The transfer window opened in early January, and speculation is heating up about potential deals. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Liverpool checked on ex-Arsenal defender Sokratis
Liverpool have been looking for a new centre-back amid injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, with their search taking them to former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, according to The Athletic.
Sokratis, 32, was released by the Gunners last week as he was left out of the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads and is reportedly set to join Olympiakos in the coming days.
The Greece international has not played since August but he was signed by then-Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp in 2013, which explains the link.
The report claims that “the conversation is not thought to have progressed past checking on his situation” but it’s interesting to note that Liverpool are still keen to resolve their defensive issues before the window closes on Feb. 1.
LIVE BLOG
11.50 GMT: More on the sacking of Frank Lampard here
1:41
Julien Laurens feels Frank Lampard was too inexperienced to handle the overhaul of Chelsea’s squad in the summer.
11.41 GMT: Some more breaking Chelsea news: Defender and Norway captain Maren Mjelde has signed a contract extension which keeps her at the club until June 2022.
Mjelde, 31, joined the London side four years ago from Norwegian club Avaldsnes. Since joining in 2017 she has helped the club win the Spring Series, two Women’s Super League titles, the FA Cup and the Continental Cup.
“When I came to Chelsea in 2017, it was a really good team. I felt it was some levels up from the club I played for before,” she said in a statement. “You can see there has been a lot of changes. In my first season, we got to the semifinals of the Champions League but we were not close at all. The year after, against Lyon, we were pretty close to reaching the final. That’s the direction we want to go.”
Mjelde’s contract also has an option to extend for one year.
11.25 GMT: Chelsea have announced they have parted ways with Frank Lampard and are set to appoint Thomas Tuchel as his successor, sources have told ESPN.
“This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,” owner Roman Abramovich said. “He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics.
“However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers. On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future.
“He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”
11.09 GMT: Leicester City’s impressive work behind the scenes has seen the club emerge as Premier League title contenders this season, and sources told ESPN’s Mark Ogden the player recruitment set-up at the King Power Stadium has left bigger clubs frustrated at being unable to match the Foxes’ ability for unearthing rising stars across Europe.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has rebuilt Leicester’s back four since arriving from Celtic in February 2019, with sporting director Lee Congerton, who worked with Rodgers at Chelsea and Celtic, securing deals for Wesley Fofana, James Justin and Timothy Castagne from Saint-Etienne, Luton Town and Atalanta respectively.
Sources told ESPN that Leicester’s connections in France gave them a head start on the signing of Fofana, a £36.5m arriving last October, which enabled the club to fend off interest from Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho.
10.31 GMT: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he expects defender Eric Garcia to leave the club at the end of the season.
Spain international Garcia is in the final year of his contract at the Premier League side and has been linked with a switch back to his boyhood club Barcelona.
Injuries and illness have limited the 20-year-old to just eight appearances in all competitions this season but he was handed a rare start in Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup.
“We will see what happens at the end of the transfer window,” Guardiola told reporters. “I don’t think he will sign a new contract. I am pretty sure he is going to leave at the end of the season and now, in this transfer window, it will depend on the [other] clubs.”
10.08 GMT: Chelsea’s £47.7m striker Timo Werner is still struggling for form… even from the penalty spot.
1:27
Frank Leboeuf says Timo Werner needs to get his head right before being tasked with taking penalties for Chelsea.
09.46 GMT: Chelsea are set to sack manager Frank Lampard this morning, reports the Daily Telegraph, as they have lost five of their last eight games.
On possible replacements, the report claims that RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is among Chelsea’s top targets but may not be available until the summer.
Ex-PSG manager Thomas Tuchel or former Juventus and Milan boss Max Allegri are also being considered as they are unattached, with many outlets reporting Tuchel to be the favourite.
09.27 GMT: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sanctioned Jesse Lingard‘s loan move from Manchester United during the January transfer window and the final decision now rests with the club’s board, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Solskjaer has been keen to keep Lingard at Old Trafford ahead of a busy second half of the season but, after talks with the midfielder, has agreed he should be allowed to move to find regular first-team football.
