Category: Transfer news

By Greg Stobart

Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Philippe Coutinho after agreeing a €13.7 million deal with Inter for the midfielder, Goal.com can confirm.

Coutinho is due to travel to Merseyside in the coming days to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical ahead of the move.

Liverpool faced competition from Southampton for the Brazilian but appear to have got their man after an Anfield delegation flew to Italy this week to negotiate the transfer.

The Reds have increased their initial €7.6m bid for Coutinho and the 20-year-old is understood to have made clear his preference to move to Anfield.

Coutinho played under new Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino while on loan at Espanyol last season but Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been determined to improve his squad as he targets a top four finish.

The Reds signed Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea at the start of the month in a €14m deal and are also hoping to conclude a move for Blackpool midfielder Tom Ince before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

They will have to apply for a work permit before Coutinho’s proposed transfer can be concluded but that is regarded as a formality for the versatile playmaker, who has been capped once for Brazil.

Inter’s financial circumstances have meant they have actively encouraged Liverpool’s interest in Coutinho this month, despite selling Wesley Sneijder to Galatasaray, as the Serie A giants line up a move for Corinthians star Paulinho.

Coutinho signed for Inter from Vasco da Gama when he was 16, though he spent a further two years at the Brazilian club before moving to Italy. Coutinho had a productive spell on loan at Espanyol in the second half of last season before returning in the summer to Inter.

Despite starting only three of the club’s Serie A matches this season – and making 10 league appearances in total – Coutinho is regarded as an emerging star.

Speaking to Sky Italia earlier this week about Liverpool’s interest, he said: “The Liverpool offer? I’m happy with these offers, because it means I am doing my job well.

“But I think Inter have faith in me and I want to show my value here. I don’t feel that I’m on my way out. I hope to stay at Inter. The young players feel the faith of the coach and of the club.”

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says it is “99.9%” that Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli will not join the club in the January transfer window.

The Italy international has long been linked with a return to Serie A despite president Silvio Berlusconi insisting the club will not sign the striker.

City manager Roberto Mancini has also insisted this week that Balotelli will stay with the Premier League champions, and Galliani says a move is unlikely.

“Kaka and Drogba are 101% not coming to Milan. Balotelli? He is 99.9% …” he said.

“Abate and Antonini are staying. Their agent was in Russia to see through Salvatore Bocchetti’s transfer to Spartak Moscow, that is all.”

As revealed by Goal.com, Manchester City have lowered their asking price for the striker to €23 million with the Italian having already given notice on his house as he prepares for a move away.

Newcastle United midfielder Moussa Sissoko is determined to help the club climb the Premier League table after signing from Toulouse.

The midfielder is the fifth Frenchman to arrive on Tyneside in the January transfer window and he insists that the Magpies can become one of the top sides in the league, once they recover from their poor start to the current campaign.
“My personal objectives really are to finish off this season as best as we possibly can. I am going to give everything I can so Newcastle finish as high up the league as possible,” he told reporters.

“For the future, I want Newcastle to be one of the very best teams in the Premier League. That’s my wish and the club’s also.

“I have signed here because I love the cub. They have some fantastic players.

“Newcastle aren’t in the position where they should be at the moment, but I think if we all do well, we will finish as high as possible and really make the team one of the best in England.”

Newcastle travel to face fellow strugglers Aston Villa on Tuesday evening and Sissoko insists the Toon squad are well up for the clash.

“Tuesday night will be a difficult night. Aston Villa are also in a pretty poor position at the moment in the league,” he said.

“It’s a match which we certainly can’t afford to lose. We must make sure we are motivated for Tuesday night so we come away with a result.”

AC Milan have announced on their official website that they have acquired 50 per cent of Kevin Constant’s transfer rights from Genoa, while they have sold their half of Francesco Acerbi’s rights to the Luigi Ferraris side.

The Rossoneri signed the Guinea international on a one-year loan deal at the start of the 2012-13 campaign, but they have now opted to sign the 25-year-old on a co-ownership deal after impressing in the first half of the season.

Acerbi, meanwhile, joined the San Siro outfit in the summer transfer window from Chievo, with Genoa holding the other half of the 24-year-old’s rights.

Nevertheless, he will now be fully owned by the Grifone after he failed to impress at Milan in the past six months.

Milan previously already signed Cristian Zaccardo from Parma in a player-exchange deal involving Djamel Mesbah as they aim to strengthen their squad before the winter transfer window closes.

Frank de Boer has advised Christian Eriksen to stay at Ajax for two more seasons before making the step to a bigger league.

The Denmark international has been continually linked with a move away from the Eredivisie champions with a host of top European clubs believed to be interested in his signature.

Nevertheless, his current coach hopes that his playmaker will not leave the Amsterdam ArenA any time soon and ignore the rumours.

“Eriksen will be 23 if he stays at Ajax for two more seasons. That would be a good age for him to make the big step,” De Boer said at a press conference.

The 20-year-old’s current contract with Ajax is due to expire in the summer of 2014, but De Boer recently stated that the Godenzonen have offered the midfielder a new and improved deal.