The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- you can find out when the windows close here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond. Plus, check out all the latest major completed transfers across Europe.
TOP STORY: Man United to make final £90m bid for Sancho
It's been the saga of the summer, but Jadon Sancho to Manchester United could still happen inside this transfer window as the Red Devils prepare to test Dortmund's resolve one final time.
Both the Daily Star and the Mirror report that United are preparing a £90 million bid for the forward, with their executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward, expected to make it clear that they do not intend to negotiate further.
Dortmund have been holding out for £108m, which has left the two clubs at a stalemate for almost three months, but United are now ready to call the Bundesliga side's bluff by making an offer they believe to be fair given the impact of COVID-19 on the market.
United are willing to offer £75m up front with an additional £15m in add-ons, with Woodward ready to tell Dortmund to take it or leave it.
The Premier League side are also reported to have agreed personal terms with Sancho already, with the 20-year-old expected to earn close to £175,000-a-week if a deal is finally reached.
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22.34 BST: Man United and Arsenal are being linked with Barcelona outcast Samuel Umtiti by Spanish outlet Sport.
The outlet lists United, Arsenal, Lyon, Inter Milan and Rennes as potential landing spots for the centre-back. The World Cup winger looks to be on the outs at Camp Nou and will be looking to reignite his career after a disappointing 2019-20 campaign. Arsenal and Man United could both do with help at centre-back, as Victor Lindelof has struggled for United while Arsenal are looking to move Sokratis.
21.52 BST: Could Spurs yet bring in another wide player?
With Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale, Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela already on the books, is there room for Leicester's Demarai Gray? Football Insider understands that Gray, 24, has rejected Leicester's latest contract extension proposals, amid rumours he wants to leave the King Power this window. The youngster, whose contract with the Foxes expires next summer, has reportedly spoken with Jose Mourinho, who is trying to convince him to join Spurs.
Gray, who was also a favourite of ex-Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, is valued at around £20 million.
21.19 BST: West Brom are still in the market for a centre-forward and a Premier League veteran is now reportedly being considered.
The Sun writes that the Baggies are weighing up a shock move for 36-year-old striker Emmanuel Adebayor! The well-travelled striker recently did a short spell in Paraguay with Olimpia and previously played in England with Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Crystal Palace.
West Brom are reportedly considering other candidates but with Adebayor currently a free agent, he could prove a fallback option if Slaven Bilic fails to bring another striker through the doot before the Oct. 5 deadline.
20.43 BST: Aston Villa? Crystal Palace? Brighton? Sheffield United? Where will Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster be playing his football next season?
The Independent claims that Chris Wilder's Sheffield United are in the lead for the striker, who bagged 10 goals in 20 games last season on loan at Swansea. The underage England star, 20, wanted to stay and fight for his place at Anfield but it now appears he is set to head out on loan ahead of the October 5 transfer deadline.
Brewster famously led England's Under-17s to the 2017 World Cup title, scoring eight goals to win the Golden Ball and Golden Boot.
20.06 BST: Derby County have signed former Liverpool ace Bobby Duncan from Fiorentina.
The 19-year-old, who scored goals for fun for Liverpool's Under-18s but grew frustrated with opportunities at Anfield, returns to England after one season in Italy. The England U19 international scored four goals in 12 games with Fiorentina's Under-23s but never cracked the first team for La Viola.
19.31 BST: Have Arsenal lodged an official bid for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar?
French outlet Telefoot Chaine claims that Arsenal have made their first offer for the French midfielder, who is reportedly their top transfer target.
🔵🔴 Info @telefoot_chaine
— Saber Desfarges (@SaberDesfa) September 25, 2020
Arsenal dégaine en premier et a fait une offre à l'OL pour s'attacher les services d'Houssem Aouar. #mercato https://t.co/opzBsZ9o5H
Aouar, 22, scored nine goals and added 10 assists as Lyon made a surprising run to the Champions League semi-finals.
18.57 BST: Leicester City are engaged in talks for England and Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski, Sky Sports is reporting.
The Foxes are reportedly ready to offer more than £30 million for Tarkowski, who has long had an admirer in Brendan Rodgers. Wesley Fofana and Jonathan Tah were considered Leicester's primary centre-back targets but with West Ham now moving ahead in the race for Fofana, Tarkowski is back on the Foxes radar.
Leicester have yet to replace Harry Maguire, who they sold to Man United before last season for £80 million.
18.02 BST: It looks as if things in Genoa are about to get a lot more interesting...
La Gazzetta Dello Sport claims that enigmatic striker Mario Balotelli is closing in on a one-year deal with the Serie A club. Balotelli, 30, scored five goals in 19 games last season for hometown club Brescia but did not play after March 9th due to a club-imposed suspension.
