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LIVE Transfer Talk: Juventus look to Tchouameni, Witsel, Zakaria, Gravenberch to rebuild midfield

The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn't mean the rumours won't keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation. 

TOP STORY: Juve cast wide net to rebuild midfield

Tuttosport reports that Juventus have identified central midfield and striker as the two positions they need to strengthen, and they have drawn up a list of players they plan to bring in.

The man who has been linked most heavily is AS Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni, the France international who has also gained interest from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens last week that scouts from plenty of top clubs have watched the midfielder in action this season as the race hots up to land one of Europe's top prospects, and a fee between €50 million and €60 million will be needed in order to bring Monaco to the negotiating table, with Tchouameni on United's radar if they fail to agree a new deal for Paul Pogba.

Tchouameni, 21, started in France's recent 2-1 UEFA Nations League final win over Spain at San Siro (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.) and has impressed in Ligue 1 for Monaco in recent seasons after the club paid Bordeaux €18m to sign him on a four-and-a-half year contract in January 2020.

They still have other options in case that move doesn't come off, with interest in Borussia Dortmund's Axel Witsel and Borussia Monchengladbach's Denis Zakaria, both of whom have contracts that come to an end in the summer. The latter is also said to be a target of AS Roma. Another exciting alternative is Ajax Amsterdam's Ryan Gravenberch, who is one of the finalists for the 2021 Golden Boy award.

Juve reportedly will wait until the summer to move for a striker, with Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic said to be the priority signing on a free transfer -- unless a rival club comes in to sign the Serbia international during the January transfer window. With that possibility in mind, Juventus have started renegotiating with Atletico Madrid for the Alvaro Morata redemption option of €35m. The Spain international is on loan in Turin, but that deal is unlikely to be made permanent if Vlahovic comes in.

- Notebook: Pogba out, Tchouameni in at Manchester United?
- ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
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LIVE BLOG

21.55 BST: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed by Manchester United with a £70m transfer budget in January, despite uncertainty surrounding his future at Old Trafford. That's according to the Daily Star, which writes that the regime will be backed but only if they are competing for the Premier League title in 2022. It comes after a summer in which the Reds signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho for more than £150m.

21.22 BST: Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is set to begin talks over a new deal amid links with Juventus and Liverpool, according to Calciomercato.

The 26-year-old Serbia international was reportedly offered to both the Serie A and Premier League clubs over the summer, with the Roman outfit said to be demanding a transfer fee of €80m. It is said that instead of a move away, a new deal will be signed at the club until 2025 unless a sensational offer comes in for the midfielder.

20.49 BST: Sevilla director Monchi described Chelsea's offer for Jules Kounde as the "most important" the club received in their history, despite rejecting the bid in the summer transfer window.

"The proposal for Kounde last summer [from Chelsea] was great, the most important we received in our history, but it wasn't meeting our price tag," Fabrizio Romano quotes Monchi as telling Canal Sur Radio. "Also, we received the bid in an inopportune moment."

20.16 BST: Bayern Munich are in talks with FC Salzburg over a move for Karim Adeyemi according to Ekrem Konur.

The Bundesliga club are willing to offer a five-year deal for the 19-year-old striker, who has impressed in the Champions League. Salzburg are holding out for a transfer fee of €30m.

19.43 BST: Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona have been in talks with Matthijs de Ligt's agent Mino Raiola over a potential move away from Juventus, according to Calciomercato. The report claims that the agent is willing to move the centre-back on from the Serie A club, but the release clause of €150m presents a potential stumbling block for the 22-year-old's potential departure.

19.10 BST: Liverpool have joined Arsenal and AC Milan in their interest of Club Brugge playmaker Noa Lang, according to Calciomercato. The 22-year-old has impressed as of late for the Belgian side, with the report suggesting he could leave the club if an offer with a transfer fee of €25m were to arrive.

