The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Kane still on Bayern’s radar
Bayern Munich remain interested in Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane as the Bundesliga champions weigh up future options up front, according to Sky Germany.
The report states that the chance to win trophies could be enough to tempt Kane to join Bayern, with whom his management were in touch with over the summer. The England captain has a contract with Spurs which ends in 2024 and his transfer fee could reach in excess of €100 million.
Borussia Monchengladbach‘s Marcus Thuram is another player who has been heavily linked with Bayern, with his likely status as a free agent at the end of the season being an attractive factor. Bayern have yet to make a decision, but a move could gain momentum if Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting doesn’t renew his contract, which also has less than a year to run.
Among the players that Bayern aren’t reportedly interested in — despite previous links — are Juventus‘ Dusan Vlahovic and Inter Milan‘s Lautaro Martinez. The report suggests that Lille‘s Jonathan David could also be an option for Bayern, although no contact has been made.
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18.37 BST: Franck Ribery is set to retire from football, understands BILD.
The 39-year-old attacking midfielder played 36 minutes for Salernitana against Roma in August, but after sustaining an unfortunate run of injuries, he will now remain with the Serie A side in an ambassador role until the end of the season.
14.37 BST: Real Madrid’s 34-year-old striker Karim Benzema may have just become the oldest player to win the Ballon d’Or since Sir Stanley Matthews claimed the inaugural award in 1956 aged 41, but the Champions League holders are also Europe’s front-runners when it comes to their track record of recruiting young players who possess the potential to become the star names of tomorrow.
The CIES Football Observatory has released a report into the recruitment of every club across Europe’s top five leagues — the English Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga, the German Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Ligue 1 in France — to assess the age and profile of the players they have signed in recent years.
When it comes to incoming transfers over the last decade, Real Madrid sit clear above their rivals at the top of the table with the lowest average age of players signed. Of the 12 Italian, 10 English, 10 German, nine French and nine Spanish clubs taken into consideration and the total of 3,788 signings they have collectively made in that period, it is the 14-time European champions who emerge with the lowest average age (22.87 years).
– Real Madrid’s signings have youngest average age; Chelsea oldest
13.52 BST: Toronto FC winger Lorenzo Insigne set a Major League Soccer record with his $14m salary when he joined the team from Napoli last summer, according to the league’s players’ association.
Insigne, who scored six goals in 11 matches, took over as highest-paid player from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who has a base salary of $7.35m and total compensation of $8.153m.
Before this year, the high was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s $7.2m with the LA Galaxy in 2019.
Toronto also signed forward Federico Bernardeschi from Juventus. He has a $3.125m salary and $6.256m in total compensation.
LA Galaxy forward Javier Hernandez dropped to third overall at $6m in salary and $7.443m in total compensation, followed by Bernardeschi and Inter Miami CF striker Gonzalo Higuain with $5.1m base and $5.793m in total compensation.
13.09 BST: Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore has said he hopes to return to play in LaLiga.
The Spain international spent the second half of last season on loan back at boyhood club Barcelona, but is now back at Wolves, for whom he scored in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Asked by AS after that match if he was planning on a return to Spain, the 26-year-old said: “Yes, of course. Spain is the country that I love and where I was born. It is very clear, but everything in its time.
“I returned to Barcelona for a few months because it is a decision I made, I had other options but I went back there and helped and I will surely return. I don’t know where, but I’m sure I’ll be back one day. Right now I am focused on the season and continue to grow.”
12.23 BST: Karim Benzema has deserved all the plaudits this year.
Julien Laurens fully expects Karim Benzema to be named the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
11.44 BST: Chelsea are looking to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in January, says The Daily Mirror.
Nkunku, 24, has attracted interest from several top clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but sources told ESPN that the Blues have already seen the France forward undergo medical tests in Frankfurt a few weeks ago with a Chelsea orthopaedist present.
Nkunku is believed to have a release clause in his contract set at €60m that comes into effect in the summer of 2023, but Chelsea could pay more to land him early.
11.20 BST: PSV forward Cody Gakpo was one of the players linked with a big move over summer and his form this season suggests he’ll be a target again in January.
Gakpo, 23, has 13 goals and 11 assists this season from only 18 matches, having made the step up to the first team in 2019.
Man United were the most keen to land the Netherlands international, with talk of a €60m bid, but spent €95m to bring in Antony from Ajax instead.
“In the end the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame, for me and my development, and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV, because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club,” Gakpo told The Times.
“It ended about a week before the end of the transfer window and in that week I had to decide if I would go to Leeds or Southampton [who also showed interest]. In the end I stayed, but it was a stressful period.”
10.41 BST: Graham Potter understands Christian Pulisic‘s desire to get as much game time as possible ahead of the World Cup but the Chelsea manager said he has to make his team selections based on what is best for the Premier League club.
United States international Pulisic has made just two Premier League starts this season and has had limited playing time recently.
The 24-year-old is expected to feature in the USMNT squad for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar, where they have been drawn in Group B with England, Iran and Wales.
