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: Man United and Liverpool want Moukoko
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to battle it out for striker Youssoufa Moukoko, according to Sport Bild.
Moukoko has emerged as one of Europe's most exciting talents this season, with the 17-year-old becoming a mainstay for Borussia Dortmund. His impressive form has seen him notch six goals in the Bundesliga, which has attracted the attention of the two Premier League clubs, and even earned him a surprise call-up to Germany's World Cup squad.
The striker's deal at Dortmund expires next summer, and while Dortmund have offered a new contract, they have reportedly not heard back from his agent. It could see the Bundesliga club try to do a deal while they can with a transfer fee of £26m suggested by Bild.
Man United, in particular, have been linked with an array of strikers as they look to replace the wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo, and Moukoko may represent a long-term replacement.
Liverpool are likely to be active in the January transfer window, having fallen behind to domestic rivals, and signing the highly sought-after striker would send out a message of intent to the rest of the Premier League and Europe.
Moukoko has not just been in sparkling form for his club, with the Dortmund academy graduate also impressing for Germany's under-21's, leading to calls for him to be included in the squad for the World Cup.
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21.05 GMT: A transfer to Bayer Leverkusen is still possible for Inter Milan wing-back Robin Gosens, according to Sky Sport Deustchland's Florian Plettenberg. Despite scoring in Inter's 6-1 win against Bologna, the 28-year-old has so far endured a disappointing season that was compounded by missing out on Germany's squad for the upcoming World Cup.
20.32 GMT: Newcastle United scouts watched midfielder Maximo Perrone during Velez Sarsfield's 3-1 win against Central Cordoba, according to Ekrem Konur. The 19-year-old has been linked with the Magpies in the past and played 71 minutes in the game, coming off with his side 2-1 up.
19.59 GMT: Manchester City are working on a contract renewal for promising right-back Rico Lewis, according to Fabrizio Romano, with his deal ending in 18 months' time. Discussions about the new long-term contract are expected to take place in the coming weeks or months, with the 17-year-old having impressed Pep Guardiola against Chelsea after already scoring in a Champions League win over Sevilla.
19.26 GMT: The Portland Timbers' club-record deal for Midtjylland midfielder Evander is all but done, reports MLSsoccer.com's Tom Bogert, who adds that the transfer fee will be worth around $10m. Agreements are in place with the final details and a medical all that are left to be completed ahead of the former Brazil youth international joining the MLS club in January.
18.53 GMT: AS Roma right-back Rick Karsdorp looks increasingly likely to leave the Italian capital club, reports Calciomercato, which adds that the Serie A side could look to replace him with Barcelona's Hector Bellerin due to his struggle for minutes at Camp Nou. The Giallorossi had wanted Diogo Dalot, but the Portugal international is now seen as a key player for Manchester United.
18.18 GMT: Ekrem Konur suggests that Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham have added Napoli centre-back Kim Min-Jae to their respective transfer shortlists. They will have a tough time bringing the South Korea international away from the current Serie A leaders, though, as Luciano Spalletti doesn't want to lose the 25-year-old.
17.45 GMT: Barcelona are working on a new contract that will keep left-back Alejandro Balde with the club until 2027, according to Sport. With both sides keen for the deal to happen, negotiations are well on track, and the Blaugrana even hope to have everything sorted by the end of this calendar year.
17.12 GMT: Orlando City SC have announced that they have mutually agreed to part ways with 33-year-old midfielder Junior Urso, who will return to Brazil for personal reasons.
"It hurts to say goodbye," Urso said in a statement to fans. "I didn't want it to be this way, but it's time to take care of my family. Know that I love you and am going to miss you. I will be rooting for you day-in-and-day-out. You will never hunt alone."
16.39 GMT: Morocco have included Hakim Ziyech in their World Cup squad, giving the Chelsea forward the opportunity to impress potential new clubs such as AC Milan ahead of the January transfer window.
Ziyech has started only twice for Chelsea this season but is one of nine players who return for a second successive World Cup after being included in the squad in Russia four years ago, where Morocco were eliminated in the group stage.
Serie A champions Milan are the club to be most strongly linked with interest in a midseason move for Ziyech, who is set to face Croatia, Belgium and Canada in Group F in Qatar.