Genoa looks set to be the next chapter in the Balotelli Show and the Rossoblu will be hoping they get the player who scored 33 goals for Nice between 2016-18 and eight goals in 15 games for Marseille in 2019.
17.18 BST: Sampdoria have acquired veteran winger Antonio Candreva on loan from Inter Milan.
The 33-year-old, who has spent the last four seasons at Inter, will join Sampdoria on loan for the 2020-21 season, with Samp then obligated to make the move permanent. Candreva scored 18 goals and added 31 assists in 151 games with the Nerazzurri.
16.45 BST: Tom Hamilton explains why Bundesliga side Hoffenheim and MLS franchise FC Cincinnati have announced a new partnership that focuses on knowledge and data sharing and opens a pathway for player development.
The partnership, which will begin with a three-year agreement, operates across four pillars: sharing of knowledge, talent development, brand and corporate responsibility and creating new business opportunities. The two clubs found common ground on a "shared set of values and philosophies" across sporting ethos and philosophy, fascination in innovation and social responsibility.
15.57 BST: Don't mention this to Lionel Messi but Luis Suarez is now an Atletico Madrid player.
🔴⚪ #SuárezRojiblanco
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) September 25, 2020
𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱.
✍ @LuisSuarez9 has signed his contract and is officially a Red & White player 👊
🙌 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲!
🏧 #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/E3susK5spa
15.42 BST: Big news coming out of Portugal regarding Manchester City's chase for a centre-back.
A Bola and O Jogo both claim that Benfica's Ruben Dias is set to sign for around €65m, with Nicolas Otamendi going the other way.
14.58 BST: Is this the best/worst transfer announcement video ever? Here's how they've evolved. And here's some of the worst.
14.20 BST: According to Goal, Atletico Madrid have made a final offer to sign free agent Edinson Cavani.
The 33-year-old striker has been in talks with a number of clubs after leaving PSG this summer and he's been offered a one-year contract, with a further year extension if Atletico qualify for the Champions League.
Of course, with the arrival of Luis Suarez from Barcelona, Diego Costa will need to leave and Cavani will have to accept a drop in salary for any deal to happen.
13.52 BST: Juventus loanee Alvaro Morata explains why he's come back to the club from Atletico Madrid. Juve have a €45m option to sign him permanently at the end of the season.
"I'm happy to be back," he told a news conference. "I've come back to Turin as a person that's grown in all senses. I'm in the right place at the right time: I know what I need to do, I have the necessary experience. Juve is the opportunity of a lifetime. Juve took a punt on me when I was younger and coming back was a dream of mine.
"It's wonderful to have Andrea Pirlo as a coach after he was a teammate of mine. I'm impressed by how he manages the group, he's the perfect person for Juve and being a coach was his destiny."
13.49 BST: Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira is keen on a move to Atletico Madrid but the two clubs are continuing to wrangle over the terms of the deal, sources have told ESPN.
The Gunners want to include Torreira in a move for Atletico midfielder Thomas Partey but the La Liga club have so far dismissed any talk of a swap or player-plus-cash agreement.
Talks are at an advanced stage over Torreira joining on an initial season-long loan but the clubs are yet to decide on whether the transfer will include an option or an obligation to buy.
13.30 BST: Philadelphia Union midfielder Brenden Aaronson is close to a transfer to Austrian champions FC Salzburg, sources have told ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld.
Aaronson, 19, had been monitored by some clubs in the German Bundesliga, but is set to remain a Union player until the end of 2020 and then move to Austria.
U.S. coach Jesse Marsch, who is in his third year in Europe and his second at Salzburg, has the club only one match away from reaching the UEFA Champions League after defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 away from home in the first leg of the playoffs.
13.12 BST: United States defender Chris Richards looks set to stay with Bayern Munich for now, sources have told ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld.
Richards, 20, featured for 17 minutes in the German champions' 8-0 win over Schalke last week and was part of the squad which won the European Super Cup against Sevilla on Thursday.
Having considered a loan move, for now he will continue to train with the senior squad and look to gain experience in competitive matches.
Richards is regarded as a backup to right-back Benjamin Pavard, but he could move back into central defence if Bayern make reinforcements in the transfer market this summer. Sources told ESPN earlier this week that Bayern and Barcelona are competing for U.S. international right-back Sergino Dest, with Ajax yet to accept a bid for the 19-year-old.
12.47 BST: Manchester City are expected to return with a fresh bid for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, but have been warned they will not land the 21-year-old on the cheap, sources have told ESPN.
Fresh from an impressive UEFA Super Cup performance against Bayern Munich, the French defender remains an option for City but is a backup to their top target: Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.
