The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn't mean the rumours won't keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation.
TOP STORY: Arsenal looking at move for Leipzig's Nkunku
Arsenal have set their sights on RB Leipzig playmaker Christopher Nkunku, according to Calciomercato.
The 23-year-old has just under three years left on his deal at the Bundesliga club and has impressed with his four goals in three matches in the Champions League group stage. Indeed, he stole the headlines at the Etihad against Manchester City with an impressive hat trick -- despite his side losing 6-3.
Nkunku could join a list of transfers for the Gunners that saw them pay over £150 million last summer, signing Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares.
Despite their wealth in attacking talent, Mikel Arteta's side have struggled to score this season. They are the joint-fourth-lowest scorers in the Premier League with seven goals in eight games. Nkunku could help with that, bagging nine goals and four assists in 12 appearances across all competitions thus far.
The former France Under-21 international moved to Leipzig in 2019 from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain for just over €12m and is now valued at €50m, according to Transfermarkt.
London rivals Chelsea have reportedly been interested in a move for the player, while Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich have also been linked with a potential move.
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22.45 BST: Mohamed Salah said he would "love to stay" at Liverpool until he hangs up his boots but that his future at Anfield was not in his hands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah said: "If you ask me, I would love to stay until the last day of my football career. But I can't say much about that, it's not in my hands."
Salah, the league's joint-top scorer this season with seven goals, has a contract with Liverpool until June 2023.
22:15 BST: Alessio Romagnoli's departure upon the culmination of his AC Milan contract previously seemed inevitable, but Calciomercato have now suggested that the 26-year-old could potentially stay.
However, a renewal will be far from straightforward, as the Rossoneri are set to offer around half of his current €5m-per-season wage, while the player's agent, Mino Raiola, still holds hopes of taking the centre-back to Juventus.
21:30 BST: There is likely to be a scramble between many of Italy's biggest clubs for Pisa striker Lorenzo Luca, according to Tuttosport. Juventus have previously shown interest in the 21-year-old and are set to face competition from Internazionale as they eye a move again in the summer. They are not alone, though, with AC Milan also likely to challenge, while Napoli and Fiorentina among others could also try to bring him in.
21.00 BST: Speaking to Sky Sports, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard admitted that Alfredo Morelos' future is in his own hands, with the Colombian's contract ending in 2023 while there has been previous interest from various Premier League clubs.
While speaking about the striker, Gerrard said: "In terms of decisions and where he will be in the long term, it will be down to him and his representation rather than us because we've always shown that we want to keep the player, the fans have shown they want to keep the player so all the noise around Alfredo comes from him and his people rather than us."
20.30 BST: Inter Milan hope to have Nicolo Barella's contract extension sorted by the start of November, as has been reported by Calciomercato. The midfielder's current deal runs until 2024, but Inter are looking to keep someone they see as a future captain around for five years, while offering him €5m-per-season plus bonuses. Barella is also keen for the deal to be wrapped up quickly.
20.00 BST: Ajax will attempt to extend Ryan Gravenberch's contract, which is currently set to end in 2023, as reported by De Telegraaf. The Amsterdam side have contacted his agent, Mino Raiola, though those contacts are in the early stages with the club still needing to make an offer.
This will likely capture the attention of plenty of the world's biggest clubs, as the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus have been linked with him at some stage.
19.30 BST: Harry Winks has admitted that he wants talks with Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo regarding his future "when the time is right", as reported by The Evening Standard.
Speaking after Spurs' Europa Conference League defeat to Vitesse Arnhem, the midfielder said: "I'm not thinking that far ahead [to January]. I've got a lot of games to try and fight for the club. There's still two months to go and it's about knuckling down, working as hard as I can and having no regrets.
"When the time is right I'll have a conversation [with the manager] but right now it's important that the team and manager are focussed on the next game and don't get any distractions from me."
19.03 BST: Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni isn't the only Ligue 1 talent Juventus are hoping to sign, as they are also looking at 17-year-old Stade Rennais midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, reports Calciomercato.
However, The Old Lady may face competition for the teenager, who can also operate at centre-back, with AC Milan also showing interest.
18.31 BST: Ahead of Chelsea's Premier League meeting against Norwich City, Thomas Tuchel insisted that Billy Gilmour will not be recalled from his loan at Carrow Road despite not having played a minute in the Canaries' last three games.
