The summer transfer window is closed for the top leagues in Europe! After a summer full of international football, countless clubs waited until the last minute to pull off their transfers. See all the major deals here and check out how we graded the biggest signings. But just because the window is shut until January, that doesn’t mean the rumours won’t keep coming.
TOP STORY: PSG begin Kessie pursuit
Tottenham Hotspur are showing an interest in signing AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, but according to Foot Mercato, the North London club could face competition from a side that has proven to be big hitters in the transfer market: Paris Saint-Germain.
The Parisians made great use of the free agent market in the summer, bringing in Lionel Messi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma without paying any transfer fees. It seems as though they will be looking to use the same tactic next year, with the Ivory Coast international’s contract coming to an end at this season’s conclusion.
Foot Mercato states that PSG have already started work on a deal for the 24-year-old by offering a yearly salary of €9 million — €2.2m more than Milan’s latest proposal. They have also spoken to Rossoneri technical director Paolo Maldini, just in case the Serie A side try to offload the midfielder in January in order to avoid losing him for free in the summer.
It is suggested that Kessie could merely be using PSG’s interest in order to force Milan into giving him a better deal, but the intentions are very clear from the Parc des Princes.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Real Madrid may have been unable to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but this has not dimmed their ambitions ahead of entering the new Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Marca reports that Los Blancos still want Mbappe, while aiming for him to also be joined by Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. Marcelo, Isco and Gareth Bale are all out of contract at the end of the season and are expected to leave the club on free transfers, clearing significant space on the club’s wage bill.
– Calciomercato has laid out a list of French players that Juventus are interested in, with Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara the latest to catch their eye — especially as the 21-year-old midfielder’s contract comes to an end in the summer. He is far from alone, though, as The Old Lady is also said to be considering Lyon pair Houssem Aouar and Rayan Cherki, as well as AS Monaco duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Benoit Badiashile.
– With Aleksandar Kolorov and Ivan Perisic’s contracts both expiring at the end of the season, Internazionale are looking for players who could come in on the left side next season, reports Calciomercato. It is suggested that they could return to former targets and look at Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic and VfB Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa.
– Bayern Munich are set to sign 16-year-old Croatian wunderkind Lovro Zvonarek for an initial €1.8m, which could rise to around €5m, as has been reported by Sport Bild. The attacking midfielder already plays in the Croatian top flight for Slaven Belupo Koprivnica, where he will stay for now, as the youngster will join Bayern’s academy in January 2022 at the earliest.