The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Gabriel Martinelli to get new Arsenal deal
Arsenal are ready to hand forward Gabriel Martinelli a new long-term deal, reports Calciomercato.
The 21-year-old’s contract at Emirates Stadium still has two more years on it, but he has impressed enough since joining from Brazilian side Ituano in 2018 to merit a new deal.
Martinelli has become one of Mikel Arteta’s key players since the manager took over in 2019, with the Brazil international deployed on the left as well as in a striker role, with his dribbling ability seeing many Premier League defenders struggle to contend with him when isolated in situations.
And after Arsenal secured the £45m signing of his compatriot Gabriel Jesus from Man City this summer, it looks as though they have identified Martinelli as a long-term part of Arteta’s project. He has scored three goals in six Premier League games this season.
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12.42 BST: Arsenal wanted to sign striker Tammy Abraham last summer before he left Chelsea to sign for Roma, says Fabrizio Romano.
Abraham, 24, left Chelsea after they signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for €115m and moved to Roma for €40m.
The England international has 29 goals in 59 games for the club so far and has impressed in Serie A, but the Gunners spent £45m to bring in Gabriel Jesus from Man City so their interest has now moved on.
11.56 BST: Liverpool are leading the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s midfield star Jude Bellingham in 2023, says The Daily Telegraph.
Bellingham, 19, impressed and scored a goal in Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at Manchester City. He is rated at around €120m, having moved for €25m from Birmingham City two years ago.
The England midfielder was asked about his future earlier in the week, but said: “The club have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came and gave me the opportunities to develop even further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful.”
11.00 BST: Man City signed themselves some player!
Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland’s winner vs. Borussia Dortmund was as a mix between Johan Cruyff and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
09.50 BST: After it was revealed that Kylian Mbappe could leave PSG on a free transfer in 2024, Marca has decided to run a story about the interested clubs if he does.
Mbappe, 23, has revealed in the past that he has only ever thought about signing for Real Madrid, but after opting to stay in Paris this summer, that bridge might have been burned,
So naturally Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are the ones who might make a move for him in two years.
09.30 BST: FC Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund has refused to rule out a move to Chelsea.
Chelsea are looking to appoint someone into the same role to work with new manager Graham Potter, overseeing the club’s transfer strategy. Freund has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, and after Salzburg held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League he was coy about his future.
“I’ve had exchanges with Chelsea from time to time,” Freund told Sky Sport Austria. “We spoke a lot more a month or two ago because they were interested in signing [Benjamin] Sesko.
“The new owners are interested in how we do things with young players, how we integrate them into the first team. But you [have those conversations] again and again with other clubs, that’s it.
“Chelsea is a huge club in transition. I can’t say exactly what will happen in the next few weeks and months.”
08.42 BST: Tuttomercatoweb reports that Liverpool could terminate Arthur Melo‘s loan deal if they sign another midfielder in January.
Arthur, 26, moved to Anfield on a season-long loan from Juventus last month as Reds boss Jurgen Klopp attempted to add cover for injury problems.
The report says that Liverpool have not been happy with Arthur in his first few weeks at Anfield and they are already looking for alternatives.
08.00 BST: Paolo Maldini has told SempreMilan.it that Chelsea made an informal approach for AC Milan winger Rafael Leao in the summer.
Leao is being tracked by most of the big clubs in Europe, and Chelsea tried to steal a march on their rivals by brining him in this season.
“Rafa knows that to become even stronger the solution is to stay with us,” Maldini said. “We are a young and growing team. We intend to do great things and grow with him. If he then reaches a higher level than Milan, we can think about it. An official offer from Chelsea never arrived, but on an informal level it did. Of course, it was refused,”
Leao started his career at Sporting CP before making his name with Lille and moving to Serie A in the summer of 2019. He has won nine full caps for Portugal after making his debut last year.
Frank Leboeuf says he was “disappointed” with Chelsea’s performance in their 1-1 draw vs. FC Salzburg.
PAPER GOSSIP
– AC Milan have identified Noa Lang as a potential reinforcement in January, writes Calciomrcato. With Ante Rebic and Divock Origi suffering recent injuries, the San Siro hierarchy are already drawing up a list of signings, and having previously been linked with the 23-year-old Club Brugge star Lang, they could now be set to prepare a move for his signature. Lille‘s Jonathan David and FC Salzburg‘s Noah Okafor have also been linked.
- Brighton are looking to ward off interest in Leandro Trossard and Alexis Mac Allister by offering them new deals, according to Ekrem Konur. Trossard, 27, has been a key player for the Seagulls since arriving from Genk in 2019, while 23-year-old Mac Allister has found form with four goals in as many games.
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Bild reports that Bayern Munich didn’t include a clause that allows them to re-sign defender Omar Richards from Nottingham Forest. The 24-year-old wing-back joined the Premier League newboys in the summer for a fee of around £10m.
– Milan Skriniar is set to be offered a new contract worth €7m-per-season as Inter Milan look to encourage him to stay at San Siro, reveals Foot Mercato. The 27-year-old centre-back is a target of Paris Saint-Germain, and amid reports that the Nerazzurri were preparing new contract talks, it looks as though they are ready to offer him a significant salary increase. Skriniar’s current deal expires at the end of this season.
