The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Juventus make contact over Pulisic transfer
After months of enquiries, Calciomercato reports that Juventus have made initial contact regarding a move for Chelsea and United States forward Christian Pulisic.
Juve have been looking at the 24-year-old for some time, but it is in recent months that their interest has gained momentum. The report states that Juventus are keen on Pulisic's versatility, as he has played multiple positions -- from winger to wing-back to a false No. 9 -- at Chelsea.
With this in mind, the Italian club have made their first contact with Pulisic's agent in order to gauge whether the American would be interested taking on a new challenge.
Pulisic has only managed one start -- which lasted an hour -- in Chelsea's eight matches this season, managing no more than 26 minutes in any of his substitute appearances. Despite this lack of game time, the Blues have no intentions of letting the former Borussia Dortmund star leave for a low transfer fee. Chelsea could demand €35 million for Pulisic's transfer, which Juventus have taken note of.
Pulisic didn't play in the USMNT's 2-0 defeat against Japan last week due to a slight knock but is expected to start in their final World Cup warm-up game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
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21.08 BST: Newcastle United will return to try to sign James Maddison in January if Leicester City lower their demands, reports the Times. The attacking midfielder's Foxes contract ends in 2024, something the Magpies could look to take advantage of after having offers including transfer fees of £40m and £45m turned down in the summer.
20.35 BST: Paris Saint-Germain are working to extend Presnel Kimpembe's contract, according to Le10 Sport, which adds that this could be agreed in the coming weeks or months. In addition to Chelsea, Manchester United and Juventus held an interest in the centre-back in the summer, but the France international is ready to continue with PSG as he aims to return from injury.
20.02 BST: Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah and Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City are among the players Inter Milan are considering if Milan Skriniar departs in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Inter have held off Paris Saint-Germain's interest in the Slovakia international so far, but they could be forced to let the 27-year-old leave this winter due to avoid losing him for free when his contract expires at the end of the season.
19.29 BST: Stade Brestois 29 are in advanced discussions with Youcef Belaili about terminating the winger's contract, reports Foot Mercato. The Algeria international has two assists in six Ligue 1 matches this term but has not appeared in the last two, as he is set to depart having only joined in January of this year.
18.56 BST: Sport reports that Valencia will sign goalkeeper Iago Herrerin as a replacement for the injured Jaume Domenech, who is expected to be out for at least six months following his torn ACL. Herrerin last played for Al-Raed in Saudi Arabia but has been a free agent since July, allowing Valencia to make the move outside of the transfer window.
18.23 BST: Chelsea striker Armando Broja is a player of interest for AC Milan as they aim to bolster their attack next summer, reports Calciomercato. The Blues would be willing to let the 21-year-old Albania international leave the club if they were to receive a €30m transfer fee, and Milan feel that Broja has the technical quality and physical attributes to thrive at the San Siro.
17.50 BST: Newcastle United are close to finalising a deal to sign Central Coast Mariners striker Garang Kuol, according to Sky Sports News' Keith Downie, who adds that Borussia Dortmund have also held an interest in the 18-year-old. The Magpies are working on ways to overcome any work permit issues, which could include a loan to a European club.
17.17 BST: Former Nigeria international Mikel John Obi has announced his retirement from professional football on his Instagram page. The 35-year-old spent more than a decade with Chelsea before departing Stamford Bridge in 2017 and most recently played for Kuwait SC.
16.44 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that while Newcastle United have long been monitoring Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos, the Tyneside club have yet to reach any agreement with the team from Rio de Janeiro. The 18-year-old Brazil youth international is also drawing attention from "many clubs," leaving the Magpies with plenty of competition for his signature.
16.11 BST: AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham only moved to the Italian club from Chelsea for €40m in 2021, but could return to the Premier League soon.
Corriere dello Sport claims that the England striker, who has 29 goals in 61 games for Roma, is keen to move back to England and that Manchester United are interested.
Chelsea have a clause to re-sign Abraham for €80m in 2023, but are unlikely to action it and United could take advantage.
