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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United to seal cut-price Bruno bargain?

The transfer windows in Europe's top leagues are closed, but it's never too early to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.

TOP STORY: Man United to seal cut-price Bruno bargain?

Manchester United could be set to clinch a bargain £65 million deal to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, according to reports at Portuguese outlet O Jogo.

The Portuguese giants reportedly require around £57m to pay off outstanding debts, and selling 25-year-old Fernandes would put them in the black, while also adding some funds to their transfer kitty for a potential replacement.

Fernandes has been a target for United for some time, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeing the Portugal international as a long-term replacement for the now departed Ander Herrera.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, are also interested in the playmaker and believe the former Udinese man is the ideal player to fill the void that could be left by the potential departure of Christian Eriksen, should the Dane depart north London for Real Madrid.

LIVE BLOG

23.18 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!

22.49 GMT: At 33, Manuel Neuer isn't getting younger and it may be time for Bayern Munich to start looking for a long-term replacement.

The Daily Mail reports that Bayern are monitoring Sheffield No.1 Dean Henderson, who has impressed for the Blades over the past season and a half while on loan from Man United. The 22-year-old has the highest save percentage in the Premier League this season at 79.5% for Sheffield and seems blocked at parent club United now that David De Gea has signed a long-term extension.

The same report suggests Tottenham and Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott, 17, is also on Bayern's radar. Parrott who has starred for Tottenham's underage teams and recently made his first-team debut for both Spurs and Ireland is one for the future.

English youngsters like Jadon Sancho, Reiss Nelson and Ademola Lookman have thrived in the Bundesliga in recent years and Parrott could be one of the first Irish players to make the move to Germany.

21.56 GMT: Sporting Kansas City youngster Gianluca Busio is one for the future and European clubs are raking notice.

Busio, 17, became the third-youngest player to start an MLS game when he broke into the league in Aug. 2018 and last season played 22 times in MLS. Fresh off the Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, Busio has reportedly has caught the eyes of Manchester United, Fiorentina and Inter Milan. 

Sources have confirmed to ESPN FC, that all three clubs have varying interest in the teenager and that Fiorentina has made multiple offers in the $3 to $4 million range for Busio. SKC's director of scouting Edward Burleson has indicated Manchester United and Inter Milan have also expressed interest, with a club source adding that the Red Devils were "kicking the tires" as it relates to the U.S. U17 international, while Inter's contact was preliminary as well.

21.02 GMT: Napoli  star Fabian Ruiz has become one of the most in-demand players in Europe due to his performances this season.

Now Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo is claiming that Ruiz, 23, wants Barcelona to be his next club. Europe's biggest clubs are queuing up for the Spanish international, who signed last season with Napoli from Real Betis for €30 million.

Ruiz won't come cheap though, as Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said: "If some of the European top clubs were to offer €180m we can start talking about selling him."

Real Madrid and Manchester City have been linked with the box-to-box midfielder in recent weeks, as Ruiz has stalled contract extension talks with the Naples brass in hope of forcing through a move.

20.22 GMT: BREAKING NEWS OUT OF LONDON!

Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur, effective immediately. The 47-year-old is relieved of his duties after five and a half seasons with Spurs, in which he compiled a 159-62-72 record with the club and led them to last season's Champions League final.

So who will replace Pochettino at the London club? Sky Sports' transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says a familiar name to Premier League fans could be the man for the job.

"The Special One" to Spurs? English bookmaker's agree as Mourinho is the overwhelming 1/6 favorite to get the gig. Mourinho usually gets results but Spurs better think long and hard about whether all the baggage that comes with the Portuguese is worth it... 

Stay tuned.

19.23 GMT: We mentioned earlier in this blog that Juventus had resigned defender Leonardo Bonucci to a contract extension through 2024.

Goal.com reports that two more Juve contract extension announcements are on the way, as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and winger/full-back Juan Cuadrado have agreed to extensions with the club. 

The Poland No. 1, 29, will reportedly sign for an additional three seasons, while Cuadrado, who would have been a free agent at the end of the season, will ink a two-year extension to stay in Turin.

18.41 GMT: Arsenal's biggest weakness is no secret, as the club's defence has been an area of real weakness for a couple of seasons now.

Arsenal are hoping new signing William Saliba (on loan at Real Betis) is part of the long-term solution but the 18-year-old cannot be expected to fix Arsenal's porous defence alone. Now comes a report from The Sun that Arsenal are plotting a January move for Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres.

The 22-year-old has played every minute this season in La Liga and recently debuted -- and scored -- for Spain against Malta. Torres, who is quickly becoming a hot name in the transfer market, is under contract with Villarreal through 2024 and has a £43 million release clause.

