Arsenal to turn to Joao Moutinho if Bayern Munich snatch Sami Khedira... and they face battle with Liverpool for Petr Cech... and will Man City pay £200m for Lionel Messi?

• Khedira could be available for £7m but Bayern Munich look ready to swoop
• If so, Arsenal and Chelsea will look to Monaco's Joao Moutinho 
• Liverpool eye Petr Cech and Saido Berahino as they overhaul their spine
• Per Mertesacker wants Mats Hummels to join him at Arsenal
• And Manchester City are weighing up an astonishing £200m bid for Messi 

By Rob Shepherd for MailOnline Follow @@robshepherd5

Published: 17:39 EST, 22 November 2014 | Updated: 16:37 EST, 23 November 2014

Chelsea and Arsenal will still try and lure Sami Khedira from Real Madrid in January but both clubs face losing out to Bayern Munich.

Luka Modric’s medium-term injury means Khedira may stay at Madrid for the remainder of the season before leaving next summer when his contract expires.

Both the Blues and the Gunners were willing to pay a fee of around £7million to lure the German international before he became a free agent when the mid-term window opens.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Watch Joao Moutinho's best goals for Porto 

Sami Khedira is in-demand and the World Cup-winner could move from Madrid in January

Both Arsenal and Chelsea could turn to Joao Moutinho (second right) if Khedira heads to Bayern Munich

But reports in Spain suggest both clubs could be outmanoeuvred by Bayern who are believed to be on the verge of agreeing a pre-contract with Khedira in January.

If that happens then Arsenal will turned their attention to Monaco’s Joao Moutinho.

But Arsene Wenger is unlikely to endorse spending the recently quoted £30m price tag for the Portugal midfielder.

Watch Joao Moutinho's best goals for Porto

Liverpool could also challenge Arsenal for the services of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

As revealed here weeks ago Cech wants to quit Chelsea now he is no longer first-choice keeper at the Blues.

It is understood Chelsea will sell Cech in January for a fee in the region of £7m.

Petr Cech (left) has been a virtual ever-present since moving to Chelsea from Rennes in 2004

Arsenal centre half Per Mertesacker is trying to help broker a deal to bring German international Mats Hummels, his former national team defensive partner, to the Emirates.

But the bottom line is matching the fee that Borussia Dortmund want - which could be as much as £47m.

Mats Hummels (right) is available for a vast £47m from Borussia Dortmund with Arsenal and United interested

The Gunners are unlikely to pay that - but Manchester United may well do - as soon as the January transfer window opens.

It also seems that United will pip Arsenal to the signature of Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman from Roma.

Liverpool will splash out to sign a new striker in the January transfer window.

As revealed in this column THREE WEEKS ago their prime target is West Brom striker Saido Berahino.

Saido Berahino is in sparkling form and is the latest striker touted to solve Liverpool's striker crisis

The Baggies have already rebuffed overtures from Tottenham with regard to a £15m offer for the England Under 21 striker.

But an offer approaching the £30m region will force West Brom to sell.

West Ham may move for Sampdoria midfielder Pedro Obiang in January if they fail to secure Alex Song, who is on a season-long loan from Barcelona, on a long-term deal. The Hammers are also trying to secure Winston Reid on a new contract otherwise they face him leaving on a Bosman at the end of the season. 

Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon is now working with Atletico Madrid in a bid to help the club’s 'commercial expansion'. 

The Manchester City hierarchy are working out the feasibility of signing Lionel Messi next summer.

The £200m transfer fee to Barcelona and all inclusive personal terms approaching £500,000-a-week for the Argentine are not the main problem.

Lionel Messi has been on Barcelona's books since the age of 11 when he moved to Catalonia from Argentina

Relive Messi's first goal for Barcelona from a Ronaldinho assist

I am told City’s commercial operation think the player is worth the investment and the football advantages with regard to a proper tilt at the Champions League next season are obvious.

But fulfilling complex UEFA Financial Fair Play rules are an issue.

Franco Baldini, football director at Tottenham Hotspur, faces being 'eased' out of the club following the 'signing' of Paul Mitchell from Southampton as head of recruitment. 

The announcement by Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp that if he manages outside of Germany he wants it to be in England has been registered on the radar of the Liverpool and Arsenal boardrooms.

Jurgen Klopp has spoken of his desire to manage outside Germany, with Arsenal and Liverpool interested

Tim Sherwood has been taking Spanish lessons and may look to further his coaching career and horizons in La Liga. 

Frank Lampard has told pals that he is ready to stay with Manchester City until the end of the season before linking up with New York City mid-way through the MLS season which starts in March.

Frank Lampard (left) is enjoying himself in Manchester and would like to postpone his move to New York

iSay 

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan may have been foolish to appoint Malky Mackay as the club's new manager given recent circumstances.

The 77-year-old may well also have made some ill-advised comments which have not sat well with the politically correct police or indeed indignant faux morality warriors. Although his comments have in certain arenas been twisted to suit agendas.

But to accuse Whelan of being a 'racist' is wrong. Moreover such allegations cheapen the front line battle against racism. 

Dave Whelan claps during Malky Mackay's first game in charge of Wigan, a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough

BTW

Sir Bobby Charlton recently questioned whether captaincy is a good thing for Wayne Rooney.

Charlton reasoned that the burden of responsibility could weigh too heavily on Wayne and undermine his performance.

That could be true with Manchester United and may be something Louis van Gaal will address.

But with England it would seem Rooney has defied those, hands up like myself, who were sceptical about giving Rooney the armband not least on the basis given his poor displays at the World Cup in the summer whether he was worthy of the automatic selection that usually comes with being appointed captain of your country.

Wayne Rooney has thrived since being named England captain and looks like a player reborn

As it’s turned out, thus far at least, Rooney seems to have been inspired and matured in an England shirt since wearing the armband.

It’s not just the six goals in six games this season which have moved him to within three of Charlton’s 49 goal record for England that prove the point. It’s been the manner in which he has performed and led what has become a young squad.

Rooney was a proper leader in England’s impressive 3-1 win over Scotland. What caught the eye wasn’t so much the two goals he struck, but the way all the team, especially Jack Wilshere, seem to want to bust a gut around their new skipper, who, in turn is now performing like a talisman rather than a prima donna.

Comments (110)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now