It’s go time as the January transfer window is open. Find out when it closes across Europe, view the latest transfers as they happen and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
TOP STORY: Chelsea make loan offer for PSG striker Cavani
Paris Saint-Germain are willing to let Edinson Cavani leave for a €20m fee, club sources have told ESPN, but the Times reports that Chelsea are keen to tie up a loan deal for the rest of the season.
The 32-year-old is wanted by Atletico Madrid to solve their goal-scoring crisis (they’ve scored 12 goals in their last 11 games) and the Spanish club have already had a €10m offer rejected. But Cavani is available on a free transfer this summer and Chelsea’s loan offer would cover the forward’s wages, in excess of £360,000-a-week, leaving him able to keep his options open until the summer.
Chelsea’s need for a striker intensified after Tammy Abraham suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
To replace Cavani, sources told ESPN that PSG are considering a move for former striker Kevin Gameiro, whose club Valencia are keen to move him on, or former Tottenham man Fernando Llorente, who joined Napoli on a free transfer last summer.
LIVE BLOG
23.20 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
23.00 GMT: Liverpool are on top of the world at the moment but Jurgen Klopp and Co. are far from content.
Could Liverpool improve on a frontline of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino? Football Insider writes that the Reds are interested in adding to their attacking riches, with young and in-form Arsenal starlet Gabriel Martinelli a target, according to Football Insider.
Martinelli, 18, has taken England by storm after his £6 million move from Brazilian side Ituano, scoring 10 goals in 21 games, including a goal in each of Arsenal’s past two contests. While we have no doubt Liverpool would be interested in Martinelli, there’s no way Arsenal wouldn’t hang on to the teen, is there?
22.09 GMT: Man United have already lost one player this window (Ashley Young) and are expected to lose another shortly.
Sportsmail understands that highly-rated youngster Tahith Chong is set to the leave the club, the 19-year-old unhappy with his role and salary at the club.
‘He (Solskjaer) has different views on Tahith than the leadership,” Erkan Alkan, Chong’s agent said in the Dutch press.
“A coach thinks about himself, I think about my player. He has come to a point where he feels that he is not going any further. Then it’s time to look further.”
United are keen to hold on to the Belgian but Chong reportedly has his eyes set on Serie A. Inter Milan are one club that is reportedly enquiring about the 19-year-old midfielder.
21.39 GMT: Danny Rose might be on the way out at Spurs but he isn’t short of suitors.
Sky Sports understands that six clubs are interested in the left-back, including Premier League sides Watford and Newcastle. Now 29, Rose has slipped down the pecking order at Tottenham since Jose Mourinho’s arrivals with youngsters Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga being handed chances ahead of the England man in recent games.
Newcastle would be an interesting fit for Rose, as the Magpies recently lost both Jetro Willems and Paul Dummett to season-ending injuries.
20.51 GMT: Could Toronto FC and USMNT striker Jozy Altidore be on the move?
After Altidore publicly criticised TFC for their handling of teammate Michael Bradley’s injury, the club is contemplating moving the 30-year-old, according to ESPN FC’s Hercules Gomez. Altidore referenced his own injury history in his rant against the club, which apparently has not gone over well at the club.
Altidore has been about a goal every other game guy for the Reds since returning to MLS in 2015 (56 in 110) and was a key member of TFC’s MLS Cup-winning side of 2017.
20.10 GMT: Here’s a big one from MLS!
The Sun is claiming that David Beckham’s expansion franchise Inter Miami CF are pursuing Man City duo Sergio Aguero and David Silva. Silva, 34, is leaving City at the end of the season and has been on record about his interest in MLS and playing in the United States.
Aguero on the other hand is a new name with Miami, the report claiming that the Argentine is open to signing a contract extension at City but also receptive to MLS and moving closer to his family who reside in his native Argentina. Aguero’s current contract runs through 2021 so it may be a while before our friends in the States see the Premier League’s record foreigner…
19.35 GMT: Adama Traore started his career at Barcelona and the Wolves wide man will not rule out a return to the Camp Nou.
After four largely disappointing years, Traore is enjoying a breakout campaign at the Molineux and those performances have not gone unnoticed. In an interview on the radio show ‘El Larguero,’ Traore had some interesting comments regarding his future.
