Football
Matthew Stanger 7y

Manchester United prepared to wait 12 months to complete Gareth Bale deal

Deadline day has come and gone, and all the latest deals and potential deals can be found here, but there's plenty brewing in the market as clubs begin to look toward January.

Man United to return for Bale next summer

Although talk of Manchester United's interest in Gareth Bale quickly fizzled out during the transfer window, the Premier League leaders are planning to return for the winger next year.

A £90 million move has been mooted, but Real Madrid were reluctant to sell this summer despite Bale's struggles with injuries and form that have seen him booed by his own supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale, who has played a part in three Champions League triumphs at Madrid, is apparently keen to stay and prove himself in this remarkably successful era under Zinedine Zidane. But The Sun claims the Spanish club will listen to offers for the 28-year-old at the end of the season as the rise of Isco and Marco Asensio threatens his place in the team.

Jose Mourinho has outlined his intention to bring in a star signing to play on the wing, and Bale could be the perfect fit to supply the ammunition for Romelu Lukaku.

Meanwhile, United have signed highly-rated Spanish youngster Arnau Puigmal to join the youth setup at Old Trafford. The 16-year-old announced the move on Instagram as he posed for a photo alongside Andy Cole.

Barkley bemused by Conte snub

In one of the more puzzling deadline day stories, Ross Barkley rejected a £35m move to Chelsea to remain in limbo at Everton -- and Joey Barton has now shared the inside scoop on what happened.

According to the former Burnley midfielder, Barkley wanted to speak to Antonio Conte about where he planned to play him, but the manager turned off his phone.

"I heard a really interesting thing about what happened with the Ross Barkley transfer," Barton told talkSPORT.

"Conte turned his phone off and Barkley's representatives were trying to contact him. He wanted to say: 'Look, where am I going to play,' and Conte turned his phone off.

"That is why Barkley got cold feet and never signed."

Barkley was unsurprisingly left bemused by the situation, but an exclusive on the back page of The Times suggests Conte had been ordered by Chelsea not to speak to the midfielder.

The newspaper's report suggests the club wanted to handle negotiations after the Italian had failed to convince Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to join earlier in the week.

It's thought Barkley will reconsider a move to Stamford Bridge in January, while Tottenham are also interested in the 23-year-old whose contract expires next summer.

Arsenal plan to avoid repeat of contract fiasco

After Arsenal's summer transfer plans were derailed by the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the club plan to tie down a host of stars this season to ensure the fiasco doesn't happen again.

Of that high-profile trio only Oxlade-Chamberlain departed, but Sanchez has made it clear he won't be staying when his contract expires in June 2018 while Ozil is also no closer to committing his future.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal intend to be "proactive" regarding new deals for first-team regulars, with Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech, Danny Welbeck, Nacho Monreal and Theo Walcott currently all free to leave at the end of next season.

Jack Wilshere is not expected to be offered new terms, however, along with Mathieu Debuchy and Chuba Akpom.

Tap-ins

- Exciting Tottenham prospect Marcus Edwards was a target for Ajax in the transfer window, but remains focused on breaking into Mauricio Pochettino's plans this season. The 18-year-old recently signed a new three-year contract, but The Sun claims that didn't stop the Dutch giants from making a move.

- Vincent Janssen appears to be on borrowed time at Spurs after being left out of the club's Champions League squad. The striker was the subject of deadline-day bids from West Brom and Brighton and is thought to be available after failing to impress Mauricio Pochettino.

- Roberto Mancini is on West Ham's list of potential replacements for Slaven Bilic, who could be shown the door if the Hammers fail to beat Huddersfield at the weekend. The former Manchester City boss is currently at Zenit Saint Petersburg and joins Rafa Benitez as a target, reports the Evening Standard.

- Juventus are plotting a trio of bargain signings next summer as they eye three key players whose contracts expire at the end of the season. Liverpool midfielder Emre Can is top of Massimiliano Allegri's shortlist and is joined by Andres Iniesta and Schalke's Leon Goretzka. According to Tuttosport, the club will look to begin negotiations when they are free to speak to the trio in January.

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