The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Icardi and Dybala swap on the cards
Calciomercato is reporting that Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus could look to swap forwards Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala.
This is not likely to happen as soon as January, but is something the two clubs are considering for the summer transfer window.
Icardi has been linked with Juventus many times in the past, before eventually agreeing to head to Paris from Internazionale for €50m in May, but a move back to Italy could seemingly now come to fruition.
The report also says the likelihood of this exchange will increase dramatically if Dybala opts to not renew his contract with Juventus.
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– Notebook: Germany’s worst losers, United’s Wan-Bissaka issue
LIVE BLOG
21.56 GMT: With 18 months remaining on his contract and commanding interest from the Premier League, it seems it’s only a matter of time before Boubacar Kamara leaves Marseille. And it would appear OM manager Andre Villas-Boas feels the same, saying of the France U21 midfielder: “I don’t hope so, but the time comes when [Kamara] has big European clubs on him, big championships,” according to L’Equipe.
20.09 GMT: Sevilla are preparing for a transfer window that could see them part with a star or two in order to fund a strengthening of the team’s squad. “We have not made a big sale and probably, at the end of the year, we will have to do a sale if we want to have a great squad,” the club’s general manager Jose Maria Cruz told Canal Sur Radio, according to AS. “Once the season is over there will surely be offers for a player and it will be a moment to make that decision.”
18.22 GMT: Javi Martinez is in the final season of his contract at Bayern Munich, and he’s ready to embark on a new adventure. “I would like to try something new, no matter where, but something new before I end my career,” the 32-year-old midfielder/defender is quoted as saying by Reuters.
16.35 GMT: Should Real Madrid be looking to move on Marcelo?
1:02
Julien Laurens feels Real Madrid defender Marcelo is no longer good enough to play for the club.
14.59 GMT: America star Paul Aguilar has decided to leave the club and continue his career in MLS after his side were knocked out by Chivas in the Liga MX quarterfinals, sources have told ESPN.
The 34-year-old right-back has been one of America’s key players in recent seasons, scoring 14 goals and providing 31 assists in 357 games while helping the team win three Liga MX titles.
America will host a meeting on Monday to discuss the plans for the future, with a number of players expecting to leave the club following the disappointing campaign.
Some fans were also asking for coach Miguel Herrera to leave the club. but sources have told ESPN that he still has the support of the board.
14.26 GMT: AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has a contract which ends in the summer and he has been linked to Manchester United.
However, Calciomercato reports that the Turkey international sees his future at the Serie A club and, although talks over a new deal aren’t progressing brilliantly, he’s happy to sign new terms.
13.58 GMT: Joan Laporta is running for Barcelona club president and says Inter Milan made a world-record offer for Lionel Messi back in 2006.
Laporta served a first spell as club president at Camp Nou between 2003-2010, but he never considered letting Messi go.
“He [Messi] always had offers: in 2006 Moratti gave me €250m and I said no, there I saw the esteem of Messi and his family for Barcelona,” he said. “His father asked me what I would do as a father and I told him, that the best thing was to stay, I told him that we would make a team that would accompany him to achieve the greatest successes, that would touch the glory and make history. I saw his love for the club, the city and country.”
13.19 GMT: Manchester United’s signing of Edinson Cavani for nothing this summer looks good now, doesn’t it?
1:10
Janusz Michallik believes “the best is yet to come” from Edinson Cavani after he scored two goals vs. Southampton.
12.31 GMT: Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram has been linked with a move to Manchester City, but the Frenchman says he’s focused on his current club.
Thuram, 23, has scored 18 goals in 53 appearances since arriving from Guingamp for €12m in July 2019, ensuring he has been the subject of plenty of transfer interest.
“I am currently fully, 100% concentrating on Borussia and I am very happy to be here. I have also not spoken to any other club,” he told Kicker. “Borussia has enabled me to take many career steps, I play the Champions League and have made the leap into the national team.
“In Gladbach, I not only grew as a player, but also as a person, and have developed further. Borussia was the best choice for my career. “
11.47 GMT: Manchester United want Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres and are prepared to offer a host of players to get him.
TEAMtalk reports that Villarreal might be tempted by the prospect of getting former star Eric Bailly back, while Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo could also be used as makeweights.
