LIVE Transfer Talk: Arsenal eye Coutinho if Villa can’t fund €40m clause
Janusz Michallik praises Martin Odegaard’s recent performance against Leicester City as Arsenal secure their fifth win in a row. (1:55)
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!
Arsenal will move quickly to acquire Philippe Coutinho if Aston Villa fail to exercise their priority purchase option before his loan deal expires, according to Sport.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard is keen to sign his former Liverpool teammate on a permanent basis, but he is yet to receive the green light from the Villa Park hierarchy that the funds will be made available to activate the €40 million clause.
Barcelona are eager to move on the 29-year-old attacking midfielder with plans to raise funds for other signings, and they hope to have a deal confirmed by the time the international transfer window opens on July 1.
While the LaLiga club have no plans to lower their asking price should Coutinho’s future no longer be at Villa, the report suggests that the Gunners are prepared to pay the transfer fee and offer the Brazil international a long-term contract at the Emirates.
Coutinho has been a standout performer for Villa since joining on loan in January, registering four goals and three assists in nine Premier League appearances.
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14.14 GMT: Dani Ceballos‘ future at Real Madrid is “uncertain” after playing an “irrelevant” role at the club this season, according to Diario AS.
Ceballos, 25, missed the first half of this season with an ankle injury after spending the previous two years on loan at Arsenal.
Despite returning to fitness in January — when coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would play an “important role” in what’s left of this campaign — he has barely featured, making just five brief substitute appearances for a total of 46 minutes in LaLiga.
The midfielder’s contract at Real Madrid expires in June 2023, and with a renewal highly unlikely, the club are expected to look to find him a new club this summer, AS reports.
13.29 GMT: Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says that Barcelona and definitely interested in Raphinha, but all clubs are waiting to see if Leeds United stay in the Premier League as that will change the financial package needed to get the player.
Raphinha, 25, was in stunning form under former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, but his performances dipped along with the rest of the team in the last few months.
Barca are one of a number of clubs who will be looking to sign the player in the summer, which will be far easier to achieve if Leeds are relegated to the Championship. Liverpool have also been strongly linked.
Barcelona are interested in Raphinha alongside Premier League clubs, including Liverpool [Chelsea wanted him, now in stand-by]. Barça already discussed about Raphinha with Deco. 🇧🇷 #FCB
No talks yet with Leeds – as price depends on their PL future and potential buy out clauses. https://t.co/iof4IPzMdB
12.40 GMT: The Sun reports that Liverpool have no intention of allowing back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to move to another club next season.
A number of Premier League clubs are said to be interested in the the 23-year-old, who has impressed when deputising for No. 1 Allison.
Liverpool aren’t even interested in letting him move on loan for first-team experience just yet — though they may change their opinion on that for the 2023-24 campaign.
Adrian and Loris Karius will both leave Anfield this summer when their contracts expire.
11.58 GMT: Negotiations for Barcelona to renew the contracts of Gavi and Ronald Araujo are at “breaking point,” according to the journalist Ruben Uria in Diario Sport.
Gavi and Araujo are both out of contract in 2023 but talks with their agents have failed to yield an agreement, with Barca said to be unwilling to match their demands.
“If [the players] want to continue at the club, they will, but on Barca’s terms,” a source at the club is quoted as saying.
Gavi, 17, has enjoyed a breakout season at Camp Nou. The midfielder has established himself as a regular in Xavi Hernandez’s side and has also earned international recognition with Spain.
Araujo, meanwhile, has emerged as an important part of Barca’s backline. The 23-year-old is in his second full season with the first team after initially signing for Barca B from Boston River in his native Uruguay in 2018. ESPN has previously revealed that he has been approached by several Premier League sides.
11.11 GMT: Calciomercato reports that Juventus will make finding a new club for Adrien Rabiot a priority this summer.
Rabiot, 26, joined Juve from Paris Saint-Germain three years ago, but he has struggled this season under coach Massimiliano Allegri.
The report says that the club are eager to get his €7m a season wages off the books, though there is no indication of which clubs could be interested.
