The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Man City ready to pounce if Chilwell leaves Chelsea

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell could form part of a 12-player exodus from the Blues this summer, and Manchester City are interested in being at the front of the queue for Chilwell should that happen, according to the Athletic.

While Man City’s interest in the 26-year-old left-back was first expressed over a month ago, there’s now real and genuine intent from Man City boss Pep Guardiola, per the report.

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Guardiola is in the market for a left-back after having loaned Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich in a deal that could become permanent in the summer. Nathan Ake is deputising in the position in Cancelo’s absence admirably, but it’s not his first or favoured position, and so Guardiola is scouring the market for a suitable option this summer.

The other problem for Chelsea in terms of their hopes of keeping Chilwell is that they’re unlikely to qualify for the Champions League, which could see players leave in the hopes of European football elsewhere. Chelsea are currently 11 points off fourth place and though they have a game in-hand on Tottenham Hotspur in the last Champions League spot, they may have too much ground to make up.

The Blues are looking to move on players with just one year left on their contract this summer, of which there are six, including Mason Mount and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Chilwell is one of seven players with two years remaining on their existing deal.

PAPER GOSSIP

– The on-and-off saga involving Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid appears to be reaching a conclusion, with Los Blancos seemingly cooling their interest in the 24-year-old striker, according to Marca. The Madrid hierarchy are coming to the conclusion that Mbappe’s overall demeanour might not suit the club, while they’re also reluctant to do business with PSG. Madrid officials still consider Mbappe a top talent, but reportedly aren’t prepared to risk the harmony in the group or a protracted transfer tussle for him.

– Manchester United and Liverpool are among five Premier League clubs interested in signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to the Sun. In addition, the Sun believe that Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in the Portuguese player, who only joined the Cottagers last summer from Sporting Lisbon. Palhinha has made more tackles than any other midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues and has four years left on his contract, which means his transfer fee is likely to be around or above £40m. Fulham boss Marco Silva signed the 27-year-old for £17m last year, and is keen to keep him around.

– Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino could be responsible for the domino effect that will get in the way of Joao Felix‘s desire to make his loan at Chelsea permanent, according to AS. They report that Firmino’s decision to wait until the end of the season to decide his next move could hamper Felix’s move to Stamford Bridge — that’s because Firmino’s favoured choice appears to be Atletico Madrid, the club that loaned Felix to Chelsea. If Atletico Madrid can’t sort out a long-term replacement for Felix, they may wish to recall him rather than move him on permanently to Chelsea. However, Firmino has admitted that he wants to wait until the current season is over to decide his future out of respect for his current club.

• Barcelona are considering swoops for Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez and Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque, according to Sport. Martinez, whose contract comes to an end this summer, is just as interested in joining Camp Nou as Barcelona are on having him, but a move could depend on Barca’s ability to solve lingering salary limit issues. The same applies to the Catalan club’s interest in 18-year-old Roque. He has snubbed Arsenal and, despite interest from other clubs, he seems intent on joining Barcelona this summer. Paranaense don’t intend on lowering their fee demands despite Barca’s salary-cap problems, but they’re willing to negotiate a way around it.

– Manchester United and Newcastle United are leading the race for PSV Eindhoven‘s 19-year-old star Xavi Simons, according to Ekrem Konur. The youngster has already been attracting interest from his old club Paris Saint-Germain, which he left on a free transfer last summer due to a lack of first-team minutes. However, Simons has scored 14 goals and added six assists following his move to Holland, a run of form that’s not only prompting his old employers to feel a tinge of regret in letting let go, but also for PSV to try and extend the striker’s stay. PSG have an option for a permanent deal at €12m, but ultimately the player has the final say, and though he would appear happy in the Eredivisie, he could be tempted by a move to England.

Sourced from ESPN