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LIVE Transfer Talk: Liverpool lead Real Madrid in pursuit of PSG's Mbappe

The transfer window opened in early January, and speculation is heating up about potential deals. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Liverpool ahead of Real Madrid for Mbappe

Pretty much any club in the world would want Kylian Mbappe and, with his Paris Saint-Germain contract coming to an end in 2022, the biggest sides will be lining up to make a move.

Late Football Club -- a show on French channel Canal+ -- has claimed that both Real Madrid and Liverpool are showing an interest in the Frenchman.

Real Madrid have held a long-term interest and Mbappe himself has revealed his love for the club. However, according to the report, Liverpool are the frontrunners in their attempts to sign one of the best young players in the world.

There has been some talk around the possibility of Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool, but signing Mbappe would surely make up for it if that were to happen.

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LIVE BLOG

21.14 GMT: Could United States striker Jozy Altidore be on the move?

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter hinted that their could be some transfer activity around the 31-year-old, with our Jeff Carlisle having learned that at least one Liga MX side has enquired about Atlidore.

"From there on in he just worked his way back and he was also in full training today," said Berhalter about Altidore. "But with the transfer window looming, and the game being tomorrow, it's a chance we didn't want to take with Jozy, so he will not be participating."

Berhalter later revealed "that a number" of clubs have expressed interest in the veteran TFC forward.

20.39 GMT: Man United starlet Tahith Chong, has had his loan at Werder Bremen ended, and subsequently been loaned out to Club Brugge.

The talented young midfielder -- and his flowing hair -- will head to Belgium where Brugge currently hold an 11-point lead atop the table. Chong, 21, played just 15 times at Werder Bremen (five starts) and will be hoping to make more of an impact at his new loan club.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also has revealed that another youngster, Brandon Williams, will not be leaving ahead of Monday's transfer deadline. The young defender had been a loan target for several English clubs including Newcastle.

20.05 GMT: New York Red Bulls centre-back Aaron Long has been generating interest from England, notably from Liverpool, but is any potential deal now off?

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter just revealed that Long will start in central defence tomorrow for the U.S. in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, which insinuates that Long is probably not moving ahead of Monday's deadline. The 28-year-old has been linked with Reading and Liverpool this week.

19.19 GMT: United States defender DeAndre Yedlin is set for a move to Galatasaray from Newcastle United, sources have told ESPN.

The 27-year-old is set to travel to Turkey to complete a medical ahead of the move. Yedlin was set to be out of contract at Newcastle at the end of the season but no will sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Istanbul giants.

Capped 62 times by the United States, the pacy full-back has spent the past six years in England with Tottenham, Sunderland and then Newcastle.

18.42 GMT: Fulham need to find some goals but they won't be brining in a striker, according to manager Scott Parker.

Asked if he expects a striker to arrive following Fulham's 2-2 draw at West Brom, Parker said: "I don't think so. I'm being told that won't be the case."

Fulham currently reside in 18th place and are four points from safety after 20 matches.

18.08 GMT: Newcastle got a big boost Saturday with a win at Everton and another could be on the way.

That is because Newcastle have enquired about brining in Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham on loan, reports Sky. The Frenchman, 24, is looking to leave Celtic but the Scottish champions would rather sell the player outright then loan him.

17.29 GMT: Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone is expected to join Valencia on loan.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed as much following Wolves' 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday:

"I cannot say too much until things are done and clear, but I'm not going to lie to you," said Nuno. "I hope that things are almost solved. He will probably join Valencia until the end of the season."

The 23-year-old has made just three Premier League starts in two years since arriving from AC Milan and has also spent time on loan at Fiorentina.

16.51 GMT: Barcelona's debt is greater than €1bn. Forget bringing back Neymar for €200m, they can't even afford Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, who is out of contract in the summer, writes Sid Lowe.

Everyone knew that Barcelona's financial situation was bad; it's been reported repeatedly. Everything that has happened in the past year or so -- yes, even pre-pandemic -- has pointed at it. But seeing it in black and white was still quite shocking, and think about it: the fact that it occupied a front page in Madrid but not in Barcelona is pretty shocking, too. As was seeing it played out over the potential signing of Garcia.

And that's the other thing to note here: All those headlines, all those stories, all those big names supposedly on their way -- don't make the mistake of thinking that all those are purely invented by the media, of thinking it's not what they were told or that it's what people want to hear, however much the urge grows to grab them and shout: You. Can't. Sign.

16.20 GMT: Udinese have completed the permanent transfer of former Barcelona winger Gerard Deulofeu from Watford on a contract until 2024.