“I have no resentment, I have good memories [when asked if he’d return to Barcelona]. But if Madrid calls me I would rethink the same,” he said about a possible return to Spain, in an interview on the radio show ‘El Larguero’.
The bruising speedster struggled initially in England with Aston Villa and then Middlesbrough but this season has found his game again. Still just 23, don’t be surprised to see Traore make the move to a bigger club in the near future.
19.02 GMT: Sticking with Spurs, Jose Mourinho and Co. look to be closing in on a Harry Kane replacement.
AS reports that the London club have decided on Real Sociedad frontman Willian Jose and that the Brazilian is flying to London tonight or tomorrow to take a medical and finalise a deal. The 28-year-old has scored in double digits three straight years in La Liga and will replace Kane, who is out until at least April with a hamstring injury.
Spurs will not pay the full €70 million release clause for Jose but the Brazilian is expected to still cost a hefty fee.
18.37 GMT: An update on Inter Milan’s pursuit of Christian Eriksen:
Sky Sports reporter Paul Gilmour has reported that Inter Milan are gaining confidence that a deal will get done imminently.
Eriksen, 27, is out of contract at the end of the season and has spent the first half of the campaign playing a bit-part role at Tottenham.
17.59 GMT: West Ham have a “new” manager in David Moyes and are expected to bring in some new players.
One player that is being linked with the club is Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser. The Scotland international, 25, is out of contract at the end of the season and The Mirror writes that the Hammers are one club that will be looking to swoop up the tricky winger.
Fraser, who has struggled this season for relegation-threatened Bournemouth, racked up 14 assists last year for the Cherries and fits the younger, more mobile prototype that Moyes is looking for.
17.28 GMT: With Luis Suarez injured, Barcelona are weighing up a move for Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which could result in a trickle-down effect in the Premier League.
Spanish outlet AS indicates Wolves’ Raul Jimenez would be a candidate to replace the Gabon international at the Emirates, if Aubameyang did leave for Barca. The Wolverhampton club’s record signing, Jimenez has scored 19 goals in 35 games over all competitions this season, establishing himself as one of the division’s top strikers.
The 28-year-old cost Wolves £32.6 million this summer and his price has only increased
16.55 GMT: Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose is very close to joining Spurs to replace injured forward Harry Kane, according to Spanish newspaper AS.
Spurs have reportedly been searching the transfer market for a striker to cover Kane, who is ruled out until April with a hamstring injury, and AS reports that Brazilian striker Jose is on the verge of joining the north London club.
Despite a mixed reports on the deal, AS says the two clubs are in the final stages of negotiating an agreement, with Spurs not set to meet Jose’s €70m release clause.
14. 31 GMT: Toronto FC have announced the arrival of 15-year-old Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who becomes the youngest signing in the club’s history.
If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
15-year-old Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty becomes the youngest signing in club history.@jahkeelerutty | #TFCLive
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) January 22, 2020
16.14 GMT: Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Mykola Matviyenko has been linked to Manchester City, but Football.London reports that Arsenal want to sign him.
Matviyenko, 23, has impressed over recent months and his agent Yuriy Danchenko told Ukrainian media: “My colleagues and I have been constantly in contact with representatives of the Arsenal, and have meetings. The Gunners’ hierarchy have already contacted [Shakhtar], and we hope that these negotiations will succeed.”
15.59 GMT: Diario Vasco, a Basque newspaper, has some news of Tottenham’s interest in Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose.
They report that a formal bid has been made, but it is nowhere near the player’s €70m release clause, which the club evidently want.
Mundo Deportivo disagrees to say that no bid has been made, but the player has been offered a lucrative contract.
15.25 GMT: Update on Gareth Bale’s future at Real Madrid … actually it’s not an update at all … and a possible loan move to Tottenham.
“At the moment he is going to be playing football this evening for Real Madrid [vs. UD Salamanca in the Copa del Rey, live on ESPN+] and he has got two and a half years left on his contract,” his agent Jonathan Barnett is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “He is one of the best players on earth. Why would one of the best players on earth go on loan? That’s ridiculous.
“That’s what I have always said. I have never deviated. Things can change but loans are ridiculous and there are not many clubs that can afford him anyway. He is happy and hopefully he will win a couple more things with Real Madrid.”
