Thursday 10 January 2019 06:02, UK
With the January transfer window well underway, we take a look at five La Liga players who are reportedly attracting interest from Premier League clubs.
The window is just over a week old and the rumours are already rife of moves around the continent, and La Liga continues to be a source of interest for Premier League clubs. Here, we pick five players who could move to England this month.
Malcom has struggled since arriving at Barcelona for £40m in the summer, and has managed just 97 minutes of action in La Liga this season. Now, Marca are reporting that Everton are interested in the 21-year-old, who could follow Yerry Mina, Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes in making the move from Cataluyna to Merseyside.
The Spanish outlet reports that Everton have enquired about signing him, although Malcom wants to stay at Barcelona to see how the remainder of the season plays out before deciding on a move elsewhere.
Everton manager Marco Silva has also played down the rumours and when asked, said: "No, no. Nothing."
Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez is close to signing a deal with Arsenal, according to reports from Sky in Italy, with AC Milan and Roma also said to have been interested.
Speaking to the Transfer Talk podcast, Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth said: "There does seem to be some seriousness in this. He fits the criteria Unai Emery is looking for in a position on the left or right wing.
"Emery does know Suarez very well, he managed him when he was on loan at Sevilla in the 2014/15 season. Perhaps significantly as well, there was a picture of Ivan Rakitic and Denis Suarez on their way to the Getafe game over the weekend so Suarez did travel to the match on Sunday but he did not make the 18-man squad.
"Reports suggest that Barcelona do not want to let Suarez go but he only has 18 months left on his contract. There's no offer of a new one as it stands so this is the window to maximise his transfer fee. It looks like this one could be a go-er."
In a sensational twist, Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho has been linked to Manchester United and Manchester City by Don Balon. Any move would reportedly need to be in excess of £100m although it is unclear if Coutinho would want to move to a rival club of Liverpool.
But Barcelona's director of institutional and sporting relations Guillermo Amor says the Brazilian has a future at the club despite his lack of playing time.
He told Movistar: "Coutinho's a player with a lot of experience, one of the best players in Europe and he is ready to play [for] five minutes or 90 minutes.
"He's a player that thinks more about the team than himself and there are no doubts about him being one of the best players in the world. He's always played well for Barca, he could play [every game] from the off.
"Barca signed him because he's one of the best in the world and he's going to give us a lot. He's got many years left on his contract and a lot to give to Barcelona."
Isco has been languishing at Real Madrid and is yet to start again under new manager Santiago Solari. It does not look like his stake for a first team spot will get any stronger either, with reports linking Eden Hazard and Christian Eriksen with a move to the Bernabeu and Brahim Diaz already arriving at the club in January.
But he still has plenty of talent and there are a number of clubs eyeing his services. Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea have all been linked, with The Sun reporting in December that the Blues would make a £70m bid. Tuttosport also say that Juventus are ready to move for the Spain international with the two clubs already having a good, working relationship after the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Italy last summer.
But Solari wants to keep Isco at Real Madrid, saying: "Every player here has to be committed, dedicated and keep working with hope and excitement. They are all fundamental to us.
"Isco has given us a lot of joy and he has to keep doing that. He's a magnificent footballer and, now that we have lost Marcos Llorente, Javi Sanchez and Mariano, we're going to need everyone."
Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez has been linked with Man City and Man Utd by Mundo Deportivo, The World Cup winner - who helped France to the trophy in 2018 - is a versatile option, being able to operate as a central defender and left-back.
Both Manchester clubs could do with defensive reinforcements with Man City looking to get their Premier League title defence back on track as well as competing in multiple cup competitions, while United are in a resurgent period under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But if Atletico are to let him go, it looks like Bayern Munich could be his destination. Marca reports that he will move to Germany this month, although AS contradicts this by saying a summer move is more likely. Watch this space!
