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 join clubs interested in Isco
Both Real Madrid and Isco are reportedly open to the midfielder leaving the club in January, so it seems likely the Spaniard will have a new home by the end of the winter window.
Sport now suggests that Arsenal have joined the list of clubs who want to sign him in January. Juventus, AC Milan, Sevilla FC and Everton were already among those who have already shown an interest in the 28-year-old, who has fallen out of favour under Zinedine Zidane after seven years at the Bernabeu.
The midfielder has not played much this term, but this does not seem to have put off Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who will be desperate for recruits to lift his struggling team, especially in creative areas.
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21.20 GMT: Islam Slimani has played just 19 minutes for Leicester City this season and his contract expires in the summer, and Le10 Sport reports that Saint-Etienne intend to try to sign the 32-year-old forward on loan for the second half of the season, with Lyon also monitoring the situation should they lose Memphis Depay or Moussa Dembele.
19.53 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur and Benfica have agreed to terminate the loan of 21-year-old midfielder Gedson Fernandes, whose sole appearance for the North London club this season was a Carabao Cup tie in September and will now return to Lisbon in January, according to A Bola.
18.26 GMT: Mundo Deportivo writes that the agent of Arkadiusz Milik is in Italy to try to negotiate his client's exit from Napoli, who haven't registered the 26-year-old striker for any competition in 2020-21 after he refused to sign a new contract, with his existing deal expiring in the summer. Atletico Madrid are keen to take the forward if he can be acquired on the cheap, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is demanding €15m for the pending free agent. Juventus are also interested, and are willing to send Federico Bernardeschi to Naples in exchange.
16.59 GMT: Barcelona are very interested in 18-year-old Sporting Kansas City midfield prodigy Gianluca Busio, according to La Liga and Sport journalist Toni Juanmarti. He adds that the Catalan club have had the option to sign the United States U20 international for €4m for months, but their economic crisis has kept them from doing so, which has opened the door for the likes of Bayern Munich and Fiorentina.
15.32 GMT: Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino are the main contenders to take over from Thomas Tuchel, with sources telling ESPN's Julien Laurens the PSG boss is under mounting pressure ahead of this weekend's crucial Ligue 1 encounter at league leaders Lille.
Both managers are out of work since leaving Juventus and Tottenham respectively and have been linked with Europe's top jobs. Pochettino has long-standing interest from a number of clubs, including Manchester United, and Allegri has also been tracked by Premier League clubs since his Juve exit in 2019.
While PSG beat Lorient 2-0 in midweek, sources said Tuchel has not performed well enough so far this season, with a lack of identity in his team and over-reliance on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe one of the key issues to resolve. The PSG boss' contract in Paris expires in the summer and he will not be offered a new deal.
14.46 GMT: Could LAFC forward Carlos Vela head to Liga MX?
13.56 GMT: Lionel Messi's Barcelona future and the club's transfer business in on hold until Jan. 24 at the earliest as the club waits to elect a new president following the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu in October.
Messi is waiting to listen to the club's next president -- there are nine men in the race, including Joan Laporta and Victor Font -- before deciding on his long-term future at Camp Nou, having told the club he wanted to leave last summer.
13.30 GMT: Pumas striker Juan Ignacio Dinenno could be on his way to FC Dallas, according to ESPN's Chelis.
Pumas let Carlos Gonzalez join Tigres earlier this week and Chelis said that he won't be the only star to leave the club as they need to compensate for the losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dinenno had been linked with other Mexican clubs after scoring 10 goals in 17 games during La Liga MX Apertura, but Chelis revealed that the 26-year-old forward could try a new experience in MLS with Dallas.
12.58 GMT: Diego Alves is set to continue at Flamengo after his agent reached an agreement in principle for the 35-year-old goalkeeper to stay one more year.
The Brazilian has been linked with several Spanish clubs, and with Benfica's Jorge Jesus in recent weeks, as his contract was set to expire on Dec. 31. However, he has now ended the speculation about a potential return to Europe after committing his future to Flamengo.
12.43 GMT: Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been linked with a loan move to PSG after falling out of favour with manager Jose Mourinho. But would he go?
12.17 GMT: The Athletic reports West Ham's Declan Rice could be angling for a move. Chelsea have been most interested, though the defensive midfielder would cost around £80m as his contract expires in 2024, and you can read our scouting report on the youngster here.
The Athletic report reads: "It is believed West Ham have offered Rice a new long-term contract and are encouraging him to sign it rather promptly. But it is understood Rice is in no rush...
"However, the England international will take some convincing to sign an extension to his current deal, which expires in 2024. Not only do Chelsea have the obvious emotional pull, but the source claims Rice wants to join a club that can challenge for silverware regularly."