16.00 GMT: Dayot Upamecano is one of the best defenders in Europe and has a host of clubs after his signature.

15.34 GMT: Sportitalia reports that Chelsea have started talks with Thiago Silva and Jorginho over new contracts.

Silva, 36, signed a one-year contract when he joined on a free transfer over the summer, while Jorginho has been linked with a move away but could be offered a new deal until 2025

15.20 GMT: Stephan El Shaarawy has completed his move back to AS Roma after leaving Shanghai Shenghua.

14.57 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain have started contracted renewal negotiations with Angel Di Maria, sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens, with the forward rejecting the club's first offer.

Reports in Italy have claimed Tottenham are watching developments between PSG and Di Maria but sources said the Ligue 1 giants are hopeful over finding an agreement to extend the player's stay at the club.

Di Maria, who spent an unhappy season at Manchester United in 2014-15, is settled in Paris with his family. He arrived in a €63m deal and has been a success, with 86 goals and 102 assists in 243 appearances.

The 32-year-old is ready to lower his salary, which is €12m gross a year, but wants a two-year deal, sources said. New PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Di Maria and has used him in a new role since taking over, with the forward playing in a more central position than he did under former coach Thomas Tuchel.

PSG sporting director Leonardo is also eager to keep Di Maria at the club, with both parties hopeful an agreement can be reached soon.

14.12 GMT: Inter Milan have reached an agreement with striker Lautaro Martinez to extend his contract until June 2024, says Gazzetta dello Sport.

In case you were wondering why he didn't sign for Barcelona for €111m over the past few months, it's quite simple. Sid Lowe explains the scale of the club's debt, while Tor-Kristian Karlsen looks at how Barca are turning towards youth now.

14.00 GMT: Borussia Dortmund were holding out for €120m for a club to sign winger Jadon Sancho, but it seems a bit high now.

13.33 GMT: Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has held a secret meeting with representatives of RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, says Bild.

Upamecano, 22, is being followed by all the top clubs in Europe and reportedly has a €42m release clause which comes into effect next summer.

Bayern want the France international to replace David Alaba, who is quitting the club on a free transfer in June, and have evidently got things underway regarding Upamecano already.

13.01 GMT: Liverpool are looking at signing Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi, says Sky Germany.

Mustafi, 28, will be allowed to leave the Emirates as he's fallen down the pecking order, while Liverpool are looking for a cheap backup amid injuries to Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.

With Mustafi's contract expiring at the end of the season, he could only cost a "very low, single-digit million sum." And that would suit Jurgen Klopp, who reportedly wanted to sign the defender for Dortmund 12 years ago before he moved to Everton.

12.25 GMT: Sampdoria midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard has caught the eye of Juventus, Inter, Tottenham and West Ham United, says Tuttosport.

Damsgaard, 20, was only signed from Nordsjaelland in September 2020 for €6.5m but the Denmark international has already done enough to warrant attention as he has scored two goals and provided three assists in 18 appearances.

12.11 GMT: Manchester United let full-back Diogo Dalot join AC Milan on loan during the summer and now the Italian club are keen to keep him.

Dalot, 21, has been a regular since joining the Rossoneri and has helped them to the top of Serie A.

The Sun now claims Milan are willing to spend €17m to sign him, with a report reading: "Milan have now made early contact with United to see if a move can be brokered for the summer. Dalot is happy in Italy, and it is believed he would be open to extending his stay with the club whether on loan or permanently."

11.31 GMT: Liverpool have some defensive issues, it's fair to say.

10.52 GMT: An internal report has been leaked detailing why Barcelona are so desperate to sign Manchester City defender Eric Garcia this month. Sporting director Ramon Planes put the report together for acting president Carles Tusquets in an attempt to get him to sanction a move for Garcia in January.

The report explains that with Gerard Pique out until April with an injury, Ronald Koeman only has three centre-backs available. One of them, Samuel Umtiti, is labeled "unreliable" due to his injury history and it says there are no guarantees he will be fit when the big games roll around later this season. B team defender Oscar Mingueza is "not ready" for important matches.

Garcia is viewed as an "excellent market opportunity" who is available for a knocked down price because his contract expires in the summer. The report also says he would be able to slot straight in as, having come through La Masia, he already knows the club.

However, Tusquets doesn't have the authority to sanction a move for the Man City man. And with the three presidential candidates -- Victor Font, Joan Laporta and Toni Freixa -- in disagreement over whether to sign Garcia now or in the summer, Koeman is likely to be left without his top target when the transfer window closes on Monday.

10.38 GMT: Barcelona are working on moving a couple of players on before the transfer window closes on Monday, with both Jean-Clair Todibo and Matheus Fernandes surplus to requirements at Camp Nou.

Todibo, 21, has endured an unsuccessful loan spell with Benfica so far this season, making just two appearances under Jorge Jesus. Sources have confirmed to ESPN that talks are ongoing for him to cut his time in Portugal short ahead of a return to France, with Nice prepared to take him on loan with an option to buy in the summer.

