The 2022 January transfer window is open (find out when it closes here), 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: Tottenham close in on Juve's Bentancur and Kulusevski
Tottenham Hotspur are on the brink of a double transfer swoop, to sign Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur for a combined transfer fee of €70 million, reports Sky Sport Italia.
ESPN sources revealed on Thursday that Kulusevski had become Spurs' No. 1 target, after they missed out on Wolverhampton Wanderers' Adama Traore and FC Porto's Luis Diaz. Trarore returned to Barcelona on loan on Saturday night, while Diaz signed for Liverpool on Sunday.
Kulusevski, a 25-year-old winger, is flying to London on Sunday to discuss personal terms and complete a medical before joining Antonio Conte's team on loan with an obligation to sign permanently (subject to conditions) for a transfer fee of €40m, plus add-ons.
Spurs will only have to keep the Sweden international if they qualify for the Champions League and he makes a set number of appearances.
Bentancur, meanwhile, is set to join Spurs after they beat off competition from Aston Villa and Lyon.
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder, who is a Uruguay international, will move to Tottenham for a total transfer fee of €30m, including add-ons. Boca Juniors, his former club, will be due 30% due to a clause in the deal that took him to Turin. It will be rubber-stamped once Denis Zakaria finalises his move to Juve from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Spurs managing director of football Fabio Paratici signed both Bentancur and Kulusevski for Juve when he held a similar role at the Turin club.
The Sunday Mirror also writes that Spurs have identified the 25-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion star Yves Bissouma as another signing, while Spurs are also keen to land Nottingham Forest defender, Djed Spence, 21.
Bissouma has recently returned from international duty with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, though his performances for Brighton over the past two seasons have seen him attract interest from clubs in contention for Champions League qualification places. Reports suggest that the Seagulls could demand a transfer fee in the region of £50 million for his services.
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22.10 GMT: Union Berlin's star player Max Kruse stunned his club by asking for a transfer to his former team Wolfsburg at the other end of the Bundesliga table.
The former Germany striker asked Union fans on Sunday for their "understanding for my decision to accept an offer that is long-term and highly paid.'' Union said he was traveling to his new club on Monday. Kicker magazine reported a fee of €5m was agreed between the clubs. "His departure hits us unexpectedly and it will be a demanding task to compensate for this sporting loss,'' Union managing director Oliver Ruhnert said.
Kruse is joining a team that is just two points above the relegation zone after failing to win any of its last 11 games across all competitions. Kruse played for Wolfsburg for the 2015-16 season, then for Werder Bremen under the current Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt.
21.30 GMT: A number of English clubs are keeping tabs on Philadelphia Union wing-back Kai Wagner, and the Daily Mail reports Brentford have now joined the chase.
Watford, Fulham and West Ham have all monitored the German defender, who is among the top talents in Major League Soccer. He joined Philadephia in 2019 from Wurzburg Kickers and was selected as an MLS All-Star in 2021, and has stated his desire to return to Europe.
21.00 GMT: West Ham United are making a big push for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, according to Sky Sports. Uruguay star Nunez has been linked to bevy of clubs, including Newcastle and several LaLiga sides.
Nunez is currently with his national team on World Cup qualifying duty as Uruguay for a trio of matches try to book their spot for the 2022 World Cup.
20.45 GMT: According to Fabrizio Romano, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have been in contact regarding Barça playmaker Ousmane Dembele. The France star is in the final six months of his contract with Barça and has still not signed an extension, with the club last week telling the France international to find a new club before the end of the month as the relationship soured.
20.30 GMT: Looping back on Everton, it seems as if Frank Lampard's announcement as the team's new manager will come on Monday. The BBC reports that an agreement came on Sunday for the ex-Chelsea manager and club legend to take over at Goodison Park.
Lampard beat out Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira and Toffees caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson for the permanent spot.
20.00 GMT: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's future at AC Milan could be in doubt as he battles injuries, which could prompted the Italian club to move for Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ibrahimovic's future is shrouded in doubt as the 40-year-old continues to recover from an Achilles issue. The Swedish forward's contract ends this season.
As such, Milan could look to be his fellow compatriot Isak in the summer. The striker has been in great form for the Basque side, tallying 30 goals in 89 LaLiga matches since joining in 2019.
19.30 GMT: If Frank Lampard takes over the Everton manager position, then he has sights set on bringing Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli with him to Goodison Park.
