It feels like only yesterday that Chelsea were splashing serious money to bring Marc Cucurella over from Brighton, and now here we are with both Barcelona and Real Madrid apparently fancying a piece of him. The Spanish left-back has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride at Stamford Bridge, going from squad afterthought to actually looking fairly decent this season, which is presumably what has caught the eye of the two biggest clubs in Spain. Whether Chelsea would entertain letting him go is another question entirely, though knowing their transfer activity over the past few years, anything is possible.
Over on Merseyside, Liverpool are doing what Liverpool do and scouting the next exciting young talent before anyone else has properly noticed him. Yan Diomande, a teenage forward at RB Leipzig, is apparently on their radar, and honestly if Liverpool's recruitment team are interested then it is probably worth paying attention. They have an excellent track record of spotting players early and turning them into genuine contributors. Diomande is one to watch, even if most fans outside Germany would struggle to name him right now.
Meanwhile Newcastle are trying to strengthen at right-back with Atalanta's Marco Palestra on their shortlist, but it sounds like they will not have things all their own way. Competition for the Italian youngster is building, which is becoming a familiar story for Newcastle these days. They are a genuinely attractive destination now compared to a few years ago, but the top targets always seem to come with a queue of other clubs attached.
All in all it is a fairly busy Tuesday in the world of football gossip, with some stories that could actually have legs and others that feel like agents doing a bit of window shopping on their client's behalf. The Cucurella one is genuinely interesting because it involves two clubs who rarely have to work hard to get their man, and Chelsea will need to decide whether they want to cash in or keep building around him. The next few weeks should tell us plenty. Let me know your thoughts.