Transfer Talk: Atletico's Joao Felix to get loan to Man United or Arsenal?

With the opening of the January transfer window coming closer, 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: Joao Felix loan to Man Utd or Arsenal?

Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix is on the radar of Manchester United and Arsenal, with agent Jorge Mendes proposing a January loan move for his wantaway client, according to Marca.

Despite Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin saying earlier this month that the Portugal star could leave the club, Atleti are still yet to receive an suitable offer for Felix.

With Atletico only willing to listen to permanent transfer proposals of at least €100 million, Mendes is suggesting a loan move to the Premier League could benefit Felix.

Mendes feels that six months away from Atleti — and specifically manager Diego Simeone, who Felix has openly disagreed with — could prove the perfect showcase to ensure the club get a suitable transfer fee in the summer.

This comes with Felix having started just eight matches across LaLiga and the Champions League this season — making nine more off the bench — scoring three goals and assisting another three.

Atleti are initially reluctant to accept that idea, as they are keen to quickly bring in money to help their financial situation, which was worsened when they failed to stay in European football at all after finishing bottom of their Champions League group.

Felix’s status as the most expensive signing in the club’s history (€126m) also adds to that reluctance to see the ex-Benfica man go out on loan.

Atleti are tired of waiting for the situation to be sorted and insist that their squad will stay the same if they do not receive the offers they want.

In addition to Felix, Atleti are are also open to moving from Yannick Carrasco, Mario Hermoso and Felipe.

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21.25 GMT: Sevilla and Atletico Madrid have joined Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The 26-year-old Morocco international was one of the stars of the just-concluded World Cup, and as such, La Viola are prepared to entertain offers including a transfer fee of between €40m and €45m despite their preference for Amrabat to see out his contract that runs through the 2024-25 season.

20.52 GMT: Chelsea are looking at potential replacements for the injured Reece James and have approached Inter Milan about the availability of Denzel Dumfries, according to Corriere dello Sport. The Nerazzurri are prepared for bids for the 26-year-old Netherlands international, but would only consider sanctioning his departure for a transfer fee of €60m.

20.19 GMT: Juventus are sending scouts to watch Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda in action against Real Madrid on Friday, according to Ekrem Konur. The 18-year-old Spain youth international has been attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United, but the Bianconeri are hoping to jump the queue to get ahead of their rivals.

19.46 GMT: Chelsea midfielder Jorginho is keen on a return to Napoli at the end of the season, according to La Repubblica, but a move to Newcastle United or Barcelona is more likely. The 31-year-old Brazil-born Italy international’s contract expires this summer and he’s likely to leave on a free transfer. Napoli, where Jorginho spent four seasons before moving to Stamford Bridge, are unlikely to be able to afford his wages.

19.13 GMT: Manchester United and Arsenal are monitoring contract negotiations between Karim Benzema and Real Madrid, according to El Nacional. The 35-year-old Ballon d’Or winner is reportedly pushing for improved terms on his existing deal and could look elsewhere if Los Blancos can’t satisfy his salary demands, although Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to be relaxed about the situation.

18.40 GMT: Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi could return to the Premier League, according to Ekrem Konur. Three clubs from Serie A and the Premier League are keen to land the 23-year-old France international and former Arsenal starlet, whose contract with OM runs through the 2024-25 season.

18.07 GMT: A number of Premier League clubs have joined AS Roma in the race to sign Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, managing director Giovanni Carnevali has told Sky Sport Italia. The Neroverdi are looking to sign players in January rather than lose them, but Sassuolo are prepared to entertain compelling offers for the 23-year-old Italy international.

17.34 GMT: Chelsea are close to completing the signing of AS Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 21-year-old France international has agreed personal terms, negotiations between the clubs are in their final stages, and all parties involved in the deal are said to believe it will be completed soon.

17.01 GMT: While it’s been reported for some time that Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante could leave the club for the likes of Barcelona when his contract expires this summer, the Athletic writes that the 31-year-old France international may yet stay at Stamford Bridge. The Blues believe they’re making progress in their contract negotiations with Kante, although the length of the contract remains a key issue.

16.28 GMT: Manchester City are ready to let Jack Grealish move to AC Milan as part of a deal to sign winger Rafael Leao in return, claims Calciomercato.

Grealish, 27, signed from Aston Villa for a club-record £100m in 2021 but hasn’t set the world alight since. Milan aren’t willing to let Leao depart for less than €120m, despite his contract expiring in 2024, so a makeweight in the deal is needed if City want to bring in the Portugal winger.

However, there is still work to be done as the Serie A club are reported to be unconvinced over a move for Grealish given his age and high wages.

Leao, 23, has the higher potential so there may need to be some extra cash included from the City side.

15.37 GMT: Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr have big plans for Cristiano Ronaldo now that he has left Manchester United by mutual consent, but also apparently want to reunite him with ex-Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos.

With Al-Nassr prepared to pay the 37-year-old Ronaldo a reported €200m-a-year to move to the Saudi Pro League, Marca reports that Ramos is also a target.

Ramos’ time at PSG has been marred by injury since he moved on a free transfer from the Bernabeu to Parc des Princes in 2021.