According to the Sun, Lampard wants Alli as his first signing on a loan deal in an attempt to boost the Toffees' hopes in their relegation fight.
No word yet on Lampard officially joining Everton, but the report states the club's board was impressed with the ex-Chelsea manager's plans for the beleaguered Merseyside squad.
19.00 GMT: Manchester City's new imminent signing Julian Alvarez will stay at River Plate on loan at least until July, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The deal hasn't been officially announced, but sources told ESPN last week that City beat AC Milan for the 21-year-old Argentina international's signature, with the overall cost of the transfer near £20 million.
As mentioned earlier, River Plate president Jorge Brito also confirmed to ESPN Argentina that Alvarez is set to put pen to paper with Pep Guardiola's side.
18.30 GMT: Christian Eriksen is set to sign for Brentford on a six-month deal to make an improbable return to the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.
Sources had previously told ESPN that Eriksen was in talks with the London club. Eriksen, 29, is a free agent after his contract with Inter Milan was terminated last month following the Italian medical authority's refusal to allow him to play with a cardiac device implant.
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark's opening game of Euro 2020 against Finland in June last year and received life-saving treatment on the pitch before being taken to hospital.
18.00 GMT: Barcelona are locked in talks with Arsenal over a loan deal for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens and Moises Llorens.
The 32-year-old striker is keen on joining the Camp Nou, with the two clubs discussing how much of his £250k-per-week wages the Spanish giants can pay. The deal would not include an option for a permanent move.
Sources have told ESPN that Barcelona have informed Arsenal sporting director Edu that they want Aubameyang but can only pay a small portion of the player's salary and are awaiting a response from the north London club.
17.45 GMT: Scottish side St. Johnstone has secured the transfer of forward Theo Bair from the Major League Soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.
Bair has signed a two-and-a-half year deal, with the Whitecaps receiving 50% of any future sale. Bair had previously been on loan in Norway with HamKam, where he scored four goals in 17 appearances. In parts of three seasons with Vancouver Bair scored three goals in 37 appearances. The fee is $135k and could reach to $470k in add-ons.
17.20 GMT: Foot Mercato reports that Eric Bailly will stay at Manchester United for the rest of the season, despite interest from AC Milan.
The 27-year-old, who has a contract at United through to the summer of 2024, has been tracked by the Serie A club throughout January.
Milan are expected to rekindle their interest in the centre-back in the summer.
16.55 GMT: Sky Sports and The Athletic are reporting that Liverpool have tabled a bid of £5m for Fulham's Fabio Carvalho.
Carvalho, 19, is out of contract at the end of the season and Liverpool are trying to steal a march on other clubs. The midfielder will not be able to leave Fulham on a free transfer due to his age and a transfer fee may need to be set by a tribunal if he waits it out until the summer. Fulham may believe they will get a higher fee through this route -- but also risk losing him for nothing if he signs for a club outside of England.
Liverpool have already taken one talented teen off Fulham, when they signed Harvey Elliott under similar circumstances in the summer of 2019. That fee also had to be decided by a tribunal, and Liverpool were told to pay £1.2m, with add-ons of £3.1m -- but Elliott had far less first-team experience.
Carvalho was born in Lisbon but represents England at youth level.
Understand Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Fabio Carvalho. https://t.co/PoNHkHaeuZ
— Vinny O'Connor (@VinnOConnor) January 30, 2022
16.34 GMT: More from Lyon! It looks like Tanguy Ndombele is to return to the club on loan two-and-a-half years after becoming Tottenham Hotspur's record signing.
Ndombele, 25, has suffered an inconsistent time at Spurs and hasn't featured since being jeered off by his own fans in an FA Cup tie against third-tier Morecambe earlier this month.
Sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens that Lyon have fought off competition from Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia to land the France international. He will will fly to Lyon on Sunday evening to complete his move.
The midfielder joined Spurs in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth €62m.
Transferts : Tanguy Ndombele se rapproche de l'OL
— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) January 30, 2022
Le milieu international français devrait quitter Tottenham et terminer la saison à l'OL https://t.co/Cd37zTXF4d pic.twitter.com/ge3A9K7sxm
16.16 GMT: Newcastle United have completed the signing of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon, the club announced on Sunday, their third signing since being taken over by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in October.
Lyon have confirmed the transfer fee is €42.1m, plus €8m in add-ons and a 20% sell-on clause. The potential bonuses take into account Newcastle's performance over the next few seasons, in particular retaining their Premier League status.
