The 2022 January transfer window is open (find out when it closes here) and there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Morata's Barca move on hold as Juventus, PSG at odds over Icardi
January transfer windows can bring up some awkward negotiating scenarios for clubs and players, with Calciomercato reporting that Juventus' search for a new striker is causing a traffic jam across the market.
This scenario begins with Alvaro Morata, who wants to cut his loan at Juve short and return to Spain to join Barcelona, who have already signed forward Ferran Torres from Manchester City for €55m this winter despite debts of over €1 billion.
However, Juventus are insisting that they must find a suitable replacement before letting Morata depart, with Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic and Sassuolo's Gianluca Scamacca unlikely to join in January as they are summer targets.
Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi is one player who could make the move to Turin this month, however, the Italian giants are hoping to sign the Argentina international on loan with an option to sign him permanently later, whereas PSG are only willing to accept a permanent move right now.
If Morata is to get his move to Barcelona, then it seems either Juventus or PSG will have to alter their stance on Icardi. Considering there have been no signs of them doing just that yet, everyone appears to be stuck in limbo.
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LIVE BLOG
21.01 GMT: Nottingham Forest looked pretty good in their FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday, but beforehand the club welcomed some reinforcement from abroad.
Toronto FC announced that the club had sold the rights to Canadian defender Richie Laryea. The 27-year-old played in Toronto for three seasons, playing a role in helping the club reach the MLS Cup in 2019. He has 22 caps a goal with the Canadian national team.
"When you visit the stadium, you can see the history straight away," Laryea said after joining the club in England. "You can see that this is what English football is all about and this is what I've seen growing up as a kid, so it's a great feeling to be here."
20:08 GMT: It appears the Portland Timbers may be losing another of their top players. After recent reports that Sebastian Blanco is looking for a move within MLS, now fellow Argentinian playmaker Diego Valeri is reportedly set to head abroad.
According to TyC Sports, Valeri is on the cusp of returning to Lanus, the club he started his career at in 2003 and stayed with for a decade. The deal is reportedly for one year.
Valeri joined the Timbers in 2013 and has been their most important player, holding the club record in goals (100) and assists (104) across all competitions.
19.19 GMT: A long-rumored move involving Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres appears to have finally gotten done. A report from Jaime Ojeda on Twitter says the 21-year-old has been signed by Orlando City in MLS.
The report puts the transfer fee at $10 million to bring him from Uruguayan first-division club Penarol. It appears that the recent transfer of Daryl Dike to West Bromwich Albion may have helped fund the move for Orlando -- that was a $10 million deal as well.
More: USMNT striker Daryl Dike relishes return to England
18.26 GMT: Chelsea and manager Thomas Tuchel are looking to bring back left-back Emerson Palmieri, according to prolific tweeter Fabrizio Romano. Palmieri was loaned to Lyon in August on a one-year deal, and now Tuchel is reportedly looking to recall him.
Lyon had rejected a first approach, the report says, but Chelsea are now prepared to try again and offer compensation for the 27-year-old Brazilian.
With that, it looks like Chelsea's hopes to land Lucas Digne, another left-back, are all the more unlikely. Chelsea, among other suitors, had been looking at a loan deal, but Everton are reportedly only interested in permanent transfer offers for the 28-year-old Frenchman.
Everton signed Digne in 2018 on a five-year deal for a reported £18 million. The club are now seeking somewhere in the range of £30 million to let go of him, according to reports.
17.43 GMT: Manchester City forward Cole Palmer is pushing for a regular place in the first-team this season.
16.13 GMT: Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are willing to consider a big-money move for a striker in January amid ongoing links with Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic.
Reports in Italy have suggested the Gunners are willing to offer €55m plus Lucas Torreira in a bid to land the Serbia forward, who has 18 months remaining on his current contract.
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal have been monitoring Vlahovic for some time but it is unclear at this stage whether a transfer is a realistic possibility this month.
Arsenal spent around €167m last summer on five new players but when asked whether another big deal was within their capabilities, as rumours persist over Vlahovic, Arteta said: "If it is the right player and we can afford it and we can do what we want to do, we will discuss it and make the best possible decision. We are open.
