With just a few weeks remaining before the opening of the January transfer window, 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 Utd looking for new No. 1
Manchester United are unlikely to activate David de Gea's contract extension in the summer and will instead look for a new goalkeeper when the 2022-23 season comes to close, according to Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenburg.
He reports that while the 32-year-old Spain international is keen to stay at Old Trafford for a further 12 months, United boss Erik ten Haag is open to the idea of a new No. 1.
De Gea is one of the best shot stoppers in the business, as has been proved many times this season, but Ten Haag is reportedly on the hunt for a keeper who is more comfortable with the ball at his feet.
That could leave De Gea available on a free transfer when the current campaign finishes in May 2023.
United signed De Gea for £19 million in 2011 and he has become one of the most reliable players in a team that has struggled ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
However, if the Spaniard was to move on, United would free up a significant amount of their wage bill.
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20.54 GMT: West Ham United have agreed a deal to sign Sao Paolo centre-back Luizao that will take effect on Jan. 1. The 20-year-old will join the Hammers' development programme and sign a contract running through the 2025-26 season.
We are pleased to confirm that a deal has been agreed to sign the promising Brazilian defender Luizão 🤝🇧🇷
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 18, 2022
20.01 GMT: Leicester City centre-back Caglar Soyuncu's contract expires at the end of the season, and he's reportedly prepared to join Atletico Madrid on a free transfer this summer. According to AS, Los Rojiblancos will try to accelerate that timeline and bring in the 26-year-old Turkey international in January.
19.08 GMT: Manchester United told right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka that he was free to leave the club last summer, but the 25-year-old Crystal Palace academy graduate stayed put, and has made just six matchday squads for the club since. Now, the Manchester Evening News writes that West Ham United are interested in signing the former England youth international on loan in January.
18.15 GMT: Brazilian giants Corinthians are interested in bringing Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho have to his home country, Globo Esporte reports, but the former Liverpool standout's wages could prove a stumbling block. The 30-year-old, who's also spent time at Inter Milan and Barcelona, is said to make three times what Corinthians' highest-paid players earn, an amount that will prove quite the hurdle to clear.
17.22 GMT: Liverpool are "growing increasingly confident" that they will win the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to the Mirror. The reason for that is twofold: One, the 19-year-old England international has developed an unlikely friendship with 32-year-old Three Lions teammate and Anfield icon Jordan Henderson, and two, Bellingham's father -- who was instrumental in the decision to leave Birmingham City for the Bundesliga -- favours Merseyside being his son's next home.
16.29 GMT: AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has been sounded out over taking the vacant Portugal job, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Fernando Santos, who led Portugal to glory at Euro 2016 and in the inaugural UEFA Nations League, left the role after the national team's World Cup quarterfinal exit at the hands of Morocco.
Mourinho is reportedly considering the approach, although he will have to decide if he is ready to leave club management after 22 years. Roma are seventh in Serie A, 14 points behind leaders Napoli with 15 games played.
15.42 GMT: Manchester United are planning to spend big on a midfield rebuild next summer to bring both Jude Bellingham and Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford, The Sun reports.
De Jong has been a target for United ever since his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag took over last summer, but the Netherlands international would not agree to a move away from Barcelona despite the Spanish club willing to make the transfer happen.
United will make another move for the 25-year-old ahead of the 2022-23 season, and they will hope he can join up with England's new star Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund player, 19, was one of the standout young players at the World Cup, enhancing his reputation and transfer market value even further.
The Sun reports that United are willing to invest £200m in the duo, on top of the £230m they spend last summer on defenders Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia, midfielder Casemiro and forward Antony.
14.58 GMT: Sergio Busquets has decided he will leave Barcelona at the end of the season, with a move to MLS and Inter Miami being considered, Mundo Deportivo reports.
The veteran midfielder is out of contract in the summer and, after a period of post-World Cup reflection in which he has already announced his retirement from the Spain national team, he will bring his 15 years as a Barca first-team player to a close next June.
Busquets, 34, has long been linked with interest from Inter Miami, who have also been working on a move to bring his former Barca teammate, Lionel Messi, to MLS.
14.11 GMT: Chelsea are hopeful of completing a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol in the January transfer window in order to steal a march on Real Madrid, the Daily Mirror reports.
Gvardiol, 20, has been one of the breakout stars of the World Cup, where he helped Croatia reach the semifinals and then scored a goal in the third-place playoff win over Morocco.
The centre-back only signed for Leipzig last year, and has a contract with them until 2027, but Chelsea are still planning a move for him next month. Where they able to sign the €50m-rated player, they would beat Madrid to the punch as the European champions had planned to make their bid in the summer.
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13.28 GMT: Liverpool and Merseyside rivals Everton have joined the race to sign Birmingham City midfielder George Hall, according to the Daily Mail.
Hall, 18, is the latest midfield prospect to break into the team at St Andrew's, where England's World Cup star Jude Bellingham -- a major transfer target for Liverpool -- came through the youth ranks before moving to Borussia Dortmund.
Leeds United also have a long-held interest in Hall, who has made 20 first-team appearances since making his debut for the Championship club in January.
Hall missed Friday's 3-2 win over Reading (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the US) with a calf strain, but manager John Eustace predicts big things for the England U19 international.
"George is a fantastic young player who's a big player for us and for the team," Eustace said. "I think and we'll be looking forward to him coming back. He's a top young player. But all I want to do is to keep on developing George in the right way, which I think we have done so far."
