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’s the latest gossip and speculation.
TOP STORY: Dybala on Liverpool’s radar
Liverpool are interested in signing Juventus forward Paulo Dybala on a free transfer, according to Calciomercato.
Dybala, 28, is out of contract with the Old Lady at the end of the season, with the Reds keen to land him.
The Serie A club have been in talks with the Argentina international over a new deal for months, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming that an agreement has been reached which will extend Dybala’s stay with the Bianconeri for another five-years.
However, nothing from the club has been forthcoming and, speaking on his contract situation recently, Dybala told DAZN: “Right now the club has other things to resolve so for now we can wait on this, what’s happening now is more important than my contract.”
Dybala has spent six years at Juventus, joining from Parma back in 2015 for around €40m. He has since gone on to score 108 goals with 46 assists in 269 competitive appearances for the club, winning 12 trophies.
With no announcement yet made on the renewal, Dybala is able negotiate a pre-contract agreement outside of Italy from Jan. 1 and Liverpool have made it known they are interested.
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LIVE BLOG
11.40 GMT: Will Tottenham let striker Harry Kane leave in the coming months?
1:22
Mark Donaldson and Janusz Michallik discuss how Tottenham is in good hands with Son Heung-min if Harry Kane was to leave Tottenham Hotspur.
10.55 GMT: Joao Felix is considering a move away from Atletico Madrid, Diario AS reports, and their possible elimination from the Champions League could tip the balance in favour of him leaving.
Atletico need to win away at Porto on Tuesday — bettering Milan’s result against Liverpool in the process — to qualify from Group B.
Joao Felix, 22, signed for €126m from Benfica in 2019 as the outstanding young player in European football, but hasn’t been able to deliver consistently since.
According to AS, his agents would like to convince Atletico to let him leave in January, although the club would be reluctant to do so unless they receive an offer which would see them recoup what they paid and help offset the financial hit if they’re knocked out of the Champions league.
10.24 GMT: PSG defender Achraf Hakimi only joined the club for around €60m last summer but has already decided to move on, says El Nacional.
Hakimi, 23, reportedly wants to move back to Real Madrid — the club he left for Inter Milan in 2020 before ending up in Paris a year later.
It would be an odd career choice for the Morocco international right-back to head back to the club that gave him only 17 games in the first-team, sent him on loan to Dortmund for two years and then let him leave for €40m to Inter when he looked like he might get a chance to shine. But that’s football.
Hakimi joined Madrid in 2006 and spent time rising through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut in 2017.
09.49 GMT: Sky Sport Austria reports that FC Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi is set to snub Barcelona for Borussia Dortmund.
Adeyemi, 19, has 15 goals in 26 games this season and has attracted attention from all the top clubs in Europe.
Barcelona are reportedly willing to offer €40m to land the Germany international (though where they are getting that kind of money from is another question), but Adeyemi reportedly sees his future at Dortmund, where he could replace Erling Haaland next summer.
09.12 GMT: Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai is set to move to Chelsea, according to Hungary boss Marco Rossi.
Szalai, 23, has impressed in Turkey and started all of Hungary’s games at Euro 2020 this summer.
Chelsea are looking to revamp their defence as Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all have contracts which come to an end in 2022, with Szalai evidently in their plans.
Rossi was asked which Hungary players would star in Serie A by Italian outlet Calciomercato and replied: “It’s hard to name just one player, but right now I see very well Attila Szalai, who plays for Fenerbahce, but I think he is joining Chelsea. Clearly, he has been followed by important clubs in Spain, but apparently his move to Chelsea is a done deal. He would be a great player also for Italian football.”
08.48 GMT: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he is not worried about Mohamed Salah‘s future at the club amid reports linking the forward with a move to Barcelona.
Salah’s existing deal at Anfield runs out in June 2023 and he previously said he wants to extend his stay at Liverpool but claimed his future “is not in my hands.”
Speaking to an Egyptian broadcaster, Salah reiterated his desire to remain but claimed it was down to the management to resolve his contractual situation. The 29-year-old also said he was happy that Barca boss Xavi was interested in him.
Klopp addressed the situation in a news conference on Monday and said: “You know what he is about. We’re talking.
“Extending a contract with a player like Mo is not a thing you do where you meet for a cup of tea in the afternoon and find an agreement, that’s completely normal.
“There’s really nothing else to say. Mo speaks about it when he is asked about it, I can only say a few things because all of the rest is not for the public obviously but I’m not sure if he gave the interview in English or it was translated [wrongly] and arrived in English and that is an issue we saw in the last few days again.
“Mo is fine, I am fine, I think what we all want is clear and things like this need time.”
08.00 GMT: Manchester United are exploring the possibility of hiring former United States international midfielder and two-time Major League Soccer head coach Chris Armas as part of Ralf Rangnick’s staff, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
A work permit would be needed for Armas, whose last job was head coach of Toronto FC. He previously led New York Red Bulls to a Supporters’ Shield win in 2019.
Sources have told ESPN that Rangnick, who was appointed head of Red Bull’s global football projects in 2019, is being allowed to appoint a “small number” of his own coaching staff to work alongside Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna, both of whom were part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s backroom team.
Another of Solskjaer’s assistants, Michael Carrick, left the club after taking charge of the team for three games before Rangnick’s appointment as interim coach until the end of the season.
1:31
Janusz Michallik defends Xavi after his first defeat as Barcelona manager and insists he can learn from Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
– Barcelona have reached a decisive week over the contract renewal of winger Ousmane Dembele, with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United all interested in a move. The 24-year-old’s current deal runs out at the end of the season, with the Catalan club making an ultimatum over a new contract that is reaching its last few days, reports Mundo Deportivo. He has reportedly been told to pen new terms or find a new club.
– Real Madrid have identified midfielder Lovro Majer as the successor to Luka Modric in their central ranks. According to El Nacional, the Stade Rennais player is the top priority, with the Ligue 1 outfit valuing him at €35m.
– Atalanta have an agreement in principle for Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga, reports journalist Nicolo Schira. The contract would run until 2026, though an agreement is yet to be reached between the clubs over the transfer. Schira claims that Sassuolo value Boga at €20m and don’t want any other players included in the deal.
– Juventus are looking to move midfielder Arthur out on loan in January, says Gazzetta dello Sport. The 25-year-old has struggled since his arrival in Italy from Barcelona, with the club looking to move him on due to his high wages in comparison to his game time.
– Newcastle are lining up a move for Stoke City striker Tyrese Campbell in January, says The Sun. The 21-year-old has impressed in the Championship, with new Newcastle boss Eddie Howe willing to match the £20m valuation set by the Potters in a bid to avoid relegation.