10.33 GMT: Lionel Messi‘s dad contacted Barcelona recently to sound out the possibility of a sensational return to Camp Nou, according to the journalist Gerard Romero.
Messi, 34, was jeered by Paris Saint-Germain supporters on Sunday following the French club’s elimination from the Champions League last week, which has led to renewed speculation about his future. And Romero claims that the forward’s father, Jorge, was even floating the idea of moving back to Barcelona prior to the weekend’s events against Bordeaux, when Neymar was also subject to whistles from his own fans.
Speaking on Jijantes FC, Romero said Messi Sr. phoned a Barca director recently to find out what the situation is at the Catalan club following a troubled few years which culminated with Messi’s exit last summer. Messi joined PSG on a free transfer because Barca could not afford to renew his contract while remaining within their LaLiga-imposed spending limit.
Not everything has gone as expected in Paris, though, where Messi has scored just twice in 18 league games. He did score five Champions League goals, but failed to net in either of the games against Madrid as PSG were knocked out, leading to fan complaints on Sunday.
☎️ La llamada de Jorge Messi al FCB, así lo hemos contado con @Blayasensat y su bata #mercato pic.twitter.com/BO7XjqhBDh
09.56 GMT: Arturo Vidal is likely to leave Inter Milan this summer, reports Calciomercato.
Vidal, 34, has been at Inter for the past two seasons and helped the club win the Scudetto last year. However, he will celebrate his 35th birthday on the last day of the Serie A season and even though he is contracted to 2023 he may be allowed to move on.
The report says that he still wants to win the Premier League, having claimed the title in Italy, Germany and Spain, but it is more likely he moves to Flamengo. However, Inter will need to make some financial concessions for the move to work for the Brazilian club.
09.16 GMT: AS reports that Benfica are the most likely destination for Angel Di Maria when he leaves Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract this summer.
Di Maria, 34, has not been offered fresh terms by the Ligue 1 club, as reported by L’Equipe, and his representatives have been weighing up his options.
Benfica was the winger’s first club in Europe, moving to Portugal from Argentine side Rosario Central in 2007 before going on to play for Real Madrid, Manchester United and PSG. And now his European career could come to a close where it started.
08.30 GMT: Cesar Azpilicueta will not be available on a free transfer this summer, reports Marca, because a clause in his contract to trigger a one-year extension has automatically been activated.
Azpilicueta, 32, was due to be out of contract in the summer, and was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, but the deal has been extended to 2023 after the defender played in the required number of games to add an extra 12 months.
It means Barca will have to pay a transfer fee to sign the Spain international, though there remains uncertainty over Chelsea‘s future after Roman Abromovich saw his assets frozen by the UK government
– Barcelona have identified Alexandre Lacazette as a potential alternative forward option, writes Ekrem Konur. The Blaugrana are continuing to look for reinforcements on their front line, and with fees proving to be an issue in moves for the likes of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak, Lacazette is seen as a more realistic option. The 30-year-old Arsenal striker will be out of contract at the end of the season.
– AS Roma look to have completed talks for the signing of Mile Svilar, reports Fabrizio Romano. Jose Mourinho’s side have been in discussions for the Benfica B goalkeeper over the past month, and it now looks as though that the deal will be announced before the end of the season. Svilar, 22, earned his first cap for the Serbia national team in September.
– Luka Modric has made his decision to remain at the Bernabeu, reveals Marca. Manchester City were recently linked with a move for the 36-year-old midfielder back, but it looks as though he will soon sign new terms at Real Madrid. Modric has remained a key player for the LaLiga side this season, making 32 appearances across all competitions.
– Napoli and Juventus are keeping a close eye on Junior Traore, according to Calciomercato. The 22-year-old has impressed for Sassuolo, and the latest report suggests that the club will receive contact from Naples this week ahead of a potential summer deal. His valuation is believed to be around €25m.
– Lyon are keeping tabs on Villarreal central defender Aissa Mandi, writes Foot Mercato. As hopes of Jason Denayer renewing teams with the Ligue 1 club look uncertain, the club hierarchy are now looking for alternatives. Mandi has impressed in LaLiga this season despite not being a regular starter, and the 30-year-old Algeria international would be open to a return to French football.