The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Man City join chase for Haaland
Bild’s Christian Falk is reporting that Manchester City will try to sign Erling Haaland during the summer transfer window.
The Borussia Dortmund forward is widely considered to be one of the best strikers in world football, but it did seem as if City’s priority was going after Lionel Messi once his Barcelona contract comes to an end next year.
Regardless of the pursuit of Messi, Pep Guardiola is very interested in the prospect of bringing Haaland to the Etihad, and the report says City are confident they can get their man even though his release clause does not activate until 2022.
– Insider Notebook: Ozil eyes MLS; row over ‘shameful’ sandwich
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more
LIVE BLOG
13.33 GMT: Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has played down speculation that Youri Tielemans could be sold next month. Tielemans’ agent, Peter Smeets, has been poking the flames of transfer rumours ahead of the window reopening.
“You see it, around this time agents are starting to warm up and get some [stories] out,” Rodgers said. “I’m sure Youri’s is no different. He is a very talented player, he has been fantastic for us and until anything changes I will continue to help him as a player.
“He’s a real joy to work with, a fantastic boy who loves football and prepares his life to be the best he can be. He has achieved so much but thankfully he’s very hungry and wants to improve and develop.
“Whatever happens outside of that, I’m not too interested. My job is to influence him as a player, help him be better and at this moment he is enjoying his football.”
12.51 GMT: Marcos Llorente‘s agent has claimed that there’s been plenty of interest in signing the midfielder — including from outside La Liga — since his transformation into a goal threat began with Atletico Madrid‘s famous 3-2 Champions League win over Liverpool back in March.
“I’ve received a lot of phone calls about Marcos since Anfield,” Julio Llorente, who is also the player’s uncle, told El Larguero. “The last one was in May, from a foreign league. But Marcos has always told me that he’s really happy here, we’re clear about that.”
📻🔴⚪️ Saludamos EN DIRECTO a Julio LLORENTE, tío y representante de @marcosllorente, en @ElLarguero
👉 “Solemos mandarnos algún mensaje antes de cada partido, para él es quizá más importante que para los demás”https://t.co/GWf3ZpOanR pic.twitter.com/mbxGWSkb7L
— El Larguero (@ellarguero) December 11, 2020
Llorente, who had previously been considered a defensive midfielder, scored a brace against Liverpool and has continued that form this season, with four league goals helping Atletico top the La Liga table. He’ll have another chance to impress on Saturday night as he faces Real Madrid, the club that sold him to Atletico in July 2019, in the Madrid derby.
12.12 GMT: Edinson Cavani has told Mondo Napoli that he had several offers to return to Serie A, but rejected them out of respect for Napoli before eventually signing for Manchester United.
Cavani spent three years in Naples, scoring 104 goals in 138 appearances.
“It’s for this reason that I said no to many Italian clubs including Juventus, who called me often, and Internazionale too,” he said. “I couldn’t do such a thing to the Neapolitans.
“If I think of Naples, I think of joy, because I know that I have done so much for them and they continue to pay tribute to me.”
11.36 GMT: Aston Villa boss Dean Smith knows the club must continue to improve, and qualify for Europe, if they are to keep hold of England international Jack Grealish.
Grealish, who signed a new contract in September, has been tracked by Manchester United for at least two years and could make a move for him at the end of the season.
“I’ve built up a very good relationship over my two years at Aston Villa with Jack and we know each other inside and out,” Smith told Stadium Astro. “He wanted to progress and wanted progress as a footballer first and foremost at Villa.
“If we don’t keep progressing and become a club that’s challenging in Europe then we probably won’t meet Jack’s ambitions and there will be a time where Jack looks elsewhere then. At the moment, he can see the progression at the football club and he wants to be a part of that.”
10.52 GMT: It looks like there’s no way back for Demarai Gray at Leicester City. The winger has played once this season, in a 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal in September, and is out of contract in the summer. It seems likely he will move on in January.
“It’s pretty clear with Demarai he’s looking to move on,” manager Brendan Rodgers said. “His attitude to training has been first class, he has been very professional.
“He is at the stage of his career where he has been here a long time and hasn’t maybe nailed down a place. A fresh start may be the course for him. I will always respect him and until his last day I will never discard him but it’s looking more than likely he will probably be somewhere else next season.”
Gray has been linked with a cut-price move to Tottenham Hotspur.
10.14 GMT: Marca reckons that David Alaba has set his sights on a move to Real Madrid after negotiations over a new contract with Bayern Munich broke down. Alaba will be a free agent in the summer, which will be an attractive proposition for Madrid, who have been hit hard financially by the coronavirus crisis.
He won’t be short of suitors, however, with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain both reportedly ready to offer a deal when clubs can open negotiations over a summer move as of Jan. 1.
09.30 GMT: Bayern Munich have been long-time admirers of Callum Hudson-Odoi, making failed bids to take him to the Bundesliga two years ago. The Chelsea has struggled since, partly due to injuries, and while Bayern remain interested Goal says that the German champions will not make another move in January.
Bayern have Douglas Costa on loan from Juventus, and any future move for Hudson-Odoi may depend on that move becoming permanent at the end of the season.
PAPER ROUND
Barcelona want Kamara
Barcelona are interested in making a move for Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara, Mundo Deportivo reports.
The 21-year-old has served as a strong presence at the back for the French club throughout the entire season, with many believing Manchester City would be the ones to go after a deal. As it turns out, though, Barca have looked at him as a potential arrival in the upcoming January window.
Ronald Koeman is determined to bring in a new centre-back, and if it isn’t Eric Garcia, it could quite easily be Kamara.
Koeman to go after Ajax’s Martinez?
Koeman could also be convinced to try and bring Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez to the Camp Nou, Sport reports.
As has been reported regularly, it isn’t a secret that Koeman wants to mix things up at Barca, and it appears as if his efforts will be focused on the aforementioned defensive side of things.
Martinez isn’t considered to be at the front of the queue in regards to the priority list, but if Koeman doesn’t land his first choice, then there’s a very good chance the Dutch giants will have a fight on their hands to keep hold of him.
Tap-ins
– Stephane Ruffier is set to leave Saint-Etienne, L’Equipe reports. The goalkeeper hasn’t been in their regular plans since the start of the campaign, and it seems increasingly likely that the 34-year-old will be dismissed for “serious misconduct” — forcing him to go on the hunt for a new team for the first time in nearly a decade.
– Sampdoria and Udinese are both interested in trying to sign former Chelsea star Jonathan Panzo, Goal reports. After initially coming through Chelsea’s academy, Panzo went on to play for the likes of Monaco and Brugge before landing on a switch to Dijon back in the summer. Now, it already appears as if he could be on the move once again.