January is still seven weeks away and the lists are already being drawn up. Wednesday's papers put Arsenal at the front of the queue for a Real Madrid forward who has not yet given up on Madrid, Aston Villa quietly tying down four players at once, and Everton floating an idea that would have sounded absurd a year ago. As always, treat the following as what it is: reported interest, not signed paperwork.
Arsenal's January list keeps growing
Talksport reports that Arsenal are weighing a January move for Endrick, with sporting director Andrea Berta's existing relationship with the 20-year-old Brazilian's agency seen as the way in. Spanish outlet AS adds that Roma and Sporting are both keen to take him on loan until the end of the season, and that the player himself is not ready to write off his Real Madrid career just yet. Endrick is not the only name on the board either. The Independent lists Atletico Madrid's Alex Baena, 25, RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa, 21, and Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi, 20, as further attacking options Arsenal have looked at.
Villa's quiet contract round
The Telegraph says Aston Villa are close to new deals for four players: Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen, 24, Argentine winger Emiliano Buendia, 29, Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, 25, and Ross Barkley, 32. That is a lot of squad depth taken off the market in one go, and it is the kind of housekeeping that rarely makes a back page but usually matters more than the names that do.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have reportedly added two defenders to their January thinking, according to the Mail: Brentford's Republic of Ireland centre-back Nathan Collins, 25, and Fulham's Nigeria international Calvin Bassey, 26. Over at Anfield, Teamtalk says Jeremie Frimpong is staying put for the rest of the season and that the Saudi Pro League links were wide of the mark, though Football Insider suggests Al-Hilal retain an interest and Liverpool would only listen to a large offer next summer rather than in January.
The ones that would raise eyebrows
Italian site Calciomercato floats the idea of Everton making a bid for Kevin de Bruyne, now 35 and at Napoli. Newcastle will not revisit Ivan Toney despite the 30-year-old striker's history at the club between 2015 and 2018 and his current manager Matthias Jaissle having worked with him at Al-Ahli, according to The I. Chelsea are said by Football Insider to be ready to let Jamie Gittens, 22, go out on loan in January with several Premier League clubs watching. Newcastle, Sunderland and Leeds have joined a growing list keeping tabs on Dinamo Zagreb striker Dion Beljo, 24, while Coventry's Jack Rudoni, 25, is also being watched by Newcastle and Leeds. Fulham and Coventry are both chasing Real Betis winger Rodrigo Riquelme, 26. And Corriere dello Sport reports that David de Gea, 36, will be released by Fiorentina when his contract expires next year.
Transfer context: All items above are press reports rather than confirmed deals. Sources as credited: Talksport, AS, the Mail, the Independent, Teamtalk, Football Insider, the Telegraph, The I, Calciomercato, 4-4-2.ch and Corriere dello Sport. The January window opens on 1 January 2027.
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