11.44 GMT: The future of Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams has been up for debate.
Williams, 20, made the breakthrough into the United first team last season but is struggling for playing time and has been linked with a loan move.
Southampton have shown most interest, with The Daily Telegraph now reporting that Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race to sign him.
11.20 GMT: Ada Hegerberg has signed a three-year contract extension with Lyon, which "is believed to set a new [pay] milestone for women's football," the club announced on Friday.
"I am very happy to extend my contract with Lyon. I took my decision a while ago. I believe Olympique Lyonnais is still the best club to be at in order to win trophies, and I want to be at the best club, winning trophies," Hegerberg said in a statement.
The inaugural women's Ballon d'Or winner hasn't played since February due to an ACL injury but confirmed her future with the club until 2024.
Hegerberg is the most prolific goal scorer in Champions League history with 53 goals and has scored 220 goals in 182 games for Lyon.
11.02 GMT: Will Paulo Dybala be leaving Juventus in January?
10.22 GMT: Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi are among the players being offered to Manchester United as Juventus look for ways to put together a deal to sign Paul Pogba, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Juventus are keen to re-sign Pogba, after he left for United in a £89.3mn deal in 2016, following comments from agent Mino Raiola that the midfielder will not sign a new contract at Old Trafford.
The contract will expire in 2022 -- United have exercised their one-year extension option -- when he will become a free agent. Rather than try to sign Pogba in January, Juventus are hoping to agree a deal with United next summer.
Sources told ESPN the Serie A champions are aware they are unlikely to be able to match United's asking price having taken a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic and are exploring other options, including offering players in exchange.
09.18 GMT: Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma is being closely followed by Liverpool ahead of the January transfer window, sources told ESPN's Julian Laurens, with manager Jurgen Klopp tracking him as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who is out of contract in the summer.
Bissouma, at 24 and with a likely value of around £30m, fits the profile of potential players that Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards and the club's recruitment team are interested in.
08.30 GMT: Mark Ogden on why Man United should get Cristiano Ronaldo back and let Paul Pogba go to Juventus
It's the blockbuster deal that seems too crazy to happen, involving two of the biggest clubs in the world and their most high-profile stars, but it could be the only solution to the problems that Manchester United and Juventus are struggling to solve. In many ways, a player swap that would see Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba trade places is a transfer that would suit everyone.
In normal times, when the biggest clubs were flush with money and able to dictate where, why and when transfers happen, any kind of swap deal -- never mind one involving two of the game's most celebrated players -- would never get off the ground. Player swaps have always been a rarity at the highest level, and when you consider the disastrous outcome of the Alexis Sanchez-Henrikh Mkhitaryan trade between United and Arsenal three years ago, it's easy to see why.
But the impact on football of the COVID-19 pandemic has been huge, with clubs at every level of the game, in every country, seeing their finances hit hard due to fans being locked out, or crowd numbers hugely reduced, and television companies demanding rebates on their massive broadcasting deals, which has resulted in payments to clubs being slashed and prize money cut in the major competitions.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Wolves want Origi
Liverpool striker Divock Origi is another who hasn't played much this season, which has led to plenty of talk around the Belgian's future.
The Athletic is reporting that Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to bring him in when the January window opens.
With the 25-year-old having played just seven minutes this term, Liverpool are prepared to listen to offers.
Wolves tried to sign Origi in the summer of 2018 and see him as an option to ease the void left by Raul Jimenez's absence due to a head injury sustained against Arsenal earlier this month.
Man United negotiating for Bajcetic
Manchester United are looking to sign 16-year-old Stefan Bajcetic from Celta Vigo, according to La Voz de Galicia.
It is reported that the Red Devils are in negotiations with Celta over a deal and are hopeful of reaching an agreement.
However, the player's agent has insisted that the deal will not happen without the Spanish outfit receiving a fee, despite his young age.
Bajcetic is yet to have made an appearance for Celta Vigo's first team, but has clearly caught the eye.
Tap-ins
- Ajax are preparing for Edson Alvarez to leave the club in January, reports Voetbal. The 23-year-old joined from Club America 18 months ago and has struggled to make an impact in Amsterdam ever since. The report doesn't link any clubs with the Mexico international, but he could still be set to depart in search of more minutes.
- Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori is set to snub Leeds United to join Stade Rennes on loan for the rest of the season, as has been reported by talkSPORT. The centre-back turned down a loan move to West Ham United at the end of the summer window and has hardly played since.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have told goalkeeper Mat Ryan that he is free to leave during the January transfer window, according to Football Insider. The Australia international has recently lost his place in the team to Robert Sanchez, and it seems as though that change may be a permanent one. The Seagulls are expecting to receive a fee of between £7m-£10m for the goalkeeper.