The 2022 January transfer window is closed, but there’s still 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: Liverpool want in on race for Mbappe
Liverpool are beginning their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe ahead his contract expiring this summer, with Jurgen Klopp using his relationship with the France international to tempt him to Anfield, reports Sport.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is looking to convince the 23-year-old to make a free transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu, but the forward has suggested his future is still undecided. Mbappe was the difference for PSG on Tuesday night against Madrid, netting a late winner as they took a 1-0 advantage in their Champions League knockout clash with the LaLiga leaders, though he claims to be focused on his current club for now.
Despite having gone on record to say he wanted to leave to join Madrid last summer, Mbappe is reported to be attracted to Liverpool’s project, enticed by the opportunity to create an era-defining team that can immediately win multiple major competitions over being the main piece in a rebuild.
The report adds that PSG are also preparing an astronomical offer to persuade their star man to remain at the Parc des Princes, but it’s beginning to look like a long shot to get Mbappe to stay in Paris with so many top teams circling for his signature.
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LIVE BLOG
15.21 GMT: Bayern Munich have struggled recently but don’t write them off.
0:27
Don Hutchison shares his thoughts on Bayern Munich’s chances to win the Champions League after their 1-1 draw with FC Salzburg.
15.00 GMT: The New York Red Bulls have signed Stoke defender Tom Edwards on loan for the 2022 MLS season.
Edwards, 23, helped the Red Bulls to eight clean sheets in 25 starts and featured at right-back, centre-back and defensive midfielder.
“I am pleased to have Tom back with the squad,” said Head Coach Gerhard Struber. “Not only does he have top quality on the field but he is great to have in our lockerroom. Tom’s warrior mentality will be helpful for us this year.”
14.32 GMT: Funny how these kinds of stories appear when two teams are playing each other…
Barcelona want to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer, says Sport.
Koulibaly, 29, has been linked with a €100m move to some of Europe’s top clubs for years but his contract expires in the summer of 2023 so his transfer fee is lower now.
Indeed, the Senegal centre-back could be available for €40m and Barca’s hierarchy views that move as much easier than trying to land Xavi Hernandez’s first choice of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde for less than €80m, or to persuade Juventus to let Matthijs de Ligt depart for less than €120m.
Barcelona play Napoli in the Europa League knockout round playoffs at Camp Nou on Thursday evening.
14.00 GMT: Bild says that Stuttgart defender Borna Sosa is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs.
Sosa, 24, was linked with a January move to Chelsea as the club looked to find a replacement for the injured Ben Chilwell, but nothing materialised and Stuttgart reportedly wanted around £25m to do a deal.
Now, with the German club second from bottom in the German Bundesliga, the Croatia international is considering his options for the summer.
13.46 GMT: Chicago Fire are in advanced negotiations sign winger Jairo Torres from Atlas, according to ESPN Deportes.
Torres, 21, is determined to continue his career in MLS and Atlas are ready to let him go if the Fire agree to pay his $6m release clause.
13.20 GMT: River Plate are set to give up on the signing of NYCFC’s Valentin Castellanos, according to ESPN Argentina, with the transfer window in Argentina closing on Feb. 19.
River manager Marcelo Gallardo had identified the 23-year-old striker as a priority arrival this month, but the Argentine giants will need to look elsewhere due to the MLS club’s high demands.
NYCFC want around $12m in transfer fee to let Castellanos leave, but River were only able to afford that amount in different installments to be paid over three years.
12.58 GMT: Ajax winger Antony is attracting interest from the Premier League, with Manchester United the latest club linked, according to 90min.
Antony, 21, already reportedly has Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea on his trail, while United are looking to bolster their forward line with Mason Greenwood‘s future unclear following his arrest last month.
The Brazil international has 11 goals and eight assists for Ajax so far this term and could be ready to make a move in the summer.
12.25 GMT: Chelsea want midfielder Mason Mount to sign a new contract in the coming months, says Fabrizio Romano.
Mount, 23, has become a key player for the Blues over the past few years, though his contract expires in 2024 and no discussions over a renewal have started yet.
11.46 GMT: Antonio Conte has suggested Tottenham Hotspur’s squad may have been technically “weakened” by their business in the January transfer window after shipping out four players and only bringing in two replacements.
He was keen to sign several reinforcements last month but missed out on Adama Traore and Luis Diaz — who signed for Barcelona and Liverpool respectively — while ESPN revealed that Spurs also had two bids rejected for Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.
Spurs did eventually sign Juventus duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, the latter initially on loan, but allowed Dele Alli to join Everton on an initial free transfer before loaning out three others: Bryan Gil, who only joined the club six months earlier for £25m, record-signing Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.
On Feb. 4, Conte described his squad as “more complete” because they possessed greater balance but in an interview with Sky Italy released in full on Thursday, he said: “What happened in January is not easy. Four players left in January. Four important players for Tottenham, two have arrived. So even numerically instead of reinforcing yourself in quotes you may have, on paper, weakened.
“Then, precise choices were made for many reasons. But I certainly never expected that in January, four players who I still considered important would change their shirts for a thousand reasons. This shows the difficulty. Tottenham in the last session of the summer transfer market and in January changed eight players.”
11.30 GMT: Liverpool may have a tough choice to make this summer. Star forward Mohamed Salah has less than 18 months left on his reported £200,000-a-week contract and, as he turns 30 in June, the club may need to let him leave if they are to avoid losing him for free in 2023.
Salah is one of the best players in the Premier League and Liverpool won’t want to see him depart, but they may have to make him English football’s first ever £500,000-a-week player — a salary which would even exceed that of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns a reported £480,000-a-week.
