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: Arsenal, Spurs battle for Milan's Kessie
AC Milan are aware of the interest from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for star man Franck Kessie, Calciomercato reports.
Kessie, 23, has turned out to be one of Milan's most vital players so far this season as they continue to pursue a surprising league title following a strong start to the campaign.
The Ivory Coast international is contracted to the club until June 2022, but with the Gunners and Spurs lingering, he may not last that long.
Milan are said to have placed a valuation of €40m-€45m on Kessie although, in all likelihood, any potential offer may need to exceed €50m for them to be on board.
LIVE BLOG
22.00 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
21.47 GMT: Could Spurs make a January move for a promising young Championship striker?
Eurosport claims that Spurs are one of the clubs monitoring in-form Brentford hitman Marcus Forss. The 21-year-old Fin has been in sparking form for the Bees with seven goals in 17 games, and recently scored on his international debut against France.
Also linked with Dortmund and other English clubs, the Brentford man is rated as one of the top prospects in the Championship/
21.13 GMT: The Houston Dynamo have transferred striker Mauro Manotas to Mexican side Tijuana.
Welcome to Tijuana, @MauroManotas19! #GoXolos #FuerzaTijuas pic.twitter.com/SKxiKjH8Zv
— Xolos (@xolos_en) December 8, 2020
The 26-year-old Colombian leave after six seasons and 64 goals for the club, including 19 in 33 games in 2018 during Houston's U.S. Open Cup-winning season.
"Mauro came to the Dynamo as a teenager and leaves having scored over sixty goals for the club. He's been a key contributor in important moments and helped lead the Club to a championship during his time in Houston. It's been rewarding to see him develop and grow over the years," said Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan.
"Mauro will go down as one of the best players in the history of our club and we wish him and his family well with this next step with Club Tijuana."
20.21 GMT: Angelino to make RB Leipzig move permanent?
On loan at the German club for the second time from Manchester City, the marauding left-back is in the form of his life at the moment. The 23-year-old, who has seven goals and five assists in 16 games so far this season, seems keen to stay at Leipzig and end his stop-and-go career at City.
"I love it here in Leipzig. I get a chance week in, week out to show what I can do. I'm really happy,!" the left-back said ahead of Leipzig's crucial UCL clash with Man United.
Angelino has made just 12 appearances for City's first team since 2014, having been loaned out on seven different occasions.
19.34 GMT: West Ham are one of a handful of clubs in England and Portugal keeping tabs on ex-Tottenham youngster Marcus Edwards, TEAMtalk has exclusively learned.
The 22-year-old attacker was cut loose by Spurs in 2019 but has blossomed into an exciting player for Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes over the past two seasons. With nine goals and nine assists last season for the Europa League outfit, Edwards, a former England Under-20 international, has placed himself back on the radars of clubs both in his native England and the Portuguese Primeira.
West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Fulham have all been credited with interest, as have Porto and Sporting Lisbon.
18.49 GMT: AS in Spain has learned that Barcelona are likely to move defender Junior Firpo in January.
The report adds that Inter are the leading club for Firpo, who they would like to take initially on a six-month loan with an option to buy. The 24-year-old has barely featured under Ronald Koeman (five appearances) and has yet to solidify himself at the club since arriving in 2019 for an initial €18 million.
18.02 GMT: Tottenham to move for high-scoring right-back?
Spurs, are one of a host of clubs monitoring Rangers star James Tavernier, writes the Daily Mail. The 29-year-old has been a revelation this season for Steven Gerrard's side, having already scored 16 goals and laid on 12 assists from right-back! West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Everton have also been credited with interest in Tavernier, who could be the latest full-back to blossom in Scotland before making a move to the Premier League.
Spurs would seem an unlikely fit for the Englishman, though, the club having signed Matt Doherty from Wolves this past summer, in addition to still having Serge Aurier on the books.
17.17 GMT: The New York Red Bulls are close to an agreement to loan Danish striker Mathias Jorgensen to AGF, sources have confirmed to MLSsoccer.com
The 20-year-old, who joined the Red Bulls from Odense Boldklub for $2.5 million, never really lived up to potential in MLS, failing to score in 13 first-team appearances. The deal with AGF reportedly contains an option to buy, so it likely the young Dane has played his last game for the Red Bulls.
