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LIVE Transfer Talk: Tottenham confident in move for Swansea's Joe Rodon

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Marcotti unconvinced by Carlos Vinicius' potential Spurs move (0:59)

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens explain the details of Carlos Vinicius' proposed transfer to Tottenham. (0:59)

The coronavirus pandemic made for the transfer market unlike any before it, but there was still plenty of action on Deadline Day. With the window closed across the major leagues in Europe, you can check out the latest major completed transfers across the globe.

TOP STORY: Tottenham continue Rodon pursuit

Tottenham Hotspur are confident that they can complete the signing of Swansea centre-back Joe Rodon before the Oct. 16 domestic deadline, the Evening Standard reports.

While Jose Mourinho has enjoyed a strong transfer window in North London there is still one piece of the puzzle missing in the eyes of the manager: a defender.

Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar looked set to be that man but it wasn't meant to be as he was valued at €60m and, now, talks are ongoing between Tottenham and Swansea over a deal for Rodon. For the time being the two clubs are some distance apart over a fee and nothing is imminent, but with just over a week left to go, Spurs are feeling optimistic.

Wales international Rodon played the first half of his team's 3-0 friendly loss to England on Thursday.

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LIVE BLOG

22.23 BST: Twenty-five-year-old Stade Rennes striker M'Baye Niang underwent a medical at Saint-Etienne on Friday, according to L'Equipe, with the Senegal international expected to complete his move to Claude Puel's side later in the day.

21.08 BST: With Atlanta United playmaker Ezequiel Barco having missed the Five Stripes' past five matches amid interest from overseas clubs, the rumour mill has begun to swirl that the 21-year-old former Argentina youth international could be on the move. But the club's technical director Carlos Bocanegra has put a stop to the speculation - at least for now.

"Is there interest from him overseas? Yes, he's a top player," Bocanegra is quoted as saying about Barco by MLSsoccer.com. "There's always interest in him. But this isn't the case [why he's been out]. He's desperate to get back on the field, he's doing everything he can every day. Sometimes three sessions a day with our trainers."

19.51 BST: As AC Milan begin to plan for transfer business for January and summer of 2021, Corriere dello Sport lists two names the Rossoneri are monitoring for potential signings in Marseille winger Florian Thauvin and Real Madrid centre-back Nacho.

18.34 BST: Goal cites Canal Sur Radio as reporting that 20-year-old Mexico international Diego Lainez rejected a chance to join an MLS club after Real Betis received a €15m bid for the former Club America playmaker.

17.17 BST: Juventus sending 26-year-old centre-back Daniele Rugani to Stade Rennes on loan may help grease the wheels for the Bianconeri to leapfrog Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the race for 17-year-old midfield phenom Eduardo Camavinga, according to Tuttosport.

16.00 BST: Facundo Pellistri was one of four deadline day arrivals at Manchester United, but only after they took him from under Lyon's noses -- with a little help from an Old Trafford cult hero, sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens.

Diego Forlan, who won the Premier League with United during his two-year spell at the club from 2002-04, had a brief spell in charge of Penarol in Uruguay before leaving his position in September this year. Sources told ESPN that Forlan convinced Pellistri to abandon the move to Lyon and sign for United instead.

15.24 BST: Barcelona were left angered by Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti's reluctance to leave Camp Nou during the transfer window, sources told ESPN.

Dembele, 23, was made available for transfer but following talks with Manchester United, he ended up staying at Barca. The Catalan club had made it clear they couldn't guarantee him minutes this season and coach Ronald Koeman was keen for him to leave to free up funds to sign Lyon's Memphis Depay.

Umtiti, meanwhile, never came close to leaving despite being told he was free to find a new club. Sources feel the defender, who has struggled with persistent knee injuries, didn't do enough to encourage interest from elsewhere and that he was happy to stay at Barca and pick up his salary

14.55 BST: Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee has been speaking to Algemeed Dagblad about failing to get a loan move this summer.

Zirkzee, 19, was linked with Feyenoord after Bayern Munich signed Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting on a free transfer,

"It was a difficult situation," he said. "There was not enough time on deadline day. I never spoke to Feyenoord myself. I will stay at Bayern now, but maybe something will happen in the future. I don't know exactly yet.

"I can still develop very well at Bayern. Who says I'm not going to get minutes? It's up to me to compete. If so, I can always stay. If not, we still have the January window."

