The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there's plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Chelsea and Bayern Munich open talks with Barca's Gavi
Barcelona star Gavi is a man in demand, and both Chelsea and Bayern Munich are set to battle it out for his services thanks to Barca's financial problems, according to AS and Sport.
AS reports that Chelsea are looking to capitalise on Barca's inability to register Gavi's long-term first-team contract with LaLiga. The Blues are even willing to make the 18-year-old forward the highest-paid player in the Premier League.
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The two parties met three weeks ago, and Chelsea are hoping they can arrange another meeting to convince the player, his representatives and his family of Chelsea's long-term vision.
Sport, meanwhile, reports that Bayern Munich have told Gavi's agent they could make a significant offer if Barca are unable to resolve their ongoing contract difficulties.
Gavi wants to stay at Barca, but the Catalan club has so far been unable to rectify his contract issue. Barcelona are looking to reduce their wage bill in an attempt to solve a number of contractual disputes.
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21.41 BST: Inter Milan have submitted an offer for Borussia Monchengladbach forward and pending free agent Marcus Thuram and are hopeful of securing the 25-year-old France international's signature, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. And, if Romelu Lukaku doesn't return on another loan from Chelsea, the Nerazzurri will look to bring in a second forward, with another soon-to-be free agent in Roberto Firmino of Liverpool at the top of the San Siro wish list.
20.24 BST: Forward Mason Greenwood's future at Manchester United remains up in the air, having not played for the club since January 2022 when he was arrested and eventually charged for attempted rape, criminal proceedings that were discontinued in February. Relevo reports that the 21-year-old once-capped England international is looking to restart his career outside of the Premier League, with AC Milan said to be considering bringing him to Serie A.
19.07 BST: Sport Bild's Christian Falk reports that there is a release clause in the contract of RB Leipzig attacker Dani Olmo, which could be of interest to Manchester United, who are said to be keen on signing the 24-year-old Spain international this summer. Clubs outside of Spain are free to sign Olmo for a transfer fee between €70m and €75m, while LaLiga sides would have to pay just €60m, with Barcelona having long been credited with interest in the player who spent seven year's in the club's academy.
17.45 BST: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez advised midfielder Gavi he will not be as happy as he is at Spotify Camp Nou at any other club.
Gavi, 18, signed a new contract with Barca last year but it has not yet been registered with LaLiga due to the the club exceeding their spending limit imposed by the Spanish league.
The Spain international, therefore, could potentially walk away for nothing in the summer, with Bayern Munich and a host of Premier League clubs reported to be following the situation.
"I can't speak for others but I don't think he would be as happy as he is here at any other club," Xavi said in a news conference when asked about the speculation surrounding Gavi. "He has it all here. We value him, he starts every week, he's decisive for the team (...) his future is here. He would not be as happy anywhere else."
Sources at the club have always stressed to ESPN that they believe the registration issue will be resolved by the summer, while Gavi has never shown an appetite to move elsewhere.
Elsewhere, reports continue to suggest Barca will be open to offers for other players this summer to help ease their financial woes, but Xavi says it's too soon to talk about ins and outs.
"There are two months to go in the season and a lot can happen," he added. "Football changes from one day to the net. We have still not made any decisions and every player has to keep working hard."
16.53 BST: Arsenal have set a price of €30m for the transfer of striker Folarin Balogun, reports L'Equipe.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation on loan at Reims, already scoring 18 goals for the Ligue 1 side. There is no option to make the move permanent, which means a host of other clubs are waiting in the wings to make a move once the loan concludes in the summer.
Lille, Marseille, Monaco, Napoli, Inter and AC Milan, plus RB Leipzig, have all been linked with the striker, who won't be interested in sitting on the bench at the Emirates next season.
The England under-21 international is considering switching his international allegiance to United States having been born in Brooklyn and formerly featuring for USMNT at U18 level.
16.00 BST: The Evening Standard reports that Chelsea are considering three possible goalkeeper targets for next season.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the No. 1 at the moment, having displaced Edouard Mendy between the sticks, but the Blues are reported to be considering signing a replacement for next season.
Brentford's David Raya, who is about to move into the final 12 months of his contract, is strongly linked, along with Inter Milan's Andre Onana and Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel.
15.03 BST: Ilkay Gundogan's agent insists there is still no decision about the player's future, with just a couple of months remaining on his Manchester City contract.
The midfielder is strongly linked with a free transfer to Barcelona, with some reports saying a deal had been agreed, but City boss Pep Guardiola also wants him to stay at the Camp Nou.
"I'm surprised at where the stories come from about a deal being closed for many weeks", he told Dario AS. "There's no agreement with any club. It's not yet decided where he will play for the next few years.
"Ilkay can still win three major trophies this season as City captain. That's the only thing he's focused on right now."
14.10 BST: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez says there will be time to discuss a new contract after the season with his deal due to expire in 2024.
Barca president Joan Laporta recently spoke of his desire to extend Xavi's tenure at Spotify Camp Nou with the club on the cusp of a first LaLiga title since 2019.
