The January transfer window may seem like a distant memory, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up, so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: City considering surprise move for Ings
Manchester City are set to launch a surprise bid for Southampton top scorer Danny Ings, according to Sky Sports.
The former Liverpool hitman is entering the final year of his contract on the south coast and Saints could be willing to let him go before the possibility of him leaving on a free transfer next summer.
Pep Guardiola is in the market for a new striker with Sergio Aguero's contract also set to expire at the end of the current season. As yet, Aguero is yet to commit his future, and so finding a replacement is a top priority.
Erling Haaland is among the names mentioned as a possible target, but he is likely to cost in excess of £100 million and most major clubs in Europe are also targeting the Borussia Dortmund striker, including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Ings, 28, is a leftfield option but is likely to be available for a lot less than Haaland, and he has proven himself to be one of the Premier League's top goal-scorers for Southampton this season.
Ings has been stalling signing a contract extension at St Mary's for some time and, after having scored 22 goals last season, could be a strong candidate to replace Aguero's goals.
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LIVE BLOG
22.20 GMT: 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!
22.00 GMT: Carlo Ancelotti is desperate to reunite with former charge Kalidou Koulibaly, and talkSPORT's Alex Crook claims he will have the financial backing from the Everton board.
Ancelotti coached the Senegalese defender between 2018-19 and views him as the next piece in Everton's project and goal to climb into the top-four. Once valued at £89 million, Koulibaly is now expected to be available for around half of that due to the financial impact of COVID-19.
Everton currently sit five points outside of the top four, albeit with a game in hand.
21.05 GMT: Is this Raphael Varane's last season at Real Madrid?
Spanish radio station Onda Cero claims that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is willing to sell the World Cup winner, and that Varane is hesitant to sign a new contract. The 27-year-old, who has under 18 months left on his current contract, has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Juventus and PSG.
Onda Cero adds that Perez will not let Varane run down his contract, so if the Frenchman doesn't commit his future to the club this summer, he could be sold.
20.16 GMT: Man City are reportedly continuing to track Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria, Sky Sports reports.
The 24-year-old is viewed as a potential long-term replacement to Fernandinho, who is nearly 36 and out of contract at the end of the season. The Switzerland international has been linked with City for some time now and with Fernandinho's contract expiring, City could finally pull the trigger on a deal this summer.
19.28 GMT: Inter Miami have announced that they have signed West Brom and ex-Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs.
Welcome @KieranGibbs ✍🏼🇬🇧 #InterMiamiCF has signed three-time FA Cup champion defender, Kieran Gibbs. All the details on our newest player below!https://t.co/l0fLktVsM5
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 23, 2021
The 31-year-old will be eligible to play for Miami starting on July 1, and is the latest player with Premier League experience to join David Beckham's ambitious project in Miami. Gibbs, who has 10 caps for England, made 229 appearances for Arsenal between 2007-2017.
Earlier in the day, Inter Miami also acquired MLS Cup winning left-back Kelvin Leerdam from the Seattle Sounders.
18.46 GMT: Milan want to make Fikayo Tomori's move to Italy permanent but they will not be able to negotiate the £26 million option that Chelsea embedded into his loan agreement, claims Goal.com.
Milan have been thrilled with England man so far and are keen to keep him long-term but Chelsea remain adamant that there will be no negotiating when it comes to buy options. The 23-year-old has made 11 appearances to date for the Rossoneri, who currently sit six points off the top in Serie A.
18.03 GMT: Calciomercato understands that Antonio Conte and Inter Milan are looking to add a depth striker this summer.
The report lists Liverpool's Divock Origi as a new target, and suggest that Inter could be willing to pay as much as €15 million for the Belgium international. Origi, who has also been tipped as a potential replacement for Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund, has seen his role at Anfield decrease this season.
The report also lists Parma's Gervinho, Cagliari's Leonardo Pavoletti, and Sassuolo's Gianluca Scamacca as other options for the Serie A leaders.
17.19 GMT: The Philadelphia Union are closing in on a deal for German-based American Leon Flach, as first reported by Bild.
The Union will pay €250,000 for the 20-year-old St. Pauli midfielder, who has represented the United States at Under-20 level. Born in the U.S. to German parents but raised in Hamburg, the 20-year-old Flach previously represented Germany with the U18s and scored this golazo earlier this season!
