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: Dybala open to Barca’s interest
Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is open to signing for Barcelona in the summer, reports Sport.
Dybala, 28, is set to be a free agent at the end of the season as he has yet to agree new terms with the Bianconeri, despite reports earlier in the season that a contract was close to being signed.
The Argentina international has made 20 Serie A appearances this season to date, scoring seven goals and assisting five. But injury has seen him miss 13 games and, amid his contractual uncertainties, he is now willing to make the move to Spain.
Barcelona are interested, while Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur are among the other clubs tracking Dybala’s situation, with Antonio Conte’s side already speaking to the player’s representatives over a potential move.
For Barcelona, it represents another potential free transfer to aid their rebuild from their financial crisis. The club have been linked with a number of free agents, having already signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dani Alves under new boss Xavi Hernandez.
Whether Dybala moves to Camp Nou might depend on Ousmane Dembele, with the winger set to leave the club as a free agent himself in the summer and freeing up some much-needed wage space for the Blaugrana.
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13.20 GMT: Dusan Vlahovic made a red-hot start to his Champions League career by scoring his first goal less than a minute into his competition debut with Juventus on Tuesday.
Craig Burley and Steve Nicol are full of praise for Dusan Vlahovic after Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Villarreal.
12.56 GMT: Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has revealed that Manchester United gave him four trials but opted not to sign him as a teenager.
Martinelli, 20, is a regular in the Arsenal first team now, having moved for £6m from Brazilian club Ituano in July 2019. But his future in England could have been very different.
“I actually had four different trials at United when I was 13, 14, 15 and 16,” Martinelli told The Athletic. “This was in Manchester at the club’s training base, where I played in the same age group as Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams and I met first-team players, like Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra.
“There was never a moment, though, when they said they wanted me [to sign] there. But it give me a taste and made the adaptation a little easier because I had experienced football in England. Even after those trials, I always believed in myself. My mind is always thinking, ‘I can do it’.”
12.14 GMT: Diego Costa is interested in resuming talks with Corinthians as the former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid star has been without a club since leaving Atletico MG, according to Disney reporter Flavio Ortega.
However, the striker potential move to the Brazilian side will depend on the opinion of the new manager, who is likely to be Vitor Pereira.
11.53 GMT: Mexico international Andres Guardado has told ESPN that he would like to retire at his first club Atlas.
Guardado, 35, has played for El Tri since 2005 and has had a club career which has seen him play for Deportivo La Coruna, Valencia, PSV and now Real Betis. He has not played in Liga MX since 2007 but could go back.
“The romantic side is valid and it is very beautiful,” he said during an interview with ESPN podcast Balon Europeo. “I have always said that I would like to retire at Atlas because of that romanticism that exists in football. I will be an Atlas fan whether or not I retire there. I will be an Atlas supporter my whole life.
“After, there is the professional side, there are many issues around that are not in my hands and it is not up to me to decide where to retire but I also want to retire in a place where they really want me to retire, where I am part of a project and feel valued until the last professional day. That is no longer in my hands.”
11.17 GMT: Barcelona are tracking Ryan Gravenberch and Franck Kessie as possible options to strengthen their midfield, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Gravenberch, 19, is likely to leave Ajax in the summer when he moves into the final year of his contract in Amsterdam, and Barca have been following him since Ronald Koeman was coach.
The report says Barca see Gravenberch as a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets, who turns 34 in July, although reports over the weekend suggested Bayern Munich lead the race for the young Netherlands international.
AC Milan midfielder Kessi is another target for Barca, Mundo Deportivo adds, with his contract with the Serie A side expiring in the summer. However, the report adds that Barca will not break the bank for Ivory Coast international. He is available on a free transfer, but the club are wary of paying an inflated signing-on fee and salary.
10.58 GMT: Barcelona forward Ferran Torres says he can compete with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe after joining the club from Manchester City for €55m in January.
Haaland and Mbappe are widely viewed as the new stars of world football after a decade dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but Torres believes he’s capable of matching them.
“I trust that I can compete with [Mbappe and Haaland],” the Spain international told Barca Magazine. “I know how far I can go.”
Torres, 21, only joined City in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but says a difficult adaption process and the chance to return to Spain made Barca’s offer irresistible.
“It was difficult [moving to England], for me and my family,” he added. “But that’s football. The toughest thing, in terms of the adaption in Manchester, was the climate and COVID-19.
“When I moved to City, I knew I would return to one of the best teams in the Spanish league one day. That was my dream. When the option to join Barca came up, from the first moment I said I wanted to come. City are a great side, but I am ambitions and I want to help Barca return to where they deserve to be.”
10.35 GMT: Manchester United remain convinced they can attract their top targets to Old Trafford in the summer even if they miss out on a place in the Premier League top four, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Back-to-back wins over Brighton and Leeds United have moved Ralf Rangnick’s side into the Champions League places, although Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers are within seven points and all have games in hand.
Sources have told ESPN that United are prepared to spend in the summer regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League.
