Believability Meter on the Week's Biggest Rumours: Kane, Zlatan, Biglia, Hummels

Harry Kane has been linked with Chelsea, Lazio's Lucas Biglia appears to have a number of big-name suitors and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels continues to be pursued by Manchester United.

We chew over these rumours across the following pages, where our trusty believability meter gives its take on the biggest transfer gossip of the week.

In this slideshow, we also give you our verdict on Marc Bartra's links with the Premier League, assess Sadio Mane's chances of leaving Southampton and examine gossip surrounding Paris Saint-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Fiorentina's Nikola Kalinic.

Chelsea have joined the race to sign Southampton's Sadio Mane, according to Darren Lewis in the Mirror.

As Lewis reported:

The champions are big admirers of the 23-year-old Senegalese forward who played a key role in Southampton's 3-1 win over them last month.

Mane, who scored in that match, is already being coveted by Manchester United and has scored six times in 17 games so far this season.

The Saints maintain there were no talks held with United and that the Reds failed to follow up their interest.

But both United and Chelsea are looking at goalscoring alternatives having struggled in front of goal so far this season.

Over the summer, Saints manager Ronald Koeman insisted Mane was not for sale amid reported interest from Louis van Gaal's side, per David Hytner in the Guardian.

Reacting to the latest rumours, Koeman told BBC Sport, "You can ask again about Sadio, Manchester United, Chelsea, but we will sell nobody in January."

Mane has notched 16 goals and 12 assists in 50 games in all competitions for Southampton since joining the side from Red Bull Salzburg in September 2014.

He is currently under contract until 2018.

Believability Meter: Low to Medium

As we saw with last summer's exodus to Liverpool, Southampton are a selling club. We've also witnessed both Luke Shaw and Morgan Schneiderlin leave St Mary's for Manchester United over the last two summer windows.

With the right amount of money on offer, Mane could very well be next to depart. The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson claimed Saints' valuation of the player is at least £35 million.

Chelsea also appear to be watching the forward, but it remains to be seen whether they will actually flex their financial muscle and make a move.

While it seems unlikely Southampton would consider letting Mane go in January, we'd wager he will be gone in the summer.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of contract at the end of the 2015/16 season, and according to Neil Moxley of the Sunday People (via the Mirror), he is targeting a move to Arsenal.

As Moxley reported:

The legendary Sweden striker said this week it was 'too late' for him to link up with any English sides when his contract at Paris Saint-Germain ends next summer.

But Sunday People Sport understands that not only has contact with a number of our leading clubs been made on Ibrahimovic's behalf but that the player himself has made it clear he wants to work with Arsene Wenger—and, what's more, the Frenchman is interested. ...

His agent, Mino Raiola, is now actively trying to secure his next move and before the player quits for either America or the Middle East, Ibrahimovic has decided he wants to sign off with a spell in England.

The 34-year-old, who joined PSG from AC Milan in summer 2012, has scored 117 goals in 145 games for the French side.

Believability Meter: Low

This is not the first time the Gunners have been linked with Zlatan, and it won't be the last.

Be it on the field or off, the Swede always creates a buzz, and his next move is already a hot topic in transfer circles. The man generates clicks and sells papers, which is part of the reason we'll see a lot of gossip surrounding him in the coming months.

We presume chatter linking the centre-forward specifically with Arsenal comes down to the fact he turned down a move to the club in 2000, per the Sun, and still represents a fantasy signing or "the one who got away" rather than the subject of a transfer that is actually going to happen. 

For our believability meter to change its stance, we'd need a clear indication Wenger is truly interested in Zlatan or a sign the striker has suddenly changed his mind since his recent comments that he feels it is too late to consider a career in England, per Sky Sports.

Lucas Biglia will have a number of clubs fighting to sign him in January, claimed Spanish outlet Fichajes (via Bruce Archer in the Express).

According to Archer, Liverpool are ready to do battle with Real Madrid to sign the Lazio midfielder, who also appears to be on Manchester United's January wishlist.

The 29-year-old, who was made captain at the Stadio Olimpico this season, joined Lazio in 2013 from RSC Anderlecht.