Make sure you don't miss Leon Flach's goal from this weekend. pic.twitter.com/XJvfStEdUO
— Travis Clark (@travismclark) January 4, 2021
16.30 GMT: Donny van de Beek has struggled since arriving at Manchester United for €45m in the summer from Ajax.
The 23-year-old midfielder has played 27 games for the club but has done little to suggest he should be starting every game.
In his home country there is concern that Van de Beek may have to leave United for the good of his career, but Netherlands national team manager Frank de Boer told Voetbal International: "His situation is more difficult. He is in the early stages of his career. I wouldn't immediately throw the towel in either. He still wants to show himself. I think it is a logical step that he wants to fight in the team. Let's hope that will happen. I have not had any doubts yet."
15.56 GMT Cesare Prandelli has released a powerful statement following his decision to resign as manager of Fiorentina on Tuesday, where he said he stepped down because of a "darkness" which has grown inside him.
The ex-Italy boss also managed at Parma, Valencia and briefly Roma, where he left without taking charge of an official match because his wife became ill. He was out of the game for almost two years before short stints at Genoa and Fiorentina, where he has quit after only four months in charge.
"It is the second time I leave Fiorentina," Prandelli wrote in a statement. "The first due to the will of others.
"Today, because of my decision. In everyone's life, aside from the beautiful things, we also accumulate waste, poison which at times comes up all at once. In this moment of my life, I find myself in huge discomfort which stops me from being who I am.
"I took on this new experience with joy and love, carried also by the enthusiasm. It is probably because I love this city too much, because of the beautiful sporting memories I have that I was blind to the first signs that something wasn't right, something wasn't exactly right within me."
15.27 GMT: Arsenal gave Mesut Ozil a big contract and it didn't work out. Is history repeating?
14.55 GMT: FC Porto star Jesus Corona is reportedly available for around €20m this summer due to a clause in his contract and Chelsea are keen, says SIC Noticias.
Corona, 28, evidently has a deal which sees his valuation fall year on year, so now he's down to €20m. The Mexico international has reportedly been in talks with the Blues before and now a move could be more attractive.
14.07 GMT: Erm... despite Juventus recently claiming they weren't considering letting Cristiano Ronaldo go, AS has a different take.
Evidently CR7 is available to any club willing to offer over €25m to sign him.
Of course Ronaldo's huge wages are also something to consider, but you figure that a club like Real Madrid could offer up €25m easily enough to get their club legend back.
13.40 GMT: Tottenham winger Gareth Bale intends to return to Real Madrid for the final 12 months of his contract next season, he said on Tuesday.
Bale has been at on loan at Tottenham this season, initially struggling with fitness but playing regularly in recent weeks. He is set to skipper Wales at the European Championship in June and said he will return to Madrid after.
"The main reason I came to Spurs this season was that I wanted to play football, first and foremost, but going into the Euros I wanted to be match fit too," he told a news conference. "The original plan was only to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros I still have a year left at Real Madrid and my plan is to go back."
13.02 GMT: Is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still the man for Manchester United?
12.12 GMT: French outlet L'Equipe claims that Tottenham will target Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan if they let Hugo Lloris depart.
PSG (and his former boss Mauricio Pochettino) remain keen on signing Lloris, but Manchester United may also be interested as they seek to move on from David de Gea.
If that happens, the highly rated Maignan -- who was at PSG before joining Lille in 2015 -- is on the agenda for Tottenham and the 25-year-old could cost around €25m to sign.
11.30 GMT: Bayer Leverkusen have parted ways with head coach Peter Bosz following a slump in the league with only eight points from nine games in the second half of the season.
His last match was Sunday's 3-0 defeat at strugglers Hertha Berlin. Bosz was appointed midway through the 2019-2020 season.
"Because of the footballing development in recent weeks, we have come to the conclusion that parting ways with Peter Bosz cannot be avoided," Bayer sporting executive Rudi Voller said in a statement on the club's homepage.
Leverkusen were unbeaten and seemingly set for a title challenge before a last-minute 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in late December. In 2021, they have only picked up three wins and three draws from the 13 games which have followed. They also crashed out of the Europa League and the German Cup.
11.06 GMT: Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge has emerged as a target for Liverpool to replace Georginio Wijnaldum, says The Sun.
