Transfer Talk: Bale to leave Spain behind with AC Milan move
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: Bale could be headed to Milan
AC Milan are interested in signing Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale in the summer, according to Calciomercato.
The Wales international was the hero for his nation in the most recent break, scoring twice against Austria to book a place in the final knockout game for the 2022 World Cup — where they will play the winner of Scotland versus Ukraine.
It’s not been as easy in club life, though, with manager Carlo Ancelotti confirming the 32-year-old will leave Madrid in the summer as a free agent. The forward has spent almost nine years at the club since his £90 million move from Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 106 goals with 67 assists in 256 competitive appearances, while helping Real to numerous trophies along the way.
Despite his contributions, the past few years have seen him excluded from the first team as his contract runs down, which has seen him endure pressure from fans and media alike. Following his brace for Wales, Bale spoke after the game about his treatment from the press and said: “I don’t need to say anything, it’s a waste of my time. It’s disgusting. They should be ashamed of themselves. I am not fussed, end of.”
His move away in the summer would represent a fresh start for both player and club. However, for Bale it would leave him without guaranteed playing time ahead of the World Cup later this year, with his nation still looking to qualify.
With the Rossoneri interested, it could be the ideal move to continue playing top-level club football and potentially help Wales if they reach their first World Cup finals since 1958.
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16.00 BST: That’s all from Transfer Talk today, as the soccer world turns its attention to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup draw. You can follow our live coverage of the build-up now here, with the draw itself due to begin at 5 p.m. BST.
15.57 BST: Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has had his contract extended by a year after triggering a clause in his deal, The Athletic reports.
Azpilicuerta was due to be out of contract this summer, but he is now committed to the reigning European champions until 2023 after meeting the performance-related requirements for the automatic extension.
Barcelona has been in talks with the 32-year-old over a free transfer this summer. However, they may now have to pay a transfer fee in order to sign the versatile defender.
Barca are also interested in signing two other Chelsea defenders who are due to be out of contract this summer, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen (see 08.00 BST).
15.11 BST: Brazilian club Flamengo are running the risk of missing out on a permanent deal for Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira with negotiations still not yet finalised, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Flamengo have agreed a fee of around £10m, including a clause for a percentage of any future move for the 26-year-old midfielder, who has also accepted a lower salary than he is on at Old Trafford.
But with Flamengo not yet in a position to complete the deal because of uncertainty around their finances, clubs from Spain, the Netherlands and England are circling.
Flamengo remain at the front of the queue for Pereira but his performances on loan in Brazil — scoring five goals in 24 games last season — and his willingness to accept a pay cut to secure a permanent move away from Old Trafford has alerted a number of European clubs.
Sources have told ESPN that PSV Eindhoven, where Pereira played between 2005 and 2011, are among the clubs to have registered an interest. The Brazil international is also keen on a move to Spain; his wife’s homeland.
Pereira has a contract at United until 2023 but will be allowed to leave if a suitable offer is made.
14.17 BST: Manchester City are optimistic they can see off competition from Real Madrid to sign striker Erling Haaland this summer, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson and Rodrigo Faez.
City are in the market for a striker and are confident they can put together a financial package to cover the €75 million release clause in Haaland’s contract with Borussia Dortmund (which comes into effect this year), the Norwegian’s wages and other associated fees including payments to agents.
Sources said that the departures of Angelino, Ferran Torres and Jack Harrison (for combined fees of around €85m) have left City in a strong financial position ahead of the summer window.
They also believe the lure of working with Pep Guardiola and a track record of success which has seen the club win three of the last four Premier League titles can convince Haaland to spend the next stage of his career at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland also has a personal connection to City after his father, Alfie, represented the club between 2000 and 2003.
Meanwhile, Marca reports that Haaland’s injury record — and agent Mino Raiola’s financial demands — are “distancing” the forward from Real Madrid. According to Marca, Raiola is “one of the great obstacles” to a deal with Madrid viewing his demands for signing-on bonuses and forms of payment as “unacceptable.”
The club also have “reasonable doubts” about Haaland’s physical condition, the newspaper claims — he has suffered three injuries this season — and don’t want a repeat of the problems they’ve seen with previous superstar signings Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard.
