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: Asensio to leave Real Madrid for Premier League?
Real Madrid are looking to offload playmaker Marco Asensio, according to El Nacional.
The 25-year-old is under contract until 2023, but the report claims that president Florentino Perez is worried about Asensio's market value dipping, as well as his form since recovering from a serious knee injury.
Several Premier League clubs have previously been linked with a move for the winger in the summer. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United have been rumoured to be interested in the past and could be presented with an opportunity to land him.
The Spain international has started only three matches for Los Blancos this season, struggling to break into the first team under Carlo Ancelotti. The lack of game time mixed with his expiring contract is what has reportedly forced president Perez's hand to push to move the player on.
Asensio joined Real Madrid from Mallorca in 2015 for just over €4m, signing from under the nose of Clasico rivals Barcelona, who were also interested in him.
In those six years, Asensio has made over 200 appearances in a Real Madrid shirt, scoring 40 goals and assisting in 23. He has also won two Champions Leagues, two LaLiga titles, a Spanish Super Cup, three FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups.
- ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
LIVE BLOG
18.30 BST: Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest may find himself in trouble now Ronald Koeman has been sacked.
17.15 BST: Real Madrid defender Marvelous Antolin Garzon is on the radar of Manchester United, according to Bernabeudigital.
Marvel, 18, has impressed in the club's youth teams and is tipped for big things after progressing to the U-19 side. Though we're not sure he's the man to sort the United defence out given his lack of experience -- he has never made a first-team appearance for Madrid.
16.11 BST: Former Real Salt Lake, Fiorentina and Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi is set to join Serie B side SPAL, says Goal Italia.
Rossi, 34, has struggled with injuries but the ex-Italy international has 129 goals in 344 games during his career to date.
15.42 BST: FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi says that it is his dream to play for Real Madrid.
Pepi, 18, has 13 goals in 29 appearances this season and made his debut for the United States men's national team. Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter and Ajax have been linked with him, but there's only one club in his heart.
"I always tell my parents, always tell my agent, that my dream has always been playing for Real Madrid," he told 90min.
"Before I even retire I want to play a couple of years. Not just months, I want to play at least three, four years in Real Madrid. Just, I feel like that's the top of the world. That would be amazing for me."
15.00 BST: Real Madrid could add Eden Hazard to a swap deal for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, says Calciomercato.
Hazard, 30, hasn't impressed since his €100m move in 2019 and Juve are ready to offer him a new lease of life, while Madrid need to replace Sergio Ramos and are keen on De Ligt.
The Netherlands international only joined Juve from Ajax for €75m in 2019 but has fallen out of favour in Turin.
13.16 BST: ICYMI - Manchester United are prepared to lose Paul Pogba for free next summer after accepting the midfielder will not sign a new contract at Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN's Mark Ogden.
The France international, who cost a then-world-record £89.3m when he signed from Juventus in August 2016, will become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of June 2022. He has consistently rejected United's offer of a new deal at the club.
However, despite the prospect of the player running down his United contract for a second time -- United were awarded £800,000 in youth development compensation when Pogba left as a free agent to Juve in 2012 -- sources have said there is no alarm or concern at Old Trafford about the likelihood of the 28-year-old leaving for no fee.
Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have previously expressed an interest in Pogba, but none of them is planning to make a move for the player in January, preferring instead to negotiate a free-agent deal next summer.
12.27 BST: PSG sporting director Leonardo is keeping his cards close to his chest over possible moves in January.
"We haven't contacted any players at the moment," he told Le10 Sport. "There's nothing going on with [AC Milan midfielder] Franck Kessie nor with [AC Milan left-back] Theo Hernandez."
11.45 BST: Lionel Messi has struggled to make an impact at PSG since arriving on a free transfer from Barcelona this summer.
11.07 BST: Newcastle want to land Real Madrid star Toni Kroos, says El Nacional.
Kroos, 31, is regarded as one of the most complete midfielders in the game but is nearing the end of his career and has yet to sign a contract extension with his terms ending in 2023.
