Transfer news: Swansea agree Naughton fee, Milner nears City exit – as it happened!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jan/20/transfer-news-live

Version 0 of 1.

6.03pm GMT18:03

And what a way to end today’s transfer blog, with Ricardo Vaz Tê. Hope you’ve enjoyed it. I have. We’ll be back tomorrow (hopefully with some deals actually going through...). Have a nice night.

6.02pm GMT18:02

OK then, having suffered an angry accent backlash, here it is: Ricardo Vaz Tê

6.00pm GMT18:00

I must admit I have always had a soft spot for Ricardo Vaz Te - he is a striker I think is very good but rarely gets a chance to show it. A bit like Mauro Zarate.

Either way, turns out Vaz Te is about to sign for Akhisar Belediyespor in Turkey and not only that, he is taking the Portuguese player Custodio with him.

5.56pm GMT17:56

Now … you may think that this transfer blog has hit a lull (although I am not sure you can hit a lull when it’s been a lull pretty much all day). Either way, just as you thought it was going quiet I’ve got some Ricardo Vaz Te news for you (by the way it is getting too late to put all those accents on now…).

5.50pm GMT17:50

More thoughts on James Milner from below the line and I kind of agree that it would be good to see him go abroad.

Would be beautiful if boring Milner made an adventurous move to La Liga and joined the sleeping giant that is beginning to wake up again, Valencia. After being linked to another holding midfielder in Fletcher (Peter Lim is a United fan), Milner would be a better and sensational signing on a free and would be played week-in, week out and get decent wages too. Would be great to see an underrated player help Valencia properly compete with the top 3 in La Liga. He can join his ex-team mate Negredo there too. Would go up in people's estimations ten-fold if he made that move. As a United fan, Valencia have always been my second team having had the opportunity to train for a week at their academy on a school football tour. They have an excellent academy and culture and deserve to mix it up in the CL once again!

5.47pm GMT17:47

There has been quite a lot of talk of Edinson Cavani leaving PSG this transfer window but I can’t see it happening myself. Juventus have been mentioned as a possible destination but PSG would want quite a lot of money for him and I don’t think the Turin club would be willing to pay that much. How much would Cavani costs these days? €30m? Amazing to think that he once cost €64.5m.

5.39pm GMT17:39

I do wonder if Darren Fletcher will leave Manchester United this transfer window. He, like Milner, would be a good signing for a lot of teams - with West Ham United being the latest team to be linked with a move for the 30-year-old. West Bromwich Albion and Valencia also interested.

5.26pm GMT17:26

Diego Simeone knows what to say doesn’t he? And I mean that in a good way. This is what he had to say today:

I will never manager Real Madrid in my whole life. If they presented me with a blank cheque I would forgo the money and not sign anything. My dream is the Argentinian national team but to be a national coach I think you need to be calm and wise - maybe that’ll be me in 12 or 13 years

5.20pm GMT17:20

Speaking of Nicklas Bentner I recently came across this story from last year. It is difficult to know what to say really.

Nicklas Bendtner ‘dropped his pants and rubbed himself on my taxi’

5.17pm GMT17:17

Meanwhile, with Ivory Coast a goal down in the Africa Cup of Nations ... Gervinho has been sent off. Follow the action live here.

5.16pm GMT17:16

Not sure I agree that James Milner is a “below-average-player” as Ryan describes him. I guess he is no Alexis Sanchez but then not everyone can be.

@m_christenson BC we always take the easy way out and sign below average players on frees while our competition signs top quality players.

5.13pm GMT17:13

Some reports suggesting that Nicklas Bendtner could be loaned out - to Fenerbahce – for the rest of the season. Not sure that will happen though. Surely he will stay at Wolfsburg and try to get a run in the team and start scoring. Easier said than done I guess…

5.09pm GMT17:09

Jonny Mills emails

As a Gooner I’d be fine with Milner signing for Arsenal in the summer. Don’t know when he’d get a game, but I like his determination and professionalism. Also it’s about time we bought someone of them, it’s all one-way traffic so far

5.01pm GMT17:01

I am right to sense opposition from Arsenal fans to James Milner possibly joining them on a free in the summer? I don’t understand that. Why is that?