“You can imagine my focus is on Chelsea,” Potter told reporters on Tuesday. “I understand that all the players have ambition and want to play for different reasons, for their families, careers or World Cups.
“That’s all fine but it’s my job to select the right team for whatever game. [I’m] not saying I am right all the time, I am not, but somebody has got to make the call.
“With Christian I would say he has been fantastic around the place, been really good with teammates, contributed against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is pushing for a place, pushing for a start. Things change quickly in football and he needs to be ready.”
09.58 BST: Juventus are monitoring Benfica’s Alejandro Grimaldo and Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro to strengthen their left-back position, according to Tuttosport.
With Juve left-back Alex Sandro expected to leave next summer when his contract expires, the Turin giants are looking for an experienced replacement. Both Grimaldo and Guerreiro have not signed contract extensions with their respective clubs and their deals end next summer.
Grimaldo, 27, joined Benfica from Barcelona’s B team in 2016 and has made 17 appearances this season for the Portuguese giants.
Guerreiro , 28, moved to Dortmund in 1916 from Lorient, but the Portugal international reportedly does not want to sign a new deal.
09.21 BST: Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya is expected to sign a contract extension today with the club where he has spent his entire career, according to Marca.
A youth product of Valencia, Gaya has played for the first team since 2014 and the 27-year-old left-back has featured in six league games for Valencia this season.
Gaya’s contract expires next summer but he always stated his wish to remain in Valencia. The Spain international has agreed a five-year deal that will see him remain at Mestalla until June 2028, having been linked with Barcelona and Manchester City over the summer.
09.02 BST: Racing Louisville have loaned USWNT forward Jess McDonald to Australian A-League Women side Western United for part of the 2022-23 season.
McDonald, who won the 2019 World Cup with the U.S., will play for Western United in their inaugural campaign through January and return to Louisville in time for the 2023 preseason camp.
“I am super stoked to have another opportunity to play in Australia,” McDonald said. “It’s always a great opportunity as an athlete to test your soccer knowledge and continue to learn in different ways, adjusting to the game how it’s played elsewhere. Hopefully I can help another program succeed with what I can bring to the table.”
McDonald has previously spent time in the A-League with Melbourne Victory, helping them to reach the 2013 W-League Grand Final by scoring seven goals in 13 appearances.
She is the NWSL’s all-time leader in assists (31), and ranks fourth all-time in goals (54) and games played (178).
Racing teammate Hillary Beall is also on loan at Western United during the NWSL offseason.
08.44 BST: Erik ten Hag has revealed that Manchester United have not yet decided whether to offer David de Gea a new contract.
The goalkeeper, who made his 500th appearance for United on Sunday, has a deal until the end of the season and the club have an option to extend it by another 12 months, but Ten Hag says they are taking their time before deciding their next move.
“We didn’t make a decision on him, but what I can say is that I am really happy with David De Gea as a keeper,” Ten Hag told a news conference on Tuesday. “His first two performances of the season were not his best performances, but after you see he brings us a lot for the defence department, gives stability and as a person I like him.
“I can really co-operate with him really well, but first we go to the winter and then we will talk about how to deal with the situations.”
08.00 BST: Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira says he is not concerned that Wilfried Zaha‘s contract will expire in the summer.
Zaha, 29, scored the winner in Palace’s 2-1 home victory over Wolves on Tuesday.
“It’s not an issue at all,” Vieira said. “Wilfried knows what the club thinks about him and we know what he thinks about the club.
“There will be a discussion taking place but for myself and for the club what is important is for him to play at this level and to be consistent and to help those young players around him to grow and we’ll see what will happen.”
Herculez Gomez wonders whether it’s time to blame Christian Pulisic for his lack of playing time with Chelsea.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has emerged as a transfer priority for Chelsea amid competition from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid, according to The Evening Standard. The Blues also admire West Ham United captain Declan Rice, who has often been the topic of reported Chelsea interest in recent windows. Both players could cost in excess of £100m to sign.
- Calciomercato reports that Hirving Lozano could leave Napoli in January. The Mexico winger’s high wages mean that the Serie A leaders would be willing to negotiate a transfer if a right offer were to come. Lozano has previously been linked with a host of Premier League and LaLiga clubs.
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Napoli have reached a verbal agreement with Stanislav Lobotka‘s representatives for a contract renewal, reports Sky Italia, with the new deal set for four years and the option of a fifth season. It is expected that the new contract will be signed before the break for the World Cup.
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Fabrizio Romano states that a meeting between AC Milan and lawyer Sebastien Ledure, who represents Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, had nothing to do with a potential deal. However, Romano does add that the Morocco winger’s situation will be clarified in the coming months after talks regarding a return to Ajax collapsed in August.
– Negotiations over a potential contract extension between AC Milan and Rafael Leao are expected to be long and difficult, according to Corriere dello Sport. The report adds that there was no outcome following a meeting on Tuesday between the Portugal star’s representatives and the club. Chelsea and Real Madrid have been linked with an €80m move.