14.08 BST: Real Madrid signed no-one this summer, but is that because they have plans for 2021?

13.40 BST: Further signs that Mikel Arteta's job title change from head coach to first-team manager at Arsenal was much more than mere symbolism can be found in William Saliba's imminent departure on loan.

The prospect of Arsenal shipping out a £27m defender 12 months after signing him and just a couple months into his assimilation into the first-team would have been unheard of at a club where every penny counts.

Yet Saliba is set to join a Championship club before the Oct. 16 deadline -- Watford and Brentford are among the possible destinations -- as a result of Arteta's assertion the centre-back is not ready for regular Premier League football.

The deal to sign Saliba was struck during Unai Emery's tenure but Arteta and his backroom staff believe the 19-year-old needs more time to develop despite impressing in Ligue 1. Sources told ESPN's James Olley that they would like to see the Frenchman improve in defending set-pieces and mature in style, notably avoiding diving into tackles.

13.21 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea full-back Victor Moses is set to join Spartak Moscow on loan.

Moses had been linked with a move all summer, but Inter Milan didn't decide to re-sign him so the Nigeria international is now heading to Russia, where the transfer window is still open.

12.53 BST: Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez has said he was brought to tears over the way his six-year stay at Barcelona ended.

Suarez, 33, joined Atletico last month after Barca told him he was no longer part of their plans despite having a year remaining on his contract.

The Uruguay international was one of several big-earners who moved on this summer as Barca attempted to reduce their wage bill to limit the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

"There were other ways to tell me that they wanted to change things," Suarez, who was informed he was surplus to requirements in a brief telephone conversation with new coach Ronald Koeman in August, said. "The way it was done and the feeling that they're kicking you out is what hurt the most. Those few days [before my Atletico debut on Sept. 27] were really hard.

"I cried because of everything I was going through. I didn't take the message from the club about moving on well. More than anything because of the way they handled it, because you have to accept when a cycle has come to the end."

12.30 BST: The Times reports that "Manchester City are making good progress in talks with Kevin De Bruyne over a new five-year contract."

De Bruyne, 29, joined from Wolfsburg in 2015 for £55m and has become one of the world's best midfielders. And now the Belgium international is reportedly "happy to see out the rest of his career with the club."

11.48 BST: Edinson Cavani held talks with Juventus and Real Madrid before finally joining Manchester United on a free transfer, sources told ESPN's Moises Llorens.

Cavani, 33, was one of the most sought-after strikers on the market this summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expired in June. Juve offered a two-year deal with a salary of €8m a season but Cavani wanted a three-year deal worth €9m annually.

Spanish champions Madrid also sounded out a move for the Uruguay international, but sources say Atletico Madrid, despite reports to the contrary, were never a real option. Cavani was also approached by Benfica, whom he initially turned down, but negotiations resumed last week around the time United made their move.

10.44 BST: Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been speaking about his desire to move to Real Madrid again.

10.00 BST: Borussia Dortmund duo Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho remain top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's list of targets at Manchester United, sources told ESPN's Mark Ogden, despite the failure of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to strike a deal for either player in the past two transfer windows.

Meanwhile, while Dortmund were left surprised by United's negotiating tactics in the pursuit of Sancho, another move for his teammate on deadline day left the club "baffled," sources told ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld.

United made a bid for Dortmund wing-back Nico Schulz on deadline day, sources said, and they proposed a €1m loan fee and to pay the player's salary for the rest of the season.

09.19 BST: Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez says he was brought to tears over the way Barcelona pushed him out after six years at Camp Nou.

Suarez, 33, joined Atletico last month after Barca told him he was no longer part of their plans despite having a year remaining on his contract. The Uruguay striker was one of several big-earners who moved on this summer as Barca attempted to reduce their wage bill to limit the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

"There were other ways to tell me that they wanted to change things," said Suarez, who was informed he was surplus to requirements in a brief telephone conversation with new coach Ronald Koeman in August.

"The way it was done and the feeling that they're kicking you out is what hurt the most. Those few days [before my Atletico debut on Sept. 27] were really hard.

"I cried because of everything I was going through. I didn't take the message from the club about moving on well. More than anything because of the way they handled it, because you have to accept when a cycle's come to the end."