Sevilla rejected an opening offer of €60m for Kounde, who has a €90m release clause. And, although sporting director Monchi said if a new bid is made they will reassess it, the Spanish side want a higher fee.
City remain active in the market for a new centre-back and have followed several players this summer, including Altetico Madrid's Jose Gimenez. However, Atleti are standing extremely firm on Gimenez, a fan favourite at club, with an insistence that he can only leave if his €120m release clause is met.
12.10 BST: Liverpool signed Diogo Jota from Wolves for £41m and he should improve the Premier League champions' squad.
11.34 BST: Sources have told ESPN's James Olley that Tottenham are keen to sign Inter Milan's €60m-rated defender Milan Skriniar, while Diego Godin has signed for Cagliari, so the Italian side are going to need reinforcements.
Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic is reportedly their top target, but Man United's Chris Smalling is also being linked after spending last season on loan at Roma.
Corriere dello Sport says that a €18m deal for Smalling could happen, while United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted the 30-year-old won't be considered for selection while talks about a move are ongoing.
"Different things need to happen [for Smalling to play]," he told a news conference. "So let's wait and see if there's that change. Let's see what happens when the transfer window closes and what happens to Chris."
11.04 BST: Lionel Messi has launched another scathing attack against Barcelona's board, accusing them of disrespecting Luis Suarez and effectively kicking him out of the club.
Suarez, 33, had said he wanted to stay at Barca this season, even if it meant taking on a backup role, but eventually agreed to leave after being told by new coach Ronald Koeman he was not part of his plans.
Barca confirmed on Wednesday they had agreed on a deal to transfer him to La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, removing Messi's best friend from the dressing room in the process and further isolating their star player.
"It will be strange to see you in another shirt and even stranger to play against you," Messi wrote on Instagram on Friday, a day after he'd said goodbye to Suarez in a farewell event at Camp Nou. "You deserved to depart for who you are: one of the most important players in the club's history, winning things as part of a group and individually. Not for them to kick you out as they have done. But the truth is nothing surprises me anymore."
Messi's comments are further evidence of the breakdown of the relationship between the forward and president Josep Maria Bartomeu which led him to try and quit the club in August.
- Messi and Barcelona: The inside story on how everything fell apart, and what's next
10.40 BST: Manchester City are still chasing a new defender, with Sevilla's Jules Kounde and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly linked.
10.13 BST: Sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson that Manchester United are still hopeful a deal for Jadon Sancho can be reached with Borussia Dortmund before the deadline on Oct. 5, while there remains interest in Porto left-back Alex Telles.
"As I've said so many times, I'm very confident in my players and if and when something happens with ins and outs we'll update you," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told a news conference. "In football you can't predict too much but for me we're just working on getting better, my focus is solely on the game. We can't be thinking any other way."
United have been linked with a new centre-back, but Solskjaer hinted that Eric Bailly will be given the opportunity to prove he can be Harry Maguire's long-term partner at centre-back.
"Last week wasn't fantastic [against Crystal Palace], we conceded sloppy goals," he said. "Eric is fit again -- a big, big plus -- and we're looking forward to seeing him develop and play more games. We've been waiting for him to be fit and play more regularly."
09.55 BST: Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero is fed up playing backup to David de Gea and now Dean Henderson, and is interested in joining Everton, according to The Times.
Romero has been linked with Valencia, but Everton are looking to increase the competition for error-prone Jordan Pickford and could make a move for the Argentina international.
09.49 BST: Fenerbahce needed a replacement after letting striker Vedat Muriqi join Lazio for €17.5m.
And the Turkish club have one now as they have signed Mbwana Samatta on a four-year deal from Aston Villa, though the 27-year-old will initially join on loan for one season.
09.33 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are in negotiations with Napoli over a deal for striker Arkadiusz Milik.
According to Tuttosport, the club have offered the Poland international €4m per season and his agent is in London for talks.
Serie A club Bologna announced the signing of Aaron Hickey in a Scottish-themed video with a strange touch.
09.04 BST: Back in June, sources told ESPN that Benfica defensive midfielder Florentino Luis was attracting attention from top European clubs, including Manchester United and AC Milan.
Now the 21-year-old has signed for Monaco on a season-long loan with no option to buy, and it will cost the French club €2m.
Nicknamed "O Polvo" -- the Octopus -- for the way he covers ground and wins loose balls in midfield, Florentino was a key part of the Portugal team that won the European Under-17 Championship in 2016 and European U19 Championship in 2018.
09.02 BST: Luis Henrique has signed for Marseille in a reported €12m transfer from Botafogo.
Henrique, 18, has signed a five-year contract with Andre Villas-Boas' side and is highly rated despite making just 21 professional appearances.
