The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Conte planning January swoop for Firpo
Internazionale are plotting a January swoop for Barcelona‘s 24-year-old defender Junior Firpo, according to Calciomercato.
Firpo has played 25 times for Barcelona but has featured just twice this term, with both appearances coming in the Champions League, and is yet to be picked in a league game by Ronald Koeman since the Dutchman took over at Camp Nou.
It’s widely understood that Barca are keen to offload fringe players like Firpo to ease their financial issues, and increase the chances of being able to conduct their own January transfer business, while the player himself is reported to be keen on a move if it means he plays more first-team football.
Meanwhile, a left-back has been top of Inter boss Antonio Conte’s wish list so it could be a move that suits all parties.
Inter have won only one of their past seven games in all competitions, and Conte has identified Firpo alongside Chelsea duo Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso as potential targets.
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LIVE BLOG
11.16 GMT: Bayern Munich have left the door open for David Alaba to remain at the club, a week after calling off talks over a new contract.
Alaba, 28, now looks set to leave the Champions League winners on a free transfer next summer, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus among the clubs reportedly interested. He can sign a pre-contract agreement from Jan. 1, 2021.
Bayern reportedly offered Alaba a five-year deal with an annual salary of around €11m, which could have gone up to €15m with bonuses.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer said last Sunday that the club had “decided to take the offer completely off the table,” but club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Saturday that the matter was not totally settled.
Speaking ahead of Bayern’s 3-2 win over arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), Rummenigge told Sky: “We’ll must find a face-saving way for both sides to be okay with. If David wants to stay at FC Bayern, which I do not want to rule out entirely, the door has not been closed yet.”
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0:40
David Alaba admits his frustrations with Bayern Munich over recent failed contract negotiations.
10.02 GMT: Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden is expected to sign a new contract at the club, according to the Daily Star.
Foden, 20, has finally become a first-team regular this year after being eased into the senior set-up by manager Pep Guardiola. He has already made 10 appearances this season, scoring three goals.
Now the England international is in line for a new contract that, according to the Star, will be worth three times the six-year deal worth £25,000 a week that he signed in 2018.
09.00 BST: Paul Pogba is being linked to Real Madrid yet again in the Spanish press, with Diario AS claiming “the French midfielder hasn’t lost hope of wearing white.”
The Manchester United midfielder’s reported €60m price tag next summer makes him more attractive than Rennes wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga, the newspaper says, while admitting that “his signing had been ruled out by Madrid in recent times.”
According to AS, coach Zinedine Zidane “clearly prefers Pogba” and the marketing revenues attached to signing such a star name could help convince president Florentino Perez.
Pogba was named among the substitutes for Saturday’s 3-1 win at Everton, only coming off the bench in the final 10 minutes.
1:25
Craig Burley thinks with all his talent, Paul Pogba needs to ask himself why he’s not getting a start.
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd): Liverpool bid for Motherwell youngster accepted
Liverpool have had a bid accepted for Motherwell‘s young defender Sam Campbell, but the Scottish club are keen to keep the 16-year-old, reports FootballInsider.
The youngster had a trial and subsequent transfer talks with Liverpool in October after he had been granted permission by Motherwell to visit Liverpool’s old Melwood training ground.
However, Motherwell have offered Campbell a three-year deal in the hope that they can keep the burgeoning star. Scottish clubs are able to offer 16-year-olds professional contracts, compared to English clubs who are only able to offer deals to 17-year-old players.
Campbell joined Motherwell in 2018 but is yet to make his first-team debut. However, he made his debut for the club’s under-18s at age 14, and has been impressing ever since.
Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion are also reportedly interested in Campbell.
Milan seek long-term switch for Diaz
AC Milan have been so impressed with loan star Brahim Diaz that they want to make his move permanent, reports Le10Sport.
Diaz is a regular starter for Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli, and technical director and Milan legend Paolo Maldini has been particularly impressed.
Diaz joined Real Madrid from Manchester City in January 2019 but was given few opportunities to impress boss Zinedine Zidane. Milan then swooped for the 21-year-old in the summer, and he hasn’t looked back.
However, Spanish outlet AS believe Zidane could be tempted to keep Diaz and give him a chance when his loan spell comes to an end at the end of the season.
Tap-ins
– Borussia Dortmund are one of two clubs — alongside Union Berlin — looking to make a January move for Brentford striker Marcus Forss. That’s according to Teamtalk, who believe that the striker’s form, with six goals in 11 games, is enough to see him capture the imagination of Dortmund’s scouts. Forss was recently called up to the Finland senior squad, and he could be the latest player to follow in the footsteps of players like Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma to land a big move away from Brentford.
– German Liga 2 side Erzgebirge Aue are believed to be signing Enzo Zidane, son of Zinedine, according to Bild. Zidane is believed to have deliberately chosen a club where he can avoid the spotlight that has followed him in the Spanish capital. The 25-year-old has told Aue president Helge Leonhardt that he wants to avoid the “40 television cameras that are constantly pointed at him.”