The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Conte planning January swoop for Firpo
Internazionale are plotting a January swoop for Barcelona's 24-year-old defender Junior Firpo, according to Calciomercato.
Firpo has played 25 times for Barcelona but has featured just twice this term, with both appearances coming in the Champions League, and is yet to be picked in a league game by Ronald Koeman since the Dutchman took over at Camp Nou.
It's widely understood that Barca are keen to offload fringe players like Firpo to ease their financial issues, and increase the chances of being able to conduct their own January transfer business, while the player himself is reported to be keen on a move if it means he plays more first-team football.
Meanwhile, a left-back has been top of Inter boss Antonio Conte's wish list so it could be a move that suits all parties.
Inter have won only one of their past seven games in all competitions, and Conte has identified Firpo alongside Chelsea duo Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso as potential targets.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more
LIVE BLOG
22.30 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
21.29 BST: Could Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng be bound for North London?
SportWitness has learned that Arsenal are interested in acquiring the former World Cup winner but could face competition from rivals Tottenham. The 32-year-old, who is in the last year of his contract with Bayern, is expected to move this summer with a return to the Premier League considered. While no spring chicken, Boateng can still do a job and would be a welcome addition to either Arsenal or Spurs.
20.41 BST: With Gabriel Jesus seizing the starting striker job for Man City, there is speculation that this season could be Sergio Aguero's last at the Etihad.
Calciomercato speculates that Inter Milan have interest in the Argentine, who has bagged 180 Premier League goals for City since arriving in 2011. Boyhood club Independiente have also been credited with interest in Aguero, but Antonio Conte does have an impressive record of reviving ex-Premier League players' careers -- Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Ashley Young having all experienced a renaissance in Milan.
19.58 BST: How many players short are Man United from competing for a Premier League title?
Former Red Devils forward Louis Saha has weighed in in on that very question.
"The focus is on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but you also have to look at the recruitment," Saha told Stadium Astro.
"Some new signings like Fred, you can see the quality but he's not going to make the difference.
"The signing of (Bruno) Fernandes, you need four of them.
"You need four of them to actually compete and this is what is missing.
Salah would know what it takes, as the Frenchman won Premier League titles with the club back in 2007 and 2008.
19.05 BST: Striker Arkadiusz Milik was expected to leave Napoli this past summer but wound up being stranded at the final hour.
Calciomercato claims that the Pole will now leave in January with Atletico Madrid, Roma, Fiorentina and Inter all expected to make plays for the 26-year-old. Milik, who has been left out of Napoli's Serie A and Europa League squads and thus has already played his last game for Napoli, will surely be counting down the days until January 1...
18.19 GMT: Birmingham City are one of several Championship clubs monitoring Wimbledon striker Joe Pigott, TEAMtalk understands.
The 26-year-old, who has six goals over all competitions this season, is reportedly being tracked by Birmingham, Bristol City, Huddersfield Town and Derby County.
17.24 GMT: West Ham are monitoring striker Moussa Dembele, who is growing frustrated on the bench at Lyon, according to The Sun on Sunday.
Dembele scored 20 goals for Lyon last season, including two in the Champions League quarterfinal victory over Manchester City, but is yet to get off the mark this term.
The 24-year-old has not started any of Lyon's last four matches (before Sunday's home clash against St Etienne), and he could reportedly be available for transfer for £30m in the January transfer window.
That would represent a significant change in Lyon's position, as back in January they issued a statement insisting they had no desire to sell the former Celtic striker amid interest from Manchester United.
16.11 GMT: Jadon Sancho is "on the way up again" following Manchester United's failed bid to sign him, according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson last month that United refused to meet Dortmund's €120m asking price during the transfer window but the England international remains the club's primary transfer target for next summer.
Failure to secure an established right winger before the deadline leaves United free to pursue Sancho again next summer. He has been long identified as a club target, rather than a specific request from manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 20-year-old has had a quiet start to the season compared to last term, socring just two goal in his first nine club appearances.
However, speaking before Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.),, Watzke told Sky: "He's on the way up again. I talked to him last week. I get the impression his mind is clear again. We made our decision in August, but the window remained open until Oct. 5. If there was an offer, I would not tell you right now."
- Bundesliga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)
14.57 GMT: Manchester United reserve goalkeeper Sergio Romero is training alone and hopes to leave the club in January, The Sun on Sunday reports.
Romero has not played for United since the Europa League quarterfinal win over FC Copenhagen in August, with No. 1 David de Gea taking his place for the semifinal defeat to Sevilla.
Dean Henderson has overtaken the Argentina international as the club's second-choice goalkeeper since returning from his loan spell at Sheffield United in the summer.
According to The Sun on Sunday Romero now hopes United let him leave on a free transfer in January. The 33-year-old had reportedly been close to joining Inter Miami in October, only for the move to David Beckham's MLS team to fall through before the transfer deadline.
13.34 GMT: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hinted that there may yet be a future at the club for outcasts Mesut Ozil, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.
Ozil has not been named in a matchday squad since June, and cannot play a senior match until January at the earliest after being left out of the Gunners' Premier League and Europa League squads. Midfield duo Torreira and Guendouzi, meanwhile, are out on loan at Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin respectively.
