`s representative`s are heading to the UK to negotiate personal terms for the Bosnia & Herzegovina international. The ex-Manchester City player, who turns 32 in March, is believed to have been given assurances over his playing time, and the Blues are confident a deal will be done.
Calciomercato claim Antonio Conte has made a call to Dzeko for reassurances regarding his commitment to joining Chelsea. Maybe, the two of them also discussed playing time. The Italian media outlet expect the deal to be done within the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Palmieri has agreed personal terms and will sign a 4 year deal, once the negotiations are complete for both Roma players. The Evening Standard report Palmieri, who is seen as cover for Marcos Alonso, has agreed a salary in the region of £42,000-a-week.
It`s believed Kenedy has been allowed to travel to Newcastle this evening to discuss his loan move to the north-east. Sources have told the Standard, that Newcastle, who have first option on the young Brazilian, hope to announce the deal as soon as tomorrow.
KENEDY IN THE TOON TONIGHT !!! KENEDY pictured just arriving at Newcastle Central Station #KENEDY #NUFC @nufcfans pic.twitter.com/j2ljpbIIuV
? Raoul Dixon (@RaoulDixonNNP) January 22, 2018
Matt Law in the The Telegraph claims Thibaut Courtois could be about to have his head turned by Real Madrid once again. Having given indications that he will most likely sign a new deal in the coming days, Madrid have seen their goalkeeper plans thwarted. They had hoped to sign Athletic Bilbao`s goalkeeper, strangely called Kepa..Arrizabalaga, however, he has just signed a new contract with Bilbao. It`s believed Courtois could now be their target once again.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has claimed it`s not just Madrid who are after the Chelsea shot-stopper. PSG, Balague claims, are also on the looking out for a new keeper. Whether Courtois signs an extension with Chelsea or chooses to move to Madrid or Paris, he`ll become the best paid keeper in the world. That said, it`ll still only be half of what Alexis Sanchez is picking up at Manchester United.
A bit of a weird one this, but Oxford United have today sacked their manager Pep Clotet. One of the early contenders for his replacement is our very own Frank Lampard. Super Frank, who is currently taking his coaching badges, has no managerial experience as of yet. He`s made no secret of the fact that one day he`d like to step into the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. What a mouthwatering prospect that it is.
That`s it for tonight, it`s a bit shorter as I`ve been enjoying watching Swansea City beat £75m Virgil van Dijk`s, Liverpool. There`s nothing I could find on twitter that`s funnier than that. Back tomorrow with more of the same at 10pm.