Transfer Talk: Chelsea have Rafael Leao atop transfer list

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: Chelsea eye host of attacking options

With Armando Broja‘s season having come to an unfortunate end through injury, Chelsea are looking to bring in a top forward to provide a boost for coach Graham Potter and his side.

The Blues are looking to sign 19-year-old Molde forward David Datro Fofana for €10 million, and Calciomercato is reporting that they aren’t stopping there, linking them with AC Milan‘s Rafael Leao, Juventus‘ Dusan Vlahovic and AS Roma‘s Tammy Abraham.

Milan have previously been linked with Broja, as well as Hakim Ziyech, but the Blues are firmly focused on Leao when it comes to discussions with the Serie A outfit.

It will take at least €80m to sign the Portugal international, a figure that has not put off the Premier League side as they prepare a budget and wait for updates on the 23-year-old’s contract situation.

Leao’s deal ends in 2024 and there is a distance in finances for an extension between player and club, with Milan possibly set to offer him €7m per season.

As well as Leao, Chelsea are monitoring Vlahovic, who could be persuaded to leave Juventus because of the club’s troubles and the recent departure of president Andrea Agnelli and the rest of the board.

Abraham is also being considered in the background for a return to Chelsea, but the club would not be willing to pay the €75m option to re-sign him from Roma in January, the report adds.

Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix, Shakhtar Donetsk‘s Mykhailo Mudryk and free agent Cristiano Ronaldo are also briefly mentioned in the report as second-tier options if Chelsea’s top choices don’t work out.

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13.44 GMT: Spanish publication Sport says that Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has expressed a desire to join Barcelona.

Rabiot, 27, left PSG to join Juve on a free transfer in 2019 and has impressed for France in their run to the final at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

With Juve’s issues off the pitch, the midfielder is reportedly keen to move away from Turin and his first choice is to head to Camp Nou on a free transfer when his contract expires in 2023.

12.56 GMT: Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets has announced his retirement from international football after his country’s World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco in the round of 16.

Busquets, 34, was the only remaining survivor of the Spain side that won the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and he had spoken of his desire to become the first Spaniard to win the competition twice.

The midfielder now faces a decision over his club future, with his contract with Barcelona coming to an end at the end of the season. After 17 years at the club — including 15 in the first team — he has said he would like some clarity by February, with a contract renewal at Barca and a move to Major League Soccer both on the table.

12.00 GMT: Could Aston Villa be about to land themselves a real star?

10.56 GMT: FC Porto players will only leave the club in the January transfer window if their release clauses are met, according to club president Pinto da Costa.

Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, 23, is one of those who have attracted the attention of top European clubs, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona reportedly keen to sign him.

Costa signed a contract extension with Porto last month through June 2027 and has a reported €75m release clause.

“We believe we have a good squad,” Da Costa said in Record. “I don’t think anyone will leave because of the clause. The players are motivated, we’re in the Champions League round of 16. I’m convinced that no one will leave. Below the [transfer] clause nobody will leave.”

Da Costa, meanwhile, hinted that 39-year-old defender Pepe will be offered a new contract extension. Pepe, who played at the World Cup with Portugal, becomes a free agent next summer. The former Real Madrid centre-back has made 11 appearances in all competitions for Porto this season.

“As long as he can play; I think he will play for another five or six years,” Da Costa said.

10.05 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.

09.27 GMT: Liverpool will match any offers that Benfica receive from other suitors for Argentina starlet Enzo Fernandez, O Jogo reports.

According to O Jogo, Liverpool have already contacted Benfica to inform them of their intention to sign Fernandez next summer and have stated they will equal any offer the Portuguese outfit receives from other clubs to ensure they have priority over Fernandez’s signing.

Fernandez, 21, is expected to feature in Sunday’s World Cup final against France. The versatile midfielder has scored one goal and set up one more in six appearances for Argentina in Qatar.

Since joining Benfica in a €12m transfer from River Plate in July, Fernandez has made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese outfit. Fernandez signed a five-year contract with Benfica and has a €120m release clause.

08.43 GMT: FC Porto president Pinto da Costa doesn’t believe a return to Portuguese football is on the cards for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is a free agent after agreeing to terminate his contract with Manchester United last month. The Portugal captain has an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr but has not made a decision regarding his future.

“It’s up to him and the clubs interested,” Da Costa told Record. “But in Portugal, nobody has the capacity to give him what he earns and still wants to earn. And he has value for that.”

08.00 GMT: ICYMI, Real Madrid reached an agreement to sign Palmeiras forward Endrick in 2024, the club announced on Thursday.

Endrick — who is 16 and will move to Madrid when he turns 18 in July 2024 — is one of the most exciting young talents in Brazilian football.

Palmeiras said the terms of the deal would remain confidential, but sources told ESPN that the teenager will join Madrid on an initial three-year contract with the option of a three-year extension, for a transfer fee worth a total of €72m including variables and taxes.

PAPER GOSSIP

– Sky Sport Germany have offered an update on Borussia Dortmund‘s transfer situation, saying that there will be no big January signings. Eintracht Frankfurt‘s Daichi Kamada has yet to commit to joining Dortmund and nothing will be completed soon. In more promising news, the report adds that Dortmund will sign Borussia Monchengladbach defender Ramy Bensebaini as a free agent in the summer and are looking at Feyenoord right-back Lutsharel Geertruida.

– Contract talks between Paris Saint-Germain and Lionel Messi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe and Sergio Ramos have been heading in a positive direction, according to Le10 Sport, which adds that sporting director Luis Campos has undertaken a project centred around renewals in recent months. Messi and Ramos have deals that expire at the end of the season, while Marquinhos and Kimpembe have an extra year on their respective contracts.

– Atalanta are demanding €40m for Giorgio Scalvini with Internazionale hoping to sign the 19-year-old centre-back, reports Calciomercato. This comes with Inter having previously missed out on Bremer, while Milan Skriniar will soon be making a decision on whether to sign a contract to stay with the Nerazzurri or move to PSG. Giovanni Fabbian could be included in a deal for Scalvini if necessary.

– Atletico Madrid have Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel on their list of potential incoming players as they continue to aim for a new right-sided player, according to Ekrem Konur. However, it is added that the 24-year-old is not a priority.

– Kicker suggests that Bouna Sarr will be allowed to leave Bayern Munich despite his contract running until 2024. However, there is currently just limited interest in the right-back, who is still working his way back from injury.