Manchester United target nears Benfica exit; Paolo Guerrero rejects exit talk

Manchester United target nears Benfica exit

Portuguese newspaper A Bola is reporting that Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay is set to leave Estadio da Luz in the January transfer window.

A number of Benfica players have been attracting attention from top European clubs, but the Argentine defender is clearly the most sought-after footballer at the club.

Garay, 26, already has plenty of experience of playing at the highest level and his showing for the Eagles over the last two seasons have been of the highest standard.

Benfica chiefs hope to keep hold of the player at least until the summer, but they may not be able to resist a big money offer.

Juventus and Manchester United seem to be locked in the battle for the highly rated defender, with at least one of the two clubs expected to make an official offer in January.

Garay, who spent two years at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2011, is valued at around £15 million, which is clearly not too much to pay for a player who has established himself as a first team regular in Argentina national team.

Paolo Guerrero rejects exit talk

Corinthians star Paolo Guerrero has rubbished speculations linking him with a January move to Europe.

The controversial striker has kick-started his career in Brazil following an unhappy ending to his spell in German Bundesliga and went on to score both goals for Corinthians as the Brazilian giants won the Club World Cup earlier this month.

He has since been linked with the likes of Juventus and Chelsea, but the highly rated striker is adamant he won’t be leaving his current club any time soon.

“I want to respect my contract with Corinthians. I am very happy here”, the Peruvian was quoted as saying in Tuttosport.

”The rumours of my transfer are crazy, like me.”

Guerrero, 28, joined Corinthians in a €3.5 million move from HSV and went on to score 6 goals in 15 league games during his first six months at the club.

He largely impressed at the Club World Cup and helped his club win the coveted title by scoring in 1-0 wins over Al Ahly and Chelsea.

Lyon keen on Sebastien Corchia

Ligue 1 giants Lyon are readying January bid for Sochaux defender Sebastien Corchia, according to Le Progres.

With first choice right-back Anthony Reveillere set to leave Stade Gerland when his contract expires at the end of the season, les Gones are looking to sign a new right-sided defender to provide competition for Mouhamadou Dabo.

Le Progres understands that Lyon have made Sochaux hotshot Sebastien Corchia their number one target.

Corchia is a product of famous Le Mans youth academy and he is a former captain of France Under-21 side.

The 22-year-old has been performing at a very high level at Sochaux over the last couple of years and this could be the right time to move on to a bigger club.

Corchia, who has a contract until June 2015, will have no problems leaving the club that currently sit deep in the relegation zone.

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