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The 2022 winter window is open as of Jan. 1 and there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals! TOP STORY: Gallagher linked with PSGCrystal Palace's loan star Conor Gallagher has appeared as a surprise target for Paris Saint-Germain, according to the Sun. The French champions are reportedly willing to part with £50 million in order to land Gallagher, who has scored six goals and registered three assists this season while on loan at Selhurst Park from Chelsea. PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to be a big fan of the in-form midfielder and he thinks Chelsea would be willing to let the 21-year-old leave west London for the right price. PSG are keen to secure the move in January, but are also willing to wait until the summer. Chelsea have seen their squad depleted by injury and COVID-19, but are reportedly unable to recall Gallagher as a result of him having already played a specified number of games as part of his loan deal at Palace. Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is keen to refresh the side's midfield and, though he's unable to recall Gallagher, is reportedly considering letting Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech all leave in order to bring in new faces and reignite their title bid in 2022. - FC 100: Messi, Lewandowski are No. 1s; Premier League dominant
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- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access LIVE BLOG22.10 BST: Are cash-strapped Barcelona getting their money's worth for Ferran Torres? What about future big signings by Europe top clubs? Follow ESPN's January transfer window grades as prominent names make moves this month. 21.29 BST: Romelu Lukaku's future with Chelsea under manager Thomas Tuchel is looking unclear -- for now. After leaving Lukaku out for Chelsea's thrilling draw against Liverpool on Sunday, Tuchel said he plans to speak with Lukaku on Monday to address the striker's recent critical public comments. The manager said the team "lost totally the focus for the match" due to the drama, and he didn't want to make a "rash decision" with regards to Lukaku. Read Tuchel's full remarks here. 20.41 BST: A top-tier talent in MLS may be in the market for a new club. Argentine midfielder Sebastian Blanco will not re-join the Portland Timbers, according to a report from TyC's Juli Micheles. Blanco himself seemed to confirm the news earlier Sunday on Instagram, sharing a story that said "Every end is a new beginning." The former Lanus star has been one of the best players in MLS in recent years. He was named the MVP of the MLS is Back pandemic tournament in 2020, and he led the Timbers to the MLS Cup last month, which they lost to New York City FC on penalty kicks, capping off a 2021 where his return from injury saved the Timbers' season. Now Blanco, 33, is considering offers from other clubs in MLS, according to the report. Blanco joined the Timbers in 2017 from San Lorenzo on a high-priced Designated Player contract, which is not subject to MLS salary caps. 20.10 BST: Another U.S. men's national team prospect may be on the move, according to MLSSoccer.com. AS Roma right back Bryan Reynolds has reportedly drawn interest from Belgian club RSC Anderlecht, with club officials meeting in Italy to discuss the potential deal. Reynolds has been rumored to have caught the attention of a few clubs, including Anderlecht rival Club Brugge. Reynolds, 20, joined Roma in February from FC Dallas after a reported $8.5 million deal. He earned his first USMNT call-up and cap in March. 19.36 BST: USMNT prospect Caden Clark will not be joining RB Leipzig as planned, after all. According to a report from Bild, the 18-year-old Clark will again be loaned to Leipzig's stateside affiliate, the New York Red Bulls. Clark had signed a contract with RB Leipzig through 2024, and the plan was for him to finish out a loan with the Red Bulls until the end of the 2021 MLS season before heading overseas and training with Leipzig this week. But, per Bild, the club decided against bringing him to Germany amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, according to the same report, Luan Candido won't be back to Leipzig either. His loan to Brazilian affiliate RB Bragantino, which was set to end over the summer, has been made permanent with a contract through 2026. 19.00 BST: Mikel Arteta has a short list of strikers to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal, with Alexander Isak, Dusan Vlahovic, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ollie Watkins among his targets, sources told ESPN. Aubameyang's future at Arsenal has been thrown into considerable doubt over disciplinary issues, and Arteta is willing to listen to offers for him in January. 