15.00 GMT: Flamengo have signed midfielder Thiago Maia from Lille on an 18-month loan deal.
14.41 GMT: Manchester United are interested in signing Birmingham midfielder Jude Bellingham this month, sources have told ESPN.
United believe a bid of around £25m plus another £5m in add-ons could be enough to prise the 16-year-old away from St Andrews. If a deal can be agreed, options on the table include Bellingham joining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s senior squad immediately or re-joining Birmingham on loan until the end of the season.
Sources said that after establishing himself as a first team regular in the Championship this season, playing regular football would be a major factor in Bellingham’s decision.
14.22 GMT: Update on our Paper Talk item below. French outlet L’Equipe reports that a fee of around €25m has been agreed between Lyon and Athletico Paranaense for the transfer of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
Looks like Arsenal might miss out on this one.
13.45 GMT: Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga has attracted a lot of attention over the past few months, but SportBild reports that Borussia Dortmund are ready to offer €50m for him.
Camavinga, 17, is one of the most highly rated young players in the game and recently signed a new contract with Rennes until 2022 amid interest from Real Madrid and other clubs from Europe’s elite.
However, Rennes are reportedly going to reject the bid as they are holding out for €100m.
13.10 GMT: RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is in demand, but is Liverpool a good destination for the German?
12.26 GMT: After his error against Chelsea last night, Arsenal fans might be pleased to hear Shkodran Mustafi‘s father and agent, Kujtim, talking to Transfermarkt about his son’s future.
He said: “If something good appeared, we would think about it… It has to make sense, it has to be a good fit for him. Shkodran is the one to set the agenda.”
12.09 GMT: Bayern are in the news a lot today and SportBild claims they want to bring back Douglas Costa from Juventus.
Costa, 29, went on loan to Juve in 2017 before they signed him for €40m a year later. But, with Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman struggling with injuries, Bayern are in need of some experience on the wings and have targeted the Brazilian.
11.37 GMT: Crystal Palace have signed young Dundee United attacking midfielder Scott Banks.
Banks, 18, is a Scotland Under-19 international and made his debut for Dundee’s first team this season.
He told Palace TV: “There’s no bigger stage I’d want to play on [than the Premier League]. It’s a big step up coming from Scotland. When you hear about that interest [from Crystal Palace], you want to pursue that, and push myself to the highest level. So it was a no-brainer that this was the place for me.”
11.33 GMT: Borussia Dortmund are leading the chase for Juventus midfielder Emre Can, says La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Can has been unhappy in Turin and was linked with Manchester United recently, but Dortmund are the ones preparing a reported €25m offer.
11.16 GMT: TyC Sports reports that Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been granted a work permit to be able to play in the Premier League.
Mac Allister signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for Brighton & Hove Albion from Argentinos Juniors in January 2019 but could not play as he did not have a work permit. He returned on loan to Argentinos Juniors before arriving at Boca Juniors on a one-year loan in June.
Currently on international duty with Argentina in Colombia for the Pre-Olympic tournament, Mac Allister, 21, could finally make his move to the Premier League.
10.54 GMT: Ivan Rakitic‘s Barcelona future remains uncertain, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday. According to the Catalan newspaper, the midfielder could still leave the club this month.
Various sources at the club, consulted by ESPN, said they wouldn’t like to bet on if he is still at Camp Nou after Jan. 31.
Rakitic, 31, is facing fierce competition for his place under new coach Quique Setien. Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong are expected to be mainstays in the side, leaving Rakitic to compete with Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo and Riqui Puig for one spot.
Juventus and Inter Milan both asked the Croatia international last summer, sources confirmed to ESPN, while he has also been linked with a move to the Premier League.
10.34 GMT: Slovenian forward Andraz Sporar has landed in Portugal to finalise his €7m transfer to Sporting Lisbon from Slovan Bratislava.
Sporting are keen to strengthen their attack as captain Bruno Fernandes is closing on a move to Manchester United — with the latest report from A Bola claiming that the club have made a €55m bid, with €10m in add-ons.
Sporar, 25, will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a four-year contract with Sporting. He said upon arriving to Lisbon on Tuesday night: “I’m very happy, it’s a great club.”
