LIVE Transfer Talk: Barcelona’s Sergino Dest wanted by Roma
Don Hutchison can’t understand how Barcelona will be able to land the signature of Erling Haaland. (1:01)
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!
AS Roma are interested in signing Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest, reports Calciomercato.
The Blaugrana are still reportedly ready to let the United States international go in the summer, despite boss Xavi Hernandez praising the right-back’s “spectacularly good” performance against Valencia on Sunday.
The LaLiga club want €18 million for his signature, having signed him for €21m from Ajax Amsterdam back in 2020. Dest has made 16 league appearances so far this season, starting 14 of those in the earlier portion of the campaign under Ronald Koeman.
The full-back could play a key role for the USMNT in their attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in its final round of CONCACAF qualifiers in March. He played in a disappointing 2-0 loss to Canada in January, but the Americans are still on course to finish in the top three and take part in the world’s biggest tournament.
Roma’s potential move for the U.S. international could spell bad news for loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles, though, who is at the club on loan from Arsenal. The 24-year-old can play at both right-back and in midfield, currently starting at right-wing-back in his opening few games under Jose Mourinho. That could be the position that Dest fills, should he make the switch.
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12.28 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur are expected to try and fend off interest in Harry Kane by opening fresh contract talks at the end of the season, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.
Kane pushed to leave Spurs last summer after becoming frustrated at the club’s failure to win silverware — Tottenham’s last trophy remains the 2008 League Cup — but despite Manchester City, among others, expressing a desire to sign the England captain, no club was willing to meet the £150m asking price.
City are continuing to monitor Kane’s situation and will be in the market for a forward this summer but could turn their attention to Erling Haaland with Borussia Dortmund expected to allow the Norway international to leave.
Tottenham’s progress under new head coach Antonio Conte will be significant factor in determining Kane’s willingness to commit himself further. Last weekend’s 3-2 win at Manchester City breathed fresh life into their hopes of a top-four finish, Spurs are eighth in the table and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United but with three games in hand.
Champions League qualification would ensure Kane could play in Europe’s top tier competition once again and sources claim he has been impressed by Conte’s determination to aggressively overhaul the Spurs squad in a bid to turn them into title challengers.
However, Champions League qualification alone may not be enough to convince Kane he can be most successful at Spurs given he turns 29 in July and is desperate to add trophies to a career in which he has scored 173 Premier League goals in 268 games and 48 goals for England in 67 appearances.
The striker’s £200,000-a-week contract expires in 2024. Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are keen to protect their star player by agreeing fresh terms but it is unclear at this stage whether Kane will be willing to negotiate or push for a move instead.
12.00 GMT: Sergio Aguero may have had to retire from his playing career due to a heart defect, but he has options.
Julien Laurens feels Sergio Aguero can be a positive influence on Argentina if he joins the staff for the World Cup.
11.27 GMT: Barcelona have a plan B should they fail to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland for €75m this summer, says Sport.
If Barca can’t land Haaland when his release comes into effect, they would attempt to sign €80m-rated defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla and still strengthen their attack with the arrival of Real Sociedad striker Aleksandar Isak.
Both players fit the profile of Barca coach Xavi Hernandez because of their youth and style of play. Sweden international Isak, 22, a target of Barca in previous transfer windows, has a contract with the Basque outfit until June 2026, though his release clause is around €90m and Barca are still struggling with over €1 billion of debt.
Kounde, 23, has been a reported target of Chelsea in the last two transfer windows.
10.58 GMT: Real Madrid will sit down with Marco Asensio this summer to discuss a contract extension, Diario AS reports, with the forward’s current deal due to expire in 2023.
Asensio, 26, has emerged as an important player for Madrid in recent weeks, scoring crucial goals against Granada and Alaves in LaLiga.
According to the newspaper, Madrid’s plans for Asensio have changed radically over the last year, with the club considering sending him on loan last summer before the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as coach.
