The 2022 January transfer window is closed but there's still plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Madrid turn to Milan's Kessie
Real Madrid are ready to turn their attention to AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie as the 25-year-old midfielder moves into the final months of his deal at the San Siro, according to Spanish outlet AS.
In search of midfield competition for Casemiro, the LaLiga leaders want to acquire a player who can dictate from the No. 6 position, and so far Kessie has done just that during his time in the Serie A. He scored 13 goals and assisted another four last season, and that hasn't gone unnoticed from suitors across Europe.
The Ivory Coast international has already attracted offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, and it is the latter who are believed to be the favourites in the race.
But with Los Blancos now ready to cool the pursuit of Antonio Rudiger due to high salary demands, the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy will instead switch focus to Kessie, with hopes of landing him on a free transfer ahead of the summer.
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22.15 GMT: Manchester City will soon begin talks with Ilkay Gundogan over a new contract, Ekrem Konur writes.
Pep Guardiola's side want to hand the 31-year-old a three year extension until 2025, with discussions set to advance to dissuade teams around Europe from testing the waters for his signature.
Gundogan has contributed to seven goals in 12 Premier League starts this season.
21.50 GMT: Tahith Chong will not be recalled by Manchester United from his loan spell with Birmingham City, the Mirror reports.
The 22-year-old winger required surgery after sustaining an injury back in October, and despite rumours that he may be recalled to Old Trafford to continue his rehabilitation with his parent club, the latest suggests that he will remain with the Blues until the end of the season. There is hope that Lee Bowyer will soon be able to welcome him back into the squad as he nears a full recovery.
21.30 GMT: Newcastle United are assessing potential destinations for Jamal Lewis to be sent out on loan, according to Ekrem Konur.
The 24-year-old defender has started just four Premier League games this season, and the Magpies would like him to make a temporary switch to a team in Switzerland, Russia, or Turkey, with the winter transfer window still open in some leagues around Europe.
21.00 GMT: Leeds United are ready to make Raphinha their highest paid player, according to Football Insider.
Marcelo Bielsa's side are confident of reaching an agreement with the 25-year-old winger who has attracted interest from Champions League clubs throughout the season. And with positive talks taking place with his representatives, it is now expected that a new contract will be announced in the coming weeks.
20.30 GMT: As the clock ticks down on the contract of Jesse Lingard at Manchester United, teams are beginning to monitor the situation more closely, with Juventus now one of the club's in the queue, according to Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet claims that Massimiliano Allegri will continue to revolutionise his squad in the summer, with multiple stars already being moved on from the Allianz Stadium. And with Lingard, 29, available on a free transfer at the end of the season, he could now have an option to consider from Serie A.
19.15 GMT: MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps is signing forward Brian White to a long-term contract extension, the club announced on Friday.
The deal includes four guaranteed years and a club option for a fifth year, per the report. White, who turned 26 on Thursday, tallied 12 goals and five assists in 27 matches (23 starts) with the Whitecaps last season after arriving in a June 2 trade from the New York Red Bulls.
18.47 GMT: Charlotte FC are in the final stages of a move that will complete the signing of Granada star Darwin Machis.
A deal in the region of €5 million has been agreed for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder who contributed to 10 goals in 21 La Liga starts last season, per writer Pedro Almeida. The transfer is expected to be completed soon with just the final paperwork and a medical prepared in advance by the MLS club.
18.06 GMT: Midifelder Marcelo Brozovic could have a decision to make as he nears the final months of his Internazionale contract as Barcelona are reportedly interested in his signature, according to Calciomercato.
The Serie A club's hierarchy were initially confident of him agreeing to new terms, but with the 29-year-old midfielder still delaying on his decision on a deal worth over €6 million, he may now have to consider an approach from La Liga.
It is reported that the Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez wants to add Brozovic to his midfield, and it is expected that they will look to persuade him to make the switch to Camp Nou.
17.15 GMT: Fabrizio Romano reports that LA Galaxy have reached an agreement with Douglas Costa. ESPN's Jeff Carlisle and Gustavo Berton reported last week that the Galaxy were in pursuit of the 31-year-old winger.