18.25 BST: Diego Simeone said there are "millions of explanations" for why Kieran Trippier could leave Atletico Madrid and return to the Premier League with Newcastle this month -- praising him as "extraordinary" but admitting that "nowadays you can't hold anyone prisoner." Trippier, 31, was the last Atletico player to leave the Wanda Metropolitano pitch after their 2-0 LaLiga win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, in what could be interpreted as a farewell to the home fans. ESPN reported last month that Atletico were expecting a bid from Newcastle during the January transfer window, with the full-back open to a return to England after two-and-a-half years in Spain. "Since he arrived he's always given the team a lot of great things, he's an important player for us," Simeone said in his post-match news conference on Sunday. "As I said the other day before the game, it always depends on the player, what could happen from here going forward. We want him to stay." 18.00 GMT: Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has told striker Edinson Cavani he does not want him to leave the Premier League club in January. Cavani, 34, has been linked with moves to Barcelona and several clubs in South America, but Rangnick is adamant the Uruguay international is going nowhere. Read the full story on ESPN. 17.26 GMT: Arsenal are considering a move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, The Sun reports. The 23-year-old has established himself as a first-team regular at Villa Park since signing from Manchester City in 2019, making 80 Premier League appearances for the club. He has also established himself with the Brazil national team, winning nine senior caps and also representing his country at the Olympics last summer. The Sun reports that Arsenal see him as a candidate to become a mainstay in a holding midfield role at the Emirates, although Villa would want a transfer fee significantly higher than the £15m they paid City two-and-a-half years ago. 16.49 GMT: Manchester City helped out cash-strapped Barcelona by agreeing to receive the Ferran Torres fee in several instalments, with the first one not due until July, sources told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens. Barca confirmed the signing of Torres earlier this week in a deal worth an initial €55m -- just four months after letting Lionel Messi leave because they could not afford to renew his contract. Sources say the deal was possible because Torres, 21, will earn much less than Messi did at Camp Nou and because City were happy to break the fee down over a number of years. The Premier League leaders will be paid in at least four instalments, with the first one not due until July so that Barca can include it in the books for the next financial year, when they expect revenue to have increased following a dip during the pandemic. LaLiga imposed a €97m spending limit on Barca for the season, which includes outgoings on wages and transfer fees. Barca's wage bill alone is way over that cap, but the league does allow them to spend 25% of everything they save by moving on players and reducing their outlay on salaries. - Sources: City won't replace Torres in January 15.54 GMT: Donny van de Beek's chances of leaving Manchester United this month have been hit by a row between the midfielder and his former agent, the Mirror reports. The Netherlands international split with his long-time representative, Guido Albers, three months ago after a loan move to Everton failed to go through in the summer. However, the Mirror reports that Albers is still holding the 24-year-old to a binding contract they both signed 18 months ago, meaning new agent Ali Dursan is unable to work on behalf of his new client. Van de Beek signed for United from Ajax for £40m in 2020, but made just four league starts last season and has started just four games in all competitions so far this term. But United's interim boss Ralf Rangnick says the midfielder is set to stay. "He's a team player through and through and there will be games where he will get his chance to play I'm sure," Rangnick said. "I also had a longer conversation with him last week about that and, again, of course it's difficult for him right now because he also wants to play for the Dutch national team. "He wants to qualify for himself and play in the World Cup in Qatar and in order to do that he needs to get game time here. But I still believe that we should keep him, that he should stay here, definitely until the end of this season and try to get as much game-time as he possibly can."  15.01 GMT: FC Dallas and United States international forward Ricardo Pepi is close to finalizing a deal that would see him land with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.