08.57 BST: Julien Laurens brings us the story of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's journey to Chelsea: from dreaming of being a professional footballer to the Premier League.
Five years ago, he would visit one of Le Havre's job centres, not far from where he grew up, looking for work. Back then, becoming a professional football player, having a good career and earning money in the game was little more than a dream. He had thought about never playing football again.
Today, the 28-year-old is a Senegal international and a Chelsea player. As it is for N'Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud and many other French players, Mendy's is a story of determination, hard work and self belief -- never giving up, even when everyone is writing you off.
08.42 BST: Last night Javi Martinez headed the winner vs. Sevilla for Bayern to win the UEFA Super Cup. But the midfielder looks set to return to his old club Athletic Bilbao during the transfer window.
Martinez has now scored crucial goals in the two Super Cups he played in for Bayern. Back in 2013, he helped new coach Pep Guardiola and his team into a penalty shootout by scoring the equaliser in the final minutes of their match against Chelsea.
"It was like 2013, I also scored there. That was nice today. I always try to give it my all, even if I on play for 10 or 15 minutes," Martinez said in a postmatch interview.
The 32-year-old had only been brought on four minutes before his extra-time goal and those 20 minutes might have been his last for Bayern. "Today, I just want to celebrate with my teammates," he added. "If I am there on Sunday [against Hoffenheim], I will give it my all. As long as I am here, I will defend that jersey."
However, with his playing time limited in recent seasons, Martinez has eyed a return to Athletic Bilbao, the club he left for a fee of €40m in 2012. Though Bayern and the La Liga club have yet to agree a fee, with the German side holding out for around €10m.
08.00 BST: Roma's hopes of signing Real Madrid's Borja Mayoral have increased with the Spanish striker having given a thumbs-up to join the Giallorossi, reports Sky Italia.
Roma are looking to add a striker before the transfer window closes on Oct. 5. The Serie A outfit must now convince Real Madrid to let the player leave on loan.
Real Madrid prefer to sell the player, who spent last season on loan at Levante. The 23-year-old, tied to Madrid until June 2021, is also a target of Valencia.
Julien Laurens discusses Arkadiusz Milik's rumoured transfer and debates Dele Alli's future at Tottenham.
PAPER TALK (by Liam Wheeler)
Barcelona make last push for Lautaro
Marca reports that Barcelona have reached the "moment of truth" in the club's attempts to sign striker Lautaro Martinez from Internazionale.
The Catalan side have been locked in negotiations with Martinez's employers for months, with Inter standing firm over their €100m valuation of the player and Barca struggling to free up funds.
However, a whole host of faces have headed through the Camp Nou exit door in recent weeks, including the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Arthur Melo, and more recently Nelson Semedo, Arturo Vidal and Luis Suarez.
That has helped the Blaugrana to trim their wage bill by €70m, while Wolves have paid €30m up front to sign Semedo.
Conveniently, the Nerazzurri value Martinez at €100m, meaning Ronald Koeman's side are finally able to meet the asking price.
Barca are keen to wrap up a deal quickly, but if their latest bid is rejected then they are expected to turn to alternative targets, with Lyon winger Memphis Depay the preferred option and Girona's Cristhian Stuani also on the club's radar.
Southampton target Chelsea's Loftus-Cheek
Southampton are interested in signing Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea on loan as speculation begins to mount over the midfielder's future, the Daily Mail reports.
The 24-year-old started Chelsea's Premier League match against Brighton, but was left out of Frank Lampard's squad for the following game with Liverpool and Wednesday's Carabao Cup win over Barnsley.
According to the Mail, Loftus-Cheek's omission has attracted interest both from the Premier League and abroad, with Southampton, West Ham and Aston Villa all keen on the England international.
Saints are in the market for a midfielder, but wages could represent a stumbling block and they would need Chelsea to subsidise Loftus-Cheek's salary in order to reach a deal.
Postmatch, Lampard remained tight-lipped but didn't rule out the possibility of departures before the window closes, saying: "I keep getting asked about the size of the squad. There might be movement. It will have to be things which are right for the club and individuals and me and in terms of what happens in the next couple of weeks."
Tap-ins
- The Rhian Brewster rumours have been flying around in recent days, but Sheffield United are now leading the race to sign the 20-year-old in a £25m deal, the Daily Mail reports. Crystal Palace are also still believed to be keen on the Liverpool striker, who was left out of the 7-2 Carabao Cup romp over Lincoln City on Thursday.
- Declan Rice and Chelsea have found themselves mentioned in the same sentence countless times this summer, but according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, there's some substance to the speculation. Chelsea are yet to make a formal bid, but that's expected to change in the coming days, with Rice pushing to rejoin the club that released him at 16.