Chelsea look set for another busy transfer window, with Declan Rice linked again as West Ham reportedly accept the midfielder will soon be leaving the club. The Blues are also eyeing French defender Benoit Badiashile as a possible alternative to Josko Gvardiol, while deals are pretty much done for David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and Christopher Nkunku.
Arsenal are likely to be big players when the January transfer window opens in just over a week’s time. The long-running talks to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk continue with reports suggesting a £50million starting price has been set by the Gunners. Joao Felix has also been offered on loan for just £8m, while Rafael Leao appears open to a potential move.
Elsewhere, Enzo Fernandez is another player liked by Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and pretty much every big club in Europe. Tottenham are reportedly keen on Pedro Porro, while Lionel Messi is set to stay at PSG after agreeing to sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 side and Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be off to Saudi Arabia. Follow all of the latest news, gossip and rumours below!
Live updates
Atletico Madrid close in on Çağlar Söyüncü
Who saw that coming?
Atletico Madrid, according to Fabrizio Romano, are closing in on the signing of Leicester defender Çağlar Söyüncü.
The Turkey international has fallen down the pecking order despite a strong start and now looks set to move to the Spanish capital.
Suarez set to join Gremio!
It was a fairly miserable World Cup for Luis Suarez, but he’s expected to get some Christmas cheer in the form of a new club.
With his short-term deal at boyhood club Nacional expiring early in 2023, Suarez has been on the hunt for a new home and it looks set to be Brazilian club Gremio.
Suarez is reportedly going to become the club’s highest earner, signing a two-year deal.
Chelsea remain in pole position for Gvardiol
Chelsea continue to lead the race for Josko Gvardiol.
That’s according to journalist Nicolo Schira, who claims that the RB Leipzig centre-back remains the Blues’ primary target.
It appears unlikely that Chelsea will be able to get a deal done in January, but should Gvardiol move in the summer, it looks likely that west London could be the destination.
Emery ready to sell Martinez
Emi Martinez’s time at Aston Villa could be coming to an end, according to reports in Spain
Fichajes claim that Unai Emery is not keen on working with the goalkeeper, who has just won the World Cup with Argentina, due to concerns over his personality and the Villa boss is keen to move Martinez on.
Emery has already revealed he will speak to Martinez about his celebrations following the World Cup success, with the goalkeeper mocking Kylian Mbappe on more than one occasion.
Should Emery get his wish and Martinez leave, it’s reported that Morocco goalkeeper Bono could be the man to replace him.
Boost for Premier League clubs in Felix race
Joao Felix will be a name constantly mentioned in January, with the forward looking likely to leave Atletico Madrid.
It’s been reported that the La Liga side will let him go on loan for the rest of the season for £8m, along with his salary being paid in full, with Chelsea and Arsenal among the clubs linked.
They will both be encouraged by the suggestion from Fabrizio Romano that PSG do not intend to make a move for Felix, with their focus on sealing a move for Milan Skriniar in the summer.
Klopp on Liverpool’s January plans
Jurgen Klopp has downplayed talk of Liverpool making a big-money move for Jude Bellingham, with the Borussia Dortmund one of Europe’s most in-demand players after a stellar World Cup.
“In January? I’m the wrong person to answer that,” Klopp laughed.
While it is unlikely to be Bellingham, the Liverpool boss did suggest that the club would look to be active in the upcoming window.
“January, in our situation, is a window from a sports side we are always prepared, it’s always clear what kind of ideas we have or how the necessity is from our point of view,” Klopp said.
“You can imagine the situation we are in that we are probably looking. If something happens, we will see.”
Why Gakpo to Leeds fell through
Cody Gakpo is a man in high demand right now, but he was very close to joining Leeds in the summer.
Eindhovens Dagblad claim that the move ultimately fell through due to unrealistic bonuses being included by Leeds, who also wanted to pay over a significant period of time.
It’s reported that PSV would be open to a January sale, as long as Gakpo was allowed to remain at the club for the rest of the season.
Chelsea near double deal completion
Chelsea are close to signing Brazilian starlet Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama.
The teenage midfielder has yet to complete a medical or sign a contract but broad agreements over the transfer fee – an initial £13million plus a further £7m in add-ons – and a five-year deal are now in place.
Chelsea are poised to beat Premier League rivals Newcastle in the race to sign Santos, one of the most highly-rated young players in Brazil.
It follows the Blues already agreeing a January deal for Ivorian striker David Datro Fofana, who completed his medical on Friday after an £8.6million fee was agreed with Norwegian club Molde.
Read the full story on that here!
Messi set to stay at PSG
Lionel Messi is close to agreeing a new deal at PSG, following his World Cup success.
The 35-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and there had been suggestions that he would move to the MLS, likely to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
However, the BBC report that an agreement has been reached between Messi and PSG over a new 12-month deal, with the option to extend for a further year, with the Argentina legend happy in Paris and eyeing a Champions League win.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi with the trophy during the team’s arrival at Ezeiza International Airport
/ REUTERSSpurs plan Porro bid
Tottenham are considering turning their focus to Sporting full-back Pedro Porro.
Correio da Manha report that Spurs intend to use Marcus Edwards as part of the deal, with the north London side still set to get 50% of a future sale of their former player.
While Porro has a €45m release clause, Tottenham hope they can lower that to €30m by giving up their share in a future Edwards transfer.
