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Transfer Talk: Man Utd cool on West Ham’s Rice, eye Leed’s Phillips

The summer transfer window is closed for the top leagues in Europe! After a summer full of international football, countless clubs waited until the last minute to pull off their transfers. See all the major deals here and check out how we graded the biggest signings. But just because the window is shut until January, that doesn’t mean the rumours won’t keep coming.

TOP STORY: Man Utd turn to Leeds’ Phillips

Having long been linked with West Ham United‘s Declan Rice, Manchester United are now turning their attention to Leeds United‘s Kalvin Phillips, according to The Daily Star.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make a holding midfielder the priority next summer, and sources told ESPN that the Red Devils may abandon their interest in Rice with the Hammers’ £90 million transfer valuation more than United are willing to pay.

With Liverpool reportedly the favourites to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, Phillips is Man United’s new target.

But they could have trouble persuading Phillips to leave Elland Road for Old Trafford. The 25-year-old is a Leeds fan born and bred, and moving to the club’s arch rivals would be controversial. He has a contract that runs until 2024 and is valued in the region of £60m.

Man United have attracted Leeds stars such as Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand and Alan Smith in the Premier League era.

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16.55 BST: Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah has officially extended his contract with the club until 2025.

The 25-year-old joined the club in 2015 from Hamburg and has become a regular for the side, making over 200 appearances at the back. Tah has reportedly garnered interest from clubs across Europe, with Leicester City following the centre-back in the summer window according to Fabrizio Romano.

16.00 BST: Napoli spent €70m to sign Victor Osimhen in 2020.

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Gab and Juls discuss Victor Osimhen’s standout performance in Napoli’s 2-0 win over Cagliari in Serie A.

15.33 BST: Arsenal and Bukayo Saka are expected to open talks over a new contract soon, according to football.london.

Saka, 20, has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most exciting young talents since graduating from Arsenal’s academy.

The versatile England international has two years left on his contract, but football.london reports that there are “no real concerns” from either party over his future and negotiations over an extension will begin in due course.

14.39 BST: Borussia Dortmund are considering Manchester United forward Anthony Martial as a replacement for Erling Haaland if the striker leaves them at the end of the season, SPORT1 reports.

Haaland, 21, is wanted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and Dortmund are expected to face a battle to keep hold of him next summer. As such, the Bundesliga clubs have reportedly enlisted as many as 30 scouts to help identify a replacement for the Norway international.

According to SPORT1, one of those is Martial. The 25-year-old has struggled for game time at Old Trafford, and that has only increased with the late-summer arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

SPORT1 claims that the France international could be available for around €50m next summer.

13.39 BST: Real Madrid are tracking Sporting Lisbon defender Pedro Porro as a potential successor to Dani Carvajal, according to O Jogo.

Porro, 22, is on a two-year loan at Sporting from Manchester City, with the Portuguese club having the € 8.5m option to make the deal permanent next summer.

Portuguese sport daily O Jogo reports that Spain international Porro first caught the eye of Real Madrid last year, as they look for a young attacking right-back to replace Carvajal, who is currently out of action with the latest in a series of injury problems.

Lucas Vazquez — Carvajal’s usual deputy — doesn’t appear to have convinced Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has preferred centre-back Nacho or even midfielder Fede Valverde in the position in recent weeks.

Porro has never featured for City, signing for sister club Girona in 2017 and going on loan at Real Valladolid in 2019 before moving to Sporting in 2020.

12.40 BST: Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is open to leaving he club in January if he does not get more game time at Old Trafford, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Mata’s only appearance so far this season came last week in the Carabao Cup, when he was substituted 62 minutes into the 1-0 loss to West Ham (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).

The 33-year-old is out of contract next summer but, after being left out of the matchday squad for Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat against Aston Villa, he is considering a midseason move.

Mata, who joined United in a £37m transfer from Chelsea midway through the 2013-14 season, is free to strike a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from Jan. 1.

