Transfer talk: Manchester United want £50m for David De Gea; Mats Hummels addresses Arsenal rumours; £23m bid for Andre Schurrle
The biggest transfer news and rumours on Tuesday 20 January
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United have put a £50m price tag on goalkeeper David De Gea in an effort to keep him out of the clutches of European champions Real Madrid. The Daily Express is reporting that United are determined to keep the Spanish No 1 at Old Trafford, despite the recent free transfer of Victor Valdes as his back-up. As part of the move to keep him, United will reportedly offer De Gea a staggering £200,000-a-week five-year contract extension that will be worth nearly £52m.
Real are determined to land De Gea after identifying him as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas for both club and country, and his form this season has seen his stock rise no end. The transfer would smash the current record fee for a goalkeeper, which currently stands as the £32.6m Italian side Juventus paid for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001.
Mats Hummels has delivered a blow to Manchester United and Arsenal by revealing he would be happy to remain at Borussia Dortmund even if they miss out on the Champions League, which must be a realistic expectation given their woeful start to the season.
Hummels has shown signs of his frustration during the current Bundesliga campaign, but he told Die Welt: "[Europe] no longer is a realistic issue. The fight for the Champions League does not exist in my head. Fundamentally, I don't need to play in the Champions League to be happy. Maybe we indeed lose players should we not qualify for Champions League, but what I can already tell you is that should we not lose 15 players at once, we'll still have a super team next season."
Chelsea winger Andre Schurrle could yet leave Stamford Bridge this month and move back to Germany after reports suggested Wolfsburg have made a £23m bid for the 25-year-old. However, the Daily Mail claim that the Blues are holding out for £30m, and a battle with Borussia Dortmund could ensue in a bid to bring the former Bayer Leverkusen star back to the Bundesliga.
The Times claim that United midfielder Darren Fletcher could be the subject of a bidding war between West Brom and West Ham. However, with opportunities limited at United under Louis van Gaal, Sky Sports reports that he is generating interest from Valencia and have linked the Scotland international with a move to Spain.
Arsenal and Tottenham transfer target Paulo Dybala looks set to stay with Palermo for at least the rest of the season after the Evening Standard reported that the 21-year-old will not leave the club until the summer. The Sicilian club are looking for at least £32m which would help boost the club financially, much like the £31m sale of Javier Pastore to PSG in 2011.
Finally, Kevin Mirallas has thrown his Everton future into major doubt after his antics on Monday night in the 0-0 draw with West Brom cost his side victory. The Belgian forward has been linked with a move away from the club after stalling on contract extension talks with just 18 months left to run on his current deal. But his decision to take the ball away from regular penalty taker Leighton Baines and subsequently miss the target saw him get hauled off at half-time by manager Roberto Martinez, and with Spurs and Borussia Dortmund said to be interested he could soon find himself on the way out of Goodison Park.
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