Key events
Will Benrahma stay at West Ham?
Jacob Steinberg
West Ham’s hopes of moving Said Benrahma to Lyon remain in question. A loan with an obligation to buy has been agreed but the winger is undecided on the move.
News from Scotland:
Aberdeen Football Club this morning parted company with manager Barry Robson and assistant Steve Agnew.
– Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) January 31, 2024
Last deadline for the Women’s Super League
Some stories, via BBC’s Emma Sanders:
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West Ham are pursuing Swedish striker Evelyn Ijeh, but reports suggest she is close to joining AC Milan.
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Chelsea forward Jessie Fleming will join NSWL side Portland Thorns.
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Manchester City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck linked to Barcelona
This is ex-Arsenal Gabriel we’re talking about here.
Kev McCready is lying on his bed, thoughts run through my head: “Sure, it’s a “strong” idea, but not outside the “Knutsford city limits.” If it comes to fruition, there will be “no regrets”, but I have a “feeling” that it will never happen this side of the “millennium”.
Two Premier League players on their way to Lyon
🔴🔵 Olympique Lyonnais have reached agreements with Orel Mangala and Saïd Benrahma on the club side.
Mangala will join Benrahma on a permanent deal on a €5m loan fee plus a €12m buy clause.
↪️ There are details to clarify on the personal level with Mangala + on the player camp side with Benrahma. pic.twitter.com/1F1TIOWBfK
-Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2024
Robbie Williams’ puns are also welcome….
Find out more about Port Vale news. A statement from the club to reveal there will be no such thing as anything changing.
We are aware of the “exclusive” information that appeared overnight in several national media outlets and would like to clarify the following:
Robbie Williams has not made a bid to buy Port Vale Football Club and there have been no conversations about it.
Robbie and his team attended the match last weekend, where he became club president and officially opened the suite which now bears his name.
There are a number of positive club projects that Carol and Robbie are exploring with the intention that whatever is achieved will be in the best interests of Port Vale Football Club.
As owners of the club, the Shanahan family remains fully committed to Port Vale FC.
It looks like Nottingham Forest are taking Viv Nicholson’s approach to transfers and looming hearings on profits and sustainability.
🚨🌳 EXCLUSIVE: Nottingham Forest complete deal to sign Portuguese talent Rodrigo Ribeiro as new striker!
Sporting’s loan deal with option to buy clause is almost complete, with details still being finalized.
🇵🇹 Surprising approach for #NFFC in addition to the Gio Reyna deal concluded. pic.twitter.com/NNQzvCDrlV
-Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2024
The rumor mill is here
Rashford and PSG seem like a pretty good fit, don’t they?
News on the transfer of assets? Jonathan Wilkes as athletic director, please.
By media PA
Port Vale have denied reports that pop star Robbie Williams is plotting a takeover of the club. The former Take That star, 49, reportedly wants to buy the Sky Bet League One team she has supported since she was a child. But Vale says there was “no conversation about it.”
Säid Benrahma gets closer to Lyon
There are some Hammers fans who will be delighted with this, others less so.
🔴🔵 Olympique Lyon and West Ham will complete the Saïd Benrahma deal today.
Deal being finalized for a loan fee of €5m plus a €12m option to buy clause, waiting for final points from the players’ side and then it’s all over. pic.twitter.com/GbvX36b1Ab
-Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2024
On a broader transfer note, Jürgen Klopp had this to say about the Liverpool team while he’s no longer there.
“Just to end the story, I will say yes (Van Dijk will stay),” he said. “It’s just because someone asked Virgil and we made our case for it. Virg is a grown man with a family of four children. He will decide his future, nothing to do with me or anything else. He loves this club and is so happy to be here. But when the contract comes to an end, we start to think. That’s all.
“Virg didn’t come out and say, ‘By the way, what I mean is…’ It’s always about questions and we always have to answer those kinds of things. This club is stable, 100%, and everything will be fine, I am 100% sure of it, and for the rest, we will have to get by. I would recommend everyone to stay massively calm in this department.
Some transfer lines from Tuesday
Reyna ready to move to the forest
Jacob Steinberg
I’m told Sevilla’s move for Gio Reyna has fallen through. The Dortmund winger is expected to fly to England today to finalize his loan move to Nottingham Forest.
Preamble
The ticker continues until 11 p.m. Thursday evening but the wheels still turn slowly, even if they are a little faster. So, what awaits us today? It’s starting to feel like loans are the answer to a few clubs’ problems, so expect to see a lot of them in the next 36 hours or so. In the meantime, we’re open for business here, keeping you connected throughout the day.