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Football transfer rumours: West Ham and Spurs battle for Barça’s Ansu Fati?

<span>Ansu Fati did not fare well in the Premier League last season on loan at Brighton.</span><span>Photograph: Alejandro García/EPA</span>
Ansu Fati did not fare well in the Premier League last season on loan at Brighton.Photograph: Alejandro García/EPA

The problem with selling a superstar winger for £70m is that everyone knows that you have £70m to spend. Napoli may have sent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia out of the door, with the Georgian coughing for the PSG doctors today before his big-money move, but now the Italian side have a Kvaratskhelia-shaped hole on the left side of their attack and a lot of money to spend.

Antonio Conte, Napoli’s manager, wants Alejandro Garnacho, with Manchester United now rejecting an offer of £40m for the 20-year-old. The deal looks increasingly difficult, given the Argentinian played 90 minutes in United’s win over Southampton on Thursday, unless Napoli decide to up their offer from the spare £30m they have knocking about. “He has talent,” said Ruben Amorim of Garnacho after United’s 3-1 victory. “I think he changed the way he sees himself. He’s finding the best way to play in this system and is improving during training.”

Related: Men’s transfer window January 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues

Kvaratskhelia, for what it’s worth, issued a statement overnight, which should be read in the context of him trying to force a move away from Naples. “It’s truly difficult for me, but it’s time to say goodbye,” he sobbed. “I felt great here. We shared beautiful moments and thrilling experiences. This has been my home. My hope is to meet again. I know you are heartbroken now, but I’ll tell you everything one day.” How enticingly cryptic!

Speaking of young left-wingers, former prodigy Ansu Fati can’t get in the Barcelona squad after returning from an underwhelming loan spell at Brighton last season. That hasn’t put off West Ham or Tottenham, who are in need of attacking reinforcement.

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush will soon cross the Ts and dot the Is on his deal to join Manchester City, but that hasn’t stopped the English club giving Erling Haaland a whopping nine-and-a-half-year contract. Crucially, City have removed a release clause and all they had to do was give Haaland one of the most lucrative contracts in sporting history, with the Norwegian set to earn half a million pounds a week as a basic wage.

Bad news for Brentford. Their excellent goalscoring form – only Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have scored more in the league – has meant there are a host of clubs sniffing around their forward line. Newcastle are hoping to nip in ahead of Arsenal to snaffle Bryan Mbeumo, Borussia Dortmund like the cut of Kevin Schade’s jib, while Nottingham Forest are eyeing Yoane Wissa but only if their own Taiwo Awoniyi leaves for West Ham.

Everton are interested in Lyon’s Ernest Nuamah, with the French club demanding £25m for the right winger. That might mean Everton pursue a loan deal with an option to buy, with David Moyes historically quite keen on that sort of deal: think Joseph Yobo to Everton (2002) or both Saïd Benrahma and Tomas Soucek to West Ham (2020).

And in touchline transfer news, another former Manchester United manager is set for the Turkish Super Lig, with Ole Gunnar Solksjær joining Besiktas on an 18-month deal. But leaving Turkey is Galatasaray’s Wilfried Zaha, who has agreed to go to MLS on loan, joining Charlotte FC.