Costa, who has previously represented the European giants of Juventus and Bayern Munich, will sign a two-year contract and arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday. It is reported that he also rejected an approach from Flamengo, with the Brazilian opting to make the MLS the next step in his career.
16.13 GMT: ESPN's Gab Marcotti runs the rule over the signings made in the January transfer window and common theme among the biggest deals: the rise of the so-called "leverage transfer":
"We're talking about leverage, and Luis Diaz's arrival on [Liverpool] from Porto is perhaps the best example.
"Diaz is 25 and cost Liverpool some £37m ($50m), rising to a potential £49m ($66m) with bonuses. He has been a standout performer for Porto, particularly in the Champions League, but at first glance, it may seem a steep price. He's the eighth-most expensive player in Liverpool history (and if he meets his bonuses, he'll be fifth-most expensive) and yet, on paper, he's the fifth-choice forward. Depth is important, but Liverpool do not have unlimited resources -- they also have Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino -- so why invest in a forward and not, say, another central midfielder? Especially since they'll need to find the money to extend the contracts of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, all of whom are set to become free agents at the end of next season?
"The answer is in that last question."
- Marcotti: Alvarez, Diaz, Vlahovic and the trend of 'leverage transfers
15.22 GMT: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said he "never wanted to do anything wrong" after a fall out with Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta precipitated a January move to Barcelona.
Aubameyang, 32, joined Barca on a free transfer after having his contract rescinded at Arsenal, where he had been cut adrift since December.
Arteta dropped the forward, forced him to train alone and stripped him of the club captaincy following what the Spanish coach said was a series of disciplinary breaches during his time in charge.
"It has been a difficult [two] months," Aubameyang said at his presentation as a Barca player on Thursday. "Sometimes football can be like that.
"If I had to say something on my behalf, I would say I never wanted to do anything wrong. But now I have to put it behind me because it's in the past."
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14.26 GMT: Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has revealed that he is yet to hear from the club about extending his contract.
Muller has a deal with the Bundesliga champions that runs until the end of next season. The 32-year-old, who has been with the club since joining their youth ranks in 2000, is relaxed about his future.
"No one from the club has approached me yet," Muller told Sport Bild. "So we'll have to see what the future brings.
Muller added, when asked if he was surprised that he was still waiting for the subject of his future to be broached officially: "We can't have that kind of disruptive fire. I've been in the business too long for that."
The Germany international, who has been linked with interest from Premier League clubs Everton and Newcastle United, added: "I definitely want to play top level football until 2025. At the moment everything is going well, I'm having fun on the pitch.
"I'm not thinking about retiring. I feel really good physically, and the ball still obeys me most of the time."
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13.28 GMT: The National Women's Soccer League's 2021 Rookie of the Year, 19-year-old Trinity Rodman, will become the highest-paid player in league history after she signed a contract extension with Washington Spirit on Wednesday, the club announced.
The four-year deal is reported to be worth $1.1m, according to Sportico.
Rodman, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman and the youngest player to be drafted into the NWSL in league history, will extend her deal with the NWSL Championship-winning club through the 2024 season with an option for 2025.
According to the Washington Post, Rodman joined the league last year on a three-year deal that averaged $42,000 in base salary, plus housing and bonuses. It was on par with what others in the NWSL were receiving. Octagon Soccer, Rodman's agency, confirmed her salary as the league record.
The Spirit were able to pay Rodman above the league's maximum salary by using allocation money, which is a spending allowance beyond salary limits and team budget caps.
12.47 GMT: Barcelona must respect the fact that Ousmane Dembele still has a contract at the club and play him for the rest of the season, according the former Barca and Brazil great Rivaldo.
Dembele is out of contract in June and, given the failure to reach an agreement to sign an extension, Barca told him he had to find a new club before Jan. 31. However, the transfer window closed with Dembele still at Barca and Xavi must now decide how to use him between now and the summer. He has been left out of the match day squad for the last two matches.