Meanwhile, Matheus, 22, has featured just once off the bench for Barca this season. The Catalan club have been trying to sell him since last summer and, after talks with two La Liga clubs broke down earlier this month, Diario SPORT are reporting that a move to Brazilian side Gremio has emerged as a possibility.

10.18 GMT: Manchester City are eyeing some next gen talent as Goal reports that City are closing in on deals for Fluminense 17-year-olds Kayky and Metinho.

Kayky has been linked to Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, but City will reportedly snap up the pair for around £9m.

Fluminense President Mario Bittencourt told Globo Esporte: "City informed us that they will make an official offer for these two players."

Kayky is an attacking midfielder/forward, while Metinho is a central midfielder.

09.50 GMT: Manchester United let Jesse Lingard move to West Ham on loan, but was it a good move?.

09.31 GMT: ICYMI - New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long has caught the attention of English Premier League giants Liverpool with an eye towards taking the defender on loan, multiple sources have told ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

Liverpool has been beset by injuries to their backline, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined. Such has been the Reds need that midfielder Jordan Henderson has been forced to deputize in the center of Liverpool's defence. Long would provide a short-term depth option to alleviate the Reds' shortage of backline options.

Manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear after Liverpool's 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur that he would be keen to add a new central defender in this month's transfer window.

"If you have a center-half available at a reasonable price, and one with the quality we need, then send me a message," he said on BT Sport. "We thought [about making signings] and we think the whole time but it's about doing the right thing. We need to find the right player. It's incredible what's happening in the defensive line."

09.12 GMT: "An agreement seems far off" between Real Madrid and Sergio Ramos, according to Marca, a month after talks over a contract extension began between the club captain and president Florentino Perez.

"The positions of club and player remain distant for now," the newspaper reports, with Madrid unwilling to improve on their initial offer, and a departure "is a possibility that grows with each day that passes."

Ramos will miss Madrid's La Liga match with Levante on Saturday with a knee injury that has kept the defender out since their Spanish Supercopa defeat to Athletic Bilbao earlier this month.

Marca claim the club believe Ramos -- who has been free to speak to other clubs outside Spain since Jan. 1 -- won't receive a better deal elsewhere, while the centre-back expects Madrid to eventually improve their offer, given the additional expense of replacing him if he were to depart.

09.00 GMT: Real Madrid need to sell a collection of fringe players this summer if they want to compete with their rivals to sign Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, sources told ESPN's Rodrigo Faez.

The pair have been linked with Real in the transfer rumour gossip columns for over a year but sources said the club's priority is to bring in €60-70m in player sales this summer with Isco, Marcelo, Alvaro Odriozola and Luka Jovic among those that could leave. Europe's elite football clubs are expected to miss out on over €2bn ($2.43bn) in revenue by the end of the 2020-21 season due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and Madrid's aim is to balance their books through player sales before focusing on arrivals.

Last summer, the club did not make a signing for the first time since 1980 and instead recouped €100m in player departures, including Sergio Reguilon, Achraf Hakimi and Oscar Rodriguez. They also reduced their wage bill by €40m after James Rodriguez's free transfer to Everton and Gareth Bale's season-long loan to Tottenham.

Mbappe and Haaland both remain on Madrid's radar but aside from looking to fund a move for one or both of them, the club are also focusing on contract renewals for key players.

PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)

Barcelona call urgent meeting about Garcia

Barcelona have held an urgent meeting regarding the signing of Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, reports Sport.

Barca managing committee chair Carles Tusquets called a meeting with presidential candidates Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa, as well as sporting director Ramon Planes, which was held at 7 p.m. on Friday.

They had previously decided to wait until the summer to sign the Spaniard for free, but there are now suggestions the club might move in the coming days.

Barca might have to pay City as little as €300,000 of the €3m plus add-ons straight away, while Garcia is ready to play for free until the end of the season to help his chances of getting into Luis Enrique's Euro 2020 squad.

Reynolds heading to Italy

FC Dallas right-back Bryan Reynolds will fly to Italy on Saturday to finalise his move to AS Roma, reports Fabrizio Romano.

There has been plenty of talk about Reynolds and a move to Europe, with Juventus having also been interested in signing him.

However, it seems as though the 19-year-old will now be signing for the Giallorossi before the January deadline.

The Serie A outfit are also expected to bring in free agent Stephan El Shaarawy, who has undergone a medical.

Tap-ins

- Atalanta are in advanced talks to sign Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Viktor Kovalenko, says Fabrizio Romano. Personal terms have already been agreed and the journalist suggests negotiations are in the final stage. This comes after Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez was allowed to leave to join Sevilla after falling out with manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

- TalkSPORT has suggested that Danny Rose's time out in the cold at Tottenham Hotspur could finally be coming to an end. That news comes with Turkish club Trabzonspor believing that they have struck a deal to sign him. Rose has been offered a three-and-a-half-year contract that would see him join the same club that former England teammate Daniel Sturridge played for before being released in March 2020.