The summer transfer window was unlike any other. See all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn't mean the rumours won't keep coming. Here's the latest gossip and speculation.
TOP STORY: Barca, Juve talk Bernardeschi
Barcelona have held discussions over a potential move for Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi, according to Sport.
The Blaugrana sit eighth in La Liga, 18 points behind league leaders and rivals Real Madrid. New Barca boss Xavi Hernandez has the task of turning the team around and competing again. In an attempt to do that, the club have been linked with several players struggling for minutes and also those available on a free transfer.
Italy international Bernardeschi is out-of-contract at Juve in the summer, with Barca's football director Mateu Alemany said to have held informal discussions with the player's agent.
The contact came the same day that club president Joan Laporte made the trip to Turin for the Golden Boy presentation for Barcelona midfielder Pedri, where he also met and held discussions with agent Mino Raiola over potential future deals.
Bernadeschi somewhat fits both, with his current deal running out and the winger only playing 13 times in Serie A this season. He has made 164 appearances in his time in Turin, though he only has 32 goal involvements in that time.
The Catalan side have been linked with a number of players as they attempt to bolster their forward line after losing Sergio Aguero, who retired on Wednesday due to a heart condition.
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21.58 GMT: As they aim to keep pace in the Scudetto race, Napoli are looking to sign a centre-back in January and La Gazzetta dello Sport have offered a list of their options.
First is Everton's Yerry Mina, who has recently suffered from thigh injuries. Napoli hope this will help reduce the fee required, but still feel they would need to sign him on loan with the option to make it a permanent deal.
Then, there is Genk's Jhon Lukumi or the option to bring Sebastiano Luperto back from his loan spell at Empoli due to financial limitations.
They are also interested in Torino's Bremer but would find it difficult to come to an agreement in the current circumstances, while Feyenoord's Marco Senesi is another possibility.
21.25 GMT: Ligue 1 sides are looking to sign Algeria international Youcef Belaili after his contract ended with Qatar SC, as has been reported by Foot Mercato.
Saint-Etienne have shown interest, but Montpellier are seen as the most likely to be able to afford the 29-year-old. The winger is said to see this as his time to play in Europe and is open to a move to France, but would prefer to play in Spain.
20.52 GMT: West Ham United and Everton are both plotting moves to sign Rubin Kazan's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, as has been reported by Football Insider, with the player firmly on their radars ahead of January.
The 20-year-old Georgian has impressed for both club and country in the last 18 months, which has also seen him capture the attention of clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan and Southampton.
20.19 GMT: A couple of MLS moves this Friday with expansion side Charlotte FC announcing the signings of free agents Harrison Afful and Yordy Reyna.
The 35-year-old Afful joins for the 2022 season with an option to stay for 2023, having spent the last seven seasons with Columbus Crew and winning the club's first MLS Cup since 2008 in 2020.
Reyna's deal runs until 2023 with an option for 2024. The 28-year-old Peru international has spent the last six seasons in MLS between the Vancouver Whitecaps and DC United. Reyna has played 100 regular season matches where he has added 24 goals and 19 assists.
19.46 GMT: Internazionale are set to have a meeting with Samir Handanovic in the coming days to see whether he intends to stay beyond his current contract ending in the summer of 2022, according to Calciomercato.
Inter have already decided that they will sign Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana as a free agent when his contract culminates at the same time. This means Handanovic would need to accept a place as second-choice and a large reduction of his €3.2m-per-season wages were he to stay.
19.13 GMT: Arsenal are exploring loan options for Tunisia international centre-back Omar Rekik, as has been reported by The Athletic.
The Gunners feel that Rekik, who turns 20 later this month, is in need of first-team minutes to aid his development having impressed for their U23s. No clubs are named for his potential destination.
18.40 GMT: RB Leipzig are prepared to let Ilaix Moriba leave on loan in January just months after signing the midfielder from Barcelona for €20m, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Ilaix, 18, joined Leipzig in the summer after he indicated he was unwilling to extend his contract with Barca. However, after breaking onto the scene at Camp Nou in the second half of last season, when he made 18 appearances for Barca's first team, he has found regular football hard to come by in Germany.
He has made just six appearances in all competitions this season, for a total of 100 minutes. Therefore, confirming reports that first appeared in Sport Bild, Mundo Deportivo suggest new Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco is happy for Ilaix to leave when the transfer window opens next month.
18.07 GMT: Alexis Sanchez's return is not a priority for Barcelona, multiple sources told ESPN's Adriana Garcia and Moises Llorens, after the club were offered the chance to sign the Internazionale forward. Barca are looking to reinforce their attack in the January transfer window following Sergio Aguero's premature retirement, but club sources insist other candidates are ahead of Sanchez, with Manchester City's Ferran Torres and Manchester United's Edinson Cavani their main targets. Read the full story.
17.34 GMT: Boca Juniors' hopes of signing Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani have been dashed, with the Uruguay international reportedly confirming to the Argentinian giants his wish to play at Barcelona in January, according to TyC Sports.
