Anderson Talisca snubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool

Brazilian striker's scorching form attracted Premier League attention, but he only has eyes for Benfica

Anderson Talisca
(Image credit: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty)

The latest player to rule out a transfer to England in the New Year is 20-year-old Brazilian Anderson Talisca.

The young forward made the move from Bahia to Benfica in the summer and has set Portugal alight with his sharpshooting skills. Now his blistering form has come to the attention of the Premier League with the Daily Express reporting that Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all put the South American scorcher on their January wishlist. But in an interview with Portuguese rag O'Jogo, the Brazil under-23 international pooh-poohed the idea of a New Year move to the Premier League."I am thinking only of Benfica," declared Talisca. "I know I have and am able to learn much from this wonderful group, with its supporters and with the coach." In other news, the Daily Star says that Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is on the radar of Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal. With United's defence leaking like Edward Snowden the Dutchman is desperate to restore some order to the Old Trafford back four and that could mean a January swoop for the 23-year-old Koulibaly. He began his career with French club Metz before moving to Genk and then securing a transfer to Napoli last summer, where he primarily plays at centre-back.Koulibaly is contracted to the Italian club until 2018 so the Star predicts that if United do intend to prise him away from Naples it's likely to entail "a hefty price tag".Elsewhere Talksport report that AC Milan are back in the hunt for Liverpool midfielder Suso. The Italian outfit first expressed a liking for the 20-year-old playmaker last month, only for their interest to dim when the extent of his groin injury became apparent. But with Suso likely to be fit again next month, reports in Italy suggest that Milan gaffer Filippo Inzaghi is "readying a post-Christmas offer" for the Liverpool star. Talksport say that the Reds could well accept a cash bid for the youngster rather than see him leave on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.Finally, Arsenal's ability to slump faster than a midterm Democrat is already having repercussions. They had been linked with a move for Bayer Levekusen's Christoph Kramer but it seems likely the playmaker saw the highlights of the Gunners' pathetic 3-3 draw with Anderlecht on Tuesday.That would certainly explain the statement issued on Wednesday by Kramer's agent, Emanuele Marchetti. "For the moment he is very happy and settled in Germany," he said when asked about a possible move in the New Year.

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Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.