|
The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn't mean the rumours won't keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation. TOP STORY: Barca create shortlist to bolster midfieldAfter missing out on Georginio Wijnaldum, who opted to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer, Ronald Koeman still wants a new midfielder at Barcelona, as reported by Sport. Koeman wants a box-to-box player, providing an attacking threat and fighting spirit, who can complement Pedri and Frenkie de Jong in the middle. Ilaix Moriba left for RB Leipzig in the summer window, and even though Gavi has broken into the team this season it's suggested that the Blaugrana have four midfield targets. Tanguy Ndombele has failed to hold down a place at Tottenham Hotspur and offered himself to Barca during the summer. Then there is Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic and AC Milan's Franck Kessie, who are both out of contract at the end of the season. While Donny van de Beek doesn't necessarily fit the profile of a more physical midfielder, Barcelona are also showing an interest in a player who has struggled since moving to Manchester United in 2020, managing just 141 minutes in all competitions so far this term. LIVE BLOG21.01 BST: Thanks for joining in the fun of another day of Transfer Talk; come back soon! 20.30 BST: Man United are set to hand captain Harry Maguire a new contract, reports The Mirror. Maguire signed a six-year deal when he arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester in 2019, but his form and consistency since then, as well as his impact with the armband, means the 28-year-old looks set to received new and improved terms. The report adds that the England international is not the only layers with whom United are keen to talk about the future: Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba are among the others. 19.44 BST: We mentioned earlier (18.27 BST) that Kylian Mbappe's future has the potential to become a saga; well, that of Paul Pogba might have already reached that stage! Like his France teammate, Pogba is a free agent next summer. Like his France teammate, there is plenty of talk that he will make a move. And, like his France teammate, Real Madrid have been mentioned as suitors. But Pogba also has plenty of fans in Turin, where he spent a successful four years with Juventus, and La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that The Old Lady has a chance to re-sign the midfielder, provided they move on Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot. 19.02 BST: According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter could be busy in January, with strikers Luka Jovic and Alexandre Lacazette on the Nerazzurri radar, as well as Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez. Jovic, 23, continues to struggle for playing time at Real Madrid, while 30-year-old Lacazette could be available due to his contract expiring at the end of the season. In the same report, it is claimed that Inter would like to move Alexis Sanchez and his hefty salary off the books. 18.27 BST: The latest on Kylian Mbappe's future is that Paris Saint-Germain are still hopeful the star forward will sign a new contract. The 22-year-old's current deal expires at the end of this season and plenty in the game believe his move to Real Madrid is a fait accompli, but Fabrizio Romano cites a quote given by PSG sporting director Leonardo to Festival dello Sport, which suggests the club has not given up. "Our idea is to extend Kylian Mbappe contract. Nothing has changed in our plans. Kylian is a jewel." This one is just going to run and run, isn't it? 17.41 BST: Tuttosport reports that Juventus are in the best position to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina. Vlahovic, 21, has decided he will not sign a contract extension to take his current deal beyond 2023, and he now seems certain to move -- that will signal a scramble for his signature. The Serbia international scored 21 goals last season, with another 4 in 7 games so far this campaign. He was linked with Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, but offers were rejected as Fiorentina were confident he would renew his deal. Tuttosport says Juve are now ready to enter the race to link Vlahovic with another former Fiorentina player, Federico Chiesa. 16.52 BST: Inter Milan chief executive Beppe Marotta has insisted the days of the club offloading their best players are over. Inter lost Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, as well coach Antonio Conte, a matter of weeks after winning the Scudetto as the club attempted to solve financial problems. Now Marotta insists they have no need to move players on. "We can rule it out.," Marotta told Gazetta dello Sport. "I reassure our fans: Inter will also exist in the future." 16.00 BST: Lionel Messi has given an extensive interview to France Football to discuss his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain -- and he insists he has no regrets. "I had to find a new club to continue my career," he said. "I was lucky to be contacted by various clubs and one of them was Paris Saint-Germain. I'm grateful to the club because, from the beginning, they treated me well. They showed that they really wanted me and took care of me. I thank them and I'm really happy to be here today. "I had other offers, but I have to admit that we came to an agreement quite quickly with PSG. "I was convinced by the project, the club's ambitions, the players they have, the squad... All of these factors facilitated things to quickly reach an agreement." 