"I think with the amount of things and the way that we want to evolve the squad we have to maximise every window in many different ways and we are alert.
"[Technical director] Edu and his team are working very hard as we know exactly what we need to do and whether we can accomplish that in January or in the summer is a different question as it is related to other stuff."
15.56 GMT: Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick says he's happy at the club amid talk around a transfer in January.
Schick, 25, has scored 17 goals in 15 Bundesliga games this season after a stellar Euro 2020 campaign over the summer with the Czech Republic.
"Of course it's nice to read when you're associated with big clubs," Schick told Bild. "But I'm really happy in Leverkusen and want to play in the Champions League with Bayer. I love to live in Germany.
"At the moment, it's not an issue at all for me to think about another club. Everyone knows my contract situation, and I would never cause problems for the club to push through a move."
14.45 GMT: Norwich City winger Todd Cantwell has been linked with Newcastle, but Leicester are also keen on signing him, according to The Sun.
Cantwell, 23, is keen to move on as Norwich have struggled in the Premier League this season, with a £15m fee reportedly enough to land him.
Liverpool, Tottenham, Leeds and Roma have also been scouting the England U21 international.
14.04 GMT: The Daily Mail says that Manchester City expect Raheem Sterling to sign a new contract.
Sterling, 27, seems back to his best but has struggled at times to cement his place in the City first-team this season.
The England forward was linked with a January loan move before City let winger Ferran Torres depart for a €55m move to Barcelona, with Sterling still tied to the club until 2023.
13.00 GMT: Can you imagine Tottenham striker Harry Kane at Man United?
12.22 GMT: Barcelona still have some work to do before they can register Ferran Torres, according to club directors.
Barca signed the Spain forward from Manchester City for €55m last week and then loaned midfielder Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa until the end of the season.
"Phil Coutinho's departure helps us, generates fair play, but it's not enough," Barcelona football director Mateu Alemany said after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Granada. "We are working a lot to find other departures, other situations, that will allow us to get that fair play needed to register Ferran. Ferran is still not available to play because he still has COVID."
Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste said the club is working around the clock to make this happen: "We need more departures. We are working on it, all the club professionals are working so that this gets done as soon as possible."
Austrian forward Yusuf Demir and French centre-back Samuel Umtiti are expected to be next to leave Camp Nou in the January transfer window.
Yuste, meanwhile, gave an update on negotiations for a contract extension for forward Ousmane Dembele, who has offers from clubs in the Premier League and Serie A and is in no hurry to sign a new deal. While Barca coach Xavi is keen for the France international to remain, it seems likely Dembele will leave Barca this summer as a free agent.
"We are focused on Dembele's contract talks and the team we have," he said. "Ferran's arrival means we have a more consolidated team and we hope and desire that Dembele's contract extension does happen as soon as possible. That's what the coach wants, what we all want. The club has given his [Dembele's] agents, and the player knows it already, the best that the club can currently offer and at this time we are waiting for his agents to respond. We hope to get it as soon as possible."
11.47 GMT: The Houston Dynamo are closing in on a deal for Libertad and Paraguay youth international striker Carlos Sebastian Ferreira Vidal, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Telemundo's Roberto Rojas was among the first to report the news. The sources added that Ferreira, 23, is expected to fly to Houston in the next few days to finalize the deal, with the agreed transfer fee around $6m.
If the deal is completed, Ferreira will join a Houston side in need of attacking help, with Dynamo's 36 goals in 2021 tied for the second-worst mark in Major League Soccer.
11.03 GMT: PSG forward Kylian Mbappe could yet sign a new contract with the club, says Le Parisien.
Mbappe, 23, made is clear that he wanted to leave for Real Madrid last summer but PSG rejected an offer of €200m. The France international's contract expires in the summer and he looks set to sign for the Spanish club then for nothing.
However, Mbappe has also said that he doesn't want to leave the club on a free transfer and so could sign a short-term deal, perhaps with an achievable release clause, allowing him to move and PSG to pick up a fee.
