The 2022 January transfer window is open (find out when it closes here), and there’s 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: Juventus eye Jorginho, De Jong moves

With Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic on the cusp of joining Juventus for €75 million, the club is now said to be turning their attention to bolstering the midfield. And, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri are interested in signing either Chelsea‘s Jorginho or Barcelona‘s Frenkie de Jong at the end of the season.

Jorginho, 30, has impressed for both Chelsea and Italy over the past year, winning the Champions League, Euro 2020, and finishing third in the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings. The midfielder is out of contract at Stamford Bridge in 2023, with the player’s representatives said to have already held discussions with the Juve hierarchy.

De Jong, 24, is another option for the Serie A side to strengthen in the middle of the park. The Netherlands international has struggled for Barcelona since his €75m switch from Ajax in 2019 and, as a result, the Blaugrana are willing to move him on amid their well-documented financial troubles.

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10.03 GMT: Liverpool are attempting to beat Tottenham and Manchester United to the £37m signing of FC Porto winger Luis Diaz after abandoning plans to wait until the summer to sign the Colombia international, sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden.

Diaz, who is in South America preparing for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Peru in Barranquilla, had been Jurgen Klopp’s No. 1 target for the summer transfer window, with sources telling ESPN that Liverpool had been prepared to pay Porto’s £50m valuation of the 25-year-old.

But with the Portuguese club now ready to offload the player before Monday’s transfer deadline at a reduced fee of £37m plus an additional £12.5m in performance-related instalments, Spurs had appeared set to sign him after opening talks with Porto and Diaz this week.

09.43 GMT: Transfermarkt coordinator Christian Schwarz has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo blocked them on Instagram because the Manchester United star was unhappy with the valuation the site had given him.

The Portugal international was given a €75m valuation in March 2020 when Transfermarkt made a starting XI of players represented by agent Jorge Mendes.

“He sent a message first to our social media guys. They answered him, explained why, and told him, ‘The people in your age group, you are by far the number one.'” Schwarz told The Athletic. “It was €30m-€50m difference [between Ronaldo and the next player on the list], and then he sent some smilies, and then he blocked us.”

09.26 GMT: Real Madrid are tracking Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Ajax’s Ryan Gravenberch, sources have told ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez, with the France international the leading candidate to refresh the team’s veteran midfield.

Tchouameni, 22, has become one of Europe’s most sought-after midfield prospects since becoming a first team regular at Monaco last season. He has made 21 appearances in Ligue 1 this campaign and has seven caps for France since making his full international debut last September.

The highly-rated Gravenberch, 19, is also already a full international with the Netherlands, featuring regularly during World Cup qualifying and appearing at last year’s European Championships. He is due to be out of contract at Ajax in 2023 and is yet to agree to an extension.

Sources told ESPN that while Real Madrid are monitoring a number of young prospects, the pursuit of Tchouameni is “more serious.” He is viewed as a suitable alternative to, and eventual replacement for, Casemiro in defensive midfield.

09.17 GMT: Aston Villa defender Matty Cash is in talks with Atletico Madrid over a summer move, says The Sun.

Cash, 24, is seen as a replacement for right-back Kieran Trippier, following his £12m move to Newcastle, and is rated at around £30m.

Villa have already signed Calum Chambers, who plays at both right-back and centre-back, from Arsenal this month.

09.00 GMT: Look who has arrived at Juventus ahead of his €75m move.

08.34 GMT: Arsenal face a race against time to sign a striker before Monday’s transfer deadline after becoming repeatedly frustrated in attempts to bolster their forward line, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Dusan Vlahovic but the Fiorentina forward is close to finalising a €75m deal to join Juventus.

Sources have told ESPN that senior figures at Arsenal believe their interest was used as a smokescreen by Vlahovic’s camp to negotiate a transfer that provoked an angry reaction among Fiorentina fans the moment it became public given their longstanding rivalry with Juventus.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ideally wants to strengthen in attack this month with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ostracised after being stripped of the captaincy following a series of disciplinary issues, while Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are both likely to leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season.

08.00 GMT: Inter Milan have completed the signing of Germany international Robin Gosens from Atalanta on a deal until 2026, the Italian champions announced on Thursday.

Gosens has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract in Milan and moves on loan with an obligation to sign him permanently. The 27-year-old becomes the Serie A leaders’ first signing of the January transfer window and will compete with Ivan Perisic for the left wing-back spot in Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Inter’s statement did not mention a fee, but Sky Italia reported that the buyout clause is set at €25m plus €3m in bonuses.

Gosens played a key role at Atalanta achieving three consecutive third-place finishes in Serie A, and started every match for Germany at Euro 2020 last year. However, this season the left wing-back has been sidelined since September with a hamstring injury and is not expected to return for at least another month.

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Gab and Juls discuss Tottenham’s reported interest in Porto winger Luis Diaz.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)

– Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with Serie A side Hellas Verona over midfielder Antonin Barak, reports journalist Nicolo Schira. The 27-year-old only joined Verona from Udinese last summer, though the club’s president is willing to move him on for €20m in what could be Spurs’ first incoming in January.

• AS Roma are interested in a potential move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi, reports Calciomercato. Jose Mourinho has already added to his squad this window, signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sergio Oliveira. Icardi, 28, has struggled to find his way into the PSG side and could be free to leave the club this month, adds the report.

• Liverpool have turned down approaches from Leeds United and Monaco for forward Takumi Minamino, while Atalanta have registered interest in striker Divock Origi, says the Daily Mail. Minamino, 27, has been a squad player for the Reds since his arrival from FC Salzburg, with the report claiming a substantial offer would have to be made for them to let the Japan international leave. His Liverpool teammate Origi has also registered interest from Serie A side Atalanta, with the 26-year-old’s contract expiring in the summer.

• Aston Villa full-back Ashley Young has turned down a potential move to Newcastle United, reports The Mirror. The 36-year-old is out of contract with the Villains in the summer, alerting both the Magpies and fellow relegation battlers Watford. Despite a reported offer from Newcastle, the former England international has turned down the chance to transfer there.

• Crystal Palace are looking to make the loan move for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta permanent, says The Sun. The 24-year-old is one-year into an 18-month loan spell at the Eagles from Bundesliga club Mainz, who have reportedly set a valuation of £14m for the forward.
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