Now, Madrid are “strategically obliged” to renew Asensio’s contract this summer, AS reports, and he would remain a part of the club’s plans even if they add Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to their forward line.
10.15 GMT: Inter Milan are monitoring Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus as a potential replacement for Lautaro Martinez, Calciomercato reports.
Martinez, 24, has not scored in any of his past eight games for Inter, who are on a run of three games without a win after Sunday’s 2-0 loss at home to Sassuolo. Nevertheless, the Argentina international is still the subject of interest from clubs in the Premier League and LaLiga.
Inter are reportedly preparing for his departure in the summer, and Brazil international Jesus is one of the players they would consider moving for if required.
09.28 GMT: Alvaro Morata has no regrets about staying at Juventus despite being linked with Barcelona during the winter transfer window.
The Spain international is on loan at Juve from Atletico Madrid. Morata considered leaving Juve in January after the Turin giants signed Dusan Vlahovic in a €75m transfer from Fiorentina last month.
“I spoke to the coach when the transfer window concluded, I spoke about the team and what ideas he had,” Morata said. “He told me that Vlahovic’s arrival would help me and that has been the case.
“I’m very happy to be here and if it was up to me, I would stay here forever. I’ve always had the confidence of [Juve coach] Massimiliano Allegri. He is the first one that demands a lot from me because he knows me. He told me that I had to stay and that he had confidence in me.”
Morata has been a regular starter for Allegri and has scored five goals and set up four more in 25 league appearances for the Bianconeri.
08.43 GMT: David de Gea says he doesn’t envision playing for any other club other than Manchester United in a strong statement about the goalkeeper’s future.
De Gea, 31, has a contract at Old Trafford until 2023, with United holding an option to extend that deal by another year.
The Spain international has been at United since 2011 and, while he nearly joined Real Madrid in 2015, he said ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with former club Atletico Madrid that he does not want to leave.
“I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it’s just a city,” he said. “Now I feel as if I’m from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester. Where you are loved and welcomed is your home. I’ve been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don’t see myself away from Manchester United.”
08.00 GMT: Brazil forward Neymar has expressed his interest in playing in Major League Soccer in the future.
Neymar is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2025 but is already thinking about his future.
Asked if he would like to retire in Brazil, Neymar, 30, said on a podcast: “I don’t know. I have some doubts about that. I don’t know if I’ll play in Brazil again.
“I’d love to play in the U.S., actually. I’d love to play there at least for a season.”
When asked why, the former Barcelona star said: “First of all, their season is shorter, so I’d get three months’ vacation” and then he said laughing that would mean “I’d play many more years.”
Ian Darke questions if Thomas Tuchel will start Romelu Lukaku after his uneventful performance in Chelsea’s last match.
– Chelsea have begun talks to extend the contract of midfielder N’Golo Kante, reports Ekrem Konur. The 30-year-old’s deal at Stamford Bridge expires in 18 months, with the Blues keen to keep the France international at the club. The report also claims a number of teams are eyeing a potential move for the midfielder if he ultimately decides to leave Chelsea.
– Serie A side Atalanta are interested in a move for Torino striker Andrea Belotti in the summer, according to Nicolo Schira. The Italy international is set to leave Turin at the end of the season and become a free agent. The 28-year-old, who scored in his side’s 1-1 draw with Juventus in their local derby, currently captains Torino, but has struggled to play this season due to injury.
– Chelsea are considering a potential transfer for Wolves defender Max Kilman in the summer, reports TalkSPORT. The 24-year-old, a boyhood Blues fan, has started every game at centre-back for his side this season. His performances have impressed, prompting Chelsea to make a potential move given the possibility of them losing three defenders as free agents at the end of the season.
– Roma are tracking Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, according to Calciomercato. The 26-year-old has been a key player for Spurs since his arrival from Southampton in 2020 and also played under Jose Mourinho when he was coach of the north London club. The reports suggests that the Portuguese manager is now hoping to reunite with Hojbjerg in Rome.