"It's a shame that Ousman Dembele continues to lose opportunities to establish himself at Barcelona because he is a fantastic player who has already had enough time to adapt to the club, but for one reason or another it's still not happening for him," Rivaldo, winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1999, told Betfair.
"Now, when his exit looked almost certain he remains at the club at least until the end of season and I think that the club should make an effort to play him since he is still under contract and needs to be professional.
"When the season ends then it will be time to evaluate the options for a transfer, to do things the right way and not leave him out of the team for a significant time for internal or disciplinary reasons.
"He is a great talent who still owes the club some good performances, and I hope he has that on his mind right now and makes an effort to help the club through a difficult time in their history.
11.58 GMT: Raith Rovers have backed down over the signing of David Goodwillie, who was ruled to be a rapist in a 2017 civil case, after previously saying they would stand by the player.
The Scottish club released a statement on Tuesday after a backlash from within and outside the club to the signing. Raith, defending the move, had said that he was "a proven goalscorer" and that "his footballing ability" was "our foremost consideration."
Two club directors, the captain of its women's team, the employability officer for the club's community foundation and shirt sponsor Val McDermid all ended their association with the club over the signing.
The women's team also reprinted their jerseys without the club's crest and put in an application to have their affiliation with the club ended.
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former prime minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown -- who is a supporter of the club -- both condemned the decision to sign him.
"I firstly want to apologise wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days. We got it wrong," the club's chairman John Sim said in a statement.
"In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole."
11.31 GMT: The January window has only just closed, with over £620m spent by teams in Europe's major leagues, but the biggest clubs are already preparing for what could be the most spectacular summer of transfers with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo ready to switch clubs at the end of this season.
January was not without some eye-catching moves, with Dusan Vlahovic's €70m transfer from Fiorentina to Juventus proving to be the most expensive deal, ahead of Ferran Torres's £46.3m switch from Manchester City to Barcelona.
But the biggest players only tend to become available in the summer window, and the race to sign the best talent is likely to be more competitive than ever before. That's not just because of the players that are expected to move but also because the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held in the winter, meaning an earlier start so clubs will have to get their business done quickly to have players available at the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
Some players, including Mbappe and Pogba, go into this summer as free agents and able to decide their own future without two clubs having to negotiate a transfer fee. There are others, such as Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who will have just 12 months remaining on their contracts and will be in a strong position to push for a move or lucrative new deal. Then there is Haaland, the Borussia Dortmund forward who is wanted by all of Europe's top clubs and available for €75m due to a release clause in his contract with the Bundesliga team.
So, as some of the biggest stars prepare to move this summer, what is the latest on their futures?
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10.39 GMT: Lyon are hopeful of bringing former striker Alexandre Lacazette back to the club in the summer when his contract at Arsenal expires.
Lacazette joined the Gunners from his hometown club in a £46.5m transfer in 2017, since when he has scored 70 goals for the club in 194 appearances.
The 30-year-old has served as Arsenal's club captain in recent weeks since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the armband for disciplinary reasons, and Lacazette is set to keep it until the end of the season following Aubameyang's free transfer to Barcelona.
Speaking at the unveiling of Tanguy Ndombele's return to the club on loan from Tottenham, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said: "It's Lacazette, he interests us because he marked this club. His is a profile that interests us and we have always been in contact with him.
"This is part of the guiding ideas brought by [sporting director] Bruno Cheyrou. In our context, yes [Lacazette] is more accessible than [Real Madrid striker, and another ex-Lyon player, Karim] Benzema.
"We have to try to see if we can do it as a free player but we will not be alone."
09.46 GMT: Liverpool remain hopeful of securing a deal to sign Fulham's Fabio Carvalho without the need for a tribunal to determine a fee, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
The two clubs agreed a package totalling £8 million including add-ons late on Monday but failed to complete the necessary paperwork before the deadline passed.
Liverpool are keen to secure Carvalho's signing as soon as possible to beat competition from a host of overseas clubs including Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla.