16.30 GMT: Liverpool have been relying on some young players amid their injury crisis.
15.14 GMT: Mesut Ozil's future remains uncertain despite reports in Turkey suggesting a deal to join Fenerbahce is "90% likely," sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
The 32-year-old has not played for Arsenal since March 7 with manager Mikel Arteta choosing not to register Ozil for either the Premier League or Europa League competition in the first half of this season.
Ozil is now in the final year of his £350,000-a-week contract and one of Fenerbahce's congress members, Murat Zorlu, told Sport Digitale: "A source, who's very well connected to the club has told me that Mesut Ozil is likely to become a Fenerbahce player during the next transfer window. I would say 90% he will join us in one month."
However, sources have told ESPN that although Fenerbahce are interested in signing Ozil, no agreement is close and no final decision has been taken as yet on what the midfielder will do in January.
Arsenal are keen to remove his salary from their wage bill but a stalemate has ensued with Arteta adamant the team must move on without him but Ozil remaining committed to the contract extension he signed in February 2018.
14.53 GMT: Hulk has left Shanghai SIPG and could be set to head to the Premier League in January, says the Sun.
The 34-year-old Brazilian striker told Lance back in July: "I am listening to many proposals from Brazil and many places including in Europe. [I have offers from] Turkey, Portugal, England, Spain, Italy, Germany -- and I also have an offer from China. Every day more new proposals arrive.
"I thank God I have a name that's very strong in the market. The clubs have been following me and I keep up to date physically, it helps a lot."
14.25 GMT: Zinedine Zidane has said it wouldn't surprise him if he was sacked should Real Madrid crash out of the Champions League.
Madrid need to beat Group B leaders Borussia Monchengladbach at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium on Wednesday to guarantee qualifying for the round of 16, although a draw would be enough if Inter Milan beat Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Spanish giants have never failed to get out of the Champions League group stage in the competition's history.
"No. The club will do what it has to do, as always," Zidane said in his prematch news conference, when asked if he'd be shocked to lose his job if that record is broken. "I am not thinking about that, I'm thinking about tomorrow's game. The club will do things as it always has. I don't think about that, honestly."
14.06 GMT: Barcelona have spent a lot of money on players in recent years, but it's not working at the moment.
12.55 GMT: Philadelphia Union centre-back Mark McKenzie almost moved to Celtic in the summer, but now competition has increased and clubs from the Premier League and Bundesliga are keen.
McKenzie, 21, was in talks with Celtic before they decided to sign Shane Duffy on loan from Brighton, but it seems the USMNT defender's future is open.
"It's not necessarily going to be Celtic [who sign him]," Union sporting director Ernst Tanner has told Sky Sports News. "There is a German league club and other European leagues going for that player. Some of the Premier League clubs are also observing him.
"We don't have any sort of pressure on him and he also doesn't need to force a transfer. He's a good player and plays in a competitive league.
"There is nothing on the table for him but I know there a lot of rumours out and we are certainly following that. There are some loose discussions at this moment but nothing concrete."
McKenzie picked up his only senior cap for the U.S. national team as a substitute in a friendly against Costa Rica in February 2020.
12.05 GMT: More fallout from the Paul Pogba bombshell, as The Athletic reports that Paulo Dybala could be used as part of the deal to bring him to Juventus.
The report reads: "Juventus are said to be Pogba's current destination of choice, and the Italian side will always be interested in a reunion. But as with Barcelona and Real Madrid, finances are an issue. Cristiano Ronaldo's €31-million-per-year wages are a heavy burden on a budget which could only incorporate Pogba's salary if another big name is sold.
"Paulo Dybala is on the periphery in Turin and may again be made available for transfer. United held talks with the forward in the summer of 2019 and a swap deal at some stage seems a plausible prospect."