13.34 BST: Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is the frontrunner to be appointed as Manchester United’s next permanent manager as the club prepares to host a final round of interviews for the role, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino are among the coaches that United have spoken to about taking the job this summer, when Ralf Rangnick’s interim spell in charge is due to end.
Bothmen are on course to win the titles in their respective leagues this season, with Ajax two points ahead of PSV Eindhoven at the top of the Eredivisie while PSG have a nine-point lead over second-placed Marseille in Ligue 1.
12.53 BST: Brazilian defender Vinicius Tobias has joined Real Madrid on loan with an option to buy, Shakhtar Donetsk have announced.
The 18-year-old full-back — who only signed for Shakhtar from Internacional in January and had not yet made an appearance for the club — is expected to feature initially for Madrid’s reserve team, Castilla.
In a statement on Friday, the Ukrainian club said Vinicius moves to Madrid as a loanee until the end of the 2022-23 season, with an option to make the deal permanent.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led FIFA to introduce temporary measures last month, allowing foreign players based in the country to move outside of regular transfer windows.
12.07 BST: Juventus forward Paulo Dybala would be “an ideal market opportunity” for Atletico Madrid, according to Diario AS.
The newspaper cites data from Madrid-based artificial intelligence company Olocip as supporting the idea that the Argentina international — who is out of contract in Turin this summer — would be “an ideal player” for Diego Simeone’s side.
However Atletico currently have an “overbooking” problem in the forward line, AS reports, with Joao Felix, Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa and Matheus Cunha all set to be competing for places next season.
The club are looking to bring in Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara as a replacement for the MLS-bound Hector Herrera, who is set to join Houston Dynamo this summer.
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11.21 BST: Sporting CP fans would love for Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the club, according to the Portuguese side’s goalkeeper Antonio Adan.
Ronaldo, who began his professional career at the Lisbon club, has one year left in his contract with Manchester United.
“Physically, Cristiano can play as long as he wants,” said Adan, who was a teammate of Ronaldo’s at Real Madrid from 2010-13. “Myself and any Sporting fan are eager for Cristiano to come here.
“Of course, he is one of the best in the world and even at his age I think that him returning would be very important for everyone. We would really like him to come but we also know it’s very complicated.”
10.34 BST: Liverpool have won the race to sign teenager Ben Doak from Celtic for a fee of £600,000, The Athletic reports.
After turning 16 in November, Doak made two first-team appearances as a substitute for Ange Postecoglou’s side. The winger came off the bench in the 68th minute for his debut against Dundee United on Jan. 29, and then made a brief appearance at the end of a 3-0 win over Rangers four days later.
Doak chose not to sign a professional contract at Celtic, meaning that the club are due a nominal compensation fee for his development.
Welcome to Liverpool Ben Doak! pic.twitter.com/TX2VBesE1b
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10.00 BST: Bruno Fernandes has signed a contract extension until 2026 at Manchester United, the club have confirmed. The deal includes the option of extending it a further year to 2027.
The Portugal international, who scored twice to seal his club’s passage to the World Cup in midweek, will be among United’s top earners are agreeing a new deal.
Fernandes, who arrived at United from Sporting for an initial €55 million in January 2020, had three years to run on his previous deal at Old Trafford. But United moved to step up negotiations over fresh terms during the international break to recognise Fernandes’ status as one of the club’s key players.
The 27-year-old scored a hat trick on the opening day of the season but, like his teammates, has suffered a dip in form throughout the 2021-22 campaign. However, his new contract is a huge boost for the club, who are not guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League and are set to go five seasons without lifting any silverware.
09.41 BST: RB Leipzig are set for contract talks with star midfielder Christopher Nkunku this summer in the hope of keeping him at the club, but will listen to offers in excess of €75m, sources have told ESPN’s Tom Hamilton.
Nkunku signed for Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 but has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign this season, contributing 15 goals and 11 assists in 27 Bundesliga games.
According to sources, Nkunku’s form has attracted the attention of Europe’s top teams with Manchester United, Liverpool, PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal all monitoring his situation. Bayern Munich are also interested in him but will struggle to meet the asking price of €75m.
