Brazilian “wonder kid” Wallace has said he is joining Chelsea.
The Fluminense right-back has in the past been linked with the usual suspects, from Manchester City to Juventus, but, notes the Daily Mirror, Chelsea bought a 40 per cent stake in him two years ago.
The 18-year-old said: “Now that I’m moving to London I’ll have to learn some English but they [the Brazilian players already at Chelsea] are used to this and they will surely help me a lot.
“I used to follow the Spanish league and its big clubs like Real Madrid but now as I’m moving to Chelsea I’m following the club more closely, especially after the Champions League title.
“I watch Chelsea games whenever I can, sometimes I can’t watch because I’m playing or concentrated with my team, but I don’t miss a chance to see them playing on TV.”
Wallace is likely to cost in the region of £5 million.
Meanwhile, fresh from another disappointing performance – this time a 1-1 draw against Everton – Arsenal are planning a New Year raid deep into Germany in order to bring back Mario Gotze . According to Talksport, the Gunners will make a renewed bid to get their hands on the 20-year-old after failing to do so last season.
Borussia Dortmund covet their young playmaker after he helped them to back-to-back Bundesliga titles but Talksport says the Gunners haven’t given up hope of signing him, even if it means waiting until the end of this season.
Gotze, who is contracted to Dortmund until 2016, has a £30 million release contract in his contract. But Arsenal announced last week that they’ll have piles of cash to spend soon, following their £150m shirt deal with Emirates.
That must be why the Arsenal manager is also being linked with a possible move for Malaga midfielder Isco.
Like Gotze, Isco is a 20-year-old prodigy regarded as one of Europe’s hottest properties. Both the Manchester clubs are known to be keen, and reports suggest Tottenham and Liverpool have also been sniffing around.
But according to Spanish rag Malaga Hoy, Malaga is working overtime to persuade Isco to sign on for another term in la Liga. “Talks for renewal [of his contract] are still on track,” Malaga sporting director Mario Husillos explained.
Husillos went on to claim that the “boy wants to stay at the club because it is clear that this is best for his development”. The Premier League chasing pack begs to differ and it’s expected Malaga’s resolve will be tested in the New Year with a big money offer from Arsenal.
The Metro says that Scott Sinclair could soon be on his way out of the Etihad just months after the striker signed from Swansea City. The 23-year-old has started just two matches for City since his £6 million summer arrival, with just 15 minutes of league action in the last two months to his name.
Rumours have emerged in recent weeks suggesting Sinclair is unhappy with his lot at the Sky Blues, but the message from the club is he’ll have to be patient. “When a player comes to this club, they are going to have to accept they are not going to play week-in, week-out,” explained City’s assistant manager David Platt. “When we spoke to Scott, he knew what he was coming into.”
Platt then said that if Sinclair wasn’t happy he could “go and play like Adam Johnson did”. Johnson famously left City in the summer for Sunderland after growing fed up with his lack of game time, advising young players as he left that City wasn’t a good club to join if you wanted regular action.
Finally, caughtoffside.com says that Chelsea are preparing to make a £5 million bid for Feyenoord’s Stefan de Vrij. The center-half, described as a “contract rebel” for his refusal to sign a new deal with the Dutch club, is well thought of in European circles and Newcastle, Sunderland and Arsenal have all been mentioned as possible suitors.
But the Blues look to be ready to pounce first as they seek a replacement for the aging John Terry. ·