Sources said that, if the deal is completed, the transfer fee would be in the neighborhood of $20m plus add-ons, with a 10% sell-on fee going to Dallas in any future moves. The base transfer fee would be the highest for a homegrown player in Major League Soccer history. Alphonso Davies' move from the Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich was in excess of that number, but that included incentives. Pepi's arrival in Augsburg would see him bolster an attack in desperate need of goals. Augsburg is in 15th place, just above the relegation zone. Its haul of 17 goals in 17 games is tied for the fourth-worst mark in the Bundesliga as it headed into the winter break. Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg were thought to be the frontrunners to land Pepi, but now it appears that Augsburg have won the race to sign the American. 14.18 GMT: Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen are keen to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, either in the January transfer window or in the summer, The Sun reports. Nketiah is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning he is able to agree a pre-contract with a foreign club and move on a free transfer in July. Premier League clubs Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and West Ham United are also interested in the England under-21 international. The 22-year-old has scored five goals in six first-team appearances this season, most recently via a hat trick in the 5-1 win over Sunderland in the Carabao Cup on Dec. 21 (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.). However, he has not played a minute for the Gunners since then, despite striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being frozen out of the squad and made available for transfer by manager Mikel Arteta. - Bundesliga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only) 13.30 GMT: Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has told striker Edinson Cavani he does not want him to leave the Premier League club in January. Cavani, 34, has been linked with moves to Barcelona and several clubs in South America, but Rangnick is adamant the Uruguay international is going nowhere. "We had quite a few conversations in the last couple of weeks, probably the player with whom I have spoken most," Rangnick said. "I told him from the very first day that, for me, he is a highly important player. "And, as I said, his professionalism, his work ethic is just amazing and I told him that I desperately want him to stay until the end of the season. He knows that. He also knows how highly I rate him and how highly I respect him. We spoke and he knows that I will definitely not let him go. "For me, he is a highly important player for the rest of the season, still playing in three competitions, so we will definitely need Edi. I would rather have another Edi on top of that but for me it's clear that Edi has to stay." 12.44 GMT: Romelu Lukaku's future at Chelsea looks increasingly uncertain after the striker was dropped for Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool, sources have told ESPN's James Olley. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has taken the decision following talks with Lukaku in the wake of a controversial interview conducted by Sky Italia three weeks ago but released on Thursday. Lukaku said he was "not very happy with the situation" at Chelsea with Tuchel preferring to play "a different formation" to the one he expected, adding that he would like to return to Inter Milan while still in the prime of his career having only left the Serie A side last summer in a £97.5m deal. Tuchel said the following day that Lukaku's comments were "unhelpful" and risked taking the focus away from a pivotal moment in the Premier League title race. Nevertheless, omitting Lukaku is a huge call given the magnitude of the occasion with both Chelsea and Liverpool aiming to cut Manchester City's 11-point lead at the top of the table. Sources have told ESPN that Lukaku gave the interview without the club's knowledge, an act which Tuchel and his staff have taken a dim view of. Lukaku was not believed to have any intention of attempting to force a move away in January but it remains to be seen whether his punishment -- which could yet be accompanied by a fine -- prompts a change of heart. - Ogden: Chelsea, Liverpool in last-chance saloon to challenge Man City 12.15 GMT: Napoli have asked Manchester United about Axel Tuanzebe's situation ahead of the January transfer window, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson. Tuanzebe is on loan at Aston Villa, but the Italian side have enquired about United's plans for the 24-year-old as they assess options to strengthen their defence. Sources told ESPN that Napoli are yet to make contact with Tuanzebe's representatives, who are first set to meet with United chiefs to discuss the former England under-21 international's future. Tuanzebe signed a one-year loan deal at Villa Park in the summer and has made 11 appearances so far this season, although he has not started a game since Nov. 5. He has a contract at Old Trafford until 2023 and is highly rated by members of the coaching staff, but the centre-back is keen for regular games and remains behind Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane in the pecking order. United also have Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones in their squad, as well as 19-year-old academy graduate Teden Mengi. 11.31 GMT: Real Madrid will free up €60 million on their wage bill with the departures of Gareth Bale, Isco and Marcelo, Diario AS reports, which would be available for incoming targets such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Bale, Isco and Marcelo's contracts are all due to expire on June 30 2022 and none of the trio are expected to renew, with minimal involvement in Carlo Ancelotti's team so far this season. According to AS, Bale's exit alone would save the club €30m a year. Sources have told ESPN's Mark Ogden that Madrid would like to sign Mbappe and Haaland next summer in an attempt to take advantage of the financial problems at Barcelona by landing the two most sought-after players in world football. Real failed with a €200m move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe during the summer transfer window, but the France international is expected to move to the Bernabeu as a free agent when his PSG contract expires at the end of this season. And although they face competition from Manchester City, Manchester United and PSG for Borussia Dortmund forward