Following Newcastle's £305m takeover by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium, the club have plenty of money to spend on new players. The report claims that they want to land Kroos for £25m, which seems ambitious even before you take into account that the Germany international would be leaving one of the world's best clubs to get involved in a relegation battle, with the Magpies 19th in the Premier League table.
10.24 BST: Footmercato reports that Tottenham and Bayern Munich are among the clubs interested in signing Nantes forward Randal Kolo Muani.
Muani, 22, has scored two goals and provided three assists in 10 games this season but his contract ends in 2022. The France U23 international, who played in the Olympics this summer, has seen interest from Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt and Southampton already.
09.48 BST: Tottenham are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and The Independent claims that Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez is top of the list.
Lloris, 34, has a contract which expires in the summer and Spurs have been looking at options to replace him with West Brom's Sam Johnstone, Real Sociedad's Alex Remiro and Napoli's Alex Meret considered.
The top pick, however, is former Arsenal stopper Martinez, who joined Villa in the summer of 2020 for £20m and has gone on to become Argentina's No. 1.
09.19 BST: Christian Eriksen is not permitted to play in Italy this season as a result of the cardiac arrest he suffered at Euro 2020, his club Inter Milan said in a statement, with the Serie A champions open to letting the Denmark midfielder leave.
Eriksen suffered the on-field cardiac arrest during his country's opening game of the tournament in June against Finland and received life-saving treatment on the pitch. He later had a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device implanted, a type of pacemaker which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.
Francesco Braconaro, a member of the Italian Football Federation's technical scientific committee, said in August that Eriksen will not be allowed to play in Italy unless the ICD device is removed.
"With reference to the registration rights of the player Eriksen, it should be noted that following a serious injury which occurred during the European Championship in June 2021, the player has been temporarily inhibited by the Italian medical authority from sporting activity in the current season," Inter Milan wrote in a statement on Thursday.
"Although the current conditions of the player don't meet the requirements of achieving sporting fitness in Italy, the same could instead be achieved in other countries where the player could resume competitive activity."
It is unclear as to whether other countries would allow Eriksen to participate in their respective leagues with the ICD device fitted.
09.00 BST: Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is a potential replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager, sources told ESPN, with the club prepared to recruit a new manager from within the Premier League if the former Molde and Cardiff City coach is unable to inspire an immediate upturn in results.
Solskjaer will take charge of United against Tottenham on Saturday, and almost certainly Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, after the Old Trafford hierarchy resisted pressure to dismiss the 48-year-old in the wake of last Sunday's 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool.
Although he remains in his job, sources told ESPN that United are assessing alternative options in the event of the Norwegian being unable to halt a disastrous run of form. The club have suffered five defeats in the last nine games in all competitions, including just one point from their last 12 in the Premier League.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
- Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus are all fighting to sign Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, writes Tuttosport. The 21-year-old has attracted interest from many big-name teams with his performances for the Ligue 1 side, with a reported valuation of €45m set by the club to let him leave.
- Juventus are planning on moving up their attempt to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic from next summer to this January, reports Tuttosport. The 21-year-old has refused to sign a new contract, meaning he is free to leave the club in 2023 and, with a lot of clubs on alert the Old Lady want to beat the competition.
- Calciomercato reports that Internazionale had a meeting with the agent of Karim Adeyemi over a potential move to the Serie A club. The 19-year-old forward has garnered interest for his performances at FC Salzburg, with Bayern Munich and PSG also reportedly linked.
- AC Milan are interested in Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara to replace the outgoing Franck Kessie. According to Calciomercato, Milan are unlikely to make a move for the 21-year-old in January, but are more likely to make an attempt later in the season. The France Under-21 international is out of contract in the summer, with the report also claiming there is Premier League interest from Newcastle.
- Portuguese side Sporting CP are willing to make the loan of Manchester City full-back Pedro Porro a permanent switch, according to Record. The 22-year-old is spending his second season with the Liga NOS side, impressing the hierarchy enough for them to trigger an €8.5m release clause in the loan before another side makes a move. Real Madrid are one of those linked. His contract lasts until 2025, and there will be a new release clause of €45m included.