5.00pm GMT17:00

So there’s not been that much coming out of the Netherlands today but I’ve just seen this little snippet: The goalkeeper Gino Coutinho won’t be joining PSV Eindhoven from Excelsior and will stay at his club for the rest of the season

4.48pm GMT16:48

So it is all kicking off in Germany between Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg over the possible transfer of Swiss international Josip Drmic. Leverkusen clearly very unimpressed that Hamburg had been talking about possibly acquiring the player before an agreement had been reached.

Leverkusen boss Michael Schade had this to say about Hamburg: “That was naive from them and I am still wondering [why they did that]. The Hamburgers (!) clearly talk a lot when the day is long. But we would be crazy to go into the second part of the season with only one forward.”

4.36pm GMT16:36

More news from West Brom with Silvestre Varela and Sebastian Blanco to leave. This is from PA

West Brom misfits Silvestre Varela and Sebastian Blanco are set to leave The Hawthorns within the next 24 hours. Winger Varela is primed to join Parma on loan, with the Baggies ready to cancel his season-long deal from Porto. PA Sport also understands fellow wideman Blanco is expected to move to San Lorenzo in Argentina on loan.

The pair joined in the summer under former head coach Alan Irvine but Tony Pulis, who replaced the Scot last month, wants to revamp his squad. Varela has made nine appearances, scoring once, after suffering an injury-blighted spell at the Baggies while Blanco has failed to make an impact.

He signed a two-year deal after joining from Ukrainian side Metalist in the summer but has not started in the Barclays Premier League, making just five appearances in all competitions. Pulis has seen a bid for Callum McManaman rejected by Wigan but is expected to return with a second offer. He retains an interest in Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher and is expected to firm that up this week.

4.30pm GMT16:30

And we’ve also had confirmation of Chelsea’s Marko Marin joining Anderlecht on loan for the rest of the season.

4.26pm GMT16:26

West Bromwich Albion chairman Jeremy Peace has been talking about Saido Berahino, who has been linked with a hosts of clubs this transfer window. Doesn’t sound like he is going anywhere though.

Albion chairman Jeremy Peace remains resolute over the future of Saido Berahino after welcoming signs of a fresh start by the club’s England striker. Berahino closed an unsettling chapter in his life on Friday with his appearance at Runcorn Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to drink-driving charges and was banned from driving for a year and fined £3,400.

The 21-year-old striker was happy to leave behind all the media attention that has accompanied the case and focus solely once again on his football - and a recent return to top form which has seen him score six goals in three games. Peace has welcomed the signs of Berahino’s sparkle returning and re-iterated his earlier view that the Academy graduate will not be considered for sale during the January transfer window.

“I think we are all relieved that we can now draw a line under this episode,” said Peace. “The Club takes seriously the charges to which Saido pleaded guilty and as a result he will be subject to the Club’s disciplinary procedures.

“This unfortunate episode has been unsettling for the club generally and Saido specifically. “What has been pleasing for everyone around the club has been the clear sign that Saido has responded positively to the arrival of Tony Pulis and a new coaching team and is displaying clear signs of showing that where it matters most – on the pitch.

“Tony has certainly been delighted with him and it is heartening for everyone to see a young man moving forward in the right direction again.”

4.14pm GMT16:14

More on the James Milner story. He would be a good signing for a lot of clubs around the world and, unsurprisingly, he has offers from Italy and Spain while Liverpool or Arsenal would be his most likely destination if he stays in England.

Here are the first two paragraphs from Stuart James’ exclusive story:

Manchester City are running out of time to tie James Milner down to a new deal, with the two parties still a long way off reaching an agreement and the England international currently weighing up three proposals from clubs in Spain and Italy, including a particularly attractive pre-contact offer that he would be free to sign this month.

While there is no guarantee that Milner will accept any of the opportunities in front of him at the moment – any pre-contract agreement with an overseas club would need to be signed before the end of the window – the chances of the midfielder remaining at City are receding by the week. Arsenal and Liverpool remain the most likely suitors if Milner chooses to remain in the Premier League when his contract expires in the summer.