10.22 GMT: Bild reports that Bayern Munich have decided against signing Philippe Coutinho for €120m once his loan spell from Barcelona ends.
Coutinho, 27, has had a decent spell in the Bundesliga but the club are focused on other two targets. Namely Manchester City winger Leroy Sane and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz, who are both Germany internationals and could cost upwards of €200m for the pair.
10.05 GMT: Bayern Munich have made another canny loan move. Real Madrid right-back Alvaro Odriozola has arrived on loan.
#FCBayern have signed @alvaroodriozola on loan until the end of the season ✍️#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/BDPRkTDLSi
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) January 22, 2020
10.02 GMT: Dinamo Zagreb Dani Olmo is close to signing for Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig, Mundo Deportivo reports. The forward has made it clear he’s ready to leave Croatia to test himself in one of Europe’s top five leagues, alerting a number of clubs to his availability.
Barcelona, where Olmo came through the academy, approached Zagreb to sound out a deal but are focused on their pursuit of a No.9. Rodrigo Moreno and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both targets to replace the injured Luis Suarez.
Olmo, 21, is therefore likely to head elsewhere this month. Leipzig currently looks like the most likely destination for the Spain international, but he was also linked with Italian giants AC Milan last month.
An agent with knowledge of the deal told ESPN last weekend that Milan, Wolverhampton Wanderers and several German sides were leading the chase for Olmo, who is likely to cost around €25m.
09.30 GMT: Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig have announced that Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martinez will join them at the end of the season from Las Palmas.
The 21-year-old spent time in Barcelona’s youth set-up before joining Las Palmas in 2017. This season he has made 16 appearances for the second-tier side.
Martinez is likely to initially serve as back-up to Leipzig No. 1 Peter Gulacsi.
? TRANSFER NEWS ?
Goalkeeper Josep #Martinez will join us at the end of the season from @UDLP_english. The 21-year-old stopper has signed a contract until 2024 ✍️
Nosotros nos alegramos de ti, Josep! ???
?⚪ #DieRotenBullen pic.twitter.com/ql4AzonvB7
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) January 22, 2020
08.59 GMT: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is offering no assurances that Marcus Rashford will return from a back injury before the end of the season and said only that the club will give the striker as much time as is necessary to recover.
“Marcus is going to get as long as he needs to get fit,” Solskjaer said. “We are not going to risk him when he has had an injury.
“I have got the best medical staff in the country and I am sure when Marcus comes back he will be 100 percent fit.”
That latest update makes the prospect of United signing a striker on a loan or short-term deal — something Solskjaer has already admitted the club are open to — more likely. Various names have been linked, but who would fit United best?
– Ogden: United’s striker search — Sign Cavani, Giroud? Bring back Tevez?
08.24 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani‘s mother has told AS that her son wants to play at Atletico Madrid.
According to Berta Gomez, PSG have already turned down three offers from Atletico for the 32-year-old Uruguay international. Sources have told ESPN that Cavani, who is out of contract in the summer, is available this month for €20m.
“There is an open negotiation,” she said. “Paris Saint Germain have turned down three offers from Atletico but my son has asked to leave and we are waiting for an agreement to be reached between the two clubs.
“It’s complicated but he wants to play at Atletico and if it’s not now, in the summer. We are eager for some time but it doesn’t depend on my son but on PSG and Atletico Madrid. We understand their [PSG’s] position but what we don’t understand is that they want him to stay and then they only bring him out for six minutes. They are not treating him well considering what he has given to PSG in the almost seven years he has been there.”
Cavani’s father, Luis, also spoke to Spanish media on Tuesday when he told “El Chiringuito“: “[PSG] don’t want him to leave before the Champions League, they need him for the last 16… He wants to go. He’s a player who needs to play… I think he’s happy that Simeone is interested in him. Now it’s stalled, I don’t know what the problem is.”
08.00 GMT: Barcelona are monitoring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Rodrigo Moreno, sources have told ESPN, but they are also considering other attacking options because they are aware both Arsenal and Valencia will be unwilling to sell during the January transfer window.
Barca’s management met on Monday after the 1-0 victory over Granada and they decided to look into the market to find a replacement for Luis Suarez who will be out of action for four months following surgery on his right knee.