Cavani becomes a free agent in the summer and is free to negotiate with clubs outside of England in the next few weeks. Barca want to strengthen their attack in the winter transfer window, following the sudden retirement of Sergio Aguero, and Cavani is one of the candidates to arrive at the Camp Nou.
17.01 GMT: New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos is being chased by a number of Premier League clubs, including West Ham United, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson. Despite being a key part of NYCFC's MLS Cup success this season, sources told ESPN that the City Football Group would listen to offers of around £15m if the Argentina U23 international decides the time is right to take the next step in his career. Read the full story.
16.28 GMT: Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong is "no longer "untouchable" at Barcelona, according to Marca.
De Jong, 24, joined Barca from Ajax for €70m in 2019 but has been increasingly linked with a move away from Camp Nou in recent weeks. While Xavi Hernandez has declared De Jong "not for sale," Barca's failure to move on big earners like Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti could force them to let other players leave to help ease their financial situation and fund signings in other positions.
De Jong is one of the players with the biggest market at the club and, following the emergence of young midfielders Gavi and Nico Gonzalez, Barca could be tempted if a huge offer arrived for the former Ajax man.
15.55 GMT: Inter Milan have terminated the contract of midfielder Christian Eriksen, the reigning Serie A champions announced.
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 and was fitted with a heart-starting device, something which prevents him from playing in Italy.
The 29-year-old has not played since he collapsed during his country's tournament opener against Finland on June 12.
He returned to Milan to meet with the Inter hierarchy in August and in early December trained with Danish club Odense Boldklub, who he represented at youth level.
15.08 GMT: Diego Simeone has refused to rule out Joao Felix leaving Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old joined from Benfica in 2019 in a deal worth €126m -- the second-highest fee ever paid to sign a teenager -- but has failed to perform consistently since, or find a regular place in Simeone's starting team.
"I always understand everything, I'm open to everything," Simeone said in a news conference on Friday when asked if he would understand Joao Felix asking to depart. "The most important thing is the team. Joao is an important piece of our team."
14.22 GMT: Manchester United are yet to receive a serious enquiry about Anthony Martial's availability in January more than a week after the Frenchman's agent announced his client is keen to leave Old Trafford, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Philippe Lamboley went public with Martial's desire to leave, insisting the 26-year-old wants to find more regular first team football.
But sources told ESPN it has not yet prompted a wave of interest and there are doubts at United about which clubs could afford a fee for the striker plus a significant wage. Martial is under contract until 2024 with the option of another year.
Sources added that United are willing to consider offers for Martial, particularly because interim coach Ralf Rangnick has made it clear he only wants to work with players who are happy at the club. Still, they are unlikely to sanction a cut price exit and would also be reluctant to subsidise Martial's wages as part of a loan arrangement.
Following Lamboley's comments last week, Rangnick hit back by insisting Martial would have to inform the club himself if he wants to leave.
Martial is yet to feature under Rangnick because of a knee problem and has made 10 appearances so far this season.
- Hamilton: What's it like to play under Rangnick?
13.30 GMT: Barcelona are pressing ahead with plans to sign Manchester City and Spain forward Ferran Torres in January, according to reports in the Catalan press.
Both Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo claim that Barca are increasingly optimistic of doing a deal with City next month. Mundo Deportivo says Barca "have put the foot on the accelerator" since getting knocked out of the Champions League, with Torres said to be keen to return to Spain. Meanwhile, the journalist Gerard Romero says there's now just "€5m between the two clubs," with Barca initially prepared to pay €45m and City demanding more than €60m.
City coach Pep Guardiola and director of football Txiki Begiristain were in Barcelona this week for Sergio Aguero's announcement that he was retiring due to a heart condition, with Mundo Deportivo saying their visit served to move the negotiations on.
12.39 GMT: Ukraine international defender Vitaliy Mykolenko is set for a move to Everton in the January transfer window, according to his club manager at Dynamo Kiev.
Sky reports that Mykolenko, who has also been linked with interest from Roma, has been identified as the player to replace Lucas Digne. The France international has not played for Everton since the Dec. 1 defeat to Liverpool and has reportedly fallen out with manager Rafa Benitez.
Dynamo boss Mircea Lucescu is quoted as saying of the 22-year-old Mykolenko: "[He] is going to Everton. He will be the first big transfer out of Dynamo since [Andriy] Yarmolenko.
"He's a young player and he should be an example to others. It's very important to allow players to fulfil their potential and give them chances to fulfil them."
11.46 GMT: Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga is close to signing a new long-term contract after impressing interim manager Ralf Rangnick, the Daily Telegraph reports
Elanga, 19, has broken into the first-team squad this season, and started in last week's 1-1 draw against Young Boys in their final Champions League group fixture.
The Sweden under-21 international, who last year won the club's Jimmy Murphy Youth Team Player of the Year award, only agreed his current deal in March but such has been his progress that the club are keen to commit him to a bigger contract.