15.13 GMT: Gerard Pique has said he will focus on his other business ventures before taking a run at the Barcelona presidency after retiring from professional football this week.
Pique went out with a tirade of expletives towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano on Tuesday, although he insisted the referee's version of events is not entirely true and refutes some of the insults he is charged with saying.
The former Spain international also spoke about his respect for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez but expressed surprise at how he handled the failed launch of the European Super League last year.
"I'm sure it will appeal to me at one point but not right now," Pique told Ibai Llanos on Twitch on Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview, the first since he announced his retirement from football last week.
"Not training every day will give me the opportunity to focus on other things. In the future, we will see, but I would like to help the club of my life maximise the potential it has."
Pique, 35, is already the owner of second division side Andorra, who he said he can now give more attention to, and through his company Kosmos is also involved in various other projects, including the tennis tournament the Davis Cup and various esports endeavours.
14.25 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain have joined the race to sign Joao Felix in the winter transfer window, according to Le Parisien.
Felix, 23, is out of favour at Atletico Madrid and is weighing up his options. Atletico are willing to let the Portugal international, who is under contract with Atletico until June 2026, leave for an offer similar to the €126m fee they paid Benfica in the summer of 2019.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos plans to strengthen all the lines in the next transfer window, including their star-studded attack made up of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. PSG are open to take Felix on an initial loan deal.
13.22 GMT: French defender Pierre Kalulu is on the verge of signing a contract extension with AC Milan, according to Calciomercato.
Kalulu is under contract with the Rosssoneri until June 2025 and will put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension that will see the 22-year-old's wages more than double.
He joined Milan in the summer of 2020 from Lyon and has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Milan this season.
12.31 GMT: Roma boss Jose Mourinho has accused one of his players of "betrayal," telling him to find a new club in the January transfer window.
Mourinho revealed his anger at the unnamed player after Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, a result that came after their 1-0 defeat at Lazio in the Rome derby.
"I'm sorry, because the team's effort was betrayed by the attitude of an unprofessional player," Mourinho said.
"I feel betrayed by one of my players. He betrayed everyone else. Who is it? I won't say. In January he will have to find another team."
There is speculation in the Italia media that the player is Netherlands defender Rick Karsdorp, who came on as a substitute in the 65th minute.
Roma took an 80th-minute lead through substitute Tammy Abraham, only for Andrea Pinamonti to equalise for Sassuolo shortly afterwards.
Karsdorp, 27, looked out of position and left forward Armand Lauriente unmarked in the build-up to Sassuolo's goal.
11.44 GMT: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said any change in the club's ownership will not affect his commitment to the Anfield side and downplayed talk of a sale after owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) announced they would consider new shareholders.
FSG, who completed the takeover of Liverpool for £300m ($342.06m) in 2010, earlier this week responded to reports of a sale by saying they would explore the option of bringing in investors if it was in Liverpool's "best interest."
"Whatever happens, I really like how we work together with our owners but if that would change I'm committed to the club, obviously," Klopp told reporters after Liverpool beat Derby County on penalties in the League Cup.
"As far as I know, they are looking for investors and I thought that makes sense."
10.57 GMT: Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez was non-committal on his future when asked about continued links with Barcelona.
Martinez, 31, is out of contract at the end of the season and is reportedly on Barca's list of possible replacements for Gerard Pique, who retired this week. Without Pique, Barca can still call on Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen, but reports suggest they would like to add a left-footed player to their centre-back pool.
"It's a bit tiring now [the speculation] but it is something that happens," Martinez told Onda Vasca on Wednesday. "My future is not clear, but it's not the moment or place to talk about my renewal. I don't lose focus and I always give my best for Athletic.
"I have a contract until the end of the season; I will keep fighting for Athletic. I am happy here. I come in every day with a smile on my face and enjoy being in Bilbao. I feel loved."
Martinez has made nine appearances for Athletic this season since returning from injury in September but was an unused substitute in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Real Valladolid.
10.09 GMT: As the years have passed and technology has improved, the likelihood of unknown players emerging out of nowhere to star at a World Cup has radically diminished. The routine use of analytics, "digital scouting" (where video footage is prioritised over the need to see the player in person) and meticulous data available from across the globe means that any national team player who stands out from the age of around 15, no matter where they are from, is typically flagged up immediately.
