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: Pogba prefers Madrid move
Paul Pogba will reject moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus to prioritise a transfer next summer to Real Madrid, reports Mundo Deportivo.
The Spanish outlet claim that Los Blancos are confident of the France international moving to the Santiago Bernabeu next season on a free transfer after his contract expires.
ESPN’s Julien Laurens had previously reported that the 28-year-old could be transferred in January with Manchester United looking to cut their losses, with PSG entering the chase to sign him.
Despite interest from PSG and former club Juve, the report on Friday suggest that Real Madrid have received assurances that the midfielder wants to make the switch to LaLiga to complete what would be a dream move.
The Premier League star has started the season in fine form with five assists in three matches.
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LIVE BLOG
09.53 BST: Sergio Aguero has said he never considered quitting Barcelona and insisted there is no exit clause in his contract related to Lionel Messi’s departure.
Aguero, 33, joined Barca on a free transfer from Manchester City in June, signing an initial two-year deal at Camp Nou.
However, after Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in August, reports in Spain suggested Aguero could follow his international teammate out the door.
“I would sign for Barca again [knowing the circumstances now], no doubt,” Aguero told the radio station RAC1 on Thursday.
“I don’t understand why [me leaving] was spoken about. When I signed, Leo, in reality, hadn’t signed anything still. At no moment was there an exit clause related to Leo, that was invented [by the media].”
09.00 BST: Everton are planning to revive their attempts to sign Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles in January, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.
The 24-year-old was close to joining the Merseyside club this summer before Arsenal blocked a deal on deadline day following talks between the player and manager Mikel Arteta.
Maitland-Niles has become frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities at the Emirates Stadium — he took to Instagram near the end of the window to declare “all I wanna do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m gonna play” — having spent the second half of last season on loan at West Brom, making 12 Premier League appearances.
Arteta told Maitland-Niles he remains part of his plans but sources have told ESPN that Everton are expected to test Arsenal’s resolve to keep him January, particularly if he continues to struggle for opportunities. Everton were previously in talks over an initial season-long loan with an option to buy before negotiations collapsed.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Sampdoria are facing a fight to fend off interest in Mikkel Damsgaard, with Calciomercato reporting that Serie A clubs are monitoring the 21-year-old. Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan are the three clubs named at the front of the queue for the Denmark international who had an impressive campaign at Euro 2020, while scouts from I Nerazzurri will keep a close eye on the attacking midfielder when Inter take on Sampdoria on Sunday.
– Aston Villa will revisit the idea of loaning out academy prospect Aaron Ramsey in January, writes The Athletic. The talented midfielder was on the shortlist of a number of clubs regarding a loan move in the summer, but manager Dean Smith was keen to keep the 18-year-old at Villa Park around the first team. Ramsey helped Aston Villa under-18s defeat Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup final back in May.
– Juventus are interested in a move for Ansu Fati, according to Calciomercato. It was earlier revealed that agent Jorge Mendes was offering his client’s services to clubs in a bid to force Barcelona‘s hand in contract negotiations, and despite Manchester City ruling themselves out of a move for the Blaugrana star, the Serie A side see the 18-year-old as a strong fit for Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.
– Wesley Fofana has revealed that a move to Marseille would be his dream, in an interview with Oh My Goal. The Leicester City centre-back told the outlet how a move to the Stade Velodrome would always be a dream to play for the team he supported as a child. The 20-year-old is set to return for the Foxes at some point in 2022 after suffering an injury in a pre-season friendly.
– Former Celta Vigo forward Facundo Ferreyra looks to have found a new home in Colo Colo, but journalist Pedro Almeida has revealed that the deal has fallen through. Earlier reports suggested that all parties were happy with the proposal that would have seen the striker head to the Chilean club, but the sides couldn’t reach a final agreement. The forward, who was recently linked with Nottingham Forest, will now continue his search for a new club.