12.42 GMT: Luka Modric has said he does not yet know if he will continue to play for Croatia until Euro 2024, which could have a bearing on his future at club level.
Modric, 37, is out of contract at Real Madrid in the summer, when his one-year deal expires. How long he wishes to extend his international career is likely to influence where he will seek to play his club football next season, if indeed he decides to continue at all.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic believes Modric will play at the 2024 tournament in Germany assuming they qualify but, speaking about his future after Saturday's third-place playoff win over Morocco, the midfielder only stated he will carry on until June's Nations League finals before considering his options.
I don't know if I will be [playing] until the Euros in Germany. We will see. I need to go step by step. I am enjoying the national team. I feel happy. I still think I can perform on a high level and I want to continue until at least until the Nations League.
"Then after, there will be more time to think about the Euros. Now it is go step by step and continue at least until Nations League and then we will see."
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11.56 GMT: Manchester United are ready to make Marcus Rashford the club's highest-earning player if he signs a new contract at Old Trafford, according to the Daily Star.
Rashford's current deal is due to expire in June, but United can trigger an option to extend it by a further year in order to prevent losing him as a free agent at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old, who scored three goals for England at the World Cup, has reportedly turned down a £300,000-a-week offer. Now United are ready to increase that wage to £400,000 a week, more than veteran goalkeeper David de Gea is on but still some way short of the £500,000 that Cristiano Ronaldo was picking up before his contract was terminated earlier this month..
11.10 GMT: The Football Association has confirmed that Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager through to Euro 2024.
The 52-year-old already had a contract for another two years but was considering whether to walk away after six years in charge following England's World Cup quarter-final exit to France in Qatar.
Sources had told ESPN's James Olley on Saturday that, after lengthy deliberations with his family and friends, Southgate was leaning towards staying and that decision was finalised in an FA statement on Sunday.
"We are delighted to confirm that Gareth Southgate is continuing as England manager, and will lead our Euro 2024 campaign," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said. "Gareth and Steve Holland have always had our full support, and our planning for the Euros starts now."
Southgate became England boss after Euro 2016 and oversaw a dramatic improvement in the team's fortunes, reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup before guiding the Three Lions to last summer's delayed Euro 2020 final, losing to Italy in a penalty shootout.
England were knocked out by France at the quarterfinal stage in Qatar and although he has a contract through to the end of 2024, he was considering whether he was the right man to continue in the role.
10.51 GMT: France forward Marcus Thuram could be made available for as little as €12m in the January transfer window by his club Borussia Monchengladbach, Bild reports.
Thuram, who is preparing for Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina, is out of contract at Gladbach at the end of next season. The 25-year-old has been linked with a host of top clubs, including Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
Despite him potentially being a world champion when the window opens in a fortnight's time, Thuram could be available for a reasonable transfer fee.
10.00 GMT: Cardiff City have been placed under a transfer embargo after failing to pay the first instalment of the fee owed to Ligue 1 club Nantes for Emiliano Sala, the Championship side confirmed to the BBC on Saturday.
Sala's died in a plane crash in the English Channel as he travelled to Cardiff after signing for the club in £15 million ($18.21m) in January 2019. The pilot of the flight, David Ibbotson, also died.
Cardiff had appealed against a FIFA decision ordering them to pay the first instalment of his transfer fee, which amounted to €6m ($6.35m).
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in August that Cardiff had to pay Nantes the first instalment. The Welsh club appealed the CAS decision to a Swiss Federal Court, with a verdict expected next year.
Cardiff said they are also talking to the English Football League and football's global body FIFA to resolve the issue.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)
- Chelsea are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen central defender Piero Hincapie, according to Sky Sports. The Ecuador international is seen as a slightly more affordable transfer option than Croatia and RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol, whose value is likely to have gone up after his impressive performances in Qatar. Hincapie, 20, played in all of Ecuador's group games in the World Cup, and he could be available for £26.2m.
- Liverpool and Chelsea are battling it out to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to Sky Sports. The 21-year-old has impressed for the Seagulls this season and also starred for Ecuador in Qatar, where he scored in the group victory against Senegal. Formal talks are yet to take place, and the midfielder is contracted on the south coast until June 2025. However, while Brighton are reluctant to let go of their South American star, England's top clubs are circling, which could mean a fierce battle in January, or beyond.
- Chelsea are interested in landing Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque, but the Athletico Paranaense striker has an £87m buyout clause, reports Globo. The rumours follow hot on the heels of Endrick's move to Real Madrid, a player in which Chelsea were also interested. Roque, like Endrick, is also considered one of the hottest prospects on the continent, but the Blues face considerable pressure for his signature. The Timoteo-born forward is also attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
- Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Daichi Kamada has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Barcelona, reports Sport. The Japanese playmaker, 26, is a free agent from June and is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, as well as from clubs in Italy. Frankfurt have made attempts to keep Kamada in Germany beyond his existing contract, but it appears as though the player has decided he wants a new challenge. Kamada impressed the Catalan club when the two teams faced each other in the Europa League last season, and the Germans are now looking at suitable replacements.
- Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to keep Lionel Messi in the French capital beyond the end of the current season, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. He reports that while Inter Miami have made moves to persuade the Argentine star to swap Ligue 1 for MLS, no deal has yet been agreed. And PSG officials would like the 35-year-old striker to stay for one more year. As such, they will make their proposal in the coming weeks.