LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid eye Benfica defender Antonio Silva
Ale Moreno makes the case for Real Madrid as the ideal January move for Cristiano Ronaldo. (1:18)
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!
Benfica youngster Antonio Silva has only made eight senior appearances for the Portuguese club, but Calciomercato reports that Real Madrid are already eyeing the 18-year-old defender.
The Portugal under-21 international hadn’t made a single first-team appearance for Benfica before the current campaign, but has only missed one of nine matches since his debut.
This includes Wednesday’s impressive 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, in which Silva played the full 90 minutes to help keep Benfica level on points with Les Parisiens at the top of their UEFA Champions League group.
That achievement comes just months after he started the UEFA Youth League final as Benfica went on to beat FC Salzburg 6-0.
Los Blancos have shown a commitment to signing young talent who could go on to make their mark at the Santiago Bernabeu for years to come, and interest in Silva is indicative of that. This comes after Madrid signed Aurelien Tchouameni for €80m from AS Monaco in the most recent transfer window, and Eduardo Camavinga for €31m from Rennes a year before that.
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13.00 BST: Lionel Messi is starting to gel with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at PSG now.
Gab & Juls discuss Messi’s goal in PSG’s 1-1 draw vs. Benfica and highlight what the club still needs to work on.
12.18 BST: Inter defender Milan Skriniar is of interest to both Chelsea and Real Madrid, says Calciomercato.
Skriniar, 27, has a contract which ends in 2023 and will be available on a free transfer next summer if Inter can’t agree new terms.
PSG came close to signing the Slovakia international for €70m over the summer, but the two clubs couldn’t agree a deal. Tottenham have also been linked with him in the past.
11.44 BST: Arsenal are interested in signing FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, says A Bola.
Taremi, 30, has seven goals and six assists from 11 matches this season and the Iran international is keen to move after the 2022 World Cup.
Chelsea have also been linked with a player who only joined Porto in 2020 for around €5m from Rio Ave.
10.33 BST: Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has only started one match this season — against Zurich in the Europa League — following the £45m signing of Gabriel Jesus.
Nketiah, 23, is set to play in Thursday’s game against Bodo/Glimt but admitted he is frustrated by the situation since signing a new five-year contract this summer.
“Yes, everyone wants to play football,” he told a news conference. “The coach has a tough decision and it is up to me to keep working when I get the opportunity, on the field or in training, to show why I should be playing.
“I am confident that as the season goes on, I will get opportunities and it is up to me to take them. I will keep pushing to show I deserve more minutes — complaining never really gets you anywhere.”
10.12 BST: Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante wants a new four-year deal, according to The Daily Mail.
Kante, 31, has struggled with injury recently and the club are only willing to hand him a two-year contract with the option of a third year.
The France international’s deal expires in 2023 and he could move on if talks don’t go well.
09.31 BST: Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is of interest to Arsenal, according to Football Insider.
Rashford, 24, struggled in 2021-22 with four goals in 25 games and has three in seven already this season.
The England international has a contract which expires in 2023, though United have an option to extend by a year, and Arsenal are keeping an eye on things.
09.00 BST: ICYMI – Sevilla have sacked head coach Julen Lopetegui after just one win in 10 games this season, the LaLiga club announced.
Lopetegui’s 170th and final game in charge of Sevilla was Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund, a result that left the Spanish outfit on just one point and level at the bottom of Group G with FC Copenhagen after three games.
Sources have told ESPN that former Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli is in line to replace Lopetegui.
– Q&A: How clubs decide to sack a manager
08.26 BST: Atletico Madrid are set to agree a deal with Barcelona to sign Antoine Griezmann on a permanent basis, multiple sources have told ESPN, bringing an end to the stalemate that has seen the France forward start just one LaLiga game this season.
Griezmann, 31, returned to Atletico — whom he left for Barcelona in a €120m transfer in 2019 — on a two-year loan deal in August 2021 after struggling to adapt to life at Camp Nou.
The terms of the loan agreement stated that Atletico would be obliged to pay €40m to sign Griezmann permanently if he played 45 minutes or more in 50% of the matches for which he was available over the two-year period.
Atletico were unwilling to meet that fee, and the club ordered manager Diego Simeone to restrict his use of Griezmann this season in an attempt to force Barcelona to negotiate.
That led to an uncomfortable situation where Griezmann, who is the fourth-highest goal scorer in Atletico’s history, has been repeatedly used as a second-half substitute.
After protracted talks, sources told ESPN that the two clubs have now reached a consensus to make the loan permanent for a fee of just over half the €40m that was originally agreed in 2021.
08.00 BST: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dismissed reports that Erling Haaland has a clause in his contract allowing him to join Real Madrid for a lower fee.
Another double by Norwegian striker Haaland ensured City strolled to a third win from three Champions League Group G matches on Wednesday with a 5-0 thrashing of FC Copenhagen. Those goals took Haaland’s tally since joining City this summer to an extraordinary 19 goals in 12 games in all competitions.
Spanish media reported this week that there is a release clause in Haaland’s City contract that is exclusive to Real Madrid and gives the LaLiga giants a massive advantage if they want to sign him following the 2023-24 season.
Guardiola, however, insisted there was no such clause in the five-year contract Haaland signed when joining from Borussia Dortmund.
“It is not true,” Guardiola added. “He does not have a release clause for Real Madrid or any other team. Rumours, people talk.
“We have to be worried about what we can control. I have the feeling he is very happy here and we will try to make people happy here. He is settled perfectly, incredibly beloved.”
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens can’t understand how Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen are keeping Casemiro out of the Man United starting eleven.
– Bild journalist Christian Falk has stated that Christopher Nkunku‘s €60m release clause at RB Leipzig does not apply to Bayern Munich — who have previously signed Marcel Sabitzer and Dayot Upamecano from Die Roten Bullen. Nkunku has heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in 2023.
– Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic wants to join Juventus in the summer, reports Calciomercato, which adds that the plan would be for players to be included in a potential swap to make the transfer more viable. PSG are also interested in the Serbia international.
– Everton‘s option to permanently sign Conor Coady from Wolverhampton Wanderers is set at just £4.5m with add-ons for factors such as league appearances, according to The Telegraph. The England international is on a season-long loan with the Toffees, who are expected to make the deal permanent before the campaign comes to an end.
– Napoli have confirmed that Alex Meret has signed a contract extension that will keep him with Gli Azzurri until June 2024, with there being an option to extend it by a further year. The Serie A club also announced that striker Alessio Zerbin will be staying with them until the summer of 2027.
– New York Red Bulls have confirmed that homegrown defender John Tolkin has signed a contract that runs through 2027, with an option for an additional year. The 20-year-old has become an important player for the Major League Soccer side in the last two seasons, amassing a total of two goals and five assists in 58 appearances.