11.46 BST: Barcelona could offer Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Memphis Depay in exchange for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, Calciomercato reports.

Barca first tried to sign De Ligt in 2019, when he left Ajax for Juve, but instead ended up with his former club teammate Frenkie de Jong. However, Barca have maintained an interest in De Ligt, whose agent, Mino Raiola, recently hinted the centre-back could leave Juve at the end of the season.

The Netherlands internationally reportedly has a release clause worth €150m, inserted by Raiola when he signed for the Italian side, which is where Ter Stegen and Memphis come into the equation.

Calciomercato claims Barca value the goalkeeper and the forward at €75m each, making up the total amount it would cost to force Juve’s hand on De Ligt.

Ter Stegen has been at Barca since 2014 and recently signed a new contract, while Memphis joined from Lyon in the summer and has quickly become a key member of the side, scoring three goals in seven appearances this season.

10.53 BST: Borussia Dortmund are one of the clubs across Europe monitoring West Bromwich Albion’s young striker Reyes Cleary, according to the Daily Mail.

Cleary, 17, is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Baggies, or even sign a professional contract at The Hawthorns.

However, his performances for West Brom in Premier League 2 and for the club’s under-18 side, have attracted plenty of interest.

The Daily Mail reports that Dortmund and Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim are scouting Cleary, as are several clubs in the Premier League and Serie A.

09.57 BST: Roma midfielder Steven Nzonzi is on the verge of signing for Qatari club Al Rayyan, according to Calciomercato.

Nzonzi’s contract with Roma expires next summer, and he has not made an appearance for Jose Mourinho’s side this season.

The 32-year-old has until Sept. 30 to secure a deal to Al Rayyan, who last week signed James Rodriguez from Everton, before the transfer deadline.

09.00 BST: Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe “sees himself at Real Madrid,” according to Spanish sport daily AS.

Mbappe was seen on camera complaining while sat on the bench after being substituted during PSG’s 2-0 win over Montpellier at the weekend that his teammate, Neymar, didn’t pass to him enough.

AS now reports that “his latest row with Neymar and criticism from the fans and press have strengthened his idea of signing for Real Madrid in January.”

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Julien Laurens speaks after Ansu Fati scored on his Barcelona return against Levante in LaLiga.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Barcelona are set to start work on a new contract for Ansu Fati, according to Diario Sport, with the 18-year-old having scored on Sunday in a triumphant return from a knee injury that kept out 10 months. His last renewal was signed in December 2019, and there is a recognition that his heightened status within the club means they have to make an effort to review the agreement.

Ajax have contacted the representatives of FC Dallas youngster Ricardo Pepi, according to journalist Chris Smith. The 18-year-old has shown promise in Major League Soccer, registering 12 goals and two assists in 24 appearances, while he scored a goal and provided two assists on his international debut for the United States against Honduras earlier this month.

– Liverpool are showing an interest in signing Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard, reports Calciomercato. There will be competition for the 21-year-old, though, as Inter Milan and Juventus are also looking at the Denmark international, who impressed at Euro 2020.

– In an interview with Diario Sport, Benfica left-back Alejandro Grimaldo says he one day hopes to return to play for Barcelona. The 26-year-old said: “It’s something I thought, that when I left it was a see you later, not a goodbye. I was there eight years. I’m very happy at Benfica, I feel important here. But it’s clear Barcelona is my home and I have a lot of love for it.” Grimaldo started out at Valencia before moving to Barca in 2008, spending eight years with the club before moving to Benfica. However, he never appeared in Barca’s first team, playing 92 games for the “B” team.

AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho wants a new midfielder and Tottenham Hotspur‘s Tanguy Ndombele could be the man to come in, according to Calciomercato. It’s reported Mourinho wants a player with athleticism and that the Frenchman is seen as a good fit — though his contract with Spurs runs until 2025. Ndombele, 24, had a frosty relationship with Mourinho when they were together at Spurs.

Sourced from ESPN

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