As quoted by Metro, Tuchel said: "I love Billy. He decided to go to have a better chance to get some minutes. We want him to perform. If you decide to go on loan, it's as simple as that; you need to be on the pitch, perform, be a top player, if you want to make it here.
"He just needs to show what he can do. No coach will leave the best players out, that's what he needs to prove. That Norwich is a better team with him."
17.50 BST: With Islam Slimani, Tino Kadewere and Karl Toko Ekambi likely to be missing during the African Cup of Nations, Olympique Lyonnais are looking into possible replacements in the January transfer window and have identified Sardar Azmoun as their priority, reports Foot Mercato.
The Zenit striker was a target towards the end of the summer, but a move was blocked despite an offer in the region of €15m. However, with the Iranian's contract coming to an end in 2022, Lyon are looking to offer between €7-8m to sign him.
17.14 BST: Juventus will not entertain any thoughts of offloading Arthur or bringing in somebody with similar characteristics to the Brazilian, according to Calciomercato.
Having signed him last year for €72m (plus €10m in bonuses) in a deal that saw Miralem Pjanic join Barcelona, the Old Lady are keen to persist with Arthur, despite the midfielder playing just 47 minutes in all competitions this season. This logic rules out a possible move for Gonzalo Villar, who is likely to leave Roma.
16.31 BST: Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has urged his agent to get him a move to Real Madrid, says the Daily Star.
Van de Beek, 24, was linked with a €55m move to Madrid a year before he made the transfer to Old Trafford for €45m from Ajax in 2020.
The Netherlands international wanted to leave United over the summer after failing to cement a spot in the first team and he has now asked agent Guido Albers to find him a new club after playing just 141 minutes of football in all competitions so far this season.
15.54 BST: Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland will be out for "a couple of weeks" with a hip muscle injury, coach Marco Rose said on Friday.
Haaland returned only last week from another muscle injury, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Mainz before playing the whole game in Dortmund's 4-0 loss to Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday.
"Erling will be out, we'll be without him for a couple of weeks even," Rose told a news conference. "He has a hip flexor injury which simply doesn't make it possible for him to play. It's the same thigh, but another location."
The 21-year-old posted a message on his social media account on Friday which read: "Time to focus on my recovery. I'll be back stronger!"
Maybe it's some time for his agent Mino Raiola to talk to him about his next destination...
15.09 BST: There's a big game in LaLiga this weekend, in case you weren't aware.
14.43 BST: Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere could be keen on a move to MLS.
Wilshere, 29, was released by Bournemouth over the summer and has been training with the Gunners to keep his fitness up.
"I'd like to go abroad actually," he told talkSPORT. "Obviously I would like to play in the Premier League as well. But I would also like to play abroad. I'm training with Arsenal until the end of January, the MLS start their preseason in January."
13.49 BST: El Nacional claims that Lionel Messi wants PSG to move on Mauro Icardi, after a falling out between the Argentine pair.
Messi, 34, arrived in Paris this summer on a free transfer from Barcelona and Icardi was signed for €60m from Inter in 2020 after an initial loan deal.
Icardi reportedly blames the fact that he hasn't played more for Argentina recently on Messi -- with his last appearance coming in 2018 -- and it seems that a clash at club level could also be on the cards.
13.30 BST: Liverpool must make Mohamed Salah the Premier League's best-paid player because losing him would cost so much more, writes Mark Ogden.
Liverpool have a problem with Mohamed Salah, but it is one that most clubs would be delighted to have. They have arguably the world's best player right now and he is living up to that billing by scoring in virtually every game that he plays. The only downside for Liverpool is that he has yet to sign a new contract, with his terms expiring in 2023, and every outstanding performance increases the pressure on the club's negotiation team.
Liverpool-Man City rivalry one of the Premier League's best 19dMark Ogden The big question now is whether Salah is turning the screw so tightly that he puts Liverpool's American owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), in an impossible situation. Salah would become Liverpool's best-paid player if he agrees a new contract at Anfield, with defender Virgil van Dijk occupying that position right now having signed a new deal in August worth a reported £300,000-a-week.
But as sources told ESPN this week when revealing that Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland will demand wages in excess of £500,000-a-week to sign for one of the many clubs desperate to acquire his services next summer, the cost of having one of the world's best players in your squad is now beginning to rocket and Salah unquestionably deserves to be placed in the same bracket as the likes of Haaland, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
12.38 BST: Chelsea aren't keen to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul on a permanent deal once his loan move expires, says La Razon.
Saul, 26, is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League since Sept. 11 and his release clause in the loan deal is €40m.
