The January transfer window is fast approaching and, naturally, all the gossip on who’s moving where is heating up. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz as we count down to the 2022 winter window.
TOP STORY: Dembele in demand
Juventus, Manchester United and Chelsea are all pushing to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, according to Diario Sport.
The Frenchman’s contract with the Blaugrana comes to an end in the summer of 2022, which has sparked plenty of debate around his future.
Barcelona have not given up on keeping the 24-year-old past this season, and there could be a short-term renewal that keeps him in Catalonia and allows more time to negotiate a longer deal.
While Dembele is happy with his current role at Barcelona, his agent has stated that a move elsewhere could see him earn double what he does at Camp Nou while also having a chance of winning trophies.
Barcelona are attempting to combat that by offering Dembele a lower salary with various bonuses that could see him become one of the club’s highest earners if he and the team perform well.
This would likely see the man signed from Borussia Dortmund have a contract that lasts for two years.
If they are not successful in getting Dembele to sign before January, the Blaugrana could offload four or five players to ensure they can sign two attacking recruits in the winter window, with Manchester City‘s Ferran Torres being the priority.
Everything hinges on what happens in Barcelona, but Juventus, Man United and Chelsea are all watching closely – while Paris Saint-Germain could even get involved.
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PAPER GOSSIP
– Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Liverpool defender Joe Gomez ahead of a possible summer transfer, as reported by The Daily Mail. Los Blancos have also discussed the likes of Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger who would be a free agent if he doesn’t renew his contract, Sevilla‘s Jules Kounde and Villarreal‘s Pau Torres. They have also considered Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt but may be unable to afford the Dutchman.
– Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are both monitoring the situation of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Nicolo Schira. It is suggested that the Serbia international could be set to leave in the summer, with Lazio looking to bring in between €70-€80 million for the 26-year-old, whom the Red Devils attempted to sign for €60m in 2019.
– Internazionale, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma are all vying to sign Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, says Calciomercato, with the 22-year-old having impressed during his maiden Serie A campaign. Roma receive a percentage of the fee brought in for Frattesi, which could help if they sign the player who came through their academy. However, I Giallorossi are currently behind the other aforementioned trio in the race to sign him.
– Kingsley Coman, whose current Bayern Munich contract runs until 2023, wants €20m-per-season to sign a new one, while the Bavarian clubs wants to pay €15m, reports Sport Bild. Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Joshua Kimmich are the only Bayern players currently on that wage — with Robert Lewandowski earning more. There are questions around whether the Frenchman has reached the level required to be in that company, combatted by the awareness that bringing in a new player would be more expensive with transfer fees.
– As Napoli aim to strengthen at left-back, Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa and Everton‘s Lucas Digne are among their top targets, according to Foot Mercato. The main cause for concern at Napoli is in the centre of defence, but that isn’t stopping them looking for an alternative to Mario Rui and Faouzi Ghoulam.