With the opening of the January transfer window coming closer, 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: Joao Felix loan to Man Utd or Arsenal?
Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix is on the radar of Manchester United and Arsenal, with agent Jorge Mendes proposing a January loan move for his wantaway client, according to Marca.
Despite Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin saying earlier this month that the Portugal star could leave the club, Atleti are still yet to receive an suitable offer for Felix.
With Atletico only willing to listen to permanent transfer proposals of at least €100 million, Mendes is suggesting a loan move to the Premier League could benefit Felix.
Mendes feels that six months away from Atleti — and specifically manager Diego Simeone, who Felix has openly disagreed with — could prove the perfect showcase to ensure the club get a suitable transfer fee in the summer.
This comes with Felix having started just eight matches across LaLiga and the Champions League this season — making nine more off the bench — scoring three goals and assisting another three.
Atleti are initially reluctant to accept that idea, as they are keen to quickly bring in money to help their financial situation, which was worsened when they failed to stay in European football at all after finishing bottom of their Champions League group.
Felix’s status as the most expensive signing in the club’s history (€126m) also adds to that reluctance to see the ex-Benfica man go out on loan.
Atleti are tired of waiting for the situation to be sorted and insist that their squad will stay the same if they do not receive the offers they want.
In addition to Felix, Atleti are are also open to moving from Yannick Carrasco, Mario Hermoso and Felipe.
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LIVE BLOG
09.44 GMT: Real Madrid are to sign Palmeiras forward Endrick in 2024 for a total of €72m including variables and taxes.
Endrick, who is 16 and will move to Madrid when he turns 18, is one of the most exciting young talents in Brazilian football and revealed why he chose Madrid over a host of other top clubs.
“Real Madrid are a really big team, Vini [Vinicius Jr.] had sent me messages and gave me hope,” he told Marca. “Cristiano [Ronaldo], who’s my idol, played at Madrid too. That’s why I chose Real Madrid… (Vini) is my friend, I hope that friendship lasts a lot of years, I hope I can exchange a lot of passes with him and score goals… I spoke with Ancelotti, with Rodrygo, with Eder (Militao), with the Brazilians.”
09.00 GMT: Liverpool have signed forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
ESPN reported that the transfer fee is around £37m (€41.8m). PSV did not disclose the value of the deal, but general manager Marcel Brands said it will be a “record transfer” for the club.
Liverpool beat Manchester United to the signing of Gakpo. United boss Erik ten Hag was keen to sign the Netherlands international as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club on a free transfer in November.
“I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club,” Gakpo said in a statement. “I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”
2:37
Stevie Nicol and Craig Burley discuss what Cody Gakpo’s role will look like for Liverpool.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Sergio Ramos‘ status at Paris Saint-Germain looks increasingly uncertain, according to Ekrem Konur. The 36-year-old defender’s contract is set to come to an end in the summer of 2023, with Major League Soccer and Saudi Arabian clubs eyeing the ex-Real Madrid captain.
– PSG announced that Marco Verratti‘s contract has been extended by two years to keep the midfielder at Parc des Princes until 2026. The Italy international first joined Les Parisiens in 2012 and has come close to reaching 400 appearances for the club since.
– AC Milan have long been linked with FC Salzburg striker Noah Okafor, but Calciomercato has suggested that their interest in Salzburg players hasn’t stopped there. That is because the Italian giants are also looking at Danish midfielder Maurits Kjaergaard, but could face competition from city rivals Internazionale for the 19-year-old.
– Monza are close to completing the signing of VfL Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Josip Brekalo ahead of the January transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports Italia. The Croatian’s contract with the Bundesliga side is set to end in June, and it is expected that a permanent move to Serie A will be completed by the new year.
– Mexico defender Cesar Montes has officially joined LaLiga side Espanyol. This comes after Liga MX club Monterrey announced on Monday that the El Tri star was set to sign with the Barcelona-based side.