Although Carvalho cannot be registered as a Liverpool player until the end of the season, talks are continuing, and sources have told ESPN that Liverpool still believe a compromise can be reached, although his valuation remains a sticking point.
The midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and has rejected at least one offer to sign an extension.
08.53 GMT: Saul Niguez's recent form has prompted Chelsea to consider making his loan permanent in a £30 million deal next summer, according to the Daily Star.
The Spanish midfielder admitted in an interview for the club's website this week that he's found it difficult to adapt to life in the Premier League -- with most of his starts so far this season coming in cup competitions -- but also said a change was necessary for him to grow as a player.
"I needed to get my head out of the Atletico Madrid world for a while because I've been there since I was 12 so everything affects you much more," he said. "If the fans whistle at you, it affects you much more because those people are your people and when you have difficult moments you experience them differently."
The 27-year-old, who's expected to start against Plymouth in the FA Cup this weekend, said he "feels good" at Stamford Bridge and views competing for places with Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a "challenge to compete with the best."
- Saul Niguez among Premier League's biggest bench riders
08.00 GMT: Barcelona have left Dani Alves out of their Europa League squad but Ousmane Dembele remains registered despite being told to leave the club in January due to the stalemate over his contract.
Alves was one of four signings at Barca last month, along with Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but UEFA regulations only allow clubs to add three more players to their European squads midseason.
Head coach Xavi Hernandez has also had to omit youngsters Abde Ezzalzouli and Ferran Jutgla from his plans in the Europa League. Neither player was registered at the start of the season and they do not count as youth players because they have not been at the club long enough.
Dembele does remain eligible to represent the club in Europe, though, despite reports Barca would rescind his contract after he failed to agree a move away from Camp Nou in January. He is out of contract in June and, given the failure to reach an agreement to sign an extension, Barca told him he had to find a new club before Jan. 31.
However, the transfer window closed with Dembele still at Barca and Xavi must now decide how to use him between now and the summer. He has been left out of the match day squad for the last two matches.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- Real Madrid, Internazionale and AC Milan are tracking defender William Saliba, according to Calciomercato. It is reported that the LaLiga side enquired with Arsenal over his availability during the January transfer window, with the club currently looking for reinforcements in defence. The 20-year-old centre-back is on loan at Marseille where he has been a key feature of the Ligue 1 side's season so far, and he has even caught the attention of legendary defender Paolo Maldini who has added him to Milan's shortlist as a potential target in the summer.
- Fenerbahce have made an offer to sign Diego Costa on a free transfer until the end of the season, reports Ekrem Konur. Costa, 33, has recently become a free agent after winning the league title in Brazil with Atletico Mineiro, and despite reports of interest from LaLiga, he could now decide whether to make the switch to the Turkish Super Lig.
- Napoli will make a decision over the future of Kalidou Koulibaly in the next transfer window, according to Calciomercato. The 30-year-old centre-back is seen as a key part of the squad, but with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, the Serie A club's hierarchy are keen to not face a repeat of the Lorenzo Insigne situation, which saw them lose a star player on a free transfer to MLS side Toronto FC. It is reported that if Koulibaly fails to agree to a new deal, Napoli will look to offload him. The Senegal international has previously been linked with Manchester United.
- The Times writes that Manchester City are confident of reaching an agreement over a new contract for Bernardo Silva. It is understood that positive talks have been held with the 27-year-old attacking midfielder's representatives, and despite reports that he wanted to leave last summer, his heavy involvement in Pep Guardiola's success this season has triggered a shift that now sees him want to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
- Manchester United turned down the chance to sign Boubacar Kamara in January, according to Fabrizio Romano. After failing to sign Denis Zakaria and Julian Alvarez, it is reported that the Old Trafford hierarchy also passed on the 22-year-old Marseille midfielder due to plans of acquiring a new manager in the summer.
- Sebastian Blanco will stick with the Portland Timbers as the free agent is close to finalizing a new deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle. The 33-year-old Argentine midfielder's contract had expired after the end of the MLS season, but now looks to stay with the Cascadia side. He joined the team in 2017.