Targets like Declan Rice and Harry Kane have made it clear they want to play in Europe’s top club competition but United believe they are still in a position to pull off marquee signings even if they miss out on a place in the top four this season.
10.04 GMT: Would Neymar help or hurt MLS?
The Futbol Americas team debate Neymar wanting to play in the Major League Soccer before he retires.
09.42 GMT: Real Madrid are determined to fend off interest in Vinicius Junior by offering the winger a long-term contract, with a release clause rising to €1 billion, according to Globo.
Vinicius, 21, has a contract with Madrid until June 2024 and a €700m release clause. Madrid are ready to offer the 21-year-old an improved contract to run until June 2027.
The Brazil international has scored 16 goals and set up eight more in 34 appearances in all competitions, his best season since he joined Los Blancos from Flamengo in the summer of 2018 for €45m.
His strong performances have attracted the attention of top European clubs including PSG, but Vinicius has often declared his wish to remain at Madrid beyond his current deal.
09.15 GMT: Flamengo have intensified talks to sign Lyon midfielder Thiago Mendes, according to Globo.
Mendes, 29, began his career in Goias but made a name for himself at Sao Paulo. He joined Lille from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2017 and two years later, moved to Lyon in a €22m transfer where he has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season.
A long-term target of Flamengo, Mendes’ contract expires in June 2023, with Flamengo coach Paulo Sousa a big admirer of the Brazilian because of his versatility.
08.47 GMT: LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said he would like to see Barcelona sign Erling Haaland and Real Madrid to land Kylian Mbappe this summer for the good of the competition.
Mbappe is also a long-term target of Madrid and the forward, who has not signed a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain, is set to become a free agent in July.
“I prefer Haaland at Barca and Mbappe at Madrid,” Tebas, a Madrid fan, told ABC in an interview. “I want us to have that luck that we had in the past when we had two great players, [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, that were in the two best teams in the world. There I’m more of a Laliga fan than a Madridista [Madrid fan].”
Both Messi and Ronaldo have left LaLiga in the last four years. Messi left Barcelona as a free agent for PSG in September while Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018 in a €100 million transfer from Madrid.
08.30 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur are expected to try and fend off interest in Harry Kane by opening fresh contract talks at the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.
Kane pushed to leave Spurs last summer after becoming frustrated at the club’s failure to win silverware — Tottenham’s last trophy remains the 2008 League Cup — but despite Manchester City, among others, expressing a desire to sign the England captain, no club was willing to meet the £150m asking price.
City are continuing to monitor Kane’s situation and will be in the market for a forward this summer but could turn their attention to Erling Haaland with Borussia Dortmund expected to allow the Norway international to leave.
Tottenham’s progress under new head coach Antonio Conte will be significant factor in determining Kane’s willingness to commit himself further.
Last weekend’s 3-2 win at Manchester City breathed fresh life into their hopes of a top-four finish, Spurs are eighth in the table and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United but with three games in hand.
Champions League qualification would ensure Kane could play in Europe’s top tier competition once again and sources claim he has been impressed by Conte’s determination to aggressively overhaul the Spurs squad in a bid to turn them into title challengers.
However, Champions League qualification alone may not be enough to convince Kane he can be most successful at Spurs given he turns 29 in July and is desperate to add trophies to a career in which he has scored 173 Premier League goals in 268 games and 48 goals for England in 67 appearances.
The striker’s £200,000-a-week contract expires in 2024. Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are keen for Kane to stay, and seek to agree fresh terms, but it is unclear at this stage whether Kane will be willing to negotiate or push for a move instead.
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop praises Harry Kane and Antonio Conte following Tottenham’s 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
– Manchester City and Liverpool are seriously interested in a move for West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen, according to Ekrem Konur. The 25-year-old has impressed for the Hammers this season, scoring eight and assisting 10 in the Premier League this season.
- Liverpool are eyeing a potential move for Internazionale striker Lautaro Martinez, says Calciomercato. Despite recently signing a contract until 2025, the 24-year-old is reportedly free to leave the club in the summer if a suitable offer comes in. The Nerazzurri are said to value the forward at €90m, while Jurgen Klopp is reportedly keen on a move for Martinez as a replacement for Roberto Firmino.
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Real Madrid view Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram as a potential replacement for Casemiro, according to Sport. The 20-year-old, brother of Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram and son of France legend Lilian, has impressed for the Ligue 1 side this season. Los Blancos are eyeing a potential move, with a view to bring through younger players into the squad.
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Aston Villa and Newcastle are interested in a move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez if he leaves the club in the summer, reports the Athletic. The 24-year-old has struggled to break into the side this season, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate all starting ahead of the England international. That has opened up the potential for a switch in the summer, with a decision over the player’s future expected to be made then.
– Lazio are looking to sign Clermont striker Mohamed Bayo, says Calciomercato. The 23-year-old has scored 10 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances this season, with the Azzurri viewing the forward as a potential replacement for Ciro Immobile.
