The transfer window may have slammed shut, but that doesn’t mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
Madrid tracking Leipzig’s Olmo
Real Madrid are interested in going after the signing of RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo, OK Diario reports.
There are likely to be big changes at the Bernabeu in the coming months as Madrid set about overhauling Zinedine Zidane’s ageing squad, and one move could see Olmo make his way over to Madrid from the Bundesliga.
The 22-year-old former Barcelona academy product has been in fine form since joining Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb, and is now being mooted as a possible replacement for Lucas Vazquez, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Olmo has scored eight goals for Leipzig in the year since his arrival, including in the Champions League quarterfinal win over Atletico Madrid last season.
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17.25 GMT: Manchester City are closing in on the signing of 17-year-old Brazil youth international Kayky, according to Fabrizio Romano, who adds that the winger will leave Fluminense for England in 2022 for a fee that could rise to €17m after add-ons.
16.08 GMT: Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC has announced the signing of forward CJ Sapong on a two-year contract.
Sapong, 32 will enter his 11th season in MLS at the Tennessee franchise looking to add to his career haul of 71 goals and 25 assists in 276 appearances for Sporting Kansas City, Orlando city, Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire.
The former United States international’s deal with Nashville includes the option for a third season.
Fixin’ to head out! 🤠 #EveryoneN https://t.co/tJzBtWdoov
— CJ Sapong (@BigAfrika88) February 10, 2021
15.25 GMT: Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said he understands the interest in his side’s summer transfer plans but refused to be drawn on speculation linking the club with moves for Erling Haaland and Dayot Upamecano.
Chelsea are keeping tabs on Haaland amid rumours Borussia Dortmund could be ready to make the striker available for transfer at the end of this season. Haaland has a release clause in his contract worth £63m which does not become active until 2022.
The 20-year-old would command a fee in excess of £100m this year — a sum which has not put off potential suitors including Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool. Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Bayern Munich defender David Alaba but Real Madrid are favourites for his signature.
RB Leipzig’s Upamecano has emerged as a possible alternative in defence and, asked about whether he expected Chelsea to pursue deals for Haaland and the France international, Tuchel said: “I can understand your interest in that question and I can understand the interest of every fan and supporter to talk about these subjects.
“I am also always a fan and interested in what is going on. But now is February. There is a long way to go. As you know me or maybe get to know me better, I will not talk about other players publicly when they are under contract.
“This is the kind of respect we show to them but show first of all to our players. We think about our central defenders and our strikers first and we push them to the limits. Everything else will be decided behind closed doors.”
14.42 GMT: Wolves have announced that left-back Jonny has signed a new contract at the club, committing him to Molineux until 2025.
Confirmation of the Spain international’s new deal comes after he made his first appearance of the season in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Leicester City following six months out with a knee injury.
Jonny, 26, joined Wolves in 2018 on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, which was made permanent the following summer. He has since gone on to make 88 first-team appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
💬 @JonnyOtto19 has something to say…
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 10, 2021
13.59 GMT: Independiente have made a formal offer to Atlanta United to sign Argentinian midfielder Eric Remedi, according to TyC Sports.
The Argentine club would sign Remedi on a year-long loan for $200,000, with a buyout option included in the deal. The Parana-born player is Independiente’s first choice to strengthen their midfield.
Remedi, 25, joined Atlanta in the summer of 2018 from Banfield and has made 56 appearances for the MLS franchise since. His contract expires this summer.
13.15 GMT: Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite insists he will keep working to succeed at the club.
The Denmark international was an emergency signing from Leganes a year ago, as Barca got special dispensation to bring him in after the January transfer deadline had passed.
Braithwaite has scored nine goals in 38 appearances since then, including six this season. Despite being regularly named in reports as one of the players Barca will look to move out of the club this summer, the 29-year-old is confident in his ability.
“I have a lot of goals in me,” Braithwaite told Canal Football Club. “I know I’ll be successful. I have belief in myself and my destiny. I’ll keep on working.”
– Hunter: Braithwaite’s journey from emergency signing to key player
12.22 GMT: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema insists the players are not distracted by speculation over the futures of those players with their contracts running down.
Club captain Sergio Ramos, midfielder Luka Modric and winger Lucas Vazquez are all out of contract in the summer.
Benzema, whose own deal expires at the end of next season, said after Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Getafe: “No [it doesn’t affect us], we’re professionals, we have a lot of trust between us, there’s always noise because Madrid is the best club in the world so there’s always noise.”
11.26 GMT: More than a month since Diego Costa left Atletico Madrid, the forward has been spotted attending a friendly in his hometown of Lagarto, Brazil, “without giving clues about his future” according to Diario AS.
Costa cancelled his Atletico contract on Dec. 29, six months early, with the club citing “personal reasons” for the decision. The former Chelsea striker had struggled with persistent injury problems this season — including being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis — and scored just two goals in La Liga.
He was linked with a number of moves in January, with reports that “an unnamed top-six Premier League club” had offered a short-term deal, but none materialised.
Local club Atletico de Alagoinhas, who visited Lagarto for a friendly match on Tuesday, posted a photo on Instagram of Costa being presented with one of their shirts.
10.31 GMT: Manchester City have accepted they will be unable to sign Lautaro Martinez, who is expected to sign a new contract at Inter Milan, according to Eurosport.
