Yahoo Sport 
Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Chelsea and Man City 'want Nzonzi', Martial 'set for Man Utd exit', Everton 'target Berahino'
Steven Nzonzi has had a funny couple of years. When the former Blackburn midfielder left Stoke for Sevilla in 2015, many English football fans thought that would be the last they’d ever see of him. But the 28-year-old Frenchman has done things in the south of Spain that would never have seemed possible when he was at Ewood Park.
Getting a call-up to the England squad was one of them – Sam Allardyce unsuccessfulluy tried to pick him for the Three Lions earlier this season during his short reign in charge (unsuccessfully because he’s, like, French). But the latest twist in Nzonzi’s story is almost as fantastical. He’s going to Chelsea for £25.5m. Or if he’s not going there, he’s going to Manchester City.
That’s what the Star says anyway. According to the tabloid, fellow Nzonzi fans Juventus have been scared off by the aforementioned £25.5m price tag (the player’s release clause) but to Chelsea and Man City that actually sounds like a cheap signing, so they are now in pole position.
The Star adds that Antonio Conte is considering signing Nzonzi to replace departed Brazilian playmaker Oscar, because they are obviously very similar types of players.
Sevilla could use the money they get for Nzonzi to fund an audacious bid for Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, says Spanish paper AS. The La Liga side are attracted by the Frenchman because he is still eligible for play in this season’s Champions League, as he has only featured in the Europa League with United. That’s one of the advantages of buying a player from a small club.
West Ham scored four goals yesterday, but that’s unlikely to halt their relentless quest for a striker. The Sun says Slaven Bilic is looking to “buy British” in January after signing a series of foreign flops in the summer, and the Brit he’s being linked with is Jermain Defoe.
Bilic reportedly wants to offload five of those summer flops – Simone Zaza, Jonathan Calleri, Alvaro Arbeloa, Gokhan Tore and Sofiane Feghouli – and replace them with the 34-year-old local lad who left east London acrimoniously in 2004.
A Hammers “source” apparently told the Sun, “There is no appetite for the foreign market after what’s happened. It’s just not worth the club taking that risk this January.”
Which is funny, because French website RMC Sport says the Hammers have had an £8.5m offer for Toulouse forward Martin Braithwaite rejected. Maybe they were confused by the Danish international’s English-sounding name.
Elsewhere, Liverpool are going to let long-serving midfielder Lucas Leiva move to Inter Milan on loan (Guardian), Pep Guardiola has insisted that Man City will not be making a bid for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk in January (Sky Sports) and Everton are the latest club to be linked with a move for West Brom’s wantaway forward Saido Berahino (Sun). Keep an eye on Berahino’s Twitter account for the latest developments on that one.
