The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Chelsea to try again for RB Leipzig's Gvardiol
After failing to secure a deal for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol this summer, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea will make another attempt for the 20-year-old in the winter transfer window, news confirmed by Bild's Christian Falk.
The Blues reportedly offered up to €90 million for the Croatia international, who instead signed a one-year extension to remain in Germany. However, Gvardiol is tipped to become the first signing for Graham Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm on Thursday.
Chelsea have already acquired the services of Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana in central defence this summer. Still, the west London side are set to reapproach the centre-back in January and persuade him to reconsider a move to the Premier League. The young defender, who made 29 Bundesliga appearances last season, could have a long-term future at Stamford Bridge, with Thiago Silva 38 this month.
Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet this season since their 1-0 opening-day win at Everton.
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22.20 BST: Alright, that's it for another edition of Transfer Talk. Check back later tonight for Sunday's rolling live edition!
21.19 BST: In case you missed it, Barcelona's spending cap has increased by almost €800 million following the pulling of various economic levers and the selling of club assets over the summer. Read the latest here.
20.11 BST: Roma are preparing a long-term contract extension for Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian outlet reports that the forward and team representatives are set to sit down together during the upcoming international break and discuss terms, with Zaniolo's camp pushing for a salary increase commensurate with his talent and importance to the club.
Zaniolo, 23, has been linked with Juventus in previous transfer windows, but the player is reportedly eager to tie his future to the Giallorossi.
19.06 BST: Up next, an update involving Paris Saint-Germain and their loan of Mauro Icardi to Galatasaray this summer. According to RMC Sport, the French champions will pay 90% of his salary as part of the agreement with the Turkish club, who were willing to take the 29-year-old Argentina international given his lack of minutes with his parent side.
Icardi has underwhelmed at PSG since first arriving on loan from Inter Milan in 2019 and then completing a permanent move the following season. With just 11 goals in 44 appearances (all competitions) and no chance of first-team time ahead of Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe, along came a loan deal. The French club had been hoping to move on several unwanted stars, with Julian Draxler, Rafinha, Idrissa Gueye and Layvin Kurzawa also exiting over the summer. Time will tell if the outlay for Icardi is worth it.
18.37 BST: More good news for Barcelona? Fabrizio Romano reports that midfielder Gavi is ready to sign a long-term contract extension with the club and that it's just a matter of time until his future is secure.
The 18-year-old Spain midfielder has dazzled since being thrown into the first team last season, and with big Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool showing interest in his signature, news of a long-term deal will be yet another boost to Xavi & Co. as they attempt to complete the rebuild following Lionel Messi's stunning departure, and the club's alarming debts, in the summer of 2021.
17.55 BST: How have things been going in the WSL this offseason? The transfer window closed on Thursday, with all the title contenders (Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United) making significant moves. ESPN's Becky Thompson rounds up the pick of the incomings and outgoings.
16.49 BST: Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl says the club were eventually relieved that Erling Haaland left for Manchester City to remove the circus around his future.
Haaland, 22, joined City from the Bundesliga club in a €60m deal after months if not years of speculation over his future. The Norway international has hit the ground running at the Etihad, scoring 10 Premier League goals in his first six appearances.
"As much as we have always appreciated Erling and the success he has had with our shirt, in the end the matter had definitely become a burden, both in the dressing room and for the club," he told Sport Bild.
"In general, for the whole environment, it was just him. The timing of the sale was right, both for us and for City. Without him, we have the possibility to trust the other players. The fact that our first 10 competitive goals have been scored by 10 different players shows that pretty well."
15.54 BST: We have a DONE DEAL! The transfer market remains open in Greece, and FC Volos have completed the signing of Anthony Knockaert on loan from Fulham for the 2022-23 season.
15.00 BST: Barcelona plan to file a lawsuit demanding Atletico Madrid pay them €40 million for Antoine Griezmann, sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden Moises Llorens.
Griezmann, 31, rejoined Atletico on a two-year loan in 2021 and the two clubs are in dispute over a clause which would see the deal made permanent.
Sources close to the Catalan club have told ESPN that Barca believe the fact Griezmann played over 45 minutes in 30 of the 37 games he was available for last season means Atletico are now obliged to sign him for €40m. Atletico, meanwhile, claim Griezmann must play over 45 minutes in 50% of the games he is selectable for over two seasons, not just one, for the clause to take effect.
14.05 BST: Mykhaylo Mudryk has essentially issued a come-and-get-me plea to Arsenal.
The winger, who scored one and created two others in Shakhtar Donetsk's stunning 4-1 win at RB Leipzig in the Champions League, reportedly agreed personal terms with the Gunners last month but the two clubs couldn't settle on a transfer fee.
Arsenal are expected to return in January to get the deal over the line -- though the asking price will be rising with every stellar performance.
"My dream is to play in Premier League, of course," the 21-year-old told CBS Sports. "Arsenal is a very good team, very good manager -- so from my side, I can't say no to Arsenal. But a transfer is not just up to my decision."
13.12 BST: Newcastle United could make a move to sign Brazilian wonderkid Andrey Santos, reports the i.
Santos, 18, has reportedly been tracked by Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain but Newcastle are now ready to table a £30m transfer offer to his club, Vasco de Gama.