Martinez had been seen by City as a potential replacement for his fellow Argentina international, Sergio Aguero, whose contract expires at the end of the season when he turns 33.
Barcelona had been long-term admirers of Martinez, but their financial difficulties could preclude them from making another effort to sign the 23-year-old when the transfer window re-opens.
Eurosport reports that City will now focus even more attention on Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, while sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez earlier this week that the Premier League leaders have not given up on signing Lionel Messi on a free transfer this summer.
09.36 GMT: Stade Rennes wunderkind Eduardo Camavinga included on a long list in Sport Bild of potential Bayern Munich targets this summer.
Amid the difficult financial situation following the collapse of the French TV deal amid the economic impact the coronavirus pandemic, Rennes are likely to be forced to sell Camavinga this summer. The France midfielder is under contract at the Ligue 1 club until 2022. Several top European clubs have reportedly already voiced their interest , with Real Madrid most strongly linked, and Bayern Munich are among those hoping to land the 18-year-old.
But rumours do not stop there as the outlet also links Inter Milan midfielder Lucien Agoume, on loan at Spezia, with the German champions. Already in the market for Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano, Bayern could also make a stop at Bundesliga clubs Hertha Berlin, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen as well as Championship side Reading as they look for reinforcements at the left-back position.
The 17-year-old Berlin left-back Luca Netz, Reading’s Omar Richards, 22, Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa, 23, and former Bayern player Marco Friedl, currently at Bremen, have been listed by the outlet.
To make up the numbers, Sport Bild also reiterated that Bayern are closely monitoring Callum Hudson-Odoi’s progress under new Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel.
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08.49 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino insists his club and players have not created any controversy surrounding Lionel Messi.
PSG sporting director Leonardo and players Neymar and Angel Di Maria have spoken about the club’s desire to sign the Barcelona captain, who is out of contract in June, leading to Barca coach Ronald Koeman to react by saying: “I don’t know why [PSG] do it. If they want to speak about Leo, let them do it.”
Meanwhile, France Football published an image of Messi wearing a PSG jersey a week ahead of the Champions League game between the two sides.
“We are talking about a magazine that has nothing to do with Paris (PSG),” Pochettino told COPE radio. “When a player speaks, he’s talking out of affection, excitement and friendship.
“There’s no controversial issue that has been generated by the club. At no time has there been a lack of respect or gone against a situation that is not the correct one. Players can talk and can say what they want. They do so from feelings, just as Real Madrid and Barcelona players do. They can talk about teammates that are at other clubs.”
#PSG 🇫🇷 ¿Qué tal? La prestigiosa revista #FranceFootball hizo esta tapa con #Messi 🔟 🇦🇷 vistiendo la camiseta del club parisino. ¿El futuro llegó 🤔? pic.twitter.com/e9YAQTNYzL
— ESPN Fútbol Club Argentina (@ESPNFCarg) February 8, 2021
08.00 GMT: William Saliba has again been critical of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after leaving the club on loan.
Saliba joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne for €30 million in 2019 when Unai Emery was in charge but failed to play a single minute for the club, spending last season back at St Etienne on loan.
He returned to Ligue 1 with Nice in January, on a temporary deal for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, and has expressed his dissatisfaction at not being given a chance to prove himself in the Premier League.
“It is clear that so much has changed in the last year,” the 19-year-old, who won Nice’s player of the month award for January, told RMC Sport.
“When I saw that the coach changed a lot changed for me too. In this year there has been a lot of change. He [Arteta] judged me on two-and-a-half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn’t ready.
“I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. When I initially came to Arsenal the league looked very good, so I showed up to training and wanted to train on my own to show the coach I was ready.
“I am happy now. I want to play for Nice. The idea when you are part of a team is a better feeling for me.”
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Milan want Dalot permanently
Calciomercato is reporting that AC Milan want to sign Manchester United‘s Diogo Dalot on a permanent deal.
The Portuguese youngster is currently on loan at the San Siro but, with there being no sign that the Red Devils would slot him straight back into the starting XI upon return, Milan are hoping to take advantage of the situation.
United paid £19 million for his services back in 2019 and the Italian club are hoping they wouldn’t have to reach that sum in order to get the deal done.
Leicester want Tielemans extension
Leicester City are pushing for Youri Tielemans to sign a contract extension with the club, Fabrizio Romano reports.
The Foxes are planning on signing a new midfielder during the summer transfer window and even looked into the possibility of pursuing former Tottenham star Christian Eriksen back in January.
However, above all of that, Brendan Rodgers wants to try and ensure that Tielemans is a big part of his plans moving forward after the Belgian’s strong first half of the season.
Tap-ins
– Leicester City could be interested in making a move to sign Marseille‘s Florian Thauvin, Eurosport reports. The Foxes aren’t likely to make the loan deal of Cengiz Under permanent when the option to do so becomes available in the summer and, because of that, Thauvin has taken over as one of the players on their watch list in the months to come.
– The Sun is reporting that Kieran Gibbs could be the next man on his way to MLS to join Inter Miami. Recent reports have indicated that Ryan Shawcross is preparing to end his tenure with Stoke City in favour of a move to the United States and now West Bromwich Albion‘s Gibbs has seemingly made the decision to follow in his footsteps.