Read the full story here.

4.08pm GMT16:08

Exclusive: James Milner edging closer to Manchester City exit after contract impasse

Full story here.

4.05pm GMT16:05

Danish club OB may lose their highly rated defender Hasan Kurucay to Besiktas after the 17-year old Turkish U18 international accepted an invitation from the Turkish club to train with them. (Via BT in Denmark)

3.52pm GMT15:52

Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of Leon Best on a half-season loan from Blackburn Rovers – and the 28-year-old striker is available for tomorrow’s game against Ipswich Town.

3.41pm GMT15:41

A signing! Charlton have completed the signing of Milos Veljkovic on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season

Full story here.

3.40pm GMT15:40

Peter Goldstein emails

I think Silvestre Varela might have worked out at West Bromwich Albion if someone other than Tony Pulis had become manager. Varela doesn’t do much defensively, and that was that. Peter Goldstein, Pennsylvania, USA

3.38pm GMT15:38

Reports in Italy say that Everton are unhappy with Sampdoria over the Italian club commenting on the Samuel Eto’o transfer before it was done and that it may not happen at all now. And there is obviously São Paulo wanting to sign him now as well. One thing seems certain though, he won’t play for Everton again.

3.23pm GMT15:23

It’s funny how some transfers just don’t work out. Take Silvestre Varala, clearly a very good player, but now leaving West Brom after only half a season. Reminds me of Markus Rosenberg who had such a terrible time at the Hawthorns and then went back to Sweden and started scoring for fun, including in the Champions League.

Porto winger Silvestre Varela ends BPL adventure after just half a season at West Bromwich Albion, moving to Parma on loan until the summer.

3.18pm GMT15:18

The wonderful John Chapman gets in touch via email with some news from Belgium. And just look at that first sentence, what a beauty: Lokeren’s Nietsche-loving Danish centre back Alexander Scholz has decided to join Standard Liege

Wow

Lokeren’s Nietsche-loving Danish centre back Alexander Scholz has decided to join Standard Liège. He’d spoken to Anderlecht and they’d announced he would join them. The Brussels boys are not happy and said that any player who would show their offer to Standard’s management - one Roland Duchatelet - in order to get a better one, was not welcome at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium. Recent Golden Ball winner Dennis Praet weighed in saying that Scholz was scared of the competition at Anderlecht. The teams will meet at the weekend - with Scholz wearing the red of Liege.

3.12pm GMT15:12

Suso, meanwhile, has explained his reasons for leaving Liverpool and joining Milan

“My contract was due to expire in June and Liverpool’s offers did not satisfy me, financially or in a sporting sense. I arrived as a young boy and I did learn a lot [but] I have grown and I did not notice a lot of trust in me.

3.02pm GMT15:02

More from Ed Aarons on Okazaki. May mean that Jamie Vardy stays then

Leicester’s attempts to bolster their attacking options have hit a snag after an £8m bid for Shinji Okazaki was rejected by Mainz. Nigel Pearson is still keen to add to his squad despite paying nearly £10m for Croatian Andrej Kramaric in this transfer window but is is understood that they will need to match that figure in order to land the Japan forward, who has scored eight goals in the Bundesliga this season.

2.53pm GMT14:53

Looks like Shinji Okazaki is going to stay at Mainz then.

Shinji Okazaki's agent says there are no updates on Japan forward's proposed move to Leicester. Mainz have rejected £8m offer #lcfc

2.46pm GMT14:46

Yesterday I wrote that Palermo’s Paulo Dybala, who Manchester United are reportedly interested in, was set to sign a contract extension with the Serie A club and talks have now started. However, as the club president Maurizio Zamparini said yesterday, that does not mean that he won’t leave in the summer.

Zamparini, Palermo president, had today a meeting in Milan with Paulo Dybala agent. Talks started for new contract. pic.twitter.com/XoPSq1GA0c

2.40pm GMT14:40

Michael Hunt gets in touch.

