Transfer rumors, news: Barcelona to battle Madrid for Davies

RB Leipzig make their stance on Benjamin Sesko regarding a possible move away, while Barcelona want to land Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Barcelona manager Hansi Flick wants to bring Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies to the club, according to Bild journalist Christian Falk. Davies, 24, is a free agent in the summer and is reportedly keen for a new challenge. Real Madrid currently lead the race to sign the Canada international, but Manchester United are also interested and the pair could make a €50m offer to sign him in January. Bayern are also keen to start talks over a new deal, but the lure of playing under his former manager Flick could see him head to Camp Nou.

– Benjamin Sesko doesn’t have a release clause in his RB Leipzig contract, but he does have a “gentleman’s agreement” with the club over a potential exit next summer, Sky Sports Deutschland reports. The 21-year-old already has seven goals this season and has recently been linked with several Premier League sides, including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. Though the German club are not contractually obliged to let Šeško depart next summer, there is said to be an understanding that he is free to leave if an interested club submits an offer worth €70m-€75m.

– Contrary to talk of a contract termination, Neymar is set to remain at Al Hilal until next summer, reports Florian Plettenberg. Reports have recently suggested that the Saudi club are preparing to cut his time short, but the Brazilian superstar is “unaware of any such developments.” The 32-year-old is currently sidelined for six to eight weeks because of a muscle injury. But Plettenberg asserts Neymar’s main goal remains to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

– Manchester City are “seriously interested” in AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, reports Calciomercato. The Italian outlet also links Barcelona and Real Madrid with the player, who has turned plenty of heads this season with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. The 26-year-old is likely to cost more than €60m next summer, having only joined Milan in 2023. Despite his current deal running until 2028, the Serie A club are in the process of negotiating a contract extension.

– Newcastle United are working on a deal to sign highly rated Sevilla centre-back Loïc Badé, Football Insider reports. The report suggests that Badé has been identified as an alternative to Marc Guéhi, whom the Magpies unsuccessfully attempted to sign in the summer. The France international could be available for as little as £30m, less than half of what Newcastle were prepared to spend on Guéhi back in August. Crucially, Sevilla are struggling financially and could be tempted to accept significant offers for Badé in an attempt to raise funds.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden explores why the club might be looking at Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies.

Davies arguably played his best football at Bayern when Hansi Flick was in charge, so a reunion with his former coach at Barcelona would understandably be tempting. With his contract up in the summer, it also makes sense that all of Europe’s top clubs would be interested in landing one of the best left-backs in the game as a free agent.

Barça are among those clubs keen to strengthen in the full-back position. Jules Kounde has been converted from centre-back to right-back and young Alejandro Balde has returned from an injury layoff to reclaim the left-back role. The cover comes from two relatively untested players in Hector Fort and Gerard Martín. So you can see why Barça want to grow their full-back pool.

However, signing Davies also brings complications. Balde, at 21, is constantly improving and the arrival of the Canada international could halt his progression. The competition could help both players in the short-term, but it feels unsustainable in the long-term as both will want to be the No. 1 choice.

Barça are also keeping close tabs on young left-back Alex Valle, who is out on loan at Celtic, and his chances of making the grade would decrease if Davies signs. What seems like a no-brainer — signing a brilliant player who previously excelled under Flick for no cost — is not as simple as it appears on paper. And that’s before you add in the potential competition from Real Madrid, Manchester United and others.

OTHER RUMORS

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga could leave Chelsea for £5m next summer due to a release clause in his contract, meaning they would make a £66.6m loss on his £71.6m transfer from Athletic Club in 2018. (The Athletic)

Real Madrid’s 19-year-old midfield star Arda Guler is frustrated about his game time and could be looking to move away if things don’t improve. (Marca)

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero would halt talks over a new contract if Real Madrid were interested in signing him in 2025. (GMS)

Arsenal, Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen are keen on Red Star Belgrade’s 17-year-old defender Strahinja Stojkovic, after his impressive UEFA Youth League performances. (Ekrem Konur)

Atalanta defensive midfielder Ederson is on Pep Guardiola’s radar as Manchester City struggle with injuries. (iNews)

Arsenal want 17-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri to sign a new contract now he has established himself in the first team. (TEAMtalk)

Christopher Nkunku is not planning on leaving Chelsea in January. However, if the France international’s current situation at Stamford Bridge doesn’t improve then a departure next summer could become a “possibility.” (Florian Plettenberg).

Bayern Munich have signed United States under-17 international Bajung Darboe from MLS side LAFC. The Bundesliga giants are set to pay a fee of $1.5m for the just-turned-18-year-old forward, who previously trained with the German club back in 2022. Darboe is yet to feature for the LAFC first team, although he has played 14 times for LAFC 2 in MLS Next Pro. (Tom Bogert)

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is open to leaving the club in January. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Liverpool in recent months, with the former having a number of bids rejected in the summer. (Ekrem Konur)

Ex-Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels could return to Germany in January after a disappointing start to the season with Roma. The 35-year-old defender has been in Italy for just a few months, but has found game time hard to come by under Ivan Jurić. (Corriere dello Sport)

However, former Manchester City and Italy manager Roberto Mancini is a candidate to replace Ivan Juric as Roma boss. If Juric fails to secure a win for Roma against Bologna on Sunday, the Croatian could well face the sack. (Nicolo Schira).

Celtic’s 18-year-old striker Daniel Cummings is being tracked by several English clubs amid a contract standoff at Parkhead that could see him leave the club for a minimal compensation fee of €310,000. (Football Insider)

