By Ben Higlett and Dan Reuben
Das Transferfenster - As the clocks struck midnight to signal the start of 2019, for football fans it also means a month of excitement with the opening of the transfer window. On Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund announced the sale of Christian Pulisic to Chelsea with the American due to move to London’s biggest club in the summer – the 20-year-old will remain on loan at Dortmund until the end of the 2018/19 season. As Kicker commented, the transfer is a win-win for both clubs. Meanwhile staying in West London, Chelsea’s 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi has been closely linked with a move to Bayern Munich so far this month. After the successes of fellow Englishmen Reiss Nelson and Jadon Sancho in Germany, pundits have called for the player to follow in their footsteps and make the move to the Bundesliga. He will not be sold cheaply though, with Chelsea reportedly rejecting a bid of £20 million from the German champions. If Chelsea refuse to budge, this won't be the first time they've got one over Die Bayern, after their famous win in the European Cup Final 2012 in Munich.
Ribery in Twitter storm
Away from the transfer window, Franck Ribery got into hot water over his Twitter response to criticism after he was videoed eating a gold-coated steak with social media celebrity “Salt Bae” in Dubai. Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said his response was unacceptable and the Frenchman has been fined for his tweets. Tennis
Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber were defeated in nail-biting fashion as Swiss pair Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic triumphed in the Hopman Cup for the second year in a row. After Federer had earlier eased past Zverev 6-4 6-2, Wimbledon champion Kerber levelled the tie with a 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory over Bencic. However, the Swiss claimed a tight 4-0 1-4 4-3 (5-4) win in the mixed doubles – played in a ‘fast4’ format – which saw a spectacular deciding point, the German pair desperately trying to pass Federer and Bencic at the net, to no avail.
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