Tuesday 28 January 2020 13:07, UK
Islam Slimani has told Monaco he wants to cut short his loan deal, and return to the Premier League in this window.
Interest has been shown in the 31-year-old by Manchester United, but despite their need for a striker, it now looks unlikely United will make a move for the Algerian.
Sky Sports News has confirmed reports in the Daily Mail, saying Slimani is keen to move on from Monaco, where he has scored seven goals and earned seven assists in 13 Ligue 1 appearances.
The arrival of new manager Robert Moreno at the end of the year has seen Slimani play just 30 minutes of first-team football.
Aston Villa are monitoring the situation, as they search for a striker in the last few days of the window after having signed Genk striker Mbwana Samatta last week.
Villa's initial enquiries earlier this month suggested the deal was too complicated to complete, because of negotiations with both Monaco, and Slimani's parent club Leicester.
There is no clause in Slimani's contract at Monaco that allows him to leave before the end of the season, and so the French club are likely to want compensation before letting him move.
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