The midfielder is under contract until 2024 at Leipzig and the club are hopeful of persuading him to stay for an extra season. Sources have told ESPN that the club are hoping their good relationship with his agent Pini Zahavi will also help their cause, but there is an acceptance that if a team offers €75m, it will be tough to keep him. Sources add Nkunku is hopeful the club will accept a bid in the region of €60m.
While Nkunku could leavethis summer, Josko Gvardiol is set to stay. The highly rated 20-year-old defender has enjoyed a remarkable season in the Bundesliga, following his €16m move from Dinamo Zagreb last summer.
The Croatia international can play at centre-back and left-back but is set to reject any overtures this summer to continue his development at Leipzig, sources said.
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08.48 BST: Brazilian right-back Dodo, a target of Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, says he is waiting for the transfer window to re-open to return to play in Europe.
The Shakhtar Donetsk player left Ukraine in February and returned to his homeland, where he is training at Coritiba.
He told Globo Esporte: “My intention, since I arrived in Brazil, is to return to Europe. I still have a long way to go there. My head is turned to Europe.
“I saw that FIFA opened a special window and my agents are aware of all this. They are working so that they can do the right thing. Our contracts are suspended, but I try to have peace of mind and not be desperate. I miss playing ball. I believe that, with calm and patience, we solve things in the best way.”
Dodo, whose contract with the Ukrainian club runs until June 2025, confirmed that Shakhtar had earlier this season turned down offers from Bayern and Spurs for his services.
“Yes, I had those offers,” the 23-year-old said. “It was a magnificent thing because my work was recognised. I left a good impression in Europe.
“I just have to be patient because everything will work out. I’m very calm, I’m still focused and working hard so that things can happen naturally.”
08.00 BST: Barcelona club directors Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff met with Antonio Rudiger‘s advisor, Sahr Senesie, on Wednesday evening to discuss the Chelsea defender’s potential arrival to the Camp Nou as a free agent this summer.
Sky Sport Germany captured images of Barca football director Alemany and the club’s international scouting director Cruyff meeting Senesie, who is also Rudiger’s stepbrother, in a hotel in Barcelona.
Barca have confirmed to ESPN’s adriana Garcia and Moises Llorens that the meeting took place with the club wanting to know what Rudiger’s wage demands would be and if the operation is feasible.
Rudiger’s contract with Chelsea expires at the end of the season, meaning there would be no transfer fee. However, the 29-year-old would command a high salary, which could be a hurdle for a club that is trying to reduce its wage bill to be within LaLiga’s salary limits.
ESPN has previously reported that Barca are poised to complete the signings of Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie this summer as their current contracts with Chelsea and AC Milan, respectively, end in June.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)
– Philippe Coutinho has enjoyed a successful return to the Premier League, reuniting with former teammate Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona.
The 29-year-old has had seven goal involvements in 10 games, gaining further transfer interest ahead of the summer, with Sport reporting that Newcastle United are eyeing a move. However, the Magpies might have to compete with Villa, due to their €40 million clause in the playmaker’s loan deal to make the move permanent.
– Real Madrid’s iconic midfield trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro could soon be coming to an end after many years together. AS reports that Los Blancos are keen on a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham as a potential replacement to Modric, in particular. The 18-year-old has become a mainstay in the Dortmund team and is already displaying some of his promise, further enticing the LaLiga club to pursue a move in 2023 for the England international.
– Manchester United are expecting striker Cristiano Ronaldo to leave at the end of the season, says Football Insider. The 37-year-old made his stunning return from Juventus just last summer, but has endured an up-and-down season along with the rest of the Red Devils. He still has one year remaining on his contract, but the report claims that United will be willing to let him go for free to get his wages off their books.
– Defender Kalidou Koulibaly has spent eight years at Napoli and has often been linked with a move away, but with his deal expiring in 2023, rumours have resurfaced over a transfer yet again. Calciomercato claims that Juventus have asked about the possibility of a transfer due to his contract situation, with the Bianconeri keen to reinforce their defensive ranks.
– Leicester City are ready to make a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke in the summer, reports the Telegraph. A former Tottenham youth player, Madueke has impressed with nine goals and five assists across all competitions. At just 20 years old and with a Dutch Super Cup already won, he is viewed as a future prospect.