The 36-year-old defender has a contract which expires in the summer, so he could decide for one more big payday before he retires.

15.00 GMT: Chelsea (19) have scored fewer goals than Man City’s Erling Haaland (20) this season. They need a striker.

13.55 GMT: Speaking of Argentina midfielders, Alexis Mac Allister is reportedly keen to agree a move to Juventus.

Mac Allister, 24, was one of the stars of the World Cup and has a host of clubs on his trail now. Brighton & Hove Albion signed him in 2019 and Gazzetta dello Sport claims he wants to move to Turin.

Juve are preparing to let Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie depart, with Mac Allister worth a reported €42m transfer fee.

13.21 GMT: Benfica president Rui Costa has told DAZN that midfielder Enzo Fernandez won’t be allowed to leave until a club pays his release clause.

Fernandez, 21, joined the Portuguese club from River Plate in the summer for €12m and impressed as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup.

“We don’t want to give up Enzo Fernandez in January, but we are willing to please the boy in the event of a €120m offer,” Costa said.

12.33 GMT: Tottenham have made a move for Barcelona’s Franck Kessie, says Sport.

Kessie, 26, signed for the Spanish club on a free transfer from Milan over the summer but has not settled. Tottenham have reportedly made a €15m offer to sign the midfielder as Barcelona need to free up money on their wage bill to make new signings.

12.22 GMT: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says his club won’t be active in the January transfer window.

“Arrivals? No,” he told a news conference. “We don’t need players, the squad is well done. Exits some of them we know; exits depend on what the players think, above all those who play less, where they can play more. But arrivals, no. Compared to last year we’re better. [We’ve had] a fantastic second half of 2022, let’s hope we can repeat that in 2023. It’s hard to say, but why not better?”

11.40 GMT: ICYMI — Shakhtar Donetsk have rejected Arsenal’s €65m offer for Mykhailo Mudryk, sources have told ESPN, with the Ukrainian team holding out for their original €100m asking price to sign the winger.

10.48 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte wants to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, says Tuttomercatoweb.

Hincapie, 20, impressed for Ecuador in the World Cup and the left-footed youngster is top of Conte’s wishlist.

Inter Milan have also been linked with Hincapie, but could only make a move if Juventus sign Alessandro Bastoni. Though Juve’s financial issues make that unlikely.

10.19 GMT: Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has told the club he is frustrated they could not secure the signing of Cody Gakpo but remains hopeful a short-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo can still be found in January, sources have told ESPN.

Gakpo’s imminent transfer to Liverpool did not come as a surprise to Ten Hag, who shares an agent with the PSV Eindhoven forward, but there remains disappointment that the 23-year-old is moving to Anfield, in a deal that could rise to €50m, rather than Old Trafford.

09.44 GMT: Real Madrid are to sign Palmeiras forward Endrick in 2024 for a total of €72m including variables and taxes.

Endrick, who is 16 and will move to Madrid when he turns 18, is one of the most exciting young talents in Brazilian football and revealed why he chose Madrid over a host of other top clubs.

“Real Madrid are a really big team, Vini [Vinicius Jr.] had sent me messages and gave me hope,” he told Marca. “Cristiano [Ronaldo], who’s my idol, played at Madrid too. That’s why I chose Real Madrid… (Vini) is my friend, I hope that friendship lasts a lot of years, I hope I can exchange a lot of passes with him and score goals… I spoke with Ancelotti, with Rodrygo, with Eder (Militao), with the Brazilians.”

09.00 GMT: Liverpool have signed forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

ESPN reported that the transfer fee is around £37m (€41.8m). PSV did not disclose the value of the deal, but general manager Marcel Brands said it will be a “record transfer” for the club.

Liverpool beat Manchester United to the signing of Gakpo. United boss Erik ten Hag was keen to sign the Netherlands international as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club on a free transfer in November.

“I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club,” Gakpo said in a statement. “I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.

“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Sergio Ramos‘ status at Paris Saint-Germain looks increasingly uncertain, according to Ekrem Konur. The 36-year-old defender’s contract is set to come to an end in the summer of 2023, with Major League Soccer and Saudi Arabian clubs eyeing the ex-Real Madrid captain.

– PSG announced that Marco Verratti‘s contract has been extended by two years to keep the midfielder at Parc des Princes until 2026. The Italy international first joined Les Parisiens in 2012 and has come close to reaching 400 appearances for the club since.

– AC Milan have long been linked with FC Salzburg striker Noah Okafor, but Calciomercato has suggested that their interest in Salzburg players hasn’t stopped there. That is because the Italian giants are also looking at Danish midfielder Maurits Kjaergaard, but could face competition from city rivals Internazionale for the 19-year-old.

– Monza are close to completing the signing of VfL Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Josip Brekalo ahead of the January transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports Italia. The Croatian’s contract with the Bundesliga side is set to end in June, and it is expected that a permanent move to Serie A will be completed by the new year.

– Mexico defender Cesar Montes has officially joined LaLiga side Espanyol. This comes after Liga MX club Monterrey announced on Monday that the El Tri star was set to sign with the Barcelona-based side.