The midfielder only signed a new contract with his club last week, but that hasn't stopped the transfer speculation. The new agreement does have a £43m release clause, so Newcastle know they can get their man if a lower fee cannot be agreed.
12.19 BST: Rodrygo and Eder Militao are set to follow Vinicius Junior in receivinSpanish passports early in 2023, sources told ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez, opening up the possibility of Real Madrid moving to sign more top talents from Brazil and other non-European countries.
LaLiga clubs are allowed to include three players from countries outside the European Union in their first-team squads. In Madrid's case, those spots have been occupied by Vinicius, Rodrygo and Militao. Madrid confirmed earlier this week that Vinicius, 22, had been granted Spanish nationality, having begun the process -- which was delayed by the pandemic -- back in 2020. Sources told ESPN that Rodrygo and Militao are set to receive theirs early in next year, meaning the club could now target non-European players to improve the first team squad in the January window and again next summer.
11.28 BST: The father of Bernardo Silva says that no transfer offer was made for his son until very late in the summer transfer window.
Silva, 28, was strongly linked with a move to Barcelona but the midfielder will remain at Manchester City at least until the January window.
"There were a lot of talks, but a concrete offer was not made in the timescale we thought was right," Paulo Silva said in quotes carried by Mundo Deportivo. "When it came, we realised it was no longer the right time for all parties involved.
"Things have to happen rationally and it was not the ideal scenario for Bernardo. He is a mature player, he is 28 years old. Things have to be done rationally, not emotionally."
10.36 BST: Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has told Corriere dello Sport that there was never any serious interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United as they wanted to build a younger squad.
Ronaldo, 37, was desperate to leave United in the summer window, with a loan move to Napoli seeming to be his last chance to play for a Champions League club before the market closed.
However, Giuntoli has suggested that Napoli's links to the Portugal international were not what they seemed.
"During the transfer market we pretend to chat with everyone, and sometimes we do it for real," Giuntoli said. "But we wanted to invest in a young team."
Giuntoli had already told Sky Sport Italia earlier in the week that there were never any real talks with Ronaldo over a move to Naples.
09.49 BST: Manchester United were convinced to pay above market value for Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Antony after the players impressed club bosses with their determination to move to Old Trafford, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
The trio cost close to £200m and while there is acceptance at Old Trafford that the club overpaid for them, they were ready to go higher to get the deals over the line because of each player's strong desire to join.
Sources told ESPN the United hierarchy were made aware that Martinez had confronted one Ajax official when he feared his move to United was stalling while Antony, his former teammate at the Dutch side, effectively went on strike in order to force through his transfer. Sources added United were convinced to switch their attention from Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong to Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro after just one conversation with the Brazilian midfielder.
09.00 BST: The Daily Mirror expects Arsenal and Newcastle to battle it out for Benfica's Alex Grimaldo when the transfer window opens again in January.
Grimaldo, 26, has moved into the final year of his contract and Benfica will need to find him a new club in January if they are to receive any kind of transfer fee.
The report says that €10m (that's £8.6m) could be enough to prise the left-back away from the Portuguese club, though he could choose to run his contract down and leave as a free agent next summer. He can sign a precontract agreement for that free move as of Jan. 1.
Juventus are also said to be tracking Grimaldo, who is a former Spain under-21 international.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Manchester United and Chelsea are battling it out for Wolves recruitment boss Matthew Hobbs, writes Football Insider. The head of scouting and recruitment has been at Molineux since 2015 but has only occupied his current role for eight months. Still, the two sides, who were the Premier League's biggest spenders this summer transfer window, will reportedly attempt to persuade Hobbs away from the West Midlands side within the next few weeks
- Raul de Tomás is still searching for an Espanyol exit, and the 27-year-old has entered negotiations with United Arab Emirates side Sharjah, as revealed by Relevo. The striker has been linked to multiple European sides this summer as he looks for a way out from the RCDE Stadium before the January transfer window. The Spain international would join Miralem Pjanic in swapping LaLiga for the UAE Pro League this week.
- AS Roma will renew their interest in Sassuolo's Davide Frattesi in January, according to Calciomercato. The Giallorossi's general manager Tiago Pinto has described the 22-year-old midfielder as his favourite player in Serie A as he plots a reunion with the former Roma Primavera star. The Italian club still hold a 30% future clause for the Italy under-21 international but failed to negotiate an agreement with the Neroverdi this summer.
- Australia international Tom Rogic could be set for a move to West Bromwich Albion, according to the Daily Telegraph's John Percy. The 29-year-old is a free agent after deciding to leave Celtic this summer after nine years, and the midfielder scored 16 goals in 50 appearances for the Scottish Premiership Champions in his final season. Rogic is reportedly close to joining Steve Bruce's side in the Championship as he looks to secure a place in the Socceroos squad for the World Cup.
- Free agent Santiago Arias is ready to join Manchester United after leaving Atletico Madrid this summer, reports the Daily Mirror. The 30-year-old full-back could be a welcome addition at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag reportedly hesitant to use Aaron Wan-Bissaka, preferring to start Diogo Dalot at right-back. The England international did not feature off the bench in the defeat at Real Sociedad, with Victor Lindelof used instead. Experienced Colombia international Arias could prove an ideal back-up in this position, despite struggling with various injury problems.