Now I am going to go out on a limb here and assume you’re one of those fancy continental types with pitch perfect understanding of more languages than is reasonable and probably a better understanding on English than like wot I do. But seriously the ego can only take so many notes along the lines of “Leyton Orient have agreed a fee to sign Thierry Foreign, here is all the news in ancient Aramaic for those of you who read it as I do…”

2.35pm GMT14:35

No transfer but possibly intro of the week from Paul Doyle on the Kevin Mirallas farce

Kevin Mirallas might as well have pogoed up to the ball while wearing bondage trousers and a safety pin through his nose, so loudly did his insistence on taking a penalty against West Bromwich Albion on Monday night scream “Anarchy in EFC!”. At least that is one interpretation of the Belgian’s decision to gob in the face of the established order by refusing to cede the ball to the designated spot kick taker, Leighton Baines.

Gary Neville denounced it as “a despicable breach of team spirit” while Roberto Martínez, a specialist in sifting through the rubble of bad performances in search of tattered positives, could find nothing more encouraging to say than it was “no big issue”. Failure to win at home to West Bromwich Albion last night was always going to increase unease at Goodison Park but Mirallas’ penalty miss raised even more questions about Everton’s ability to pull away from the derelict end of the table.

Read Paul Doyle’s piece on the Mirallas madness here

2.29pm GMT14:29

Yesterday we wrote about Sampdoria’s Stefano Okaka and his clash with Sampdoria manager Sinisa Mihajlovic and that he could be put on the transfer list. But that was yesterday and today is today.

Apparently he has made up with Mihajlovic and won’t be fined and won’t be put on the transfer list. So as we were really.

2.23pm GMT14:23

The Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida, who is now a free agent, could be on his way to NAC Breda, according to www.football-oranje.com

Never been a huge fan of Almeida I must admit. But then I hear that he speaks very highly of me as well :-)

2.19pm GMT14:19

Pleasing news from Sweden. Rasmus Elm, who has been fighting a mysterious, chronic stomach illness and left CSKA Moscow recently, is set to return to former club Kalmar FF.

Rasmus Elm återvänder till Kalmar FF, det bekräftar klubben. Kontraktet gäller fram till sommaren 2016.

2.06pm GMT14:06

Stuart James checks in with a good story (unless you are a Crystal Palace fan and hoping that your club would sign Bafétimbi Gomis)

Swansea are fiercely determined to hold onto Bafétimbi Gomis despite serious interest from a number of clubs, including Crystal Palace, and comments from the Frenchman suggesting that he is unsettled at the Liberty Stadium. With Wilfried Bony sold to Manchester City for £28m last week, senior figures at Swansea have suggested that it is unthinkable Gomis will also be allowed to leave in the same window.

While Swansea had always left the door open to the possibility of Bony leaving if the fee was right, there is a totally different school of thought in relation to Gomis, primarily because the Welsh club would be left desperately short of attacking options if the striker also moved on this month.

Gomis is unhappy that he spent so much time on the bench during the first half of the season and has spoken of his intention to hold discussions with his representatives to “find the best solution”. Swansea, however, believe that Gomis must now do his talking on the pitch and seize the opportunity that he will be given in the wake of Bony’s transfer to City.

Swansea’s stance may not deter Palace, who would have to pay in excess of £9m for Gomis because of a sizeable signing-on free written into the forward’s contract, but at the Liberty Stadium there is firm resistance to the idea that the 29-year-old, who joined on a free transfer from Lyon last summer, could follow Bony out of the club.

The departure of Neil Taylor appears much more likely. Swansea claim that they have not received an improved offer for the Welshman, after Palace had a bid in the region of £3m rejected last month, but both clubs remain in talks in relation to a possible deal.

2.01pm GMT14:01

So it seems that Bordeaux only signed Malmö FF’s Isaac Kiese Thelin because Wenger didn’t let Sanogo join Bordeaux on loan. Kiese Thelin set to join Bordeaux for €3.5m this week.

