Brighton is bracing itself for a serious battle to keep Alexis Mac Allister after his stunning performance for Argentina at the World Cup, as he is now one of the top midfielders in the world. The Brighton man was superb throughout the competition and provided an impressive assist in the final as Argentina won the competition via penalties, and he is now highly sought-after. Matchplug understands Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal all want to add him to their squad, and they are not the only sides interested in a move for the Argentinian. Juventus and Inter Milan have also been impressed with his performances, and they are interested in taking him to Serie A next month. However, Brighton would prefer to keep him in their squad for the rest of this season and consider moving him on when the term finishes as they bid to continue their fine campaign.

AS Roma boss, Jose Mourinho has been tipped to become the next manager of the Portugal national team after they fired Fernando Santos, following their quarter-final loss to Morocco at the World Cup. Santos had been the Portugal’s manager since 2014 and it seemed he will continue to lead them after winning Euro 2016 and the Nations League in 2019. However, after falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo and losing to Morocco the Portuguese pulled the plug on his deal and will now search for a new man to take over from him. Several managers of Portuguese origin are making names for themselves in the world of football and could consider it a thing of pride to manage their country’s national team, one of them is Mou. The former Manchester United boss was asked about the possibility of becoming their next boss and he refused to answer, according to Matchplug. He is not the only manager they are considering, but he is one of their best they have and could return to his homeland, but he has a bad relationship with Ronaldo, which could mean the attacker will retire.

Premier League clubs are looking to add Joao Felix to their squad and Atletico Madrid is now prepared to offload the Portuguese attacker in the next transfer window. He has fallen out with his manager Diego Simeone and the club has sided with the gaffer and will now consider offers for Felix when the transfer window reopens. Matchplug understands they will offer him to EPL clubs who have shown an interest in his signature for some time now, including Arsenal and Chelsea, with the attacker happy to make the switch. Felix has been at odds with Simeone often talking bad about the club’s tactics as he does well when he plays in a more fluidly attacking system in the Portugal national team. A move to the EPL will make him one of the players to watch and could help him reach the full potential he showed while he played for Benfica in the Portuguese top-flight. Matchplug understands that Atleti will allow him to leave if any of his suitors offer them an impressive deal for his signature in the new year.

Arsenal will attempt to sign Youri Tielemans again in the January transfer window after pursuing his signature for much of the last few seasons. The Belgian is running down his contract at Leicester City as the Foxes desperately try to get him on a new deal, but he seems intent on leaving, even though he did not have a good World Cup. Arsenal wanted a midfielder in the summer but failed to land one, they now want to correct that in January to keep themselves in top form for the second half of this season. Mikel Arteta’s side is at the top of the Premier League table now and remains one of the in-form sides in Europe, but that could change in the second half of the season. They know they must keep playing well and believe adding new men to their squad could help them achieve as much as possible, so Tielemans is likely to move to London. Matchplug understands Arsenal might pay as much as £20m to add him to their squad from the second half of this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has denied reports that he is leaving Europe for the Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr after he terminated his contract at Manchester United by mutual consent. The striker was struggling to play at United before eventually delivering a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in which he accused United of betraying him and also said he had no respect for their manager. The Premier League side swiftly offloaded him to avoid more drama and he needs to find a new home after this World Cup finishes, but European sides do not want to gamble on him. Reports claims Al Nassr wanted to make him their next superstar and he was set to earn around 200m euros per season playing for them. However, that might not happen after Ronaldo broke his silence to deny he has reached such an agreement. After Portugal’s win against Switzerland, the attacker was asked about the deal and he said via Matchplug: ‘No, that’s not true – not true.’

Barcelona is interested in a move for Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli and has been scouting him at the current World Cup in Qatar. Martinelli was a surprise inclusion in the Brazil squad for the competition, but he has rarely played for the national team in the competition so far as they work towards winning. He started their last group game against Cameroon and did well, but they lost the fixture to the Africans, which came as a surprise, nevertheless, he did well on an individual level. The youngster has an expiring contract at Arsenal, but they have been in talks and he insists he will sign an extension with the Premier League club to remain beyond his current deal. However, as Arsenal struggles to tie him down to a new deal, a report on Matchplug reveals Barca hopes to take advantage of their delays to add him to their squad and have been watching him.

