Transfer Talk: Bayern plotting move for Frenkie de Jong

With just a few weeks remaining before the opening of the January transfer window, 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: Bayern watching De Jong

Bayern Munich are keeping close tabs on Netherlands star Frenkie de Jong, reveals Sport.

The Barcelona midfielder was linked with an €85 million move away from the club in the summer but, despite his intentions to fulfil his contract until 2026 at Camp Nou, it is reported that the LaLiga side are still attempting to persuade him to lower his salary.

That has alerted the Bundesliga champions to his situation. While they were unable to make a move for De Jong after they acquired Matthijs de Ligt for €77m from Juventus in July, there is now hope that an approach for the 25-year-old could be possible.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side reportedly believe Barcelona will be forced to part ways with him if they have not reached a new contract agreement by the end of the season, with Bayern optimistic that he would be open to making the switch to the Allianz Arena.

De Jong has remained an important part of Xavi Hernandez’s squad this season, making 20 appearances across all competitions.

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11.22 GMT: Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea are on the verge of signing Molde striker David Datro Fofana.

Fofana, 19, has scored 21 goals in 37 games and has a contract which expires in 2024. The Ivorian has attracted Chelsea’s interest and the club look set to land him for around a €10m fee.

10.50 GMT: Real Madrid would be willing to let Eden Hazard leave in January, according to Marca.

Hazard, 31, has flopped at the Bernabeu — with a series of injuries limiting his impact since joining for €100m from Chelsea in 2019 — but still has 18 months left on his contract.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has said Madrid’s squad “won’t change” in the January window, while also admitting that “if a player is unhappy, we could think about it.”

Hazard, who has made just three appearances in LaLiga this season, scoring no goals, said before the World Cup that a January move was “impossible” with his family settled in Madrid, but admitted that he would accept a departure next summer.

10.04 GMT: Cristiano Ronaldo trained alone at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground on Wednesday, sources have told ESPN, as he prepares to take a decision on his future.

Ronaldo, who is without a club after leaving Manchester United last month, returned to Madrid after Portugal’s exit at the World Cup in Qatar, where he made a second-half substitute appearance in their quarterfinal defeat to Morocco on Saturday.

Sources have told ESPN that Ronaldo asked for permission to train at Real Madrid City on Wednesday to maintain his fitness, a request that was welcomed by the club. He worked alone on a separate pitch, away from where Madrid’s first-team squad were training with manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The relationship between the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Madrid took a hit when he left in 2018, joining Juventus in a €100m deal, but has improved since then.

09.22 GMT: Argentina international Nicolas Otamendi has not made a decision regarding his future, according to his wife.

Otamendi has had a starring role with Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar and could be crowned world champion if the Albiceleste beat France in Sunday’s final.

The Benfica centre-back becomes a free agent next summer but the Portuguese outfit is already looking to offer him a new deal to fend off competition.

“We don’t know what the future will bring,” Celeste Rey told Record. “But we are happy at Benfica now. He is here now [in Qatar] and wants to have a great World Cup but we are happy at Benfica.

Otamendi, 34, joined Benfica in September 2020 from Manchester City.

08.39 GMT: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is keen to keen to extend goalkeeper Loris Karius’ short-term contract, which expires at the end of December, until the end of this season, sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden.

Karius, 29, is attempting to relaunch his career in English football with Newcastle United more than four years after playing his last game for Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid. The former Mainz goalkeeper was blamed for two mistakes during the 3-1 final defeat in Kyiv, but despite subsequent revelations that Karius had been concussed earlier in the game, manager Jurgen Klopp replaced him with Alisson weeks later and did not select him for the first-team again.

Having spent three seasons on loan away from Liverpool since the Madrid defeat — two seasons at Besiktas and a year at Union Berlin — Karius saw out the final year of his Anfield contract without a single appearance last season.

Karius, whose only appearance for Newcastle to date was in a friendly against Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, said his career is now moving forward again, despite accepting that he cannot escape memories of the Champions League final against Madrid.

“It made me go to another club,” he said. “It was maybe a move that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I have said everything about this [the 2018 Champions League final]. For me it is tiring to keep talking about it, it’s football and things happen.

“In my case there were a lot of unfortunate things, but I don’t think about it anymore. Four years in football feels like eight or 12. I was out of the spotlight in Turkey and Germany, so I haven’t been in England. But people know me in England.

“I am ready, I needed to train and needed time to adapt [at Newcastle] because I was training for three months alone. I am now really pleased with the training and know now I can do it in a match moving forward.

“It’s been a great few months. Of course, I don’t play yet, but how I’ve been training, how I was welcomed by the whole group makes me believe I can achieve more things here. That’s my aim, to be here for a long project instead of a short one.”

08.00 GMT: Manchester United are set to make an enquiry about the availability of Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos ahead of the January window although manager Erik ten Hag has been told it is not certain a striker will arrive next month, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

United are looking to add a forward in the January window following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ramos is among a number of players being followed including Cody Gakpo, Rafael Leao and Joao Felix, although there remains a view at Old Trafford that January is not the ideal time to bring in new players.

Sources have also told ESPN that there are significant budget constraints as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a higher than expected outlay on transfers last summer. Ten Hag, however, believes the squad is short of firepower following Ronaldo’s exit and would like the club to explore whatever options are available.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)

– The race to sign Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is heating up with Arsenal interested in landing him, according to Relevo. He has recently been linked with a move to Juventus, but it looks as though they will now be challenged by the Gunners, who are looking to add reinforcements in January. Milinkovic-Savic, 27, has maintained impressive form this season, having contributed to 10 goals in 14 Serie A matches.

– RB Leipzig are hopeful of reaching an agreement over a new contract with Dani Olmo, Ekrem Konur reports. The 24-year-old attacker was on the radar of Barcelona in the summer, and it is reported that the Bundesliga side are prepared to allow Olmo to leave if they cannot sign him to an extension by the end of the season.

– N’Golo Kante is being watched by Barcelona, reports Mundo Deportivo. The LaLiga side are keen to continue their trend of acquiring players on free transfers, and with the 31-year-old Chelsea midfielder yet to sign new terms at Stamford Bridge, he could be approached by the Blaugrana in January ahead of a potential pre-contract agreement. Real Sociedad‘s Martin Zubimendi also remains on their radar, as Barca continue to search for a future successor for Sergio Busquets.

– Juventus want to keep hold of Adrien Rabiot beyond the end of the season, but they are prepared to offload him in January if it looks unlikely he will agree to a new contract, writes Calciomercato. The 27-year-old France international has been in improved form this season and is reported to be enjoying his football with the Bianconeri, forcing a U-turn on previous plans to part ways with him last summer.

– Joao Felix is not a transfer target for Paris Saint-Germain, says Le10 Sport. The 23-year-old Atletico Madrid star has been strongly linked with an exit from the LaLiga side recently, but the latest indicates that it is unlikely he will end up at the Parc des Princes. A number of Premier League clubs are reported to be interested in his signature.