Equally, he may decide that he's happy in Paris and put his dream Madrid move on hold for another few years. He has time on his side.
10.25 GMT: Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester United are prepared to let winger Amad Diallo leave on loan.
United spent €21m (with another €20m in add-ons) to sign Diallo from Atalanta last year but he has only made nine appearances since.
The Ivorian is set to join Birmingham on loan to gain more experience, though there are apparently four other clubs also interested.
09.56 GMT: Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga doesn't seem to have a long-term future at the club and was left on the bench for the 5-1 win over Chesterfield in the FA Cup, with Marcus Bettinelli given the chance.
Kepa, 27, became the world's most expensive goalkeeper at €80m when he joined Chelsea, but now can't usurp Edouard Mendy as No. 1.
With Mendy playing for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations this month, Kepa has a chance to shine and The Athletic says that Lazio are interested in signing him permanently. However, his €200,000-a-week wages are a bit of an issue for the Serie A side.
09.34 GMT: A raft of Tottenham players are fearing for their futures as Antonio Conte plans a ruthless overhaul of the squad with more than half a dozen players at risk of being moved, sources told ESPN.
The Italian delivered a scathing assessment of the group in the aftermath of Wednesday's Carabao Cup semifinal, first leg defeat at Chelsea, claiming "we are a team in the middle" and nowhere near ready to compete at the top end of the Premier League.
Sources told ESPN that view has been replicated in private meetings Conte has held with senior figures at the club in mapping out how to reshape his squad, a strategy that centres on a major overhaul taking place.
It is understood that Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Matt Doherty and Tanguy Ndombele are among the list of players Conte is willing to part with. There is also some uncertainty over Japhet Tanganga and Giovani Lo Celso, among others.
09.00 GMT: Ralf Rangnick fears dressing room unrest at Manchester United could derail their bid to finish in the Premier League's top four this season, sources told ESPN.
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Monday night -- Rangnick's first loss as interim manager at Old Trafford -- Luke Shaw said the team had not felt "together" on the pitch while also questioning their motivation and intensity during the game.
Sources told ESPN that although Rangnick was disappointed with the comments, Shaw's interview did not come as a huge surprise and that there are concerns that if the issues are not fixed, United's hopes of securing Champions League football next season will fade quickly.
Rangnick has been in his post for a month, and a number of players have said they want to leave. Sources said that fringe players who became frustrated at a lack of game time under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believed they were getting a clean slate under the 63-year-old but again feel underused.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
- Cristiano Ronaldo has held crisis talks with his agent, Jorge Mendes, regarding his Manchester United future, according to The Sun. The Portugal international forward, 36, is frustrated by the Red Devils' performance and disillusioned with interim manager Ralf Rangnick's tactics. Nothing is said to be ruled out for now.
- Julian Alvarez's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, is set to travel to Italy in the coming days in an attempt to find a deal for the River Plate attacker, says Calciomercato. Fiorentina are currently the most interested club, but Hidalgo is looking bigger for now and is hoping to continue talks with Juventus, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan over a $20m move.
- It has already been reported that Atletico Madrid are interested in Arsenal's Cedric Soares as they look for Kieran Trippier's replacement after the Englishman's move to Newcastle United. However, Nicolo Schira has added two more names to the mix, mentioning Lille's Zeki Celik and RB Leipzig's Nordi Mukiele.
- West Ham United have made an approach to sign Aston Villa centre-back Kortney Hause, according to Football Insider, with Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna having both suffered injuries for the Hammers. Steven Gerrard is reportedly willing to let the 26-year-old leave if another centre-back is signed in January, with Watford having also made an enquiry.
- Marseille are looking to bring in Spartak Moscow's Samuel Gigot and Arsenal's Sead Kolasinac during the January transfer window, as has been reported by L'Equipe. The club president, Pablo Longoria, is under pressure from Jorge Sampaoli to strengthen his squad while working with tight finances. Kolasinac would act as a replacement for Jordan Amavi, who has joined Nice on loan.