He has since made 74 appearances for Stefano Pioli's side.

Offered a contract extension over the summer, designed to keep him at the club until 2020, per Corriere della Sera (via Football Italia), Biglia's deal is set to expire in 2018.

Believability Meter: Low

After helping Lazio to Champions League qualification last term, Biglia has been linked with a host of suitors.

Comments such as the following—made in August after being given the Biancocelesti's captaincy, relayed by Goal—have helped to fan the flames, "Will I definitely stay now that I have the armband? I don't know. The truth is that it doesn't depend on me."

Plenty of gossip exists. However, we're dubious the defensive midfielder is going anywhere this winter.

Lazio do orchestrate the occasional January deal, such as Hernanes' deadline day switch to Inter Milan in 2014, but they save most of their big business for the summer months.

This is when Biglia will go if he does continue to eschew the offer of an extended deal and if, in fact, one is still on the table (it's a lot of ifs).

After being given the role of captain, we predict Biglia will see the season out in Rome and, following last season's surprising third-place finish in Serie A, stay to see where Lazio can go.

Marc Bartra is considering an exit from Barcelona, with Manchester United said to be the front-runners for his signature.

As reported by Ed Malyon in the Mirror:

Manchester United lead the race for Barcelona's Marc Bartra as the defender considers his future at the Nou Camp.

The Spanish international, who started the friendly against England earlier this month, was distraught to be left out of the matchday squad for el clasico at the weekend and is understood to be contemplating a move away to secure first-team football, according to reports in Spain.

United are still in the hunt for a central defender to add to their squad after missing out on Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos in the summer.

While the club pursued Ramos principally because they had been advised of his supposed openness to a move, Louis van Gaal is actually more actively searching for a left-footed centre-back if he can’t sign someone considered elite.

The 24-year-old has made six appearances in the Liga so far this season and has been in the starting XI three times.

Bartra signed his most recent contract extension in January 2014, a deal designed to run until summer 2017.

He has made 91 appearances for the club in total.

It was announced recently in Mundo Deportivo (via Malyon in the Mirror) that former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol will become Bartra's agent. Transfermarkt claims Puyol has already assumed this role.

Believability Meter: Low to Medium

Bartra made just 14 outings in La Liga last term and recorded 25 appearances in all competitions. During the previous campaign, it was 20 Liga games and 30 in all competitions. The season beforehand, it was eight and 16.

You could say that, relative to his team-mates, he is used to being a bit-part player.

Determined to nail down a starting role, before the most recent El Clasico he told FourFourTwo's Andy Mitten, "I like to watch the Premier League. English football is a little anarchic, full of one-v-ones. I like that, but my heart is in Barca."

We're now told that after not making it into Luis Enrique's squad for the 4-0 mauling of Madrid, his opinion may have changed. Quite a quick turnaround, we think you'd agree.

We're not convinced Bartra wants out, and with Puyol as his agent—a player who spent his entire career at the Camp Nou—perhaps he will be encouraged to be patient.

However, in recent years, we have seen club graduates depart in search of regular first-team football, such as Pedro Rodriguez (Chelsea), Gerard Deulofeu (Everton) and Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich).

Bartra could feasibly be next, but we'd need to have mind-reading powers to know what he really feels about the situation.

If he does go, our money would be heaped on next summer, when he will enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Chelsea are interested in bringing Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic back to the Premier League, claimed Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t George Bellshaw in Metro).

The 27-year-old has experience of England's top flight, having notched 44 appearances in the division with Blackburn Rovers. That, as Bellshaw noted, is another reason for the Blues to target the Croatian as he "will already have a grasp of the language."

Kalinic is enjoying a fine season in Serie A, having scored nine goals in 12 games since making a switch from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in August.

His Fiorentina contract is designed to keep him at Stadio Artemio Franchi until summer 2019.

Believability Meter: Low

Third in Serie A at the time of writing and very much in contention to make it out of the Europa League group stage, Fiorentina are enjoying a strong season under Portuguese boss Paulo Sousa.