Athletico Paranaense, his former club, will received 20% of the fee Newcastle have paid to Lyon.
The move for Guimaraes follows the arrivals on defender Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid and striker Chris Wood from Burnley.
The club said in a statement: "Newcastle United are delighted to confirm the signing of Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The 24-year-old midfielder joins the Magpies for an undisclosed fee from Lyon, where he has been one of the outstanding performers in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons, and will wear shirt No. 39 -- the number of the taxi once driven by his father."
Sources have told ESPN that Newcastle offered Guimaraes a £120,000-a-week contract -- four times his wage at Lyon.
🇧🇷 𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗢 🇧🇷
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 30, 2022
Newcastle United are thrilled to announce the signing of Bruno Guimarães from Olympique Lyonnais on a four-and-a-half year deal.
Bem vindo, @brunoog97!
16.00 GMT: Adama Traore agreed a loan move back to Barcelona from Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening, and it's now a done deal after passing his medical examination.
15.38 GMT: The Sun on Sunday reports that three clubs have shown an interest in Liverpool striker Divock Origi ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.
One of those are Fiorentina, but the Viola have signed Arthur Cabral from FC Basel for €14m, plus €2m in add-ons, so it seems they will not be in the race any longer.
Burnley have been talked about as they look to replace Chris Wood, who moved to Newcastle United. Dutch striker Wout Weghorst is also set to join the Clarets from Wolfsburg.
The third option is reportedly another Serie A side in Atalanta, who need a long-term replacement for Duvan Zapata.
15.15 GMT: Mark Ogden gives the lowdown on Luis Diaz after Liverpool confirmed the signing of the winger from FC Porto.
14.28 GMT: River Plate president Jorge Brito has confirmed to ESPN Argentina that Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign striker Julian Alvarez.
Sources told ESPN on Monday that City had seen off competition from AC Milan to sign the 21-year-old. Alvarez, who has already been capped five times by Argentina, will be immediately loaned back to River Plate and won't move to the Etihad Stadium until the summer. He may remain at his current club for the whole of 2022.
The overall cost of the transfer could be less than £20m.
This has now been confirmed by head coach Marcelo Gallardo too.
"In theory until June and there's also a chance he might stay until December, but that's for another day," Gallardo told ESPN Argentina about a return on loan. "As for having him here with us and the chance to finish the year here, River Plate have negotiated very well.
"A huge club came in for him. We're not talking about a second-rate club, but one of the biggest in the world with financial power and, at the moment, that's enabled us to hold on to the player because there's no place for him [at Manchester City] or they don't need him right now.
"We'll see if he stays here in June or not, but it keeps that option open. It would've been very difficult for us to go out and try to sign a player with his attributes in this transfer window if he left now."
13.58 GMT: It looks like Newcastle United will finally get a new central defender, after a month-long search. The Chronicle reports that Brighton have accepted an improved offer for Dan Burn, and he is on his way to the north-east for a medical and to discuss personal terms.
Burn, 29, was born just 14 miles away from Newcastle in Blyth, and grew up a Magpies fan.
The report says that a transfer fee of £13m has been accepted, after Newcastle twice had to submit an improved offer.
13.20 GMT: Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has agreed to join Everton on loan, reports the Mail on Sunday.
The Netherlands international looked set to join Crystal Palace, but Everton have hijacked the deal and he is set to become Frank Lampard's first signing once he is confirmed as Raphael Benitiez's successor.
Everton will pay a loan fee in excess o £500,000 and cover his £100,000-per-week wages.
Van de Beek has struggled to feature under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal, and is set to spend the rest of the season at Everton in a bid to find regular first-team football.
This season, Van de Beek's eight Premier League appearances have amounted to 68 minutes on the pitch, while three of his last five league games have been one-minute appearances from the bench.
Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson's futures still need resolving ahead of the closure of the transfer window at 11 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET) on Monday.
12.39 GMT: Arsenal have rejected a second transfer offer from Crystal Palace for striker Eddie Nketiah, reports Sky Sports.
Nketiah, 22, is out of contract at the end of the season but, due to the player's age, Arsenal will still be due a transfer fee should he move to another Premier League club.
That puts the Gunners in a position of strength over any departure in this window, as they are not negotiating from a position whereby the player can leave for Palace on a free transfer in the summer.
Arsenal must weigh up what they could expect from a transfer tribunal, which would set the fee upon contract expiry, compared to what Palace are offering in this window. However, they wouldn't receive a transfer fee if he were to sign for a club outside of England once his deal expires, with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen linked.
