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: Barca, Real Madrid aiming to sign Kounde ahead of Chelsea
Barcelona and Real Madrid are both in talks over a potential deal to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, according to Sky Sports Germany.
Kounde, 23, has been attracting plenty of interest in recent months, with a move to Chelsea during the summer transfer window breaking down over the Spanish club's desire for a larger fee.
Despite Chelsea remaining in the race to get the deal over the line, any move will now be more difficult to achieve with the two biggest LaLiga clubs actively chasing the France international.
Sevilla are reported to be looking for a fee in the region of €70 million to let Kounde, who has been a key part of their side this season in his 28 appearances, depart.
The report adds that the three teams at the front of the queue have an equal chance of acquiring him, with Bayern Munich yet to launch an expected approach.
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LIVE BLOG
20.06 GMT: Lucas Paqueta was steadfast in his desire to remain with Lyon in the January window, amid Newcastle United reportedly offering to bring the 24-year-old playmaker to the Premier League in a €40m deal, but according to Le10 Sport, the Brazil international's stance has changed and could be prepared to leave the historic French club in the summer.
19.09 GMT: Arsenal are monitoring River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez, says Football.London.
Fernandez, 21, has been linked with Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United after making the breakthrough into the River first team last year.
Roma are set to reignite their interest in Granit Xhaka in the summer, with Arsenal ready to let the Switzerland man move on, though the Gunners will need to find a replacement.
18.12 GMT: Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio is set to extend his contract until June 2026, says Fabrizio Romano.
Inacio, 20, is highly rated and was the subject of interest from Newcastle in January. His new deal will increase his wages but a €45m release clause will still be there.
17.15 GMT: What does it mean for Chelsea after owner Roman Abramovich suddenly handed over the "stewardship and care" of the club to its charitable foundation trustees on Saturday?
16.14 GMT: Fabrizio Romano reports that Robert Lewandowski wants to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich, but there have been no talks yet.
Lewandowski, 33, is one of the best strikers in the world and has scored 333 goals in 362 games for the club since arriving on a free transfer from Dortmund in 2014.
The Poland international has a contract until 2023, with Real Madrid, Man United and a host of other top clubs interested in signing him. But his priority is to stay with Bayern.
15.39 GMT: Goalkeeper Kepa's future looks to be away from Chelsea, especially now he's been dropped for the Carabao Cup final despite playing every other round.
If there was any lingering doubt over whether Chelsea wanted to move Kepa on this summer (and there shouldn't have been anyway, despite his improved displays while Mendy was at AFCON) then dropping him here ends the debate. Played every round until today.
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 27, 2022
15.03 GMT: Chelsea have an option to re-sign right-back Tino Livramento, says The Sun.
Livramento, 19, has starred on the south coast after he joined from Chelsea's academy last summer for around £5m. The England U21 international is enjoying the amount of playing time he is getting but Chelsea's clause is reported to be £38m and becomes activate in the summer of 2023.
Southampton would also like to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja for around £25m after the Albania international impressed on loan this season, scoring eight goals this season.
13.50 GMT: PSG reportedly want to sign Lille forward Jonathan David as a potential replacement for Kylian Mbappe, says Le10 Sport.
David, 22, has 12 goals in 25 Ligue 1 games for the defending champions this season and Lille value his services at around €70m.
Mbappe is set to leave PSG to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer, but the French side need to source a replacement and are looking at bringing in Canada international David.
12.54 GMT: Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa is now a target of Newcastle, according to the Daily Star.
Kepa, 27, is the world's most expensive goalkeeper, having joined Chelsea from Athletic Club for £71.6m in 2018.
However, he is now behind Edouard Mendy in the pecking order and the club will reportedly listen to offers in the region of £50m this summer.
12.35 GMT: Just 259 days ago, the 30-year-old Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark in a Euro 2020 game against Finland in Copenhagen. Yesterday he was back on the pitch in Brentford's 2-0 defeat against Newcastle. Mark Ogden was there to see his remarkable comeback.
Eriksen has since said that he "died for five minutes" during that afternoon in Copenhagen. Even as he was wheeled off the pitch by paramedics, having regained consciousness, it seemed inconceivable that the former Ajax and Tottenham midfielder would ever play again and put his body through the daily demands of being a professional athlete.
Simply surviving such an awful ordeal and enjoying the rest of his life was surely the only scenario for him to consider.
But nine months after Eriksen collapsed on a pitch in Denmark, here he was, playing in the Premier League for Brentford on Saturday, complaining to the referee as though it was perfectly routine before eventually applauding all sides of the stadium as he walked off the pitch and back to the dressing room without wanting to draw attention to himself.
"If you take away the result, I'm one happy man," Eriksen said after his 38-minute substitute outing. "To go through what I've been through, being back is a wonderful feeling."
11.45 GMT: Sources have told ESPN that former United States midfielder Jesse Marsch is the leading contender to succeed Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.