Less than four months into his four-year contract with the Tuscan side, there's no reason to believe Kalinic has any desire to leave.

This has all the hallmarks of a space-filling story.

Here's how it works: Chelsea need goals, Fiorentina have an in-form striker and happen to be the club that allowed the in-demand Juan Cuadrado to move to Stamford Bridge last winter. Kalinic has played in England before, meaning he must want to return! And so on and so forth. 

There is nothing to see here except a spurious rumour. New to Italy and impressing, the in-form Kalinic will continue to hit goals for Fiorentina for some time yet.

Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels remains a target for Manchester United, according to Bild (h/t Aaron Flanagan in the Mirror).

Long linked with a move to Old Trafford, new reports claim the 26-year-old will hand in a transfer request at the end of the season.

As Flanagan put it, "It is thought that Louis van Gaal is once again looking for a regular partner for Chris Smalling and Hummels ticks all the boxes."

Hummels joined Dortmund permanently in 2009 after coming up through the youth system at Bayern Munich. He has since made 282 appearances for BVB.

He is under contract at Signal Iduna Park until 2017.

Believability Meter: Medium

Mats Hummels and Manchester United. We've been here before, haven't we?

To make a case for the World-Cup winner's departure from Dortmund, you would have to include reports that have hinted toward a rift with manager Thomas Tuchel—rumours the club have been keen to play down, as seen in Der Westen (h/t ESPN FC).

In July, Hummels told Kicker magazine (h/t Joe Short in the Express) it was Tuchel who convinced him not to leave North Rhine-Westphalia. Perhaps if there is friction between player and manager, the centre-back feels it is time to leave.

Also, in possession of a deal that will soon enter its final 18 months, it is fair to assume the Bundesliga club will be keen to tie Hummels down to a new, extended contract or to sell him in order to get as much cash as possible.

The case against an exit would point toward Hummels' form. Although the Dortmund captain has played every minute of Bundesliga football this season, he has come under fire for his performances, most notably against Bayern Munich and Hamburg, so is he really what Manchester United—or others—want or need?

We mustn't forget BVB are having an excellent season and are very likely to finish in second in the Bundesliga and qualify for next season's Champions League and that Hummels stuck by the club when former manager Jurgen Klopp left at the end of the last campaign.

All things considered, our believability meter is struggling with this one. We feel it's a switch that could go either way.

With a sigh, we have settled on a fence-straddling medium.

Chelsea are going to launch a summer bid for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, claimed Sami Mokbel on MailOnline.

As Mokbel reported:

Chelsea are prepared to launch a full-scale attempt to land England hotshot Harry Kane next summer.

The Barclays Premier League champions have joined Manchester United in taking admiring glances at the Tottenham striker.

Stamford Bridge scouts will use Sunday's clash against Spurs to add to their dossier of the striker.

The Blues are in the midst of a global search to identify a new first-choice central striker with Diego Costa's future as the club's No 1 forward under review. …

And Kane is emerging as a shock name on the west London club's list.

The 22-year-old has scored eight Premier League goals in 13 games so far this season.

His contract is set to keep him at White Hart Lane until 2020.

Believability Meter: Low

Two months ago, when Kane had scored just one top-flight goal in seven games, there was little talk about his future and more about his supposed loss of form.

Fast forward six games and seven goals and, hey presto, Chelsea want him.

Considering the Blues' current predicament, it's easy to see why these rumours are doing the rounds, especially in a week in which the two sides are—narrative ahoy—set to face off.

However, why Kane would want to depart a harmonious Spurs squad performing so well under Mauricio Pochettino and sitting in fifth is key. It’s fair to assume a) he doesn't and b) Chelsea do not look that inviting at the moment, no matter the cash on offer.

In the Independent, in which Kane is linked with a January switch by Tom Sheen, Pochettino responded to the exit reports, telling Chelsea they should prepare to be disappointed if they pursue Kane. We agree.

Don't forget, either, that the Londoner signed a five-and-a-half-year contract extension at Spurs less than 12 months ago.

All contract and player information comes from Transfermarkt unless otherwise indicated.