Malmö FF:s Kiese Thelin till Bordeaux för 35 mkr – delvis tack vare Arsene Wenger. http://t.co/0FFzcf5sSK

Updated at 2.02pm GMT

1.40pm GMT13:40

Let’s stay in South America then and look at this report saying that Boca Juniors are hoping to sign Fulham’s Bryan Ruiz. Now that’s left-field. I like it.

1.25pm GMT13:25

Mark Cruise emails regarding Kyle Naughton’s expected transfer to Swansea.

Hi Marcus, good move for Spurs selling Naughton I think. Only 42 appearances in 5 years at the club. Did well when loaned out to Championship sides, but was never going to replace Kyle Walker as first choice RB. When Spurs signed DeAndre Yedlin a few weeks ago, Naughton’s days were numbered.

1.21pm GMT13:21

Could Juan Román Riquelme be on his way to MLS? I don’t know but this report, from the Argentinian website infobae.com, seems to think so. Either way, it gives me an opportunity to post a video of a great, great player.

Updated at 1.21pm GMT

1.15pm GMT13:15

Italian website Tuttomercatoweb claim that Lucas Leiva is still interested in a move to Inter and that he feels ‘undervalued’ at Liverpool. Warning: they are not the most reliable of websites ...

#Inter, Lucas stuzzicato dai nerazzurri. Ai Reds si sente sottovalutato http://t.co/BNPRDrLCck

Having said that, the Brazilian will probably join them in the next 48 hours.

1.07pm GMT13:07

Sounds like Lazio are getting a bargain then… :-)

This is Dutch football expert Michiel Jongsma (follow him here!) on Hoedt joining the club

@m_christenson On Hoedt, talented defender, very 'Undutch' in that he's not a great footballer. Played fewer than 15 games for 1st team.

1.05pm GMT13:05

Several sources in Italy also saying that Roma are hoping to sign Mohamed Salah from Chelsea in this window. Like we said yesterday, when there was talk of Hamburg signing the Egyptian, I doubt José Mourinho will let him go.

12.58pm GMT12:58

Samuel Eto’o’s transfer to Sampdoria may not happen after all as São Paulo are hoping to hijack the move. Here is the latest from Lancenet (in Portuguese).

Updated at 12.58pm GMT

12.54pm GMT12:54

An interesting email arrives from Canada regarding Giovinco:

Hi Marcus, while I think that Giovinco will be a very good acquisition for Toronto FC, I very much doubt the club’s GM Tim Bezbatchenko ability to spot talent and his general acumen. He criticised Defoe needlessly and made other ill-advised comments about the players last year. Also, after stating that the club wouldn’t sell Defoe unless they got more than they paid for him, Bezbatchenko won’t comment on fee and doesn’t deny English reports that it was a straight trade for Altidore. I predict Altidore will be a flop. All in all, Bezbatchenko is the main problem.

Mike MacKenzie, London, Canada

12.51pm GMT12:51

Interesting if that is the case…

World Soccer reporting that Giovinco will be "highest paid Italian player anywhere" http://t.co/tZVWo6QCoU

12.48pm GMT12:48

Let’s turn our attention to Italy then where the AZ defender Wesley Hoedt is set to join Lazio. He is in Rome and will have a medical tonight. Must admit I’ve never seen him play. Good player anyone?

12.43pm GMT12:43

And wait, what’s this. Newcastle United may be about to sign someone. Surely not? Well, according to Bild Zeitung (and whatever you say about them they are normally quite good on transfers) Mike Ashley may be ready to splash the cash on Hamburg’s Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

The striker, however, is currently injured and although Newcastle are “totally hot” (that’s Bild’s words, not mine, by the way) on signing Lasogga they have not made a concrete offer yet.

12.36pm GMT12:36

So there we are. Things happening. Nice. Swansea are about to get busy it seems. Kyle Naughton looks set to complete a £5m transfer from Tottenham (if the deal can be finalised) while Martin Olsson could well join for £4m from Norwich City.

Meanwhile, the chances of Bafétimbi Gomis leaving the club appear very, very slim.

12.30pm GMT12:30

News.

