Transfer Talk: Tottenham interested as Weston McKennie set to exit Juventus

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!

TOP STORY: Juventus set to move McKennie on, with Spurs interested

Juventus have decided that Weston McKennie will be leaving the club in 2023, as has been reported by Calciomercato.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder has played 13 times for I Bianconeri this season, including scoring against Paris Saint-Germain, but the Italian Serie A giants will listen to offers to sign him as soon as January.

That is likely to please Tottenham Hotspur as they are reportedly keen on the 24-year-old, who will be aiming to show what he is capable of as part of Gregg Berhalter’s squad at the World Cup this winter.

In another report out of Italy, Calciomercato suggests that Juventus could make a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul in January.

De Paul, 28, is said to be out of Atleti’s project with there being no chance of him resolving his rift with Diego Simeone. This means that the LaLiga side are evaluating whether to offload the Argentina international permanently or on loan when the transfer window opens.

Aware that he is likely to depart, De Paul’s priority is securing a return to Italy after he spent five years there with Udinese. Juventus had actually attempted to sign the midfielder before Udinese accepted Atleti’s offer and are now monitoring the situation.

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21.50 BST: AC Milan have held talks with the entourage of Chelsea striker Armando Broja as the Serie A giants aim to make a move next summer, according to Calciomercato. A new frontman will be a priority with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud in the final year of their contracts, while Ante Rebic and Divock Origi are being evaluated, and Broja is seen as having the perfect profile.

21.31 BST: Denis Zakaria’s loan from Juventus to Chelsea could be cut short in January due to frustrations over a lack of game time, reports The Evening Standard. The Swiss midfielder is yet to make a single appearance since his deadline day move and is set to have talks with Graham Potter and Todd Boehly, which could lead to his departure if assurances aren’t offered about playing opportunities in the coming weeks.

21.12 BST: Juventus and Barcelona are among the many clubs hoping to sign 17-year-old Mainz midfielder Marcel Kalemba as a free agent in the summer, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Kalemba is yet to make a first-team appearance for Mainz, but the club is doing their utmost to persuade him to sign a new contract instead of departing on a free transfer.

20.52 BST: Chelsea have offered Jorginho a new contract on similar terms to his current £120,000-per-week deal, reports the Evening Standard, although they have been unable to come to an agreement due to the midfielder wanting £150,000. Like N’Golo Kante, the Italian’s contract expires in the summer of 2023 and he wants to stay longer but also desires the status of an important senior player in the squad.

20.28 BST: Juventus are looking at Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo and Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro as they aim to strengthen at left-back, reports Tuttosport, with both players having contracts that are set to expire in the summer of 2023. I Bianconeri also want to bring in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan N’Dicka at centre-back, although they will face competition from Roma for the man who is also set to become a free agent.

19.38 BST: With concerns rising over Nico Gonzalez’s lack of game time on loan at Valencia, Diario Sport have reported that Barcelona could withdraw the midfielder and send him on loan to another European club if the situation hasn’t changed by January. There are options and it would be up to Nico to decide, while Valencia have so far remained silent on the matter.

19.03 BST: Juventus are already working on a move for Sandi Lovric, with the midfielder having impressed since joining Udinese in the summer, reports Calciomercato. Udinese will want to keep the 24-year-old until the summer at least and will expect to receive over €10m.

17.52 BST: Florian Plettenberg has stated that Borussia Monchengladbach would like to extend Ramy Bensebaini’s contract, adding that the Algerian’s management is not pushing concrete negotiations at the moment. It is expected that the left-back will leave as a free agent when his current contract ends in the summer, as he is seen as one of the Bundesliga’s best in his position.

17.00 BST: Newcastle United are monitoring the situation of Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to Ekrem Konur. The Georgia international has proven to be a revelation since joining the Serie A club, recording seven goals and eight assists in 14 matches so far.

15.44 BST: Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech could be set for a move to AC Milan, says Tuttomercatoweb.

Ziyech, 29, has fallen out of favour at Chelsea and is considering his options, having only played five times this season so far.

The Morocco international’s lawyer, Sebastian Ledure, was spotted at Milan’s headquarters earlier today, sparking speculation of talks over a transfer.

14.56 BST: Chelsea boss Graham Potter believes Kepa Arrizabalaga‘s transformation should serve as an example to other players who fear their career at the club is at risk.

Kepa, 28, became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in 2018 when the Blues paid Athletic Club £71.4m to sign him, but he fell out of favour under both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel.

Sources told ESPN in February that Chelsea were ready to move the Spain international on, but the club is now under new ownership after the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover with Potter also replacing Tuchel as head coach.

Kepa has started all six matches since Potter took charge last month, keeping four clean sheets, and the former Brighton manager said: “He’s a human being, a player, and they want to play, to contribute and he’s doing that. It is brilliant for him and I think it is a nice example of everybody that sometimes it doesn’t go your way and you have to suffer in life sometimes.

“Things aren’t ideal or perfect but I must admit I’ve been really impressed with his character, his personality. Very professional. Understand the game really well, takes responsibility so it is nice when those type of people get the rewards which is a reward for their hard work and effort.”

14.28 BST: Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci won’t be leaving the club any time soon, says Calciomercato.

Bonucci, 35, had been linked with a move to Tottenham. But the Italy international is wanted by Juve and will honour his contract until it expires in 2024.

13.49 BST: Fabrizio Romano says that Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk could leave for as much as €65m.