15.15 BST: Calciomercato claims Leeds United want to sign Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic.
As above, Pulisic could be allowed to leave the club this summer and Leeds' American coach Jesse Marsch is keen to link up with the 24-year-old USMNT star.
Marsch said earlier this year: "Christian is a big, big talent, the best in our country. The expectations on him are high, he has met a lot of those expectations. But with his talent, people are demanding more. Every time I've coached against him, he's scored. I don't have any negative criticisms. I would love to work with him, whether it is with the national team in the distant future. He has created a lot of firsts for American players."
14.30 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo says he's not going anywhere -- not yet anyway -- but here Rob Dawson looks at a list of options around his future.
The 37-year-old Manchester United forward will be with Portugal in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November, but beyond that, he's also got his sights set on the next European Championship, set to be held in Germany in the summer of 2024.
He was keen to leave Manchester United in the summer because of a desire to carry on at the very top for as long as possible and find regular Champions League football elsewhere. A move didn't materialise and, for now, he remains at Old Trafford, but there are question marks over his next move and what his future in football looks like.
Option 1: He leaves Man United in January
Option 2: He leaves Man United next summer
Option 3: He extends his contract at Old Trafford
13.57 BST: Forbes claims that Manchester United still want to sign PSV winger Cody Gakpo.
Gakpo, 23, was on United's radar alongside Ajax's Anthony. In the end, United opted to spend €95m to sign Anthony, but could return to land Gakpo in the coming months.
13.40 BST: Everton have confirmed midfielder Allan has joined Abu Dhabi club Al Wahda.
13.00 BST: Luis Figo has still got it at 49 years old.
11.50 BST: Enzo Fernandez will not leave Benfica in the January transfer window amid interest from several clubs, according to O Jogo.
The Argentina international, who joined Benfica from Boca Juniors for an initial €10m this summer, has scored three goals in 13 appearances for the club.
Fernandez's performances have attracted attention from several clubs in Europe, including Liverpool, with talk of a €60m offer. However, Benfica want the 21-year-old to stay at least until the end of the season and the player is happy to do so.
10.41 BST: Juventus midfielder Leandro Paredes says he made the right decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer in search of playing time.
The Argentina international left PSG to join Juventus on loan this summer, with the Italian club given an option to sign him on a permanent transfer.
"It was a difficult decision to change clubs before the World Cup but I made the right decision," he said. "I needed minutes, to get to the World Cup in the best possible way. Both things were important: to have minutes and to get to a big team like Juventus, which It was one of my dreams. Leaving [Argentina teammate Lionel] Messi at PSG was one of the things I put in the balance, being close to Leo, to enjoy him. But I decided to look for minutes."
Paredes, 28, also spoke about his desire to return to Boca Juniors one day.
"I've just changed clubs and I have a long-term contract," he added. "You don't know what can happen in the future. I said it when I left the club, that my biggest wish and desire would be to retire at Boca."
10.11 BST: Barcelona are targeting Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi as a potential replacement for Sergio Busquets, according to AS.
Busquets' contract at Barca expires next summer and the 34-year-old midfielder's future at Camp Nou is unclear. The Catalan giants have reportedly started looking for his successor, and Zubimendi is said to be top of the list.
Zubimendi came through Real Sociedad's academy and has made 106 appearances since making his senior debut in 2019. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves and Chelsea's Jorginho are the other two candidates reportedly identified by Barca to fill Busquets' boots were he to leave.
Busquets is one of the last remaining links to Barcelona's golden age under Pep Guardiola. The midfielder has won eight LaLiga titles, three Champions League trophies and seven Copas del Rey since making his debut for the club in 2008. He has made 685 appearances for Barca as well as winning the World Cup and the European Championships with Spain.
09.35 BST: The agent of Brazil wonderkid Endrick has hit back at the Spanish press after some media outlets suggested that Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to battle to sign the Palmeiras star.
Endrick, 16, is highly rated, despite being so young, and can't leave Brazil until he is 18 -- as happened with Vinicius Jr.'s €45m move to Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo. The forward is reportedly valued at around €60m.