Berge, 23, has impressed in a poor season and has already been linked with Arsenal, Man United and Aston Villa. The Norway international only joined Sheffield United for around £22m in January 2020 from Genk but has shown he can play at a higher level and won't be short of suitors if the club are relegated at the end of the season.
10.25 GMT: Former Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern star Xabi Alonso looks set to take his first steps in senior management.
09.52 GMT: Boca Juniors have reached a verbal agreement to loan Ramon Abila to Minnesota United for free until the end of the year, according to TyC.
The MLS franchise will have an option to sign the veteran striker once the loan deal expires. The Argentinian club had initially turned down an offer from Minnesota United but are now awaiting to receive the final documents before announcing the deal that will see Abila leave Boca after three-and-a-half years with the Xenieze.
Abila, 31, has a contract with Boca until June 2022. The Argentinian has scored 36 goals in 83 appearances for Boca, 48 as a starter, since arriving at the Buenos Aires outfit in 2018.
09.39 GMT: Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is set to sign a new one-year contract and remain at the club until the end of next season, the Daily Express reports.
The Brazil international, 36, signed for Chelsea as a free agent last summer after his deal with Paris Saint-Germain had expired. He has since made 21 appearances for the Blues, although he has been ruled out injured since early February.
The Express reports that Silva's contract has an option to be extended for a further year, but that he is set to sign a new deal with fresh terms.
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08.46 GMT: Erling Haaland says he is not bothered by transfer talk amid constant speculation that he could leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
The 20-year-old is a transfer target of top European club, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Haaland, the leading scorer in this season's Champions League with 10 goals, told media while on international duty in Marbella, Spain: "I still have three years left on my contract with Dortmund and I am not worried about the rumours."
Haaland has scored 33 goals and set up eight more in 31 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this season. He scored both goals in Saturday's 2-2 draw against Cologne (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), including a later equaliser, before furiously heading straight down the tunnel at the final whistle.
- Gibraltar vs. Norway: Stream LIVE at 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
08.00 GMT: Inter Miami CF co-owner David Beckham said the Major League Soccer club remains intent on signing global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or Neymar.
Speaking exclusively to ESPN's Taylor Twellman, the ex-Manchester United and England midfielder said players of that caliber would be attracted to play in Miami once their playing days in Europe are over.
"When we announced Miami, there was always going to be talk about what players we were going to bring in, whether it was Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar," Beckham said. "There was always going to be those discussions. I actually don't think it's a tough one for players to decide, to be honest, because it's a great place."
PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)
- Tottenham Hotspur are planning for life after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is yet to commit his future to the club, and as a result they've drawn up an all-English shortlist consisting of Dean Henderson, Nick Pope and Sam Johnstone, according to the Sun. Lloris has just one year left on his current deal and is tipped to return to France. Henderson would be favourite but might be harder to get since replacing David de Gea, while Pope would likely relish a step up from Burnley. Johnstone has made more saves than any other Premier League keeper, and may jump at the opportunity to stay in the top flight.
- Aaron Ramsey is contracted to Juventus until 2023 but Calciomercato believe both Liverpool and West Ham United are considering attempting to bring him back to England. The 30-year-old midfielder has featured in only 12 of Juve's 27 league games this season, and Liverpool see him as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who looks likely to join Barcelona in the summer.
- Manchester United have made no secret of wanting to bring Kalidou Koulibaly to the Premier League, but this summer they face competition from Everton, according to Football Insider. Carlo Ancelotti is said to be prioritising a world-class centre-back and 29-year-old Koulibaly is top of the list of players he believes can have the same impact for the Toffees as Virgil van Dijk and Ruben Dias have had for Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively.
- Arsenal are stepping up their attempts to sign 22-year-old midfielder Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal, but his £300m release clause at Real Madrid is a huge stumbling block, says the Daily Mirror. Odegaard was a revelation in the Gunners' comeback against West Ham United at the weekend and the club are desperate to keep him in north London, but they may need to put together an attractive package to get Madrid to enter into a conversation.
- FC Salzburg forward Patson Daka is a target for Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, says the Daily Mail. The Zambian forward has scored 27 goals in 31 games this season, including 20 goals in 18 appearances. The 22-year-old was believed to be valued at around £17m last summer, but that value is set to rise after his prolific form.