Manchester United are willing to spend £27m on Paris Saint-Germain right back Serge Aurier. There’s a slight problem, in so much as the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international is currently banned from entering the country after being found guilty of working over a peeler outside a Paris nightclub last year. But all sorts of legal representations are being made, with an appeal due to be heard in a few days. United will meanwhile discuss the matter with government officials, in the hope of smoothing a path to Old Trafford either way. This is sports news in 2017.

Manchester United are also interested in 22-year-old Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker, but they’ll not be making a bid in this window. So expect to hear about that for the next six to 18 months.

PSG make plans for unveiling ahead of £197m deal for Barcelona’s Neymar Read more

United’s purchase of Aurier will free up funds for PSG to splash out on Neymar, which will in turn give Barcelona extra money to throw at Liverpool for Philippe Coutinho. Clever United. That cash will come in useful, because Liverpool aren’t interested in a part-exchange plan involving Rafinha and André Gomes. They claim they’re not interested in selling Coutinho at all, to be fair, but let’s see how that pans out over the next 29 days.

There may be some relief for Liverpool, with reports suggesting Barcelona are switching their attention to Borussia Dortmund’s astonishing Ousmane Dembélé or Paulo Dybala of Juventus. None of which is stopping Jürgen Klopp from sniffing around Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, just in case. Like we say, give it 29 days.

Leicester City are very close now to the £25m purchase of Manchester City supersub Kelechi Iheanacho. Any joy will be tempered by the suggestion that Riyad Mahrez is agitating for a move to Roma.

Arsenal fans will have been pleased to see pictures of Alexis Sánchez in training yesterday, thumbs aloft like Paul McCartney, smiling away for the cameras. But it turns out he’s been telling everyone he’s determined to chip off, with PSG and Manchester City prepared to do battle for his signature. Arsène Wenger doesn’t want to sell to a Premier League rival, so Paris it is. Or perhaps Manchester.

Tottenham are extremely interested in Milan midfielder Suso, the Kevin Sheedy de nos jours in so much as Liverpool should never have let him go. However they’ll need to act quickly, because he’s very close to inking a new contract with the Serie A giants.

Tottenham must spend to be in the title shake-up, says Mauricio Pochettino Read more

Southampton are sniffing around Lazio centre-back Wesley Hoedt. More excitement for Liverpool, then, who will be hoping such a purchase by the Saints leads to the sale of you-know-who. But dreams are easily lost to the ether, and now it appears Everton are also interested in Hoedt, Ronald Koeman having spotted a fine opportunity to annoy both his previous club and his city rivals in one fell swoop.

Chelsea have been relatively quiet in this window, but may spring into action soon. They’re after a right-sided winger, and either Internazionale’s Antonio Candreva or Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will fit the bill. Meanwhile Diego Costa will leave for Milan.

That probably qualifies as a bumper crop. The Mill is getting the sense things are starting to move now, it could be a busy month round these parts.