18.37 BST: Nicolo Barella is set to meet with Internazionale representatives to agree a new contract, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Italy midfielder has become an influential player for the Serie A champions and has attracted the interest of some of Europe's top clubs. A new deal would run until 2026 with a value of roughly €25m over five years.

18.04 BST: Despite recent reports, Barcelona are unlikely to make a move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba when his contract expires in the summer. According to Sport, the LaLiga side see a move as unlikely during their economic crisis due to the reported wage and agent fee requested by the France international and his agent Mino Raiola.

17.31 BST: Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur could be set to battle for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to the Sun.

The report states that both sides are interested in the forward, with his contract expiring in 2023. While La Viola are said to be unwilling to sanction the 21-year-old's departure for anything less than a transfer fee of £50m, a move for him could come at a lower valuation with his contract dwindling.

16.58 BST: Could Erling Haaland really follow in the footsteps of Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels by leaving Borussia Dortmund for bitter rivals Bayern Munich?

16.17 BST: Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has praised the in-form Mohamed Salah but refused to be drawn on progress regarding the forward's contract renewal at the club.

Salah has scored 10 goal in 10 matches in all competitions this season and Klopp confirmed in August that the club had begun discussions with him over a contract extension. The Egypt international's contract with Liverpool runs until summer 2023.

"Pfffft...I don't know, we will see," Klopp said when asked if Salah's form makes contract negotiations easier.

Salah, who equalled Didier Drogba's record as highest African goal scorer in the Premier League against Watford on Saturday, has also been nominated for the Ballon d'Or but Klopp was unsure about his chances against Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

"Ballon d'Or? I have no idea how you win it. Champions League final, most goals, it might be difficult for Mo," Klopp said. "If it's about performances then he has a chance. Internally he always got the recognition. Outside, I don't know. He has performed for years at a high level for us.

"Whatever you want to write positively about Mo, do it, but let's now focus on Atletico Madrid [whom Liverpool face in the Champions League on Tuesday]."

- Ballon d'Or: Half of men's longlist are first-time nominees

15.23 BST: Jose Mourinho has spoken of his "emotional connection" with Newcastle United but has dismissed any link with the manager's job at St James' Park should it become vacant.

Steve Bruce marked his 1,000th game as a manager in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Tottenham, Newcastle's first match since the takeover by the Saudi-backed PIF investment fund.

There has been plenty of speculation over Bruce's position, with the latest report from The Times naming Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and Villarreal boss Unai Emery among the leading candidates to take over.

Mourinho told reporters at the weekend that he is "really happy" at Roma and added: "On Newcastle, I don't have anything to say. Absolutely nothing to say.

"The only thing I can say is that for many, many years, I worked with one of the most important figures in the history of Newcastle, Sir Bobby Robson, and so because of that I have always had a bit of an emotional connection with that city and that fanbase. But it's nothing more than that."

14.32 BST: Kevin De Bruyne says he has sympathy for Raheem Sterling as he battles for his place at Manchester City.

Sterling has been in and out of the team this season and the England international has suggested he could look to move abroad if he cannot find regular games at the Etihad Stadium. Manager Pep Guardiola says he cannot guarantee the place of any player but De Bruyne admits he can understand Sterling's frustration.

"Rotation is important because playing four competitions and mostly going far in them, it's a tough ask sometimes," De Bruyne told a news conference ahead of the Champions League tie with Club Brugge.

"I understand the frustration because I'm a player and you have some players who need more rhythm to get into it and maybe Raz is someone who needs more, I'm a player that needs that also. Sometimes it's tough to play one game yes, one game no.

"Obviously it's the manager who has to make choices and it's very hard. We have a group of 22, 23 internationals who are unbelievable. Whoever you pick, you will be right a lot of the time. Whenever the team plays good there's not a lot you can't say as a player."

