Coral’s Rumour Reel: Spurs seek attacking signings in January
Published:
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | December 30, 2015
Surprise Premier League title candidates Tottenham want to boost their forward options in the winter window, with summer signing Clinton N’Jie out injured until the spring.
Townsend for Berahino
Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino needs to ease a long-standing scoring burden on prized asset Harry Kane, and is prepared to use White Hart Lane outcast Andros Townsend in part-exchange for top target Saido Berahino – according to today’s papers.
Valued at around £14m, Tottenham hope that England winger Townsend, plus an additional fee of £10m, will be enough to persuade West Bromwich Albion to finally agree to sell Burundi-born Berahino.
Embroiled in an increasingly bitter feud with Baggies boss Tony Pulis, it would be best for all parties if 22-year-old Berahino were sold to Spurs, as this has become something of an ugly sideshow to proceedings at The Hawthorns.
Other Premier League teams are looking to take Townsend too, however, with relegation strugglers Aston Villa and Newcastle United, plus high-flying Watford all keen on his services.
Tottenham are also looking at Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez, who knows his game time will be further hampered at the Nou Camp by the eligibility of Adra Turan and Aleix Vidal to play for the Catalan club from January.
Let’s go Isco
In other news, Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has flown over to his native Spain to hold talks with Real Madrid over the possible sale of Isco to the Etihad outfit.
Despite a plethora of attacking options open to Manuel Pellegrini, Isco is a talent Man City’s Chilean coach nurtured in his previous post at Malaga.
Foreign signing into relegation battle?
Away from the title race, Newcastle are plotting a £10m raid on CSKA Moscow for Russia forward Alan Dzagoev. Whether or not the player would move so soon before Euro 2016 remains to be seen, however.
Over on Wearside, Sunderland seek defensive reinforcements and Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce is looking at Bayern Munich’s giant centre back Jan Kirchhoff.
And finally, Swansea City are considering selling top scorer Bafetimbi Gomis in order to bring in Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford, who has just terminated a loan spell at Crystal Palace where he played very little.
