The 2022 January transfer window is closed, but there’s still plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Arsenal and Man United to battle for Tielemans
Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans is reportedly keen to leave the club this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United battling for his signature, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Tielemans, 24, has impressed since moving from Monaco for £32 million in 2019. But, with his contract expiring in 2023, the clock is ticking on his future at the club and the Belgium international seemingly wants to join a top club with title ambitions.
Leicester have previously demanded £60m from clubs wanting to sign Tielemans, yet the report states they are now willing to accept around £35m this summer so they don’t lose him for free.
Sitting 12th in the Premier League, Leicester have struggled this season and that form won’t be enough to persuade Tielemans to sign a new contract.
He has also seen interest from Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus.
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10.08 GMT: River Plate are interested in signing New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos on loan, according to coach Marcelo Gallardo.
The Argentinian club are keen to strengthen their attacking line after the departure of Jorge Carrascal and are considering several options. “We have two or three alternatives and one of them is Valentin Castellanos, which is difficult,” Gallardo told La Nacion.
Sources told ESPN that the MLS team has already turned down several offers from Brazilian clubs for the striker, who is under contract with NYCFC until December 2025, including a $7m offer from Palmeiras.
With Argentina’s transfer window closing on Feb. 19, River are looking to sign Castellanos on loan with an option to sign him permanently included in the deal, while NYCFC want between $15m-$20m.
Castellanos, 23, was hoping to make a move to Europe in the last transfer window but, despite interest from Italian side Fiorentina, no offer was made. The Mendoza-born player joined NYCFC on loan from Uruguayan side Montevideo City Torque in 2018 before making a permanent move soon after. In 35 league and playoff appearances in 2021, Castellanos scored 22 goals and added eight assists while winning the Golden Boot.
09.55 GMT: Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette is out of contract in June and his former club Lyon will try everything possible to bring him back to the club, sources have told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.
Lacazette, 30, spent several years at the club’s academy and was with the first team for seven years before moving to Arsenal for €53m in 2017.
With 100 goals in 203 Ligue 1 appearances, he is one of Lyon’s all-time great players and club president Jean-Michel Aulas is dreaming of signing the France forward in the summer.
09.19 GMT: Marco Asensio‘s future is “a real dilemma for Real Madrid,” Marca reports, with the forward’s contract up in 2023 and doubts at the club over whether or not to offer him an extension.
Asensio, 26, has played an increasingly important role in the team this year, scoring eight goals in all competitions and becoming coach Carlo Ancelotti’s favoured option on the right wing ahead of Rodrygo, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard.
According to Marca, Madrid’s thinking at the start of the season was not to renew the forward’s deal after several frustrating, injury-hit campaigns, but his performances have now forced a rethink.
A final decision is yet to be taken, with three options — allowing his contract to expire, proposing an extension, or accepting a bid this summer — all on the table.
09.04 GMT: Manchester United players are becoming frustrated with Ralf Rangnick‘s methods with a section of the squad believing his training sessions are “old fashioned,” sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
There has been some bemusement, too, that Rangnick has left the bulk of the coaching sessions to assistant Chris Armas. Sources told ESPN that some players on the training ground have jokingly likened Armas to fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, the hapless American parachuted in to manage fictional side AFC Richmond in the hit Apple+ comedy show.
Former United States international Armas had never coached outside North America before landing the job as Rangnick’s No. 2 in December. The 49-year-old’s last coaching job ended in his dismissal by Toronto FC after winning two of his 15 games in charge.
Elsewhere, some players have complained among themselves that Rangnick’s sessions are often based on 11 vs. 11 work rather than dynamic drills they feel help to keep them sharp between games. Sources told ESPN that much of the work being done on the training pitch is built around improving organisation and shape with less emphasis placed on sessions designed to hone particular skills.
08.30 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino says he does not believe Kylian Mbappe‘s future will depend on the outcome of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid.
Mbappe, who becomes a free agent this summer and has been a target of Real Madrid in previous transfer windows, recently said he had not made a decision on his future. Moreover, that playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League “changes a lot of things” for him.
“I think such an important decision cannot be down to a game or a tie,” Pochettino said. ” He is an intelligent chap, mature, with a tremendous analytical capacity and always knowing what he wants for his career and his future. He has people around him that I’m certain advise him in the best possible way. I see him calm, focused on doing his best for PSG and as he said, and we must respect it, he will make a decision once this tie is over.”
Pochettino, meanwhile, said he is not bothered by ongoing speculation that Zinedine Zidane could replace him at PSG while he is linked with the job at Manchester United.
“I don’t know, it’s not up to me to decide,” Pochettino said when asked if he sees Zidane as his replacement once he leaves. “Zidane is a great coach, he already showed it at Real Madrid. The rumours don’t bother me.
“He can train any trainer in the world. Also, he is French. That is one more question for the sporting director or the president. Look, when Zinedine Zidane was at Real Madrid, how many rumours didn’t come out of me [when I was] in England? When we take charge of a club with the visibility of PSG, we know that this comes with the position. That has to be accepted, otherwise I could not be sitting here in front of you right now as PSG coach. We are 200%t focused on PSG and on giving this club the happiness they expect from us.”
Julien Laurens brands PSG’s performance vs. Nice as “pathetic” and speaks about Mauricio Pochettino’s future.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
– Paris Saint-Germain are not planning to extend Angel Di Maria‘s contract, says journalist Ekrem Konur. The 33-year-old’s deal with Les Parisiens expires in the summer, though there is a club option of a further year. The report says that a number of teams across Europe and Brazil are monitoring his situation.
Juventus are considering making a move to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in the summer, reports Nicolo Schira. Kessie, 25, is a free agent once his contract expires in 2022 and has been linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs including PSG, Barcelona, Man United, Liverpool and Tottenham. Schira claims that the Ivory Coast international is not interested in extending his deal with the Rossoneri, with Juventus the latest to be offered the chance to land him.
- Wolves and Barcelona are agreeing a swap deal that would see Adama Traore join Barcelona permanently, with Francisco Trincao set to stay at Molineux. Sport reports that both players’ loan deals will be made permanent, with their options to sign negotiated to €30m each, allowing them to make a swap.
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West Ham United are still interested in signing Jesse Lingard in the summer, according to Calciomercato. The Manchester United playmaker was told he was free to leave the club on loan in January, however a move didn’t materialise. Both West Ham and Newcastle United were linked, but may have the chance to sign him at the end of the season, with the 29-year-old out of contract.
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Barcelona could accept less than the €40m permanent option in Philippe Coutinho‘s loan deal at Aston Villa, according to Sport. The 29-year-old has had an explosive return to the Premier League, scoring twice and assisting twice in three appearances. €40m is the figure Villa need to sign him, however the report claims that the Blaugrana are likely to accept less to free up wage space.
– Borussia Dortmund have made striker Karim Adeyemi their top target for the summer, says Fabrizio Romano. The Bundesliga side have already agreed to sign defender Niklas Sule from rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer in the summer, and have now turned their attention to Adeyemi. The 20-year-old has impressed for FC Salzburg and the club are confident of reaching an agreement with both the player and his team.