Nketiah has rejected the offer of a new deal with Arsenal.
12.00 GMT: Liverpool have announced the signing of FC Porto winger Luis Diaz, subject to the successful granting of a work permit and international clearance.
Jurgen Klopp had planned to sign the 25-year-old in the summer, but was forced to bring forward his interest after Manchester United and Tottenham made moves for him in the winter window, sources told ESPN.
Liverpool are believed to have paid a transfer fee of £37m plus an additional £12.5m in performance-related instalments for the Colombia international.
The moment you've been waiting for...
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 30, 2022
Luis Diaz is a RED 🔴 #VamosLuis pic.twitter.com/wl9koUlPgl
11.31 GMT: Not content with trying to sign Raphinha from Leeds United, the Sun on Sunday reports that West Ham United also want Kalvin Phillips.
The Evening Standard reported on Saturday that the Champions League-chasing Hammers were in for Brazil star Raphinha, but a transfer offer was rejected out of hand. The 25-year-old winger is also being tracked by Chelsea and Liverpool, but Leeds are trying to extend his contract rather than entertain him leaving for a Premier League rival.
Today's story says that West Ham boss David Moyes wants to team Phillips up with England teammate Declan Rice to create a midfield capable of challenging for honours.
A transfer offer of £50m is said to have been tabled for Phillips, 26, who is out with a hamstring injury at the moment.
West Ham are also being linked with Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel Phillips.
11.00 GMT: Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has completed a move to Al Hilal from Al Shabab for an undisclosed fee.
Ighalo, 32, scored 20 goals in 30 appearances after moving to Saudi Arabian football with Al Shabab on a free transfer.
✍🏻 The Blue Eagle 🦅 #Ighalo_Hilali 😍#AlHilal 💙 pic.twitter.com/HhsQeMKy8t
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) January 29, 2022
10.35 GMT: Arsenal centre-back William Saliba is a list of targets for Real Madrid, reports Sport.
Saliba, 20, has yet to make a single Premier League appearance for the Gunners after signing from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019. He is on his third loan back in Ligue 1 with Marseille, having also featured back at Saint-Etienne and with Nice.
The report says that Saliba is on a shortlist along with Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger and Niklas Sule of Bayern Munich, who are both out of contract in the summer.
10.12 GMT: La Stampa in Italy reports that Tottenham are interested in signing Alvaro Morata. The Spain international, who previously played in the Premier League for Chelsea, is on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid, but the Serie A side are not expected to make the deal a permanent one.
The report says that Spurs have made an enquiry, with Barcelona also keeping tabs. However, it is reported that Atleti are not prepared to loan the striker to a LaLiga rival.
09.30 GMT: ICYMI, on Saturday night Barcelona announced the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore on loan for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the move permanent. The 26-year-old Spain international returns to the Blaugrana five years after leaving for England, having spent 11 years in the club's academy and B team, making one appearance for the senior side in that time. Read the full story.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Phil Jones could finally be set to leave Old Trafford, after being at Manchester United since 2011. L'Equipe writes that Bordeaux are keen on a move for the 29-year-old centre-back, who last featured for the Red Devils in a 1-0 loss in the Premier League against Wolves - his only appearance in two years. The report says that the Ligue 1 club are keen to add reinforcements to their squad after parting ways with both Otavio and Josh Maja.
- Everton are keen for a reunion with Ross Barkley, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. The Chelsea attacking midfielder has failed to nail down a regular spot in Thomas Tuchel's side this season, starting just one game in the Premier League. And with Frank Lampard expected to take the reins at Goodison Park, the 28-year-old is one of the first signings that he will try to make before the transfer window closes.
- Calciomercato writes that Juventus are in advanced talks to sign Nahitan Nandez. The Cagliari midfielder has been linked with the Bianconeri throughout January as Massimiliano Allegri has sought reinforcements in midfield. And with Rodrigo Bentancur close to an exit to Spurs, it is reported that talks for Nandez have now been stepped up. The 26-year-old has starred 17 times for Cagliari this season in Serie A.
- The Daily Express reveals that River Plate are keen to secure a move for Edinson Cavani. The report says that they see him as a replacement for forward Julian Alvarez, who is to make the switch to the Premier League to join Manchester City. Cavani, 34, has scored two goals from 10 appearances this season, but he has often had to settle to make an impact from the bench since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United last summer.