Despite significant interest from abroad, Lingard, 28, is keen to stay in the Premier League and Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are among a host of suitors.
09.02 GMT: Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli is still of interest to PSG, reports The Athletic.
The report reads: “Tottenham are understood to have rejected three approaches from Paris Saint-German for the midfielder in the summer but the French side are still at the table and remain keen to secure Dele’s services on a temporary basis for the second half of the season.”
08.39 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain have offered Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos a three-year contract, worth €15m net per season, according to Onda Cero.
Ramos, 34, has not signed a new contract with Madrid with his deal ending this summer. He is free to negotiate with other clubs. Real Madrid have no intention of equaling PSG’s offer.
Los Blancos have offered the Spain captain a one-year contract extension while maintaining his current wage, €12m net per season, despite the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
08.00 GMT: Real Sociedad have signed Spanish striker Carlos Fernandez on a permanent transfer from Sevilla for a reported €12m, the club announced.
The Basque outfit acquired the 24-year-old as a replacement for Brazilian striker Willian Jose, who joined Wolverhampton on loan for the remainder of the campaign, with a buyout option included in the deal.
Willian Jose scored 62 goals in 170 appearances for La Real after joining the club in 2016 and Fernandez knows he has big shoes to fill.
“We all know how much he’s done for La Real, what a good striker he is,” Fernandez said of Willian Jose. “It’s a challenge that I’m willing to take on with motivation and self-demand. This is the best place for me to continue to grow.”
1:02
Janusz Michallik praises Weston McKennie for superb goal for Juventus in Juventus 2-0 win vs. Bologna.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Juventus look to land McKennie permanently
Weston McKennie has proven to be something of a revelation during his time on loan at Juventus. In fact, the USMNT midfielder has impressed so much that the Italian giants intend to take up their option to sign him outright, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Juve agreed a figure of €18.5m to permanently sign the 22-year-old from Schalke as part of his loan deal: “payable in three years, which might be increased up to a maximum of €7m upon achievement of further sportive performance objectives over the duration of the employment contract with the player.”
Dortmund to challenge Bayern for Neuhaus
Borussia Dortmund are hoping to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus, reports Sport 1.
There are potential stumbling blocks for BVB though, with most of them being financial — especially if they fail to secure a Champions League place for next season.
Another is that Bayern Munich are seriously considering a summer move for the 23-year-old. It is suggested within the report that the midfielder will have a release clause of €40m.
Juventus eye Bayern Munich duo
Juventus are looking to Bayern Munich for their January business, as has been reported by Calciomercato.
Recruiting another forward has been a priority, and it is rumoured that the reigning Italian champions are hoping to bring in 19-year-old forward Joshua Zirkzee.
The Italian outlet claims this could be a loan, as the teenager wants game time that Bayern can’t give him, but they are unlikely to let him leave permanently.
In addition to that, Juventus are hoping to sign French midfielder Corentin Tolisso, though they may have to wait until the summer.
Tap-ins
– The Times have offered an insight into the numbers behind Martin Odegaard‘s approaching loan move from Real Madrid to Arsenal. The Gunners will reportedly pay a £1.8m loan fee, as well as the Norwegian’s £38,000-per-week wages, making a total expected outlay of £2.5m.
– RB Leipzig attacker Hee-Chan Hwang could be loaned out during the transfer window, reports Kicker. It’s vaguely reported that “German and foreign clubs” are interested in the South Korea international, so it seems he has some options. On Monday, Bild reported that West Ham United, Wolverhampton and Brighton & Hove Albion are in a better position than Mainz in the race for the 24-year-old, who has not started in Bundesliga this season.
– West Bromwich Albion are taking a look at Ahmed Musa, who is a free agent, reports the Daily Mail. This comes after the Nigeria striker, who has previously played for Leicester City, was released by Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
