The transfer windows in Europe’s top leagues are closed, but it’s never too late to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.
Top 10 free agents in 2020 | European transfer review
TOP STORY: Man United target Dembele and Longstaff
Manchester United could go after both Moussa Dembele and Sean Longstaff during the January transfer window, the Daily Star reports.
The Red Devils are struggling to make an impact in the early stages of the Premier League campaign, which has led to executive vice chairman Ed Woodward informing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that the necessary funds will be made available to him in the New Year.
French striker Dembele, 23, has been linked for months after enjoying a fine last season in France, scoring 18 times for Lyon in all competitions. Dembele only moved to the Ligue 1 giants from Celtic last summer but United reportedly believe a bid of around £43m could be enough to trigger a move.
Sources have also told ESPN FC that United’s chief negotiator Matt Judge, head of corporate development, spoke to Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley about Longstaff over the summer but a formal bid was not submitted because the two clubs were so far apart, with the Magpies wanting £50m — more than double what United are willing to pay for the 21-year-old midfielder.
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09.31 BST: Cardiff City will appeal against FIFA’s ruling they must pay the first instalment of €6m (£5.3m) to Nantes for £15m striker Emiliano Sala, who tragically died in a plane crash before he could play for the club.
09.28 BST: Manchester City and Arsenal are set to go head-to-head over the signing of Real Madrid’s Martin Odegaard, says Eldesmarque.
Odegaard made waves when he joined Madrid aged 15 in 2015 but has been on loan for the past few years and has only made one appearance for the Real first-team since.
The Norway midfielder is currently at Real Sociedad but the outlet reports City want him to replace David Silva, who will leave the club this summer, while Arsenal are keen to move on Mesut Ozil. A price of £71m has been quoted, which would give Real a tidy profit. But it’s hard to see anyone paying that for a player who has yet to fully prove himself at the highest level.
08.30 BST: Bayern Munich turned down the chance to sign Manchester City attacker Gabriel Jesus for around €100m, Sport Bild claim in their latest issue.
The outlet reports that Bayern were offered the Brazil international instead of their No. 1 transfer target Leroy Sane. But the German champions were not interested in discussing a move.
Instead, Bayern want to re-open talks with Sane’s agent David Gardner in the next weeks and hope City will significantly lower their expectations.
Having reportedly asked for a fee of around €150m for the injured Germany international this summer, City only have Sane under contract until 2021 and the upcoming transfer windows in 2020 would be the last chance to cash in on the forward.
In addition, should Bayern be able to lure Sane back to Germany, they would only have the funds to sign one of Philippe Coutinho or Kai Havertz, the outlet said. Bayern can sign Coutinho on a permanent deal for a fixed fee of €120m after his loan from Barcelona ends, while Leverkusen midfielder Havertz, one of Bundesliga’s biggest talents, would cost at least €100m.
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Pogba hopeful for return to Italy
Paul Pogba has had it with life in Manchester and wants to return to Juventus, reports Calciomercato.
The tussle to lock down the long term future of the Frenchman has been ongoing for quite some time now, with United trying to keep hold of him as Real Madrid spent the entire summer attempting to convince the World Cup winner to make the jump over the Santiago Bernabeu.
But Turin serves as familiar territory for Pogba, who picked up a knock in United’s drab 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Monday, after he spent four successful years with the Old Lady. While there are still question marks over where they will get the money for a potential deal, which could cost upwards of €140m, there’s a lot of hope that it can be done, according to the report.
Barcelona to scout Inter stars
Barcelona are set to use their game against Inter Milan to scout some of the Italian side’s top names, Calciomercato reports.
The two European giants will battle it out at the Nou Camp tomorrow evening, but beyond three points in the Champions League being at stake, Barca will also have one eye on a handful of Inter players as we get closer and closer to the January transfer window.
Stefano Sensi, Milan Skriniar and Lautaro Martinez are all on the club’s wishlist, although manager Antonio Conte is eager to keep hold of them as he attempts to guide Serie A leaders Inter towards a title challenge against Juventus.
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Arsenal fearful over Ozil loan
Arsenal are considering the possibility of sending Mesut Ozil out on loan but fear that they will be unable to get a deal done due to two factors — money and desire — the Daily Mail reports.
The Germany international is believed to be on around £350,000-a-week, but at this moment in time, the 30-year-old still isn’t featuring all that heavily in manager Unai Emery’s plans. As such, the focus has turned towards entertaining offers from elsewhere.
The club are willing to pay some of his wages in order to get the process moving with whatever club may be interested, although the belief is that Ozil will be more than happy to stay put and ride out his contract, which expires in 2021.
Tap-ins
– In the end to a bizarre chapter of a young player’s career, striker Lamine Diaby-Fadiga was sacked by Nice after he admitted to stealing teammate Kasper Dolberg‘s watch in the dressing room, the Ligue 1 club said on Tuesday.