15.11 BST: Portsmouth of League One are hoping to sign players on loan from Arsenal when the transfer window reopens in January. Pompey already have Miguel Azeez from the Gunners for the season, and boss Danny Cowley has identified further players he would like to bring in. "I watched Bournemouth under-23s against Arsenal on Wednesday night," he said. "It's always good to keep a good eye on the young players in the Premier League and Championship club. "I don't like to recruit players unless I've watched them live on a number of occasions. There were four who were of interest to us, so it gave us an opportunity to watch them." 14.20 BST: Big signings you say? The Daily Telegraph has an exclusive that the first signing of the new era at Newcastle United is likely to be ... James Tarkowski of Burnley. The 28-year-old centre-back probably wasn't a name on the lips of Magpies fans when the club was taken over in the week, but the report says that he wants to move to St James' Park. It won't be a big money move, either, because the England international will be out of contract next summer. The report also suggests Manchester United's Jesse Lingard is another target, though there is less confidence in this link. 13.33 BST: Juventus are desperate to offload Aaron Ramsey in January, according to Calciomercato. Ramsey, 30, joined Juve on a free transfer two years ago when his Arsenal contract expired, but has fallen down the pecking order. The Wales international has made only four appearances in all competitions this season, and Juve are hoping Everton or West Ham United will firm up interest in the midfielder once the window opens. 12.44 BST: Sergio Aguero turned down serious interest from Juventus in the summer to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer, and stay there, reports Sport in Spain. The 33-year-old is said to have rejected two contract offers from Juve. Firstly, he wanted to play alongside his friend Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou. Messi, of course, left for Paris Saint-Germain but Sport says rumours that Aguero then wanted to leave Barca are untrue and he rebuffed renewed interest from Juve on transfer deadline day at the end of August. The former Manchester City striker, who left the Etihad at the end of his contract in the summer, 11.58 BST: ABC in Spain reports that Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has emerged as one of Real Madrid's top transfer targets. Rudiger, 28, is out of contract at the end of the season and has reportedly turned down a new deal worth £125,000-a-week. The report says that Real Madrid are looking to bring in established players at zero cost, following the arrival of David Alaba from Bayern Munich in the summer. Along with Rudiger, Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe will also be available on a free at the end of this campaign. 11.06 BST: Liverpool could make a move for Olympiakos centre-back Pape Abou Cisse, according to the Daily Mail. Cisse, 26, is attracting interest from several clubs, with Arsenal and Everton also having sent scouts to watch the Senegal international. 10.18 BST: Erling Haaland was once again linked with Real Madrid in the Spanish press on Saturday, with Marca claiming "the race to sign Haaland is speeding up" while admitting that the Borussia Dortmund forward is yet to decide where his future lies. So far this season the 21-year-old has continued his extraordinary goal-scoring form of recent years -- which has made him a target for all of Europe's top clubs, with a rumoured €75m release clause due to kick in next summer-- with seven Bundesliga goals from just five starts. According to Marca, Madrid remain the leading contenders to sign Haaland -- his agent Mino Raiola and father Alf-Inge visited the club, along with Barcelona, earlier this year -- although their top target is still Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe. The newspaper says that Haaland would have to accept sharing the spotlight with Mbappe if both were to move to the Bernabeu, and "it's a question of time, meetings and letting Haaland himself decide." 09.30 BST: A remarkable story in the Daly Telegraph suggests Newcastle United will have £190m to spend in the January transfer window, following their Saudi Arabian takeover this week. The paper reckons than financial fair play restrictions which not be such a worry "thanks to the parsimonious spending of former owner Mike Ashley." Newcastle have made a profit of £38m over the last three years, giving Newcastle £190m to spend within FFP limits. However, it is thought the new owners will take stock first rather than plough millions into the team in the winter window. PAPER GOSSIP- Juventus will look to move for AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in January, with the aim being to find new homes for Aaron Ramsey and Weston McKennie in order to facilitate the move, reports Calciomercato The Old Lady have long been linked with the France international, and seeing him in UEFA Nations League action against Belgium hasn't dampened their interest. While McKennie has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, Juve could attempt to include him as part of a swap deal for the 21-year-old. - AS Roma have a plan to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria during the January transfer window, according to Calciomercato. Jose Mourinho feels he is missing a powerful midfielder after failing to land Arsenal's Granit Xhaka during the summer, with his fellow Switzerland international deemed the perfect alternative. - Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry is expected to soon sign a contract extension with the Bundesliga champions, according to Fabrizio Romano, who states that the Germany international has a verbal agreement at the final stages and it will only be a matter of time before the paperwork is completed. - Two key men for Lazio, striker Ciro Immobile and Francesco Acerbi, have signed new contracts with the club, according to Calciomercato. Immobile has reportedly signed to stay until 2026, while Acerbi's deal runs until 2025, which will keep them with the club until they are 36 and 37 years old, respectively. - Manchester United could recall Facundo Pellistri from his loan deal with Alaves due to a lack of game time, as reported by Goal. The 19-year-old has made just one LaLiga start and is yet to reach 200 minutes this term, which has caused frustration due to other clubs, including Club Brugge, having shown interest in signing the Uruguayan on loan in the summer. If he does return, the Red Devils could either loan him out again to a more suitable club.
|