Club sources have told ESPN they are not looking for a quick fix after Kevin-Prince Boateng failed to impress after arriving in last year’s January window. Barca want to sign an established striker but know prices this month are exaggerated.
With this in mind, they are interested in Rodrigo and Aubameyang but the first attempts to start negotiations have not gone to plan.
“Valencia are not going to make it easy,” a source told ESPN. “He’s a very important player for them and it’s the not the first time Barca have shown an interest in him.”
Barca are also keeping an eye on Aubameyang, 30, who has a contract with Arsenal until 2021. Sources have told ESPN the player would like a change and test himself in La Liga.
“They really like him at Camp Nou, he’s possibly one of the most admired strikers at the club but they know it’ll be tough to get him from the Emirates,” the source said.
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd): Bale open to Spurs reunion?
Time to fire up the Gareth Bale klaxon again, for Spanish TV programme El Chiringuito de Jugones is reporting that the Welshman is wanted by Spurs in this January transfer window.
His future has been under scrutiny for what feels like forever and, with Bale once again unable to seemingly put any sustained run together in the Los Blancos side, Tottenham appear to be circling, particularly now they’re on the lookout for new blood following the injury to Harry Kane.
Whether Bale wants to move, or whether Madrid are willing to let him go, are two potential sticking points, but the El Chiringuito team believe that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has met with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to discuss a possible move that suits all parties.
Bale would be welcomed back to north London with open arms and would immediately become a focal point for Jose Mourinho, particularly if as expected Christian Eriksen completes his move to Inter Milan. Mourinho could be in the market for some positive news given that some papers are reporting unrest in his camp.
– Transfer Grades: All the big moves rated
– When does the transfer window close?
– All major completed transfer deals
Arsenal hoping for Guimaraes boost
Despite celebrating a draw with 10 ten men away at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Arsenal fans will be well aware that their side needs strengthening, and The Mirror is suggesting some good news could be coming in the form of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
The newspaper is suggesting that the sought-after midfielder revealed in a TV interview with SporTV that his club, Athletico Paranaense, and Arsenal are in talks, which might mean that a move could be on the cards sooner rather than later.
The 22-year-old Brazilian is keen on a switch to the Premier League, while Arsenal have been courting him for some time. They’re not the only ones though, as a number of top sides around the world are also keen on securing the midfielder’s signature.
Arsenal’s sporting director, Edu, has reportedly met with Guimaraes’ representatives in London, and the Gunners will be hoping to conclude a deal before a bidding war ensues.
– Vickery: Brazil’s Bruno Guimaraes shows promise, poise
Barcelona in for Werner?
While we reported on Monday that Timo Werner was taking his pick from Liverpool and Chelsea, today Sport suggests that Barcelona could enter the race for his signature.
The Blaugrana are in the market for a No. 9 in the absence of Luis Suarez, and Werner, 23, who is seemingly willing to leave RB Leipzig, could fit the bill.
He’s scored 25 goals and added 10 assists this season, and while Leipzig are riding high in the Bundesliga, the forward could be tempted by a move to line up alongside Lionel Messi. Who wouldn’t?
Tap-ins
– West Ham have enquired about the availability of experienced midfielder Steven Nzonzi. The Daily Mail says that the Hammers are keen to net the Roma man on loan for the rest of the season, while the Italians are looking for a loan fee of around £3.5 million. Nzonzi is currently on loan at Galatasaray but would welcome a move to London to be near family. His hefty wages could be a stumbling block, however.
– West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United are both doing their best to let the other top the Championship at the moment, which The Telegraph says has prompted Baggies boss Slaven Bilic into offering £8m for Dinamo Zagreb winger Miroslav Orsic. Orsic is seen as a priority and one of two signings before the window closes in an effort to kick-start the club’s sputtering promotion charge. Orsic has scored 17 goals for Dinamo this season.
– Another from the Mail here as Leeds are doing their bit to stop the rot by closing in on the signing of Manchester City’s teenage winger Ian Poveda. Leeds are reportedly battling Torino to land the services of the tricky attacking player, and are now favourites to sign the England under-20 international, according to the report. Out of contract at the end of the current season, Poveda could see Leeds as a ticket back to the Premier League.