Mudryk, 21, has seven assists and three goals from nine matches this season, with the Ukraine international making a real mark on the Champions League stage.

Arsenal have been linked with a move, but even if add-ons are included, €65m looks a lot.

13.14 BST: Liverpool’s search for a midfielder has seen them linked with a move for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis, according to Portuguese outlet Record.

Luis, 23, has spent time on loan with Monaco and Getafe in recent years, but has impressed this season under Roger Schmidt back at Benfica.

The Portugal U21 international could follow €100m striker Darwin Nunez from Benfica to Anfield, with €45m winger Luis Diaz also moving from FC Porto in Portugal recently.

However, Luis reportedly has a release clause of €120m, which could complicate things.

12.30 BST: Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has been sensational this season.

11.09 BST: Rayo Vallecano’s Pablo Munoz is on the radar of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, according to AS.

Munoz, 19, has yet to make his senior debut but has begun to attract attention after scoring 19 goals from midfielder for Rayo’s U19 side. He has a contract until 2024 and could make a big move in the coming months.

10.37 BST: Victor Osimhen is not looking to leave Napoli in the January transfer window, despite reports that Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in his services.

Osimhen, 23, has scored four goals in eight appearances this season for Napoli, who are unbeaten and lead both Serie A and Champions League Group A.

“Osimhen wants to be at Napoli and continue to play with his teammates in the Champions League that they all earned on the pitch,” Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda told Radio Kiss Kiss. “It’s not something we discover now that Osimhen is desired by so many teams, but things are completed in three: the one that sells, the one that buys and the player.

“We’ve always been clear despite what some people may say, that Osimhen wants Napoli. He has a long-term contract and even though there may be a lot of activity in the market, our intention is for him to do well at Napoli.”

The Nigeria forward joined Napoli from Lille for €80m in 2020 and is under contract until June 2025.

09.45 BST: Veteran Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he is not considering retiring any time soon.

Buffon, 44, re-joined Parma in June 2021 as a free agent after a brief period at Paris Saint-Germain, having spent a combined 19 years at Juventus across two hugely successful spells.

“I still have aims to achieve,” he told DAZN. “I live in a state of calm that I did not have before.”

The Italy legend is under contract with Parma until June 2024.

09.10 BST: FC Porto are set to offer goalkeeper Diogo Costa a new contract, says O Jogo.

Costa, 23, is highly rated and has recently been linked with Manchester United.

The Portugal international has a reported release clause of €60m, which Porto are looking to raise with a new deal.

08.33 BST: AC Milan sporting director Ricky Massara says he is optimistic that Rafael Leao will soon sign a contract extension.

Leao, 23, joined AC Milan from Lille in the summer of 2019 and is now a reported €80m target of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain after scoring 14 goals and setting up 12 more in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A champions last season.

The Portugal winger was voted the most valuable player in Serie A, but becomes a free agent in June 2024 unless he can agree new terms..

Asked about Leao’s renewal, Massara told Sky Italia: “We are confident, we want to consolidate this growth that the lad has had and stabilize the team to give continuity at the top level. We will try to find a solution to continue with Leao for a long time.”

Leao’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is expected to hold talks with the Rossoneri in Milan this week to discuss the new contract. And Massara believes Milan is the right place for Leao to continue to succeed. “The merit of his growth is also attributable to the coach and staff,” he said.

Milan are reportedly ready to offer Leao a new five-year deal with a substantial increase in his €1.5m-a-season wages and may also help the player pay the €16.5m compensation he owes to former club Sporting CP.

08.00 BST: Former Spain sporting director and manager Fernando Hierro was named the new sporting director of Liga MX’s Chivas on Monday.

Monday’s announcement comes less than a week after previous sporting director Ricardo Pelaez was sacked and a day after the dismissal of manager Ricardo Cadena. With Hierro in charge, Chivas’ new leadership will have a few months to prepare for the upcoming 2023 Clausura season.

Well known for only using players with Mexican heritage, Chivas have a unique setup that relies on domestic talent. Chivas have a massive following and the second-most Liga MX championships (12) in history, but have not reached a Liga MX final since winning the title in 2017.

Hierro will seek to revive the slumbering giants and his first major task will be bringing in a manager that can help with the process.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Barcelona are carefully monitoring the situation of Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport. The Slovakia international has thrived under Luciano Spalletti, whose contract is set to end upon this campaign’s culmination, and Xavi Hernandez likes the midfielder a lot which has resulted in the Blaugrana paying closer attention to whether a deal could be possible.

– Speaking at the 2022 Gran Gala del Calcio ceremony, Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has stated that he is confident of coming to an agreement to keep defender Milan Skriniar with the club past his current contract, which expires this summer. As quoted by Corriere dello Sport, he said: “We will talk with him shortly, the club is willing to find an agreement. I’m sure we are dealing with a serious professional who loves Inter. I am confident that we can reach a peaceful negotiation.”

– Everton have shown an interest in signing Lille striker Jonathan David, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg. However, they have reportedly not made a concrete offer and wouldn’t stand much of a chance of signing him anyway. The Canada international wants to join an elite club in Europe, while Lille are demanding over €50m as David has a contract until 2025 that doesn’t include a release clause.

– Florian Plettenberg has reported that Bayern Munich are interested in Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram but are still not 100% convinced about making a move. The Frenchman will be available as a free agent when his contract ends in the summer, with it believed that there will not be an extension at Gladbach.