Swansea are set to sign Kyle Naughton from Tottenham for £5m. Not sure how that affects Neil Taylor to #cpfc

12.20pm GMT12:20

Let’s recap then:

12.17pm GMT12:17

And if you don’t share my love for Kevin or, indeed, don’t know who he is, take a look at this. What a goal.

12.14pm GMT12:14

Here’s another blast from the past (or so I thought, appears he is still playing). Kevin Kuranyi, who in the summer was pondering a return to Germany, is now set to sign a contract extension with Dynamo Moscow.

The Dynamo manager, Stanislav Cherchesov, is clearly a fan of the Brazilian-German and said, according to Kicker: “He knows that I really rate him. And so do the club. We are trying to sort out the contract extension before the restart of the league.”

12.07pm GMT12:07

And if you missed it last night, Toronto FC did indeed sign Sebastian Giovinco from Juventus. I am really intrigued by that transfer.

Toronto FC wrote: Giovinco signing hailed as a major moment for MLS

In the piece, the official website goes on to state that he reportedly chose Toronto FC ahead of Arsenal, Tottenham and Monaco.

Full story here.

12.00pm GMT12:00

A few snippets from my friends at Get French Football, who are well worth a follow.

11.52am GMT11:52

Two things and they both concern Borussia Dortmund. It has been confirmed that the defender Sebastian Kehl is out for four weeks (although I doubt Jürgen Klopp will sign a replacement) but then Bild are reporting that Lassana Diarra could sign for the club.

Whatever happened to Lass? What a strange career for such a talented player. He is now a free agent having been last season at Dynamo Moscow.

11.37am GMT11:37

I can’t believe it. 11.34am and we have a done deal. Yep, not kidding. Tin Jedvaj has joined Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent deal, having been there on loan from Roma. More of the same please.

Vertrag bis 2020 - #Bayer04 verpflichtet den bislang von AS Rom ausgeliehenen Tin #Jedvaj (19). #ssnhd pic.twitter.com/VFJtMeO5cy

11.32am GMT11:32

At last. Ed Aarons checks in with a good little story: Blackburn’s Rudy Gestede still hopeful of making Crystal Palace move

Rudy Gestede’s agent has admitted the striker would like to join Crystal Palace but remains committed to Blackburn despite being left out of the team at the weekend. Palace have already made a bid of around £3.5m for the Benin striker, who has scored 12 goals in 23 Championship appearances this season, but Blackburn are thought to want closer to £6m.

Full story here.

11.27am GMT11:27

Mike Phelan leaves Norwich City.

NEWS | Mike Phelan leaves #NCFC. Full story: http://t.co/dLvjCMP9UH pic.twitter.com/sMmSiYnbYk

11.24am GMT11:24

While we are talking about Danes here is some news coming out of that very same country.

FC Nordsjealland are “only a few small details away” from signing the highly regarded Justin Shaibu from HB Køges (say bt.dk)

You may not be as excited as me about this piece of information but perhaps you should be. He is, after all, a Danish U17 international and the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg were also after him.

You read it here first …

Updated at 1.46pm GMT

11.14am GMT11:14

You’ve got to love YouTube sometimes. Here are all Mikkel Beck’s goals for Middlesbrough (ok, leave the obvious jokes out, the video is not that short).

Look at the second goal as well. That’s an absolute cracker. And what about the hair? WHAT ABOUT THE HAIR?!?! (It’s lovely by the way if you don’t remember it)

11.09am GMT11:09

So Mathew Ryan’s agent, Mikkel Beck (yes, that Mikkel Beck!), has spoken to plbold.dk about the player’s future. The Australian is at Club Brugge at the moment.

“Mathew have been playing at a really high level for the past 12-18 months and therefore it is now surprise to read in the media that he is being linked with a historic club such as Liverpool,” said Beck.

“I haven’t heard anything from Liverpool. Mathew is having a fantastic season with Club Brugge. They are four points ahead in the league and to win the league would mean Champions League next season and that too could be an adventure for Mathew.”

No move for Ryan in January then - but who knows what will happen in the summer.

Beck was speaking to plbold.dk. Full story here (in Danish)

11.02am GMT11:02

In a few moments I’ll have the latest on Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, who may or may not move to Liverpool.