As a result, when it comes to the transfer market, major tournaments are now merely a setting in which final checks are carried out by clubs looking for confirmation that a player is of the required quality to join them. Running the rule over a player at a World Cup -- when the pressure is unlike any other in the quest for the most prestigious trophy of them all -- is still useful and watching how a player conducts themselves while representing their country in such a scenario offers scouts and club representatives further insight into their character. But, for the most part, clubs are already fully aware of what they are dealing with.
This year's World Cup, however, offers a few more challenges than normal. Qatar 2022 starts on Nov. 20 (a week after the European domestic season pauses) and ends on Dec. 18 (a week before the Premier League returns on Dec. 26.) With the monthlong January transfer window opening on the 1st of the month, time will be short for clubs to capitalise on what they have learned from players on the pitch. But with international football taking centre-stage for the next month and no domestic fixtures to get in the way, clubs may also have more breathing space to figure out what they want.
It has happened before, but history provides a warning that things don't always work out for the best when you base a transfer on World Cup performance. Here are a few examples of past breakout stars, plus a few of the names who clubs are likely to be watching closely at this tournament.
- Karlsen: How 2022 World Cup impacts January transfer window
09.16 GMT: Southampton have appointed Luton Town boss Nathan Jones as their new manager on a three-and-a-half year contract, the club announced on Thursday.
Jones replaces Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was sacked on Monday following a poor start to the Premier League season. They are 18th after six defeats in their last nine games including a 4-1 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday.
The Welshman will take charge of Southampton for their trip to Liverpool on Saturday before working with the squad during the World Cup break. Upon returning they face Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
Southampton have scored just 12 goals in 14 matches. Only Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, both also in the relegation zone, as well as 16th-placed Everton, have scored fewer goals so far.
Jones comes in having led Luton to the Championship playoffs last season on one of the smallest budgets in the division. He returned to the club for a second spell following a short stint at Stoke City.
During his first tenure at Luton he got them promoted from League Two and had them on course for promotion from League One when he left for Stoke.
08.30 GMT: Bayern Munich are not holding out much hope of being able to tempt Harry Kane to the Bundesliga next summer, reports Bild.
The German champions have made no attempt to hide their admiration for Kane, who tried to force a move away from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester City 12 months ago.
Kane will move into the final 12 months of his Spurs contract next summer, and Bayern were considering testing the water. But the report says that the hierarchy at Bayern is unconvinced that it will be able to do a deal with Tottenham or persuade Kane to leave England for Germany. Spurs, meanwhile, will hope to tie the England captain to a new contract.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Bayern Munich will not let Eric Choupo-Moting leave for Manchester United this winter, according to journalist Christian Falk. The 33-year-old has been linked with a move to the Red Devils, following the World Cup, however, it would seem that Bayern are reluctant to let the forward leave, for now at least. Choupo-Moting has been in impressive form for the Bavaria club, netting 10 goals in all competitions, and has been earmarked as a potential Ronaldo replacement, with the Portuguese star coming to the end of his time at Old Trafford.
- Chelsea have set their sights on Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez to strengthen their backline, according to Rudy Galetti. Graham Potter's side have struggled this season, and despite not firing up top, the Blues are eager for defensive reinforcements. The report states that due to Atletico Madrid's financial issues, the Spanish outfit could be forced to let the 27-year-old depart this January. Gimenez has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge previously, but with Potter looking to bring in players who suit his system, a move may finally materialise.
- West Ham United are interested in Everton defender Michael Keane, according to Football Insider. The Hammers wanted Keane over the summer, and a transfer fee of £10m could now be enough to see the Toffees part with the experienced centre-back. With Craig Dawson's future at the Hammers unclear, Keane could be the answer.
- PSG are tracking Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante as a free agent in the summer, as per Christian Falk. While it was reported previously that the Frenchman would like to remain at Stamford Bridge, it looks unlikely that he is part of Potter's long-term plans. Instead, Kante may be free to leave once his contract expires. PSG have long been admirers of the midfielder.
- Alejandro Garnacho is very close to a contract extension at Manchester United, as per Florian Plettenberg. The 18-year-old has impressed so far this season for the Red Devils, with two goals and one assist, but his deal expires at the end of the season. However, United are keen to tie the Madrid-born winger down to a longer deal at Old Trafford.