However, players such as Shkodran Mustafi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny have all appeared to be surplus to requirements at Arsenal at times last season but have since returned to the first team under Arteta, who insists that any player can regain their place.
"There are some really good examples there of players who deserved their chances, and now they are all regular players for us," Arteta said in the Sunday Telegraph.
When asked how other players can regain his trust, Arteta added: "If they do their best and try to contribute all the time to what we are trying to do, and don't care about being exposed and challenged and are willing to learn all the time.
"If they can make mistakes, try again and have that approach and positive energy all the time, looking at what is ahead of them and not what has happened in the past which they cannot control, then they are going to have a chance."
- Ozil's agent tells ESPN: Arsenal fans 'deserve honest explanation' about star's exile
12.29 GMT: One of the fastest players in Europe could be coming tot he Premier League as Southampton are monitoring winger Husein Balic, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Balic, who plays for Austrian club LASK Linz, reportedly clocked up a speed of 24.2 mph during an appearance for Austria's U21s against France and can cover 20 metres in 2.75 seconds.
The 24-year-old, who has scored four goals in 11 appearances for LASK this season, has also been linked with interest from Scottish champions Celtic and Championship club Brentford.
Balic's contract expires in 2024, but the Mail report claims that he could still be available to sign for as little as €3.1m in January.
11.16 GMT: Bayern Munich have left the door open for David Alaba to remain at the club, a week after calling off talks over a new contract.
Alaba, 28, now looks set to leave the Champions League winners on a free transfer next summer, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus among the clubs reportedly interested. He can sign a pre-contract agreement from Jan. 1, 2021.
Bayern reportedly offered Alaba a five-year deal with an annual salary of around €11m, which could have gone up to €15m with bonuses.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer said last Sunday that the club had "decided to take the offer completely off the table," but club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Saturday that the matter was not totally settled.
Speaking ahead of Bayern's 3-2 win over arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), Rummenigge told Sky: "We'll must find a face-saving way for both sides to be okay with. If David wants to stay at FC Bayern, which I do not want to rule out entirely, the door has not been closed yet."
- Marcotti: Bayern tested by Dortmund but cement Bundesliga superiority
- Bundesliga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)
10.02 GMT: Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden is expected to sign a new contract at the club, according to the Daily Star.
Foden, 20, has finally become a first-team regular this year after being eased into the senior set-up by manager Pep Guardiola. He has already made 10 appearances this season, scoring three goals.
Now the England international is in line for a new contract that, according to the Star, will be worth three times the six-year deal worth £25,000 a week that he signed in 2018.
09.00 BST: Paul Pogba is being linked to Real Madrid yet again in the Spanish press, with Diario AS claiming "the French midfielder hasn't lost hope of wearing white."
The Manchester United midfielder's reported €60m price tag next summer makes him more attractive than Rennes wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga, the newspaper says, while admitting that "his signing had been ruled out by Madrid in recent times."
According to AS, coach Zinedine Zidane "clearly prefers Pogba" and the marketing revenues attached to signing such a star name could help convince president Florentino Perez.
Pogba was named among the substitutes for Saturday's 3-1 win at Everton, only coming off the bench in the final 10 minutes.
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd): Liverpool bid for Motherwell youngster accepted
Liverpool have had a bid accepted for Motherwell's young defender Sam Campbell, but the Scottish club are keen to keep the 16-year-old, reports FootballInsider.
The youngster had a trial and subsequent transfer talks with Liverpool in October after he had been granted permission by Motherwell to visit Liverpool's old Melwood training ground.
However, Motherwell have offered Campbell a three-year deal in the hope that they can keep the burgeoning star. Scottish clubs are able to offer 16-year-olds professional contracts, compared to English clubs who are only able to offer deals to 17-year-old players.
Campbell joined Motherwell in 2018 but is yet to make his first-team debut. However, he made his debut for the club's under-18s at age 14, and has been impressing ever since.
Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion are also reportedly interested in Campbell.
Milan seek long-term switch for Diaz
AC Milan have been so impressed with loan star Brahim Diaz that they want to make his move permanent, reports Le10Sport.
Diaz is a regular starter for Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli, and technical director and Milan legend Paolo Maldini has been particularly impressed.
Diaz joined Real Madrid from Manchester City in January 2019 but was given few opportunities to impress boss Zinedine Zidane. Milan then swooped for the 21-year-old in the summer, and he hasn't looked back.
However, Spanish outlet AS believe Zidane could be tempted to keep Diaz and give him a chance when his loan spell comes to an end at the end of the season.
Tap-ins
- Borussia Dortmund are one of two clubs -- alongside Union Berlin -- looking to make a January move for Brentford striker Marcus Forss. That's according to Teamtalk, who believe that the striker's form, with six goals in 11 games, is enough to see him capture the imagination of Dortmund's scouts. Forss was recently called up to the Finland senior squad, and he could be the latest player to follow in the footsteps of players like Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma to land a big move away from Brentford.
- German Liga 2 side Erzgebirge Aue are believed to be signing Enzo Zidane, son of Zinedine, according to Bild. Zidane is believed to have deliberately chosen a club where he can avoid the spotlight that has followed him in the Spanish capital. The 25-year-old has told Aue president Helge Leonhardt that he wants to avoid the "40 television cameras that are constantly pointed at him."