11.17 GMT: Real Sociedad have reportedly held talks over a loan move for Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
Sky Sports says that the 27-year-old's "lack of game-time could see Lingard move on loan when the transfer window opens next month, with his representatives speaking to Sociedad among other clubs."
10.32 GMT: Paul Pogba's agent has put his client back in the news again, but is there any future for the midfielder at Man United?
09.43 GMT: Real Madrid's Lucas Vazquez has caught the eye of Manchester United, says Defensa Central.
Vazquez, 29, is versatile enough to play either winger or right wing-back and could provide some competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Madrid are reportedly willing to consider offers of around €15m for the Spain international.
09.24 GMT: Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic has been frustrated by his limited playing time since joining the Spanish giants from Juventus this summer.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international has started in the club's five Champions League games but has only made one La Liga start.
"I also don't understand why I'm in this situation," Pjanic told Gazzetta Dello Sport. "It's clear that I want to play a lot more. I know I can give a lot and when the coach has played me, I've played good games. I can't do any more than that. I train and I'm ready.
"I'm not satisfied and I can't be. In my career I have never accepted the idea of not playing. It's a delicate situation.
"My nine years in Italy were beautiful and I honestly miss Italy. I've had important seasons at Roma and Juventus. Now I have this new challenge at the biggest club in the world and I have to get back into contention."
08.41 GMT: Italian striker Mario Balotelli signed for Italian Serie B side Monza on a free transfer on Monday.
The former Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool forward has been without a team since leaving relegated Brescia at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
Ambitious Monza were promoted as Serie C champions last season and are owned by former AC Milan and Italian national Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who signed Balotelli twice for the Rossoneri.
They sit ninth in Serie B and are managed by former Milan midfielder and boss Cristian Brocchi. Among his teammates at Monza, Balotelli will find Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gabriel Paletta, who he played alongside at Milan.
08.00 GMT: Paul Pogba's career at Manchester United "is over," according to his agent Mino Raiola.
United have triggered a one-year extension in Pogba contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2022 but in an interview with Tuttosport, Raiola has revealed the midfielder has no intention to committing his future to the club and wants to leave in January.
"It's over between Manchester United and Pogba," said Raiola in the interview released on Monday. "No point beating around the bush, it's better to speak clearly, look forward and not waste time looking for people to blame: Paul is unhappy at Manchester United.
"He is unable to express himself as is expected from him. He needs a change of club; a change of scenery.
"He has a contract which runs out in a year and a half -- in the summer of 2022 -- but I believe the best solution for everyone is that he leaves in the next transfer window.
"Otherwise, United know well the risk of losing him for nothing, given at the moment the player has no intention of extending his contract. If someone doesn't understand this, they understand little or nothing about football.
"In any case, they can all blame me if next summer Paul leaves."
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Mbappe resumes talks with PSG
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has resumed contract negotiations with the club, RMC Sport reports.
The World Cup winner's contract takes him through until 2022 but with two meetings occurring in the last few days, the wheels appear to be in motion for Mbappe to stay even longer in the French capital.
Mbappe reportedly wants some guarantees from the club, with one of them being that they will continue to compete and go far in the UEFA Champions League. He has been linked with both Real Madrid and Liverpool.
Liverpool seek new Fabinho deal
The Guardian is reporting that Liverpool are hoping to extend Fabinho's contract.
The impressive midfielder-turned-centre-back's deal is set to run until 2023, but as he continues to thrive at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp wants lock him down with terms that would keep him on Merseyside until at least 2025, or perhaps even 2026.
Liverpool have been forced to deal with a host of injury problems so far this season but Fabinho's versatility has been key and he has been one of the club's shining lights in their pursuit of a second straight Premier League title.
Tap-ins
- On-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Patrick Cutrone is ready to say goodbye to Fiorentina, Calciomercato reports. The 22-year-old ex-AC Milan player hasn't quite been able to find the consistency he wanted since returning to Italy. However, Serie A sides Bologna and Parma could be looking to further extend his stay in Serie A once the January window opens.
- Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says he is under no pressure to let £71m goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga go in January, while he is not yet thinking about plans to let midfielder Billy Gilmour, 19, leave on loan in January.