The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Man City join hunt for Alaba
Just about every big club in Europe have been linked with David Alaba as his contract talks with Bayern Munich rumble on.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are among those who have been touted to have interest in the defender, and France Football has added Manchester City to the list.
This gives an indication of just how many choices the Austria international will have if he does choose to leave Bavaria in the winter or summer window.
That isn't too surprising, considering whichever team signs him would be getting someone who is world-class in three positions for either a cut price or no fee at all.
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21.14 GMT: Atletico Madrid have beaten Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur to Celta Vigo's highly touted Spain U17 attacker David Vilan, according to AS.
19.07 GMT: With Ansu Fati facing four months out with a knee injury, Corriere dello Sport reports that Barcelona are preparing to reignite their interest in Lyon attacker Memphis Depay. Former Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman is keen to be reunited with t
17.00 GMT: Manchester United saved some face with a win over Everton last weekend. But their manager is cutting it close.
15.59 GMT: Things have been a little emotional for Liverpool this week as the reigning Premier League champions bid farewell to Melwood, their beloved training ground of almost 70 years.
The Reds are in the process of decamping from the suburb of West Derby to a brand-new £50m complex in nearby Kirkby during the international break.
The move has led to plenty of heart-warming Melwood memories being shared by Liverpool's current stars and former players alike. Here's our blog of the best.
15.20 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain have opened talks with Neymar over extending his contract, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens.
The Brazil international is happy to remain on his existing terms -- he earns €32m gross per year -- and sign for another five years, but has asked PSG sporting director Leonardo for assurances about the club's plans on the field.
Sources said that both PSG and Neymar are optimistic a deal can be agreed.
14.47 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has said PSG are one of a small number of clubs that could afford Cristiano Ronaldo if he decides to leave Juventus.
"Today in football, we do not know what will happen," Leonardo said when quizzed by fans on PSGTV. "Maybe tomorrow Ronaldo wakes up and says I want to go play elsewhere. Who can buy him? It is a closed circle. PSG enters this circle. Usually, it is about opportunities, situations."
Ronaldo, 35, is in his third season at Juventus, having joined from Real Madrid for €100m in July 2018. The Portugal international has two-years remaining on his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2022, and he has been linked with a move.
PSG are looking to bolster their ranks after losing the 2019-20 Champions League final to Bayern Munich.
14.30 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have a serious amount of top young talent, but can they keep them all happy?
13.40 GMT: Alvaro Morata has made a surprise admission about his future -- saying he'd like to end his playing career at Getafe.
The Juventus forward spent a year in the La Liga club's youth system in 2007-08 before joining Real Madrid's academy.
"I have a good relationship with the president, with everyone from the year I was there," Morata told COPE radio. "I was a kid who was a bit lost... and thanks to them I'm a player today. I'd really like to."
The Spain international -- who has already switched teams a host of times (Real Madrid, Juve, Real Madrid again, then Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and now Juve again on loan), at the age of 28 -- also denied falling out with Atletico and coach Diego Simeone before returning to Serie A this summer.
"I never said I was unhappy at Atletico," he said. "Simeone deserves all my respect. My wife gets annoyed with me watching every Atletico game and celebrating the goals ... People always have a team when they're a kid. Mine is and will be Atletico."
Meanwhile, Atletico captain Koke has admitted he's been surprised by Antoine Griezmann's struggles at Barcelona -- but says the forward, who left for €120m in 2019, wouldn't walk back into his former team either.
"Of course it surprises you, seeing a great player like Antoine coming on for so few minutes," he told Cadena SER when asked about Griezmann being brought on in the 90th minute of Barca's 2-2 draw with Atletico in June. "They're coaches' decisions. You have to respect them. It's a shame. I wish him the best."
Luis Suarez and Joao Felix have starred for Atletico in their unbeaten start to the La Liga season, scoring five goals each, and Koke joked that "[Griezmann] would have a lot of competition here right now" if he wanted a move back to the Wanda Metropolitano.
13.56 GMT: Tottenham full-back Sergio Reguilon has suggested he would have preferred to stay at Real Madrid rather than join the Premier League club.
"[I'm not at Madrid] because it doesn't depend on me," he told Onda Cero on Monday night. "I spoke to the club. I know what the club thinks of me and my situation ... My conscience is clear. You can't get frustrated about decisions that aren't taken by you, and things you don't control."
Reguilon joined Spurs in September for €30m on a five-year deal when it became clear coach Zinedine Zidane preferred Ferland Mendy and Marcelo, but it's been reported that Madrid have a two-year long buyback option for €45m.
12.32 GMT: Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has parted company with agent Mino Raiola, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Lingard has been working with Raiola, who also represents United teammate Paul Pogba, since the start of the year but will now be managed entirely by family members and other close associates. The decision was mutual and Raiola remains on good terms with Lingard and his team.
Lingard hasn't featured for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team since the 3-0 win over Brighton in the Carabao Cup in September. He has missed the last seven games because of a hip injury but there is hope he could return to full fitness soon.
The 27-year-old, who was the subject of enquiries from both Tottenham and Porto during the summer transfer window, has entered the final year of the four-year contract he signed in April 2017. United hold an option to extend the deal by an additional 12 months until the summer of 2022 but sources have told ESPN it has yet to be triggered.
11.55 GMT: He's taken a while to get going but this is what spending €126m on one of the world's best young players will get you.
11.02 GMT: It's safe to say that Jude Bellingham's summer move to Borussia Dortmund has gone well.
Bellingham, 17, has been called up to the senior men's England side following the withdrawals of James Ward-Prowse and Trent Alexander-Arnold through injury. He had initially been called up to the under-21 side, but will now join up with the senior team where he will be in line for his first cap with matches against the Republic of Ireland and Belgium.