13.45 BST: ESPN's Mark Ogden has written on how Manchester United's senior players are piling the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with their postmatch comments:

"It's never a good sign for a manager when his most high-profile players begin to talk openly about a need for improvement, so for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, there can be no positive spin about Paul Pogba following Bruno Fernandes by publicly calling for things to change at Old Trafford.

"Of course, Solskjaer this week will likely trot out the usual damage-limitation tactic with comments about players showing how much they care when they vent their frustrations, but he will have been in enough dressing rooms during his playing career to read between the lines when it comes to players questioning tactics or mentality. Quite simply, players don't call for improvement when things are going well and they certainly don't do it when they play for a manager who is the dominant personality at their club."

12.56 BST: Premier League rivals Arsenal and Leicester City are both keeping an eye on Southampton forward Mohamed Elyounoussi, according to the Daily Record.

The 24-year-old has scored four goals and two assists for Saints so far this season, as well as three in World Cup qualifiers for Norway.

Elyounoussi's contract at St Mary's is due to expire at the end of next season, raising the hope among other clubs that they could sign him for a relatively low transfer fee next summer.

11.45 BST: Barcelona are monitoring Nemanja Matic's situation at Manchester United as they consider a move for the midfielder next summer, The Sun reports.

Matic, who has a contract at Old Trafford that runs until 2023, has started just three Premier League matches so far this season.

Barcelona are hoping the 33-year-old could be available at the end of the season to add experience to their squad for a relatively low transfer fee.

- Matic on Man United's poor form: 'Everyone is sad'

10.51 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have long been linked with interest in Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland to replace Kylian Mbappe next summer, but Le10Sport report that they could also consider a move for Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.

Mbappe looks increasingly likely to leave PSG next summer when he contract expires, with Real Madrid his dream destination.

Haaland, 21, is one the French side's radar as well as the rest of Europe's top clubs, but Le10Sport also reports that Lewandowski is a potential target. The 33-year-old, like Haaland, has scored nine goals in the Bundesliga so far this season.

09.57 BST: Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has been criticised by Gareth Bale's agent over his treatment of the Wales international,

Bale scored one goal in three matches for Madrid at the start of the season before suffering a torn hamstring, and is expected to be back in action next month.

"Injuries and disagreements in the last few seasons with Zinedine Zidane have held him back," Jonathan Barnett told the Daily Mirror. "He went back to Real Madrid [after a loan at Tottenham last season] and he was in the first team immediately. Unfortunately he tore his hamstring so it's a long way back. It's a shame with Carlo Ancelotti back as manager."

Real Madrid face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, before travelling to Camp Nou on Sunday to play Barcelona in El Clasico.

- El Clasico: Stream LIVE Sunday 10.15 a.m. ET on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

09.00 BST: Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley could be given the chance to resurrect his career with a January move to Burnley, The Sun reports.

Barkley returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer after a loan spell at Aston Villa last season, but so far he has made just three appearances for new boss Thomas Tuchel, all as a late substitute.

The Sun reports that Burnley tried to sign the 27-year-old in the summer, but he preferred to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea.

However, if he does not see much more first-team football between now and January, the Clarets' hopes of recruiting him to aid their relegation fight could be boosted.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

- Aston Villa are hoping to sign Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey, according to the Sun, but the 19-year-old is in no rush to leave Italy. While the Scotsman is happy, Celtic and other Premier League clubs are also interested in the teenager, who has already managed to score twice in Serie A so far this season.

- Arsenal and Leicester City are both interested in signing Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi, according to the Daily Record. The Norway international has started the season impressively for the Saints, having also scored a vital brace for Norway in their most recent World Cup qualifier. Interest in the 27-year-old is also encouraged by the fact he has just 18 months left on his contract, meaning there could be room for negotiation.

- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the full backing of those at Manchester United despite pressure from those outside the club, as has been reported by the Sun. The Red Devils have won just one of their past five matches in all competitions after an influx of big-name talent during the summer. This has led to questions being asked regarding the Norwegian player's future, but bosses are said to be happy with the direction in which he is taking the club.

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