10.57am GMT10:57

I do find it astonishing that a Football Association that is hosting the World Cup in three years (Russia) still can’t find the money to pay the national coach (Fabio Capello).

Full story here

10.54am GMT10:54

Any hopes Juventus had of signing Wesley Sneijder appear to have been crushed after the player’s agent said the 30-year old was likely to stay at Galatasaray. “I can’t see it happening,” said a bored-sounding Guildo Albers “He would have been happy to return to Italy but only if the club had wanted to sell.”

10.48am GMT10:48

Either way … Drammens Tidende say that Martin Ødegaard will sign his contract on Thursday so I will try not to mention him until then. Fee likely to be around €3m with €3m in add-ons. Seems about right to me (if Jamie Vardy is £5m...)

10.44am GMT10:44

Done deal!

TRANSFER | Welcome to Brentford Chris Long who joins #bees from @Everton on an initial one-month deal pic.twitter.com/l3qqbGeimv

10.40am GMT10:40

João Fabião emails with the best and fullest translation yet of that Ryan Gauld front page:

Hey, congratulations about the Live Feed on Transfer Window! I’m Portuguese and this is one of the things I most enjoy reading last days. Keep up the excellent work and here’s a translation of what Record is publishing about Ryan Gauld.

“In this first season in Portugal, the main concern of Sporting was to give physical capacity to Mini Messi. Therefore, the Scot has had almost daily sessions of gym, in addition to regular training with the reserves team and the main team. And the differences are evident: with only 1.68 meters, Gauld greatly increased muscle mass and began to gain shock capacity. Everything to be among the “big ones” next season.

Sporting believes his explosion will be in three years.”

What a nice man. Have a good day João.

10.38am GMT10:38

Local paper Drammens Tidende have been spot on regarding this Martin Ødegaard to Real Madrid story and you don’t want to be wrong with a front page like this…

Adiós Martinio ... En Noruega despiden a #Odegaard #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/iltacUGDzE

10.31am GMT10:31

So how much does everyone think Martin Ødegaard should cost then? He is 16 years old and has played a handful of first team games for Strømsgodset. He could be absolutely brilliant but he could also leave the club without making a first-team appearance. Norwegian paper think they know how much he will cost but how much would you demand if you were negotiating for Strømsgodset?

10.26am GMT10:26

Anyway, I digress. So Ødegaard then. Apparently Real Madrid and Strømsgodset are negotiating in Copenhagen. According to Danish paper they are, in fact, negotiating a potential deal at the Hotel D’Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv. How do I know this? Because Danish paper BT is telling me that they are.

Updated at 10.29am GMT

10.20am GMT10:20

Back to Martin Ødegaard then (and I cannot tell you how naughty and satisfying it is to put a few Scandinavian accents into this live blog. Normally I am not allowed to do that and if I try to put something like Björn Borg through to the subs some pernickety reviser will come and tap me on the shoulder and say “Marcus, we’ve spoken about this before, no Scandinavian accents!)

10.13am GMT10:13

Could Gerard Piqué sign for Manchester United this transfer window? Well, according to Spanish newspaper Sport Louis van Gaal is ready to spend €15m of his [the club’s] money to bring the defender back to Old Trafford. Stranger things have happened I guess…

Read Sport’s story here (in Spanish)

10.07am GMT10:07

This is better. Thank you Dominic…

@m_christenson gauld is learning quick! objectives 14/15 play in the cup, 15/16 become part of first team squad. 16/17 established starter

10.06am GMT10:06

Come on people. I reach out to all Portuguese readers out there to help me with a translation and I get this??? :-)

James Rennie, kind of helpfully, emails: “I don’t speak Portuguese … but my understanding of romantic (?) languages suggests to me that “Gauld is learning quickly.”

10.01am GMT10:01

Sky Sport Italia are reporting that Chelsea are not only interested in signing Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado but have begun negotiations with the Italian club over a transfer for the Colombian international. Now Sky Italia obviously get some things right but they also get some things wrong - don’t we all? - and I wouldn’t say that Cuadrado fits the profile of the kind of players Chelsea are trying to sign at the moment.