Haaland, Real believe they can structure a deal to take the 21-year-old Norwegian to Madrid. With four big earners -- Bale, Isco, Marcelo and Luka Modric -- due to be out of contract and off the wage bill at Real at the end of the season, the LaLiga leaders will have the financial headroom to fund a move for Haaland and also pay his and Mbappe's wages. ESPN reported in October that Haaland will command an annual salary of £30m if he leaves Dortmund, where a €75m release clause will be active at the end of this season. Sources told ESPN that Haaland and his advisers will consider interest from a range of clubs, but Real are the leading contenders to sign the Norway international. - Notebook: The inside stories from around the world 10.39 GMT: Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell is attracting interest from both Liverpool and Manchester United, according to The Sun. Cresswell, 19, only made his first-team debut for his boyhood club this season, and has so far made four appearances in the Premier League. However, that has been enough to catch the eye of some of the Premier League's biggest clubs. The England under-21 international has a long-term contract at Elland Road, but his future at the club could hinge on whether or not they avoid relegation at the end of the season. 09.47 GMT: Chelsea's interest in Lucas Digne could be complicated by Newcastle's desire to sign the left-back on a permanent basis, sources told ESPN's James Olley. The Blues are weighing up possible targets in the January transfer window after learning Ben Chilwell is set to miss the rest of the season following a decision to undergo surgery on a knee injury sustained in late November. Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has repeatedly bemoaned the depleted nature of his squad in recent weeks as they have fallen eight points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and have Marcos Alonso as their only fit specialised left wing-back. With Chilwell expected to make a full recovery this summer, Chelsea are ideally looking for short-term cover and would be keen to take Digne on loan. However, Everton prefer a straight deal given a deterioration in the relationship between Digne and boss Rafa Benitez, who is also looking to raise funds to reshape his squad in the transfer window. Everton are thought to want in the region of £25m, a figure that would not deter Newcastle following their Saudi-led takeover. Newcastle are 19th in the table with the joint-worst defensive record in the division and will look to sign at least two defenders in January. Inter Milan and Napoli have also registered an interest, but it is not clear at this stage whether either club would be prepared to meet Everton's valuation. 09.00 GMT: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has not given up hope of getting Ousmane Dembele to sign a new deal despite a setback in negotiations this week. Dembele, 24, is out of contract in June and is now free to talk to other clubs with Barca and his agents still unable to reach an agreement over new terms. "I am not disappointed," Xavi said of the situation. "It's a negotiation. Sometimes advisors and agents can be difficult. But Barca's position is clear and the process is ongoing. "I am optimistic and I hope that Ousmane will make an effort [to renew]. He has a fantastic offer. There's always a back and forth." Xavi also confirmed that tying Dembele down to a new deal would allow Barca the financial room to register "one or two signings" in January. By getting the forward to commit to the club, Barca can spread the remaining amortisation payments on the transfer fee they paid for him in 2017 over the length of his new terms, creating room within their LaLiga-imposed spending limit of €97m for the season. PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)- Internazionale have shortlisted Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca as a potential target in the summer, according to Calciomercato. However, Juventus and AC Milan are also interested, and the Bianconeri could look to make a move in January to steal a march on their rivals. Sassuolo would rather keep the striker until the end of the season, but they could be willing to part with the 23-year-old if Juve meet their €35-€40m valuation. Sassuolo are also at risk of losing Davide Frattesi for around €30m, with the same three clubs all said to be interested. - Newcastle United are looking to increase their chances of Premier League survival by offering Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the chance to leave Arsenal in January, according to the Daily Mirror. The Magpies have sounded out the Gunners about taking the 32-year-old striker on loan for the rest of the season with an option to make it permanent in the summer. Aubameyang's days appear to be numbered in North London after having been dropped and stripped of the captaincy by boss Mikel Arteta. The Gabon star is now on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, but could return as the Newcastle's first marquee signing of their new ownership. - Manchester United and Liverpool are both looking to sign Leeds United homegrown star, Charlie Cresswell, according to the Sun. The centre-back made his top-flight debut in September and his performances have seen him land on the radar of some of the Premier League's biggest clubs. The 19-year-old is a Leeds supporter, but he could be tempted to leave at the end of the season if the Whites are unable to stay in the top flight. The teenager has been featured four times this season. - Everton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are all monitoring Burnley star Dwight McNeil, according to the Sun. The Clarets are demanding £40m for the winger as they look to stave off bids for their other top stars, namely offers from Newcastle United for James Tarkowski and Ben Mee. Everton would need to raise funds in order to bid for the 22-year-old, while Palace would only be in a position to submit an offer if they were to lose Wilfried Zaha. Villa would also need to shift some of their squad members in order to do business with the Turf Moor club. - Watford appear to be backing boss Claudio Ranieri despite a run of six games without a win, and the club have agreed deals to sign left-back Hassane Kamara from Nice and defensive midfielder Edo Kayembe from Belgian side KAS Eupen. That is according to the Athletic, which also believes Watford are eyeing a move for Besiktas' Domagoj Vida, and other incomings in the next few weeks.
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