10.51 GMT: Barcelona have made contact with Real Betis defender Marc Bartra, according to Diario Sport, as the rebuild continues under new coach Xavi Hernandez.
Sources have told ESPN that Barca will target attacking reinforcements in January, but they are also scouring the market for a new centre-back for next summer.
Bartra, 30, has just 18 months left on his contract with Betis and played alongside Barca boss Xavi at Camp Nou before leaving for Borussia Dortmund in 2016. After two years in Germany, he returned to Spain with Betis, where he's gone on to make over 100 appearances for the LaLiga side.
Sport reports that Xavi has remained a fan of his former teammate and Barca have made moves to see whether he would be keen on returning to the club in the future. Barca are hoping to remodel their defence next summer, with Gerard Pique turning 35 in February, Samuel Umtiti surplus to requirements and the club open to offers for Clement Lenglet
10.05 GMT: Flamengo are hoping to convince former coach Jorge Jesus to return to the club, according to reports in Brazil.
Flamengo's vice-president Marco Braz and club director Bruno Spindel are travelling to Portugal in search of a new coach for 2022. They dismissed Renato Gaucho on Nov. 30 after the club's loss to Brazilian rivals Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores final.
Their first meeting will be with Jorge Jesus, who returned to Benfica in the summer of 2020 after a successful spell at Flamengo. Under Jesus, Flamengo won the Brazilian first division title, the Copa Libertadores and Rio de Janeiro state championship in his 14 months in charge.
However, the chances of Jorge Jesus returning next year to Flamengo are slim with Benfica having qualified for the Champions League round of 16, where they will face Ajax.
Flamengo are also considering Portuguese coaches Paulo Fonseca and Paulo Sousa. Ex-Roma coach Fonseca is a free agent while Sousa is currently managing Poland's national team.
09.17 GMT: Chelsea are still pursuing Sevilla's Jules Kounde, sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens, with the possibility of a move in January not off the table as the LaLiga club are willing to drop their €80m valuation.
Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta's deals all expire in the summer and no breakthrough has been made in negotiations with them. Sources have told ESPN that Barcelona are monitoring the situation with Azpilicueta.
While sources said a move for Kounde is more likely in the summer, a January transfer has not been ruled out. Tuchel is a huge admirer of Kounde, sources said, with his interest dating back to when he was Paris Saint-Germain manager and Kounde was at Bordeaux.
Chelsea were in direct negotiations with Sevilla over the transfer of Kounde last summer but a move broke down when neither side could agree on a fee for the France international. The LaLiga side wanted the full release clause of £80m for the centre-back but are now willing to negotiate a fee between €50m-€60m for a player with two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.
Sources told ESPN that Kounde is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge and the 23-year-old is believed to have agreed the framework of a four or five-year contract.
- Notebook: Chelsea back for Kounde; Martial is in limbo
08.30 GMT: LaLiga president Javier Tebas believes Barcelona's chances of signing Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland are slim.
Diario Sport reports that Barca are working on the possibility of adding the Norway international next summer as their top signing. Relations between Haaland's agent, Mino Raiola, and Barca's executives are good, but the 21-year-old will choose the best offer depending on the sporting project.
Haaland is a target of all top European clubs and Raiola revealed that the player could leave Dortmund next July.
"Many circumstances would have to happen in order for them [Barca] to sign Haaland," Tebas said. "They are in a race with other clubs and with Mino Raiola, his agent, who doesn't sell sweets but sells at a big price."
Barca, who could not register Lionel Messi's contract in the summer and had to let him go for free, are still working on lowering their wage bill. The club will have to sell players to afford new signings in the winter transfer window.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Liverpool value defender Nathaniel Phillips at £15m ahead of a potential move away from the club in January. According to The Athletic, the Reds are holding out for more than the reported £10m in recent days, with West Ham and Newcastle heavily linked with a potential transfer.
- Mauro Icardi and Edinson Cavani top the list of potential strikers for Juventus in January, reports Tuttosport. The Serie A side are said to be on the lookout for a new forward, with Alvaro Morata struggling during his loan spell
.- Juve also have Anthony Martial and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as potential transfer targets, according to journalist Nicolo Schira. Martial has failed to play many games so far this season for Manchester United, while Aubameyang's future is in doubt after disciplinary issue at Arsenal saw him stripped of the captaincy. However, according to Schira, the duo's wages are very high and would not fit in with the current structure at Juventus.
- Paris Saint-Germain are willing to move on midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and are interested in signing Frenkie de Jong as a potential replacement, says journalist Ekrem Konur. Wijnaldum, 31, has struggled for minutes in the French capital since signing in the summer and could be set to leave after just a few months at the club.
- Barcelona and Manchester City are close to reaching an agreement over the transfer of Ferran Torres, reports Mundo Deportivo. The report claims that club sources have said the difference between the clubs in valuation being just €4-5m. Ten days ago, the outlet claimed that it was a €15m difference, showing some optimism that a deal can be reached.