08.56 BST: Atletico Madrid will only be able to bring in Valencia's Geoffrey Kondogbia to replace Thomas Partey if they pay his buyout clause, Marca reports.

Spanish federation rules allow Atletico a month to find a replacement for Partey after Arsenal's deadline-day swoop for the Ghana international.

According to Marca, Valencia president Anil Murthy told Kondogbia in person before Thursday's training session that the club would not negotiate his departure.

The midfielder joined Valencia from Inter in 2018 and initially had an €80m release clause, which dropped to €30m at the end of this summer's window.

08.27 BST: Real Madrid are becoming increasingly likely to move for Renne's Eduardo Camavinga following the teenage midfielder's performances for Rennes and France, according to Diario AS.

The newspaper reports that Madrid "are starting to be convinced that Camavinga is the man, the ideal reinforcement for central midfield" after the 17-year-old became the second-youngest player ever to score for France with an overhead kick in their 7-1 win over Ukraine.

AS adds that it won't be easy for Madrid to sign Camavinga -- who has a contract at Rennes until 2022 -- next summer, with competition from the Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus and doubts about when the coronavirus pandemic will allow club income to return to normal.

08.00 BST: Manchester United's Paul Pogba says still dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day, with the midfielder adding that he has yet to have a discussion with United chairman Ed Woodward about a potential new deal with Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old opened up on his club future on Thursday during a news conference while on international duty with France. Asked about his current deal at United, which expires in June 2021 but includes a team option for an additional season, he said that he has not been contacted by Woodward.

"A lot was said but not by me. I prefer to focus on my football and my return. No one told me anything," Pogba said. "I haven't spoken with Ed Woodward about an extension or anything. So for now, I am in Manchester and I am thinking about coming back at my best level.

"Then, I think there will be a time where the club will come to me to offer me something or not. For now, nothing has happened. I am just thinking about coming back strongly physically and mentally and put on great performances for my club."

But he didn't hide his desire to still one day play for Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane.

"Zidane? We all heard, some things have been said. What do you want me to say? Yes, all the players would like to play for Real Madrid one day. It could be a dream. It is a dream for me. Why not? One day.

"Like I have said. I am at Manchester United and I love my club. I am performing at United, I am enjoying it and I want to do everything I can to bring this club back where it belongs. I will give my best like all my teammates."

PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle): AC Milan push to keep Calhanoglu and Donnarumma

AC Milan have begun negotiations with Hakan Calhanoglu and Gianluigi Donnarumma over new contracts with the club, Calciomercato reports.

The future of Milan may not depend on these two players alone, but there is a belief that both are key to the club's continued attempts to get back to the top of Italian football.

Donnarumma wants to remain at the San Siro, with Milan being confident in their ability to make that happen, says the report, whereas with Calhanoglu, talks have begun with his contract also set to expire in 2021.

Did Willian Jose turn down Tottenham?

Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose turned down the chance to join Tottenham before the transfer window shut.

The 28-year-old seemed to be on the verge of departing the Spanish club with Spurs, West Brom, Sevilla and Marseille all putting in offers, but because he wanted to leave on a permanent deal, he said no to all four.

Fellow Brazilian Carlos Vinicius wound up being the man Mourinho turned to for help -- securing a loan deal from Benfica -- but with Jose still being open to leaving Sociedad, Spurs could come back in for him next summer if things go south with their current options.

Tap-ins

- Veteran goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who is out of favour at Manchester United and looking for club after an expected transfer to Everton fell through, is reportedly seeking a fresh start, with Major League Soccer as one of the possibilities. The Daily Mail reports that the 33-year-old Argentine was destined for Everton until a last-minute demand by Manchester United prompted Everton to move in a different direction. Instead, the Toffees acquired Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen as backup to Jordan Pickford with a deadline day deal.

- Calciomercato is reporting that Inter Milan could once again go after Parma forward Gervinho during the January transfer window. The veteran was considered as a last-minute target by Antonio Conte but the move didn't quite come to fruition, leaving Inter to look elsewhere. The readjusted plan now seems to be for the club to make Gervinho the focus of their attention in the winter window.

- West Ham United have opened talks with Bournemouth over a deal to sign Josh King, The Telegraph reports. The forward has been tipped with a move back to the Premier League after the Cherries' relegation and while West Bromwich Albion were believed to be leading the line. However, David Moyes has snuck to the front of the queue with a reported £12m offer.