17.59 GMT: Could Victor Wanyama be set for a sensational return to Parkhead?

The Guardian has a line on Tuesday that claims that Celtic, who pursued a reunion with Wanyama in the summer, are still keen to add the versatile Kenya international. Wanyama, who played with Celtic from 2011-13, has found himself on the fringes at Tottenham and wanted a move from the club this summer.

17.11 GMT: Italian publication Il Corriere dello Sport is reporting that Liverpool have sent scouts to watch a young Bundesliga star.

That player is Schalke and Morocco midfielder Amine Harit, who has already tallied five goals and four assists in 13 games this season. Liverpool could also have an inside track on the 22-year-old, as Schalke are managed by Jurgen Klopp's former assistant -- and best man -- David Wagner.

The French-born Harit, who won the Bundesliga's rookie of the year in 2017-18, is a classic No.10 who has displayed a proficiency in dribbling and shooting from distance.

16.38 GMT: David Beckham's Inter Miami CF will begin play in MLS next season and only have a few months to build a complete roster.

The club's most recent acquisition is an interesting one, as Inter Miami have announced they have signed German-born, United States international Jerome Kiesewetter.

Kiesewetter, 26, has spent time in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart and most recently spent time in the USL with the El Paso Locomotive, where he scored 12 goals last season. A productive player with the U.S. Under-23s, Kiesewetter has made two appearances thus far for the United States senior side.

With the MLS Expansion Draft later on today expect more moves from Inter Miami later on...

15.59 GMT: He left for AC Milan, then he came back again, and now Leonardo Bonucci has signed a new contract at Juventus until 2024.

15.40 GMT: See below (10.06) for news that Tottenham fans should care about, and it seems to be paying dividends with reports that Ajax forward Hakim Ziyech is a transfer target.

Spurs need something and the 26-year-old Ziyech could be that something, with Ajax always happy to take a boatload of cash and promote a new star to the first-team from their youth ranks.

Calciomercato reports that Roma, Napoli and AC Milan are following the forward, but that Tottenham are in the driving seat.

14.36 GMT: Patrick Kluivert says that fellow Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt is having regrets about his €75m move to Juventus from Ajax this summer.

Kluivert, who is Barcelona's academy director and was also a former Ajax player, was not a major part of the Spanish club's push to sign the 19-year-old centre-back and had to watch him move to Italy -- a choice he claims De Ligt now wishes he had made differently. 

"I didn't personally try to convince him about joining Barcelona," Kluivert told Mundo Deportivo. "I only told him about the positive aspects of Barcelona as a club and city. We are obviously talking about a great defender and in the end he made a choice. I think he slightly regrets it now, but that's the way it is.

"In life, you must make choices, sometimes good ones and sometimes bad. You have to learn from your decisions."

13.49 GMT: Moise Kean has struggled for game time at Everton since arriving from Juventus in the summer and Calciomercato reckons he could be part of an ambitious swap deal.

Everton could land AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek in the transfer, with Kean going back to Italy. 

Piatek, 24, signed from Genoa for over €30m and has been linked with a return to his former club on loan, but the report states that Everton and Milan will discuss a move in the coming weeks if things don't improve for both players.

12.42 GMT: Sweden playmaker Dejan Kulusevski has caught the eye on loan at Parma from Atalanta, with Manchester United and Arsenal interested, according to the Sun.

Kulusevski, 19, would cost a reported £40m as his star has risen in Serie A this season and both Premier League clubs are in need of a creative boost.

12.12 GMT: It was never going to be long before Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was back in the transfer columns and now Tuttosport claims the Frenchman would prefer a return to Juventus than a move to Real Madrid.

But then they would, wouldn't they?

11.41 GMT: SportBild magazine reported last week that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could leave the club and return to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

Now the daily Bild paper has spoken to his agent and the story has been vigorously denied.

"Pep is satisfied and very happy in Manchester. His contract runs until June 2021," Josep Maria Orotbig said. "I have spoken to nobody in Germany about him -- neither with agents or club bosses. Pep has good memories of Munich and still has friends there. But he has never shown any interest in returning to Germany as a coach. This is a thing that would be just as impossible at the present time as last summer with Juventus. Guardiola always fulfils his contracts. I deny all rumours!"

Starting and ending a rumour all in the space of a few days... impressive.

11.13 GMT: SPORT claims that PSG attempted to renew Neymar's contract (which expires in 2022), but the 27-year-old refused to sign a new deal until 2025. And that Barcelona will wait until early 2020 before debating a new offensive for him at the end of the season.