But who could the Reds turn to in the summer transfer window to replace Salah if they have to? Tor-Kristian Karlsen assesses some options.
2:12
Mark Donaldson and Craig Burley discuss some potential replacements for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
11.02 GMT: Nigeria and former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo says he would grab a chance to return to the Premier League ‘with both hands’, and told ESPN that he would support the Red Devils ’till death’.
Ighalo, now with Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal, was the first Nigerian to play for United when he went there on loan in 2020, even taking a pay cut to move to the club he’d supported since childhood. He played in 12 league fixtures, but made his mark in the Europa League and FA Cup before COVID-19 cut his deal short.
Winning trophies was not something he experienced at Manchester United, despite the club’s rich and trophy-laden history, but he looks back at his time there with pride.
Ighalo told ESPN: “In years to come, you need something to show your children… I have been talking to my children about Manchester United, the experience.
“I left Old Trafford with pride, with my head up, because it was my dream team and not everybody’s dream comes to pass. Mine came to pass so every day of my life, I’m grateful.
“To be the first Nigerian to play there and so far the only Nigerian, those are great achievements for me and I did well so I’m happy for that.”
10.15 GMT: France president Emmanuel Macron has encouraged Kylian Mbappe to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, according to El Mundo.
Macron and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy have both made efforts to persuade the PSG superstar to remain at the club beyond his current contract, which expires this summer, as Real Madrid and Liverpool look set to battle it out for his signature.
Mbappe said after in his team’s 1-0 win against Real Madrid in Tuesday’s Champions League, courtesy of his brilliant goal, that he had not made a decision regarding his future, while Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti described the 23-year-old as “the best player currently in Europe”.
PSG turned down a €200m bid from Real Madrid last summer and have yet to agree terms on a new deal.
Mbappe has played for PSG since 2017, when he joined from Monaco for €180m, and has since scored 154 goals from 203 matches.
09.37 GMT: LaLiga president Javier Tebas is certain that PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland will join Real Madrid this summer.
Mbappe, 23, is available on a free transfer in the next transfer window, while Haaland’s €75m release clause will come into effect this season as well.
“Madrid will get Mbappe and Haaland and the others [Barcelona and Juventus] are half [financially] ruined,” he said in quotes reported by Europa Press. “That Mbappe comes is great news for LaLiga.”
09.16 GMT: Manchester City’s recent $20m signing Julian Alvarez scored a hat trick in River Plate’s 4-1 league win over Patronato.
Alvarez, 22, has scored 39 goals in 97 appearances but signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with City in January and is back on loan at River until July.
“As long as it helps my team, I will be there,” Alvarez said after the game. “It’s thanks to my teammates that I score. They are the ones that provide me with assists. We work as a team.”
River coach Marcelo Gallardo praised Alvarez after the game, saying: “I don’t worry about his behaviour because he hasn’t changed beyond the fact that strong things have happened to him in recent times, such as finishing at a great level last year, then for one of the best teams in the world noticing him. A 21-year-old lad could get distracted, but since he is very focused and balanced, I am not worried about his behaviour and today he showed it. It was normal that if he did not score a goal, like last weekend, something would be said. We know these are things that are going to happen, he’s not going to score goals in every game. We know him very well and while he’s here he’s going to do things like today.”
08.30 GMT: Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz is not getting carried away by reports linking him with Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Fabian has a contract with the Serie A outfit until June 2023, but the former Betis star has attracted the attention of top clubs after scoring five goals and setting up three more in 20 league appearances this season.
Reports claimed the Spain international will not sign a new deal with Napoli as he aims to return to LaLiga.
But, asked about reported interest from Barca and Real Madrid, he said: “It’s always nice to be linked to big European clubs and more so if they are from Spain. I have a contract with Napoli for a further year and I’m only thinking about doing things well.”
1:27
Gab Marcotti suggests Man United should resolve their managerial situation before chasing Christopher Nkunku.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Manchester United cooled their interest in Christopher Nkunku in January and could abandon their pursuit to sign him in favour of acquiring a No. 9, reveals Bild. The club began negotiations with RB Leipzig during the January window for the versatile 24-year-old midfielder who can also play as a forward, but the Premier League side may now look to add new talent in other positions.
– Manchester City are preparing a summer swoop for West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen, according to Ekrem Konur. The 25-year-old’s fine form since joining the Hammers from Hull City in January 2020 has seen a number of clubs begin to enquire about his services, and he was most recently linked with Liverpool. He has contributed to 16 goals in 25 Premier League appearances this season.
– Man United midfielder Paul Pogba is open to remaining in the Premier League should he receive an offer when his contract expires in the summer, reports the Telegraph. The 28-year-old France international has been linked with PSG and Real Madrid in recent months, but United could now face the reality of losing him to a domestic rival.
– Juventus are ready to resume contract negotiations with Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala, according to Calciomercato. It is reported that the Serie A club are confident of reaching a deal with both players after confirming the signings of Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria, with the two moves signaling their intent to rebuild quickly. Dybala, 28, has seen his contract saga play out since last summer, though is now into the final four months of his deal. The 33-year-old Cuadrado is also a priority for Massimiliano Allegri’s side to renew.
– Federico Bernardeschi has been offered to AC Milan, as time runs down on his contract with Juventus, reports Rudy Galetti. The 28-year-old winger currently earns €4m-a-year, though recent talks with the Bianconeri saw them look to reduce his salary. The report adds that his representatives have contacted Milan, with hopes of securing a deal in what would see him make the switch to San Siro on a free transfer.