Xavi says there is regular communication with the Barca hierarchy but the focus right now is on securing top spot in his first full campaign in charge.
"We talk every day and I am happy that what I am doing is appreciated, but first let's win the league and then we can talk about a new contract," Xavi said in a news conference ahead of Sunday's game at Getafe.
Barca lead Real Madrid, who play Cadiz on Saturday, at the top of LaLiga by 13 points but there are still 10 games to go in the season.
13.14 BST: Both Manchester City and Manchester United are interested in signing Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, reports Fichajes.
Bastoni, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Thursday, is about to move into the final year of his contract and Inter may need to move the defender on to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 12 months' time.
The report says that Inter are still hoping to agree a contract extension, but City could make a move for Bastoni as a replacement for Aymeric Laporte. United, meanwhile, are looking for better strength in depth than Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who could be moved on.
12.17 BST: Real Madrid are tracking Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci, according to Tuttosport.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti is a fan of the 21-year-old, the Turpin-based newspaper reports, and Madrid have already had him watched on several occasions.
Torino consider the Italy international to be "untransferable," Tuttosport claims, but an offer of between €20 and €25m might be enough to change their minds.
Napoli, AC Milan and Inter are also said to be keen on the player, who has made 20 appearances in Serie A this season.
11.21 BST: Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister is Liverpool's new top transfer target after boss Jurgen Klopp admitted the club couldn't compete to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.
Klopp likened talk of big-money signings to a five-year-old asking for a Ferrari for Christmas after the Merseyside club pulled out of the race to sign Bellingham.
Now Football Insider reports that Klopp will turn his attentions to a World Cup winner in the 24-year-old Mac Allister.
10.24 BST: The Evening Standard reports that Wilfried Zaha will turn down the opportunity to move to a club in Saudi Arabia this summer, in favour of signing for a European club.
Zaha, 30, is out of contract at the end of the season and seems certain to leave Crystal Palace on a free transfer.
After Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr, clubs in Saudi Arabia are looking to target high profile free agents to boost the Pro League's profile.
Winger Zaha was one of the players the league was hoping to attract, with a switch to Al Hilal mooted, but he is set to turn it down.
AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund have both been linked with a contract offer for Zaha, who wants to play in the Champions League.
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09.30 BST: Chelsea are expected to make a final push to convince Mason Mount to sign a new contract, otherwise the midfielder is set to leave the club this summer, sources have told ESPN.
Sources told ESPN in February that talks had stalled over a new deal, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United among the clubs monitoring the situation. There has been no tangible progress in the two months since with the 24-year-old's contract expiring in summer next year.
Sources have told ESPN that while there are no concrete offers for Mount as yet, Liverpool, City and United have all asked to be kept informed of the situation while Juventus are also interested but their involvement in a possible move in part depends on the prospect of more financial charges relating to past transfer conduct.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Real Madrid are looking at alternatives if they unable to sign Reece James from Chelsea, and they could turn their attention to Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool or Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen. That's according to journalist Ekrem Konur, who believes that while Chelsea star James remains Los Blancos' top target, the Spaniards are lining up other options. Frimpong, 22, has been linked with Manchester United and appears keen on a move to England, while 24-year-old Alexander-Arnold has been struggling on the right-hand side of Liverpool's defence, and is being linked with a move away, or a change in position if he were to stay at Anfield.
- The Daily Mirror reports that Chelsea could offload as many as eight players, including Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante, while Sport reports that five players are expected to leave, particularly striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Daily Mirror believes Chelsea officials are worried by the club's potential lack of involvement in Europe next season, which will have a knock-on effect on financial fair play. Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech look certain to leave, but Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also in danger. Sport specifies that Aubameyang wants a return to Barcelona, but that Inter Milan are also interested in the Gabon striker.
- Rivals Manchester City and Liverpool are both interested in 20-year-old defender Levi Colwill, who is on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion from Chelsea. The Evening Standard reports that Brighton also want to keep a player who has impressed since Roberto de Zerbi took charge, with all three clubs looking to seize on Chelsea's bloated squad list. Colwill, a left-footed central defender, is being tipped to get an international call-up ahead of Euro 2024, and both City and Liverpool are prepared to push hard for the rising star.
- Barcelona winger Ez Abde is shining while on loan at Osasuna, and Leeds United are among the clubs looking to sign him on a permanent basis in the summer, according to Sport. Barcelona are hoping they can welcome the 21-year-old back to Camp Nou when his loan spell ends, but they're unable to offer the Moroccan the first-team opportunities he now craves. Abde's agent, Javier Garrido, recently met with Leeds officials, who are keen to make a solid offer should they manage to stay in the Premier League.
- Bayern Munich remain in need of a new No. 9 striker following the departure of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, and new boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted he's a fan of Napoli star Victor Osimhen. Gazzetta Dello Sport believes that Tuchel is keen on a move for the Napoli forward, while also noting that Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane remains on the Bavarians' wanted list. Tuchel joked that he's unable to talk about other clubs' players while speaking about his admiration for Osimhen, and Bayern could make a bid in the summer for the 24-year-old Nigerian.