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 is the latest gossip and speculation.
TOP STORY: Asensio to leave Real Madrid for Premier League?
Real Madrid are looking to offload playmaker Marco Asensio, according to El Nacional.
The 25-year-old is under contract until 2023, but the report claims that president Florentino Perez is worried about Asensio’s market value dipping, as well as his form since recovering from a serious knee injury.
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Several Premier League clubs have previously been linked with a move for the winger in the summer. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United have been rumoured to be interested in the past and could be presented with an opportunity to land him.
The Spain international has started only three matches for Los Blancos this season, struggling to break into the first team under Carlo Ancelotti. The lack of game time mixed with his expiring contract is what has reportedly forced president Perez’s hand to push to move the player on.
Asensio joined Real Madrid from Mallorca in 2015 for just over €4m, signing from under the nose of Clasico rivals Barcelona, who were also interested in him.
In those six years, Asensio has made over 200 appearances in a Real Madrid shirt, scoring 40 goals and assisting in 23. He has also won two Champions Leagues, two LaLiga titles, a Spanish Super Cup, three FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups.
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10.24 BST: Footmercato reports that Tottenham and Bayern Munich are among the clubs interested in signing Nantes forward Randal Kolo Muani.
Muani, 22, has scored two goals and provided three assists in 10 games this season but his contract ends in 2022. The France U23 international, who played in the Olympics this summer, has seen interest from Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt and Southampton already.
09.48 BST: Tottenham are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and The Independent claims that Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is top of the list.
Lloris, 34, has a contract which expires in the summer and Spurs have been looking at options to replace him with West Brom’s Sam Johnstone, Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro and Napoli’s Alex Meret considered.
The top pick, however, is former Arsenal stopper Martinez, who joined Villa in the summer of 2020 for £20m and has gone on to become Argentina’s No. 1.
09.19 BST: Christian Eriksen is not permitted to play in Italy this season as a result of the cardiac arrest he suffered at Euro 2020, his club Inter Milan said in a statement, with the Serie A champions open to letting the Denmark midfielder leave.
Eriksen suffered the on-field cardiac arrest during his country’s opening game of the tournament in June against Finland and received life-saving treatment on the pitch. He later had a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device implanted, a type of pacemaker which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.
Francesco Braconaro, a member of the Italian Football Federation’s technical scientific committee, said in August that Eriksen will not be allowed to play in Italy unless the ICD device is removed.
“With reference to the registration rights of the player Eriksen, it should be noted that following a serious injury which occurred during the European Championship in June 2021, the player has been temporarily inhibited by the Italian medical authority from sporting activity in the current season,” Inter Milan wrote in a statement on Thursday.
“Although the current conditions of the player don’t meet the requirements of achieving sporting fitness in Italy, the same could instead be achieved in other countries where the player could resume competitive activity.”
It is unclear as to whether other countries would allow Eriksen to participate in their respective leagues with the ICD device fitted.
09.00 BST: Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is a potential replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager, sources told ESPN, with the club prepared to recruit a new manager from within the Premier League if the former Molde and Cardiff City coach is unable to inspire an immediate upturn in results.
Solskjaer will take charge of United against Tottenham on Saturday, and almost certainly Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, after the Old Trafford hierarchy resisted pressure to dismiss the 48-year-old in the wake of last Sunday’s 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool.
Although he remains in his job, sources told ESPN that United are assessing alternative options in the event of the Norwegian being unable to halt a disastrous run of form. The club have suffered five defeats in the last nine games in all competitions, including just one point from their last 12 in the Premier League.
2:22
Julien Laurens explains why there’s plenty of Premier League interest for midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
– Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus are all fighting to sign Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, writes Tuttosport. The 21-year-old has attracted interest from many big-name teams with his performances for the Ligue 1 side, with a reported valuation of €45m set by the club to let him leave.
– Juventus are planning on moving up their attempt to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic from next summer to this January, reports Tuttosport. The 21-year-old has refused to sign a new contract, meaning he is free to leave the club in 2023 and, with a lot of clubs on alert the Old Lady want to beat the competition.
– Calciomercato reports that Internazionale had a meeting with the agent of Karim Adeyemi over a potential move to the Serie A club. The 19-year-old forward has garnered interest for his performances at FC Salzburg, with Bayern Munich and PSG also reportedly linked.
– AC Milan are interested in Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara to replace the outgoing Franck Kessie. According to Calciomercato, Milan are unlikely to make a move for the 21-year-old in January, but are more likely to make an attempt later in the season. The France Under-21 international is out of contract in the summer, with the report also claiming there is Premier League interest from Newcastle.
– Portuguese side Sporting CP are willing to make the loan of Manchester City full-back Pedro Porro a permanent switch, according to Record. The 22-year-old is spending his second season with the Liga NOS side, impressing the hierarchy enough for them to trigger an €8.5m release clause in the loan before another side makes a move. Real Madrid are one of those linked. His contract lasts until 2025, and there will be a new release clause of €45m included.