However, Le Parisien says the opposite. The French paper reports that no such attempt has been made by PSG to tie Neymar down to an extension, while RMC Sport echoes that the Brazil international has not rejected an offer as one was never made.

RMC added that PSG will wait until the new year in a bid to open new discussions with the €222m man who has expressed his desire to return to Camp Nou.

10.06 GMT: Mauricio Pochettino has held talks with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to discuss his increasing frustrations at the state of the squad, sources have told ESPN FC.

Spurs sit in 14th in the Premier League, having won just three of their 13 League games so far this season, and a defeat at West Ham on Saturday would see Pochettino's team drop below their London rivals and intensify the pressure on the Argentine to turn the situation around.

Sources have told ESPN FC, however, that Pochettino believes the club are now paying the price for a failure to reshape his squad during the summer and his discussions with Levy during the international break focused on his grievances.

09.31 GMT: ICYMI - Spain coach Robert Moreno is to be dismissed from the role, sources have told ESPN, despite thrashing Romania 5-0 in their final Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday.

Former Spain coach Luis Enrique is set to make a sensational return five months after resigning from the role due to the illness of his daughter Xana, who died in September.

08.47 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur target Nathan Ferguson could be sold by West Bromwich Albion in January if they cannot agree a new contract with the young defender, the Express & Star reports.

The versatile defender becomes a free agent in the summer, and West Brom could decide to cash in when the winter transfer window opens rather than lose him in the summer.

Spurs and Crystal Palace are the two Premier League clubs most heavily linked with interest in the England youth international, who has made 13 appearances in the Championship this season. However, European heavyweights Juventus and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with interest, and a move abroad for Ferguson would see West Brom entitled to only a base level of £300,000 compensation.

08.00 GMT: Chelsea have joined Liverpool in registering their interest in Genk midfielder Sander Berge, according to The Sun.

Berge, 21, impressed when he played the full 90 minutes of both Champions League group games against Liverpool, and as such has found himself on the radar of the European champions, while Serie A side Napoli have also been linked.

Chelsea' last season's Europa League winners, are also monitoring the Norway international but can only make a move in January if their FIFA-imposed transfer ban is lifted on appeal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport is due to hear Chelsea's case at a hearing on Wednesday.

PAPER TALK (by James Capps)

Juventus plot €100 million summer splurge

Serie A leaders Juventus are making plans ahead of a busy summer, and reports at Calciomercato claims Maurizio Sarri's side are set to spend more than €100 million to land Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali and Federico Chiesa of Fiorentina.

Tonali, 19, has impressed Juve scouts in his debut season in Serie A after winning promotion with Brescia last year, and has also reportedly attracted interest from Manchester United, but the midfielder is believed to favour a domestic switch. It is believed a fee of around €40m has been pencilled into the Juventus summer budget for youngster's signing.

Winger Chiesa, meanwhile, is likely to cost substantially more, with Fiorentina valuing the 22-year-old in the region of €70m, but Juve chiefs are confident they can do a deal for a player who will have just two years remaining on his contract at the end of the current season.

Haaland father visits United training base

Sources at the Athletic claim the father of Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Haaland has visited Manchester United's Carrington training base ahead of a potential move to Old Trafford.

During a live Q&A, Athletic journalist David Ornstein said Erling's dad Alf-Inge Haaland -- a former player for Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City -- paid a recent visit to the base, fuelling speculation that his 19-year-old son favours a move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. That news comes hot off the back of word from ESPN FC sources that United are preparing to open up talks with Haaland's club Salzburg in January.

Haaland Jr. is at the top of a number of New Year shopping lists after a dazzling run of form in the Champions League saw him become the first ever player to score in each of their first four games in the competition. The 19-year-old has scored 15 goals in 12 games for the Austrian giants since joining them from Molde -- the club Solskjaer managed before Man United.

- Haaland's hat trick and other UCL debuts to remember

Tap-ins

- West Ham will set their sights on former Newcastle and Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez if they decide to part company with under-fire boss Manuel Pellegrini, according to reports at the Mirror. The 59-year-old Spaniard is currently plying his trade at Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, but would be open to a move back to England.

- Sources at Football Insider claim Arsenal have sent scouts to watch Hungary midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai during the international break. The 19-year-old is set to start for his country in the crunch Euro 2020 qualifier against Wales on Tuesday, and the Red Bull Salzburg man has been touted as a replacement for the potentially outgoing Granit Xhaka.

- Former Liverpool and Sunderland striker Fabio Borini looks set to leave AC Milan in the January transfer window, and Calciomercato claims the forward has been offered for fellow Serie A side Torino. The 28-year-old has played just 70 minutes of league football this season for the Rossoneri.

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