Valencia is worried about losing USA World Cup star Yunus Musah after reports claim he is on the radar of the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. The midfielder was on the books of the Gunners until 2019 when he left them to join the Spanish side in pursuit of a faster route to regular first-team football, which has been the case at the La Liga club. He was a key member of the USA team at the ongoing World Cup and continued to impress with his performances in the competition before the USA was knocked out of the competition. This caught the attention of Premier League giants and Valencia knows this, they are now looking to fend off interest in him by offering him a new deal, Matchplug understands. They know he will be tempted to make a return to England and will now extend his stay and boost their chances of earning a good fee when he leaves them.

Memphis Depay’s time at Manchester United started well but didn’t last long. The Dutch forward joined Man United from PSV Eindhoven for €34 million in 2015. Depay spent just one full season at Old Trafford before manager Jose Mourinho binned him in 2016. The forward experienced the same fate under Mourinho as Dele Alli later did at Tottenham Hotspur.  United received just €16m for Depay, as he joined France’s Lyon. Depay excelled with Les Gones and was linked with several clubs before leaving for free in 2021. Barcelona signed Depay and expectations were high that the player would help lead the club back to prominence. Yet, just like a Man United, Depay was deemed unneeded after just one season and is on the market.  Football fans are debating which team will win the 2022 World Cup. Fans can use the latest Betbonus TZ code to get a great offer before betting on the World Cup and the team they believe will win the tournament final.  Manchester United are interested in bringing Depay back to the club in January. Barcelona are desperate to get Depay’s wages off the books, with him nowhere near the first XI. Depay makes over €5 million per season. Barcelona initially signed Depay to a €7m a season contract but reduced his wages due to financial issues in 2021.  How interested are Man United in re-signing Depay? The Red Devils have already made an official enquiry to Barcelona over Depay’s availability. Depay is valued at €20m currently and has a contract until the end of the season.  Barcelona would likely agree to a transfer as long as they get a good price for the forward. Depay continued to express his love for Man United even after being sold to Lyon in 2016. He may be willing to return to Old Trafford and continue the Dutch revolution at Manchester United.  Depay only played two La Liga matches for Barcelona before the FIFA World Cup break. He scored one goal in two appearances, playing just a combined 116 minutes of football. Depay suffered a thigh injury and has spent much of the season on the sidelines. However, manager Xavi has not favoured the Dutchman. Depay was left on the bench in Barcelona’s four opening games of the La Liga season.  Depay will play for the Netherlands at the World Cup in November. A strong performance could lead to him being snatched up by United (or another team) in the January transfer window. Manchester United could choose to sign Depay to a pre-contract in January to arrive in the summer of 2023.  Manchester United may not be the only club interested in Depay’s services. Premier League rival Tottenham Hotspur are also linked with the Dutchman’s signature.  Manchester United are also interested in Depay’s international teammate Cody Gakpo. The PSV Eindhoven player is one of the hottest properties on the transfer market. Several teams were interested in Gakpo’s signature last summer, including Brighton and Leeds United. However, Gakpo signed a new contract with PSV Eindhoven intending to remain in the Netherlands ahead of the World Cup.

Manchester United has started the process of kicking Cristiano Ronaldo out of their club without paying him a dime after his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan. The attacker has been a problem for the club this season after they denied him a chance to leave in the summer because they failed to finish inside the top four. Their new manager Erik ten Hag has not used him often enough and it seems both individuals do not have a relationship. Ronaldo admitted he didn’t respect the gaffer because he did not feel respected by the Dutchman, making it vice versa. However, he gave away too much about the club, which has embarrassed them and they now want him out of their squad. He makes around £500,000 a week, but United wants to sack him without paying him any amount in compensation, Matchplug understands.