"The international break is always the same, there's no news and this "froth" starts," his agent Frederico Pena said. "Every club in the world is interested in Endrick. All of them! Which is the most normal thing in the world. With his quality, his youth... But none of them have made any proposal to us or Palmeiras to buy him. He has to play for Palmeiras until he turns 18. Consequently, he'll play at Palmeiras for at least 22 more months.
"Endrick's contract with Palmeiras runs until July 2025... He can only move abroad from Brazil from July 2024. No player under the age of 18 can move abroad. He can be sold, but he cannot be transferred. In other words, a club comes here, they do a deal with Palmeiras. But he can't leave. He has to stay at Palmeiras even though he's already been sold."
09.02 BST: Sergio Gomez says joining Manchester City this summer, after just one season at Anderlecht, was a move he had to make to enhance his career.
Gomez, 22, joined City from Anderlecht on a four-year deal for a fee of around €13m in August. Anderlecht were reluctant to sanction the transfer as the Spain U21 international left-back had only joined them the previous summer from Borussia Dortmund, but let him leave.
"Things have gone well for me, last summer and this summer," Gomez told COPE. "Opportunities come along and you have to take them. I was very happy when they [City] called me. It was a tough time because Anderlecht made it difficult. I had a good season at Anderlecht and with the national team. I had to take a step forward and I'm very happy with the move I've made."
08.32 BST: Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar could still leave the club in January, says Gazzetta dello Sport.
Skriniar, 27, has a contract which expires in 2023 but the two parties have yet to make any progress over an extension.
PSG reportedly made a €70m move for the Slovakia international in the summer but although that bid was rejected, the French champions might have more luck in a few months' time.
08.00 BST: Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo will undergo surgery this week on his right thigh and is at risk of missing the World Cup, sources have told ESPN.
The Uruguay international got hurt in the early minutes of his country's 1-0 defeat to Iran in a friendly on Friday.
Araujo returned to Barcelona and tests done confirmed damage to his adductor longus tendon.
Barca said in a statement: "The first team player Ronald Araujo will undergo surgery on Wednesday for the adductor longus tendon avulsion he has in his right thigh. The operation will be carried out by Dr. Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the Club's medical staff, in Turku, Finland. When the operation is completed there will be another medical statement."
The 23-year-old was reluctant to undergo surgery with the World Cup less than two months away, but after talking to Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez and club doctor Ricardo Pruna on Monday morning, the player has decided to have the operation.
Luis Figo played in zero-gravity conditions to help to set a world record for the highest football game ever played.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
- Marca reports that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is Real Madrid's priority for the 2023 summer transfer window. Los Blancos have previously contacted the England international and asked him not to renew his Dortmund contract, with the 19-year-old reportedly preferring a move to Madrid amid links with Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool.
- Barcelona were unable to complete their move for Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva in the summer, but Mundo Deportivo report that the Blaugrana remain undeterred with Xavi Hernandez naming the Portugal international as his main focus to strengthen the team next season. This stance is taken despite the knowledge that the Catalans will likely need to offload an important player in order to make the move financially viable.
- Juventus are hoping to strengthen their defence in the summer and Calciomercato reports that AS Monaco's Benoit Badiashile remains their first choice. Juventus are also looking at Eintracht Frankfurt's Evan N'Dicka, who has impressed the Serie A club. N'Dicka's contract ends in 2023, so he would be available as a free agent.
- Calciomercato has denied claims that Arthur Melo's loan from Juventus to Liverpool could be ended prematurely in January, stating that neither the club nor player want that to happen. So far, the Brazilian midfielder has managed just 13 first-team minutes and has played for the Reds' U21s twice -- including in a 1-0 defeat against Rochdale in the EFL Trophy.
- Fabrizio Romano reports that that free agent Jason Denayer will join Shabab Al Ahli and is on his way to the United Arab Emirates to complete a move. This will see the former Lyon and Man City centre-back join the likes of Kostas Manolas, Miralem Pjanic and Allan in the UAE Pro League.