ESPN FC BLOGS

CLUB BLOGS

Paper round-up: Adel do for United

Posted by ESPN Staff

Adel TaarabtGettyImagesAdel Taarabt's future has been the subject of much speculation

Manchester United will launch a bid in January for QPR midfielder Adel Taarabt, a report in the Sun newspaper claims. It is stated that the Morocco international is being looked at as a replacement for Ashley Young. Harry Redknapp, appointed manager of rock-bottom Rangers, earlier insisted that Taarabt would not part company with the club.

United are also linked with Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, with the Mirror reporting the Premier League club are on the lookout for some fresh legs to take over from Rio Ferdinand next season. Ogbonna, 24, has impressed in recent seasons, making his international debut for Italy and attracting the interest of some of Europe’s top clubs. It is believed that United’s scouts have followed Ogbonna over the course of the past month.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are monitoring the development of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, according to the Sun. The newspaper suggests Arsene Wenger is set to go head-to-head with Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini in order to snare the starlet once the January transfer window opens. It is claimed the Gunners will launch a £10 million offer, with sources close to Wenger expressing their confidence in Arsenal’s ability to finalise the deal.

Widespread reports in the English press state Wenger is set to hand midfielder Jack Wilshere a sizeable contract extension which would see him become club captain and earn around £50,000 per week. Wilshere still has two-and-a-half years to run on his current deal, but Arsenal are desperate to avoid losing him in similar circumstances to Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie.

Shakhtar Donetsk star Willian remains hot property in England, as Manchester City prepare to do battle with Chelsea for his services. The Ukrainian club bought him for £15 million and they will not let him go for less than a tidy profit. The Mirror suggests City are willing to pay the asking price and have sent scout Gary Worthington to assess the Brazilian in person.

ESPN Conversations


To comment, you must be a registered user. Please Sign In or Register

You are fully responsible for the content you post. Content that includes profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior (such as "spamming" or "trolling"), or other inappropriate content or material will be removed. We reserve the right to block any user who violates our terms of use, including removing all content posted by that user.