Football transfer rumours: Ødegaard to Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid?

Reports in Spain say that the world’s 74th best player, Martin Ødegaard, is this close to completing a move to Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid. The 22-year-old former child star has been kicking his heels this season after being recalled from two-year loan spell at Real Sociedad a year early only to be stored in a cupboard to collect dust. He’s made his fresh and funky feelings clear and Zinedine Zidane will happily watch the Norwegian playmaker follow the Dani Ceballos route to north London for the rest of the season.

Related: Arteta turns focus to Arsenal signings after shedding unwanted players

Bundesliga behemoths Bayern Munich have come steaming into the picture to sign Rumour Mill favourite Dayot Upamecano. It says here that the France centre-back wants to become a leader at a regular Champions League-challenging club and Bayern are ready to massage the big man’s ego with some sweet-talk and then trigger his €40m release clause this summer. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are also keen on the 22-year-old but the German Treble winners just have a habit of getting business like this done.

In better news for Chelsea, West Ham are considering marking down their prices because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Strapping midfield general Declan Rice could be included in the Hammers special summer sale for as little as £50m, a whopping £30m less than the club demanded for him last summer. However, Chelsea would be keen to play Rice in defence, which could be a problem when trying to convince the 22-year-old that life back at Stamford Bridge would be one big chunk of fun. Manchester City and Liverpool, both of whom also have a habit of playing midfielders in defence, are hungrily circling the London Stadium as well.

For some reason, Josh King (no league goals all season) is going to be the prize for the winner of a tug of war between David Moyes and Sean Dyche. With £16m in his back pocket our money is on the wiry West Ham manager sealing a deal for the Bournemouth striker and then turning him into a pound-shop Gerd Müller. All hail the Moyesiah!

Pocket-sized Everton winger Bernard could be skedaddling his way out of Goodison Park this month if either Roma or Al Nasr are willing to stump up £9m for the 28-year-old. Over in France, former rally star André Villas-Boas has spat his morning coffee out all over his newspaper after reading about an Aston Villa bid for Marseille metronome Morgan Sanson. “We had a very, very weak offer from Aston Villa which we turned down. It was pathetic,” he fumed. “I hope that he [Sanson] continues to remain professional.”

Premier League table-toppers Manchester United are going to party like it’s 2001 again by signing Veron. Gabriel Veron. Some hot steam in the Spanish tabloids suggests that Ed Woodward has upped his admin game to make United the favourites to pip Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester City to the sizzling 18-year-old Palmeiras striker this summer for a cut-price £35m.

And another talented South American youngster who looks to be set for the Premier League is Moises Caicedo. The 19-year-old midfielder has got a host of European club managers hot and bothered but the offer of doing pilates with Graham Potter has convinced him that a £4.5m move to Brighton from Independiente del Valle is his destiny.