Instead, Thomas Tuchel's side want to sign Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic as the Croatia international is a free agent in 2022.
11.44 BST: Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini has said Cristiano Ronaldo should have left the club before the start of the season because his late departure to Manchester United affected the team.
Ronaldo, 36, had one year left on his contract with Juve but returned to Old Trafford in August for €23m.
Ronaldo's last game for Juventus came in the 2-2 draw at Udinese on the opening day of the Serie A season where his stoppage-time header was ruled out by VAR.
"Cristiano Ronaldo left on Aug. 28," Chiellini told DAZN. "This creates a shock and I think we paid him in terms of points in the start of the season. It would have been better had he [Ronaldo] left on Aug. 1 as we would have prepared ourselves and we would have arrived ready for the start of the campaign."
11.00 BST: Who could Newcastle hire to replace Steve Bruce?
10.28 BST: Atletico Madrid are the latest club to be linked with FC Salzburg's teenage forward Karim Adeyemi.
The 19-year-old has been in explosive form so far this season, scoring four Champions League goals -- including one in the qualifying rounds -- and helping Salzburg top Group G.
According to Diario AS, Atletico are keen on Ademeyi, who's valued at €20m, while Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have also been linked.
09.55 BST: The man credited with discovering Eden Hazard has said "he'll end up leaving Real Madrid" if he isn't made to feel like a key member of the team.
Lille academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme was involved in the winger's recruitment by the Ligue 1 club as a youngster back in 2005.
"He needs to feel a leader. Not a dressing room leader, but a technical leader," he told Diario AS on Friday. "He has to think he's important in the style of play. You have to give Eden the keys to the play. He needs it. If not he'll end up leaving Madrid."
Hazard, 30, is currently racing to be fit to take part in Sunday's Clasico -- having missed all Madrid's previous encounters with Barcelona through injury since joining from Chelsea in 2019.
08.52 BST: Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the top European clubs growing increasingly confident of being able to secure a deal for Antonio Rudiger as his contract stalemate continues at Chelsea, sources have told ESPN.
Rudiger, 28, is in the final year of his deal at Stamford Bridge but talks over an extension have reached an impasse.
Sources told ESPN that Rudiger is open to staying and Chelsea are keen on retaining his services but the two parties are some way apart in their valuations of a new deal.
The centre-back wants to more than double his £100,000-a-week wage but Chelsea have so far shown no willingness to increase his salary beyond £150,000-a-week.
08.30 BST: Erling Haaland will command wages of at least £30m if he leaves Borussia Dortmund for a new club next summer, sources have told ESPN, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid all in the race to sign the Norway forward.
Haaland, 21, can reportedly leave Dortmund at the end of this season if a club triggers his €75m ($87m) release clause at Signal Iduna Park. Sources have told ESPN the fee will be inflated by a significant payment to Haaland's representatives for brokering a deal.
ESPN has been told that senior figures from interested clubs have been made aware that Haaland expects a pay deal that would see him earn in excess of £500,000-a-week. ESPN has contacted the Haaland camp for a response to the figures.
Despite the potential cost of any deal to sign Haaland, who rejected a move to United during the 2019-20 winter transfer window by opting instead to join Dortmund from FC Salzburg, he remains a priority target for Europe's leading clubs.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
- Despite the club's financial troubles, AS reports that Barcelona are trying to work out a potential deal for Kylian Mbappe with creative financing. According to the report, the Catalan club believe they can make one big signing for the 2022-23 season. It states that they could pay a €90m transfer bonus for the France international, while Real Madrid are willing to part with only €50m.
- Chelsea are set to complete the contract renewal of defender Andreas Christensen, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Denmark international scored his first competitive goal for the Blues on Wednesday against Malmo and has become a key presence in their defensive setup.
- Manchester United are looking to offload four players in the upcoming January window, writes journalist Ekrem Konur. Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial and Phil Jones are all said to be free to leave in the winter as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer begins a clearout of his squad.
- AC Milan are on the trail of young Anderlecht talent Yari Verschaeren, reports Calciomercato. The Rossoneri are reportedly in contact over a possible move for the 21-year-old attacking midfielder, whose deal with the Belgian club expires in 2024 and is valued at €10m.
- Torino are looking to offload striker Andrea Belotti in January to avoid losing him on a free in the summer. According to Tuttosport, the forward has rejected a new contract with his existing one expiring in the summer. For the Serie A side to avoid losing him on a free, they are looking at the winter market to move him on.