The midfielder joined Dortmund from Birmingham for €23m in the summer, despite interest from Manchester United, and has so far made 11 appearances for the German side, scoring in the 5-0 win over Duisburg in the DFB Pokal.
10.45 GMT: Borussia Dortmund are remaining patient over Jadon Sancho's crisis of form as he has struggled since the re-start of the last Bundesliga season in mid-May.
Sancho, 20, was linked with a €120m move to Manchester United over the summer but has only scored in one of the 16 league games since football came back amid the COVID-19 pandemic when he scored three in an away match at Paderborn back in late May.
"Jadon has always performed," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told Bild. "We must allow a 20-year-old to not be at his top level for three months. I don't have any worries."
Last term, the England international winger scored 20 and set up a further 20 goals in 44 competitive matches for Dortmund. He only has two goals, a penalty each in the German cup and the Champions League, and three assists in Bundesliga in nine competitive games this season.
"He currently lacks the ease," Zorc added to Ruhr Nachrichten. "We talk to him, but we can't bring back ease by talking."
At the weekend, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke suggested in an interview with Sky Germany that the transfer saga with Man United, which dragged on until Oct. 5, could have played a role in Sancho's current lack of form.
10.11 GMT: The Manchester Evening News reports: "Manchester United will consider sending midfielders Ethan Galbraith and Arnau Puigmal and full-back Ethan Laird out on loan in the January transfer window."
The trio, all 19, have spent time with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first team squad but have yet to make the breakthrough and will be sent out to gain more experience.
09.50 GMT: Chelsea have a decision to make about their formation and whether their £62m summer signing, Kai Havertz, starts.
09.18 GMT: Atletico Madrid captain Koke has admitted he's been surprised by Antoine Griezmann's struggles at Barcelona -- but says the forward wouldn't walk back into his former team, either.
"Of course it surprises you, seeing a great player like Antoine coming on for so few minutes," he told Cadena SER when asked about Griezmann being brought on in the 90th minute of Barca's 2-2 draw with Atletico in June. "They're coaches' decisions. You have to respect them. It's a shame. I wish him the best."
Luis Suarez and Joao Felix have starred for Atletico in their unbeaten start to the La Liga season, scoring five goals each, and Koke joked that "[Griezmann] would have a lot of competition here right now" if he wanted a move back to the Wanda Metropolitano.
08.41 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur could re-sign Gareth Bale on a permanent basis for as little as €15m, Mundo Deportivo reports.
Bale has returned to the London club on a season-long loan seven years after leaving for Real Madrid. The Wales international moved to the Bernabeu for a fee of €100m, a world record at the time, and went on the win the Champions League four times and La Liga twice.
Bale made his first Premier League start in his second spell at Spurs in Sunday's 1-0 win at West Brom, and scored the winning goal against Brighton in his previous league appearance.
The 31-year-old's contract at Madrid is due to expire in 2022, but it is unlikely he will play for the club again under manager Zinedine Zidane, who has frozen the player out and tried to offload him on several occasions.
08.00 GMT: Manchester United are delaying a decision on Sergio Romero's future until a plan for Dean Henderson's development is finalised, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Romero is keen to leave Old Trafford after being omitted from the Premier League and Champions League squads by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. There is interest in the Argentina international at home and abroad ahead of a possible move in January but United are unlikely to make a decision until Henderson's immediate future is resolved.
After returning from a successful loan spell at Sheffield United in the summer, Henderson is content with his role at the club for now but has been told by England manager Gareth Southgate he will need to play more regularly if he hopes to challenge Jordan Pickford for the No.1 spot at the European Championships.
It opens up the possibility that Henderson, who has started three games this season, could be allowed to secure a loan move in January to boost his chances of ousting Pickford, who has come under fire for his performances at Goodison Park, before the tournament.
Henderson's temporary departure would increase Romero's chances of having to stay put until at least the summer when he could be a free agent. The 33-year-old, valued at between £8m and £10m by United, is under contract until the end of the season while the club also hold an option to extend his deal for another 12 months.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
AC Milan hone in on Kabak
It has been reported various times that AC Milan are looking to bring in a centre-back, with some outlets also laying out a shortlist of targets.
Well, Calciomercato now claims that the Italian giants have made their mind up about who they will move for, targeting Ozan Kabak.
The report says that Milan will look to take advantage of Schalke's financial difficulties to bring in the Turkey international.
The original fee being demanded for him was €35m, but he could now be available for €25m, with even more room to manoeuver regarding the price.
Messi lays out his contract demands to Barcelona
There was plenty of interest in Lionel Messi during the summer, as clubs hoped he would be able to leave Barcelona for free.
Those same clubs will now be on high alert, as the Argentine talisman is laying out his demands around signing a contract renewal, reports Marca.
The key factor in whether he stays or leaves will be who replaces Josep Maria Bartomeu as club president following the upcoming election.
Messi will also be taking the form of the entire team into account when making his final decision, says the report.
Tap-ins
- We've been here before, but Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is considering a future away from Stamford Bridge, reports Football London. With Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner ahead of him in the pecking order, it will continue to be tough for the Frenchman to get much game time. Internazionale looked at him last winter and might do so again. While he wouldn't be the top pick there either, he would be more likely to get a chance than at Chelsea.
-- Celta Vigo are showing an interest in Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic, according to El Partidazo de Cope. The 34-year-old only joined Qatari outfit Al-Duhail in 2019, but he is already a free agent after leaving the club. Celta are now reported to be hopeful of taking advantage of the situation by signing him on a free transfer.