Transfer Talk: Barcelona, PSG, Real Madrid want Endrick
The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Barcelona remain in the race alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid to sign highly rated Palmeiras forward Endrick, according to Diario Sport.
It is suggested that PSG are the 16-year-old’s most likely eventual destination, while Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will do everything possible to bring him to the Bernabeu.
All of this comes despite the fact that, like his Brazilian compatriots Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo before him, Endrick is not allowed to make a big European move until he turns 18 due to FIFA rules. Endrick can still sign a pre-agreement before then, which has resulted in the scramble to sign the teenager who is considered a major talent.
Barcelona had been working to ensure they wrapped up his signature for 2024, but that has changed after their Champions League elimination and El Clasico defeat this month. Barcelona may now concentrate their resources towards signing a defensive midfielder and right-back in January as they battle for the LaLiga and Europa League titles.
While Endrick has been told he should wait until the summer before signing any future agreement, Barcelona could miss out should a deal be finalised elsewhere. Even so, the Blaugrana have a good relationship with those around the forward and have received a commitment that they will be kept up to date with any market movements surrounding him.
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14.28 BST: Sport says that Barcelona are looking to move on Memphis Depay in January.
Depay, 28, was close to leaving Camp Nou over the summer but opted to stay and fight for his place. Yet the Netherlands international has only played three times, scoring one goal, and is likely to depart once the window opens, with Juventus retaining an interest in signing him.
Juve reportedly reached an agreement over a transfer with Barca a few months ago, but the forward did not want to lower his wages to less than €7m per season.
13.37 BST: Mexico international Edson Alvarez has been speaking to ESPN NL about Chelsea’s interest in him this summer.
Chelsea made a €50m bid to sign the Ajax midfielder on deadline day, sources told ESPN, but the Dutch club didn’t want to let him go having already allowed Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Sebastien Haller, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui to leave the club.
“There was interest for sure,” he said. “We did not expect Chelsea to offer any more. It was a difficult situation; Ajax couldn’t do anything.
“They didn’t have another player in my position. I fought for it [a transfer] as hard as I could, but didn’t want to fight too hard because I’m aware of my role at Ajax. But OK, well … I’m aware that everything could have changed. A better competition, a better life for me and my family. In the end, that is where it is about. I’ve always told myself I’m here because of my love for football, but also for my family. They have to be well, I need to take care of my children and parents.
“So yeah, that is something that motivates me now I know clubs are watching my games and watching me. I’m very upset about it [not moving to Chelsea], but I’m convinced sooner or later a big club will come for me.”
13.03 BST: Carlo Ancelotti has said Real Madrid won’t look to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window.
Madrid have made a strong start to the season, losing only once in a 3-2 Champions League defeat away at RB Leipzig in midweek with qualification for the round of 16 already assured.
Injury concerns over Karim Benzema — who was out for a month with a hamstring problem and will miss Sunday’s LaLiga game with Girona, with Ancelotti saying he “still isn’t 100%” — had led to speculation that Madrid might move for a back-up centre-forward.
“We aren’t thinking about the January market because we aren’t interested in the January market,” Ancelotti said on Saturday. “This is the squad that will carry on until the end of the season, it won’t change.”
Rodrygo Goes, who has filled in when Benzema has been unavailable in recent weeks, didn’t train on Saturday but Ancelotti said he would be available to face Girona.
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11.15 BST: Mundo Deportivo says that Barcelona were close to signing former Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani in January.
Cavani, 35, eventually signed for Valencia on a free transfer when his contract with United expired in the summer.
But Barca were looking for a striker in January and instead chose to bring in Ferran Torres (for €55m) from Manchester City and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free from Arsenal.
10.17 BST: Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is on loan at Inter Milan and Fabrizio Romano reports that both player and club want to extend that for another year.
Lukaku, 29, signed for Chelsea for €115m in 2021 but returned to Inter on loan after just one season where he scored 15 times in 44 games.
Inter paid a €7.8m fee to Chelsea to loan the Belgium international for a season and talks are already underway to add a second year, despite his recent injury woes.
09.25 BST: PSV forward Cody Gakpo has a host of top European clubs after his signature, but Der Telegraaf says he could be available for as little as €30m.
Gakpo, 23, has 13 goals and 14 assists from 21 games this season and was linked with a €60m to Manchester United over the summer.
The Netherlands international is one of the most in-form players who could move in January, but the Dutch club’s financial situation mean he could be allowed to leave on the cheap.
09.00 BST: New Villarreal coach Quique Setien said he should have left the Barcelona job after just one month in charge due to difficulties in fulfilling the role how he wanted to.
Setien, 64, said certain habits had set in that he was unable to change and made him compromise on his coaching style.
The former Barca boss also spoke about the difficulties he experienced coaching Lionel Messi, although he said he wanted to remember the positive elements of the Paris Saint-Germain forward.
“Barca was the team I had always dreamed of coaching, but if you see there are things you can’t change, you should leave,” he told El Larguero after his first game in charge of Villarreal, a 2-2 draw against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Europa Conference League.
“But it is an opportunity you have dreamed of forever. And arriving through one door and leaving through another the next month like [Jose Antonio] Camacho did [at Real Madrid in 1998]… There was a moment I thought about it, but you overcome those moments. If there are things that don’t fit, you should not be a hypocrite and you should go.”
Barcelona manager Xavi believes the club still has a lot to fight for after Champions League exit.
– Ekrem Konur reports that that Manchester City are among the clubs hoping to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, with scouts recently watching the Ukraine international against Celtic. The 21-year-old marked a lively performance by scoring Shakhtar’s goal in a 1-1 draw to stay third in their Champions League group.
– Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Marseille are among the clubs that could reignite their interest in Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi in January, reports Calciomercato. The Ukraine international has found meaningful game time hard to come by this season, which could lead to his winter departure.
– Fabrizio Romano has reported that work is in progress to extend Alejandro Garnacho‘s contract with Manchester United. The Red Devils’ offer for a new long-term contract has been ready since June, with the 18-year-old forward’s deal set to expire at the end of the season.
– After a possible summer move to Chelsea fell through, Dynamo Moscow attacking midfielder Arsen Zakharyan has told Sport24 that he hopes a move to Stamford Bridge is still on the cards. Having also been linked with Zenit St. Petersburg, Zakharyan stated: “I want to go to Chelsea now, I don’t want to go to Zenit … I have a year and a half contract. I am happy to play in Dynamo, the only place I want to go is Chelsea.”
— Zidan Sertdemir could leave Bayer Leverkusen in January with various clubs actively working to sign the 17-year-old Danish midfielder, reports Fabrizio Romano. Having joined the Bundesliga side in 2021, Sertdemir has made three late substitute appearances for the first team so far with all of them coming last season.