9.54am GMT09:54

Two things about this tweet:

1 What does it say about the Scottish Messi (Ryan Gauld) - I need a Portuguese speaker to help me here…

2 Manchester United are interested in signing Bruno Martins Indi

Man United are trying to sign Porto's Bruno Martins Indi this January [Record] http://t.co/O3Cm5aNbqJ pic.twitter.com/FzwjOhVq7Q

9.51am GMT09:51

Just one more thing on Balotelli. This is from Andy Hunter’s Liverpool v Chelsea preview piece this morning and it kind of sums up what Brendan Rodgers has to deal with. Does he regret signing the Italian? You’d think so … but only he knows.

Mario Balotelli was also absent at Villa Park, because of illness, although that did not deter him from dining out in Manchester on Sunday night. He complained of sickness at training on Monday. “Mario had a chest infection last week and wasn’t available at the weekend,” said Rodgers. “He has come in this morning not feeling great, not feeling well, and so we will see how he is tomorrow.”

9.45am GMT09:45

One player who is not moving this window - or so his agent says - is the brilliant Yacine Brahimi.

Yacine #Brahimi's agent rules out move for #Algeria playmaker this window but admitted he could move in summer. Only joined Porto last year

9.36am GMT09:36

It appears as if Marko Marin - one of Chelsea’s many wandering loan stars – is set to join Anderlecht on loan. He is currently at Fiorentina on loan and I think we can safely assume that he will never play for the west London club again. Good player though and should be a good signing for Anderlecht.

Marko Marin will join Belgian champions Anderlecht on loan today. #CFC

9.24am GMT09:24

Next up is Mario Balotelli. Last night there were reports in Italy (from sources I trust) that Parma are interested in signing the player, initially on loan. The Italian club have new owners and they are clearly looking for a ‘marquee signing’ - but both Liverpool and the player have let them know that he is not interested in joining them.

Parma asked for Mario Balotelli on loan until june. Liverpool refused the bid #LFC (via @DiMarzio)

9.14am GMT09:14

Now let’s talk about Swansea’s Bafétimbi Gomis for a bit. He could well leave the club - possibly for Crystal Palace - this transfer window despite Wilfried Bony having already signed for Manchester City.

The interesting thing about any Gomis deal, though, is that Swansea apparently have to pay the player around £8m if he leaves. Which seems bonkers. Here is the background:

Gomis moved to the Liberty Stadium on a free transfer from Lyon last summer under the Bosman ruling, and the player is due a payment of around £8m to be met over the duration of his four-year deal. The 29-year-old would be due that figure regardless of whether he leaves the club this month, effectively meaning Swansea would seek in excess of that amount to ensure they made a profit on his sale. It is unclear whether the same commitment would be due if Gomis formally requests a transfer.

So, if I’ve understood this correctly, the player could leave Swansea this transfer window, get paid his £8m and then start earning a salary elsewhere. No wonder he is considering a move.

9.06am GMT09:06

Today’s Rumour Mill is in and it’s got some interesting snippets in it.

Here is today’s Rumour Mill in its full glory.

8.58am GMT08:58

Let’s start with everyone’s favourite player then at the moment, Francis Coquelin. The Arsenal midfielder who, in 90 minutes, have not only become one of the best emerging best young (-ish) players in the world, he has also vindicated all Arsène Wenger’s decisions this season (almost).

The slight problem is that the 23-year-old is out of contract in the summer so the club have now stepped up efforts to offer him a new deal. Better late than never, I guess. Dominic Fifield reports:

Francis Coquelin’s encouraging recent form since he was granted more regular involvement at Arsenal is set to be rewarded with talks under way with the Frenchman’s representatives aimed at securing him a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Read the full story here.

8.50am GMT08:50

Good morning and welcome to day two of the Guardian’s live transfer blog this January window. Today we will be talking and blogging about done deals, rumoured deals, classist gimps, words that don’t exist in other languages and anything else we come across. Do join in by emailing or tweeting me.

Updated at 9.01am GMT