Marsch left Bundesliga side RB Leipzig by mutual consent in December, five months after taking charge, and sources said he is the No. 1 candidate for the vacancy at Elland Road.
He previously won two Austrian league titles at FC Salzburg. The 48-year-old began his managerial career at Montreal Impact in 2011 and also managed New York Red Bulls. Ralf Rangnick, now Manchester United's interim manager, employed Marsch as his assistant during his time at Leipzig.
11.04 GMT: Marcelo Bielsa has been sacked by Leeds United, it was confirmed, with the club fighting a relegation battle in the Premier League.
Leeds suffered a torrid week, first suffering a 6-0 defeat away to Liverpool on Wednesday before enduring a 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at home on Saturday.
Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani said: "This has been the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds United, taking into account all the success Marcelo has had at the club. With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road. He changed the culture of the club and brought a winning mentality to us all. The moments created, particularly in the 2019/20 season and winning promotion to the Premier League, will of course live long in all our memories, myself and the fans included.
"However, I have to act in the best interest of the club and I believe a change is required now in order to secure our Premier League status. Recent results and performances have not met our expectations. We find ourselves in a precarious league position and I feel now is the right time to bring in a new head coach, in order to have an impact in the decisive stage of the season."
Bielsa, 66, joined Leeds in 2018, guiding the club back to the Premier League by winning the Championship in 2020, ending the club's 16-year absence from England's top-flight.
10.41 GMT: Manchester United want to make a double swoop to sign PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo and Sporting CP defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, says the Mirror.
Gakpo, 22, has scored 13 goals and provided 13 assists for PSV in this campaign and is on the radar of a host of top clubs in Europe.
Meanwhile the 26-year-old Palhinha has just signed a new contract until 2026 but has a release clause of €50m and Sporting are reportedly prepared to negotiate a lower fee if it includes performance-based add-ons.
09.57 GMT: Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has been struggling for game time and the Daily Star says that Barcelona are interested in signing him.
Bailly, 27, was a £30m signing from Villarreal in 2016 but has slipped down the pecking order after the arrival of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid last summer.
The Ivory Coast international signed a four-year contract extension at Manchester United in April 2021 but could be allowed to depart if Barcelona make a bid.
09.30 GMT: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich suddenly handed over the "stewardship and care" of the Premier League club to its charitable foundation trustees on Saturday.
The move came after a member of the British Parliament called for the Russian billionaire to hand over the club in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, made no mention of the war in Ukraine in his statement and, significantly, is not relinquishing ownership of the club and can still provide funds, presuming he is not sanctioned by the U.K. government. Sources have told ESPN that Abramovich has no intention of calling in his loans to the club.
"During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities," he said.
"I have always taken decisions with the Club's best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.
"I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the club, players, staff, and fans."
09.00 GMT: Manchester United remain convinced they can attract their top targets to Old Trafford in the summer even if they miss out on a place in the Premier League top four, sources have told ESPN.
Sources said that United are prepared to spend in the summer regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League.
Targets like West Ham's Declan Rice and Tottenham's Harry Kane have made it clear they want to play in Europe's top club competition but United believe they are still in a position to pull off marquee signings even if they miss out on a place in the top four this season.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- Liverpool are keen to sign Darwin Nunez, reports Football Insider. The 22-year-old forward was recently linked with West Ham, though Benfica turned down a £40m bid for his services in January. The latest suggests that he is open to making the switch to play for Jurgen Klopp's side, with the Reds ready to make an official approach in the summer. It is reported that scouts were sent to watch Nunez during the Champions League knockout clash with Ajax Amsterdam.
- West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Atalanta are all monitoring the situation of Flamengo ace Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa, reveals Ekrem Konur. The three clubs were in the market for a No. 9 during the January transfer window, but after failing to find a solution, they are now looking towards the 25-year-old striker, who contributed 17 goals in 18 games in Brazil's Serie A last season.
- Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to secure a deal for Chelsea star Levi Colwill, who has been impressing during his time on loan at Huddersfield Town. That's according to the Mirror, though the report also says that Thomas Tuchel may already have plans to give the 19-year-old defender a chance to prove himself when he returns from his loan spell in the Championship. He has made 21 league appearances for the Terriers this season.
- Torino will activate the clause in Josip Brekalo's loan deal from Wolfsburg to make his move permanent, according to Calciomercato. The 23-year-old winger has six goals in 17 starts so far this season in Serie A. That form has seen Il Toro's hierarchy make their decision quickly over whether to sign him on a permanent basis.
- Tottenham Hotspur are ready to join Newcastle United in the race for Lille's Sven Botman, reports the Star. With Spurs keen to keep manager Antonio Conte in north London, chairman Daniel Levy is looking to back his man over the summer as he continues his project. A deal will reportedly cost in the region of £30m for 22-year-old centre-back Botman, though there is a competition for his signature, with AC Milan also recently linked.