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: Arsenal ready to move for Juve’s Kulusevski
Arsenal have long been one of the clubs linked with Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, along with the likes of Juventus and Atletico Madrid. However, Gianluca Di Marzio suggests that the Serbia international’s agents aren’t interested in talking and now the Gunners are taking an initial look at Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski as an alternative.
The red side of North London has enjoyed plenty of attacking excitement in recent times as they have climbed the Premier League table, largely thanks to Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, they’re not resting on their laurels and are looking toward the 21-year-old, who came off the bench during Sweden‘s 2-0 loss against Georgia on Thursday.
Kulusevski is a very different player to Vlahovic and only has one goal so far this season, though that did prove to be a Champions League winner against Zenit St. Petersburg, while he also assisted during a 3-2 Serie A win against Sampdoria.
Considering just two of Kulusevski’s 15 appearances in all competitions for Juventus this term have come from the start, the Swede may be willing to look elsewhere for game time.
The Bianconeri paid €35m to sign Kulusevski in January 2020 and would likely demand more than that now.
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09.14 GMT: Manchester City will resist any approach from Barcelona to sign Raheem Sterling in January, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson. The Spanish giants have been linked with a move for Sterling, who has said he would be open to a move abroad if he cannot find regular football at the Etihad Stadium.
However, sources told ESPN that City will not consider any offer for the 26-year-old — either permanent or on loan — during the January window because he remains a key part of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Sterling has paused contract talks with City until he is sure he will play a prominent part for the club in the future. His existing deal expires in 2023. The England winger has been in and out of Guardiola’s team this season and is reluctant to sign a new long-term contract if it means spending a lot of time on the bench.
If fresh terms cannot be agreed by next summer, City would be left with a decision to make about whether to sanction a departure for Sterling or risk letting him enter the final year of his contract.
08.30 GMT: Manchester City are prepared to launch a new bid for Harry Kane in the January transfer window, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson and James Olley, in what could be Antonio Conte‘s first major battle as Tottenham Hotspur boss.
City remain in the market for a striker having missed out on Kane in the summer. The England captain made it clear he wanted a fresh challenge away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only to pledge his immediate future to Spurs towards the end of the window.
He has struggled so far this season, scoring just once in the Premier League, and some Tottenham supporters have shown frustration towards at the 28-year-old, particularly during a lacklustre performance during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United.
There was hope it may lead chairman Daniel Levy to soften his stance ahead of the January window but that was before he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo with Conte. Sources said Kane is impressed with the appointment of the former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss, who has a track record of winning silverware in England and Italy — something the striker said in the summer he craves.
City would be willing to test Spurs’ resolve to keep Kane if they were given encouragement that a deal was possible. Kane has a contract at Tottenham until 2024 and Levy has consistently valued the forward at more than £150m — a fee that City are unwilling to meet.
1:22
Julien Laurens explains why Man City should wait until the summer to move for a new forward.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Napoli are looking to strengthen their depth behind Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui at full-back, according to Sky Sports Italia, who have also offered a list of the players the club are considering. On the left, they are looking at Lille‘s Reinildo Mandava, Empoli‘s Fabiano Parisi and Villarreal‘s Pervis Estupinan, while Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui is being courted for the right.
– AS Roma, AC Milan, Atalanta and Napoli are all interested in signing Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga, according to Foot Mercato. The Ivory Coast international’s contract ends in the summer of 2023, and Sassuolo are determined not to lose him for free. He has previously been linked with Sevilla, Stade Rennais, Lille, Lyon and Marseille.
— Georgia midfielder Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shocked Sweden with two goals to dent their World Cup qualification hopes on Thursday, but AC Milan may not be as surprised, according to Calciomercato. The report says Milan have been monitoring the 20-year-old from Rubin Kazan, but that a request of €20m might have cooled their interest. While they are still keeping tabs on him, Kvaratskhelia is also being looked at by Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach.
– Matteo Guendouzi has admitted that he wants to stay at Marseille rather than returning to Arsenal, as reported by RMC Sport. The midfielder said: “I am on loan. I am focused on what I have to do with OM, I want to register for the long term with OM. I am very comfortable with OM, I want to continue having fun in Marseille.”
– With new Genoa boss Andriy Shevchenko looking for a central midfielder, full-back and winger, Calciomercato have outlined some of their targets. According to their report, Genoa want Dynamo Kyiv’s Vitaliy Mykolenko, but could face competition from Napoli. They are also looking at AC Milan’s Samu Castillejo, while they have pointed to another report stating that Aleksei Miranchuk could be an alternative.