Torres, 23, has been tracked by Tottenham and is rated at over €65m by Villarreal.
11.03 GMT: AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has been tipped for a big money move before his contract expires next summer.
Donnarumma, 21, is one of the world’s best young players and has yet to sign new terms.
However, he told DAZN this weekend: “My agent will talk to the club, there’s no problem. I want to stay at Milan for a long time, but we’ll see what the club decides. I want to relish this moment as long as I can.”
1:21
Janusz Michallik was impressed with how Milan handled the pressure of facing Fiorentina without Ibrahimovic.
09.58 GMT: Iago Aspas has admitted that Atletico Madrid were interested in signing him in 2019 as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann.
Atletico eventually moved for Benfica’s Joao Felix instead, in a €126m deal, after Griezmann’s controversial €120m move to Barcelona.
“I have a really good relationship with [Atletico’s sporting director] Andrea Berta,” Aspas — who plays for his boyhood club Celta Vigo — told Cadena SER.
“I’ve spoken to him a lot, I have his phone number… but I’m really happy here at home, I enjoy playing every weekend, having my parents and my friends just round the corner, that’s really important for me too.
“Yes [I heard about the interest]. In football everything comes out in the end… I know there was interest, my brother and my agent told me about it. But we were calm, it didn’t go any further.”
09.23 GMT: Newcastle spent a combined £35m on Jamal Lewis and Callum Wilson from Norwich and Bournemouth this summer, so may have to only use loans in January.
However, the Northern Echo says that the club could be a potential destination for Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori.
Tomori, 22, has only made three appearances this season after impressing last campaign. The England needs regular football and Newcastle could be the perfect spot.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/18896603.newcastle-boss-steve-bruce-will-limited-loan-signings-january/
08.44 GMT: RB Leipzig left-back Matthew Bondswell has caught the eye of Chelsea, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Bondswell, 18, is on loan at FC Dordrecht but is the latest young English talent to find success in Germany.
Chelsea spent £50m on Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell this summer but still need backup players in the full-back positions.
08.30 GMT: Arsenal’s troubles are a reflection on the lack of goals and creativity around Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, writes Mark Ogden.
This is the Arsenal that Arteta has been in charge of for a year now, and the same old issues keep resurfacing.
He has made a big decision about Mesut Ozil and chosen not to consider the German midfielder and, with inconsistency a major issue with the former Real Madrid playmaker, Arteta cannot be blamed for that call. That said, he desperately needs somebody in his team who can offer similar levels of creativity as Ozil, with greater work ethic, to make Arsenal a more potent attacking outfit and one which can get the most out of Aubameyang.
1:04
Frank Leboeuf questions what’s going on behind the scenes at Arsenal after their 2-1 defeat to Wolves.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Liverpool are looking to sign Sporting CP left-back Nuno Mendes, according to A Bola.
Sporting are reportedly trying to get the 18-year-old to sign a contract so that they can increase his €45m release clause.
But the Reds are watching the situation closely, as they will back out of the deal if this price rises any further, says the report.
So far, this impasse over a new buyout clause is reportedly one of the factors that has prevented Mendes from extending his deal with Sporting.
Juventus eyeing move for Savic
Juventus already have various strong options at centre-back, but Calciomercato says that they are looking to sign Stefan Savic.
Atletico Madrid are already expecting an offer to come in from the Italian giants in 2021. The Montenegro international’s contract doesn’t come to an end until 2022, but Atletico don’t want to lose him for free.
This means the centre-back will be sold if he doesn’t sign a new deal, and Juventus are among those who may pounce as Savic considers a new challenge.
Tap-ins
– Fernando Llorente hasn’t made it onto the pitch for Napoli so far this season, but Calciomercato suggests he will have big offers in January. That is because both Juventus and Inter are showing interest in signing the 35-year-old, according to the report. The striker is firmly out of Gennaro Gattuso’s plans, so the manager will not stand in the way of a move.
– PSG have completely lost their patience with Jese, according to Deportes Cuatro. The winger has struggled to make an impact since joining PSG in 2016, and it seems he may have had his final chance. Thomas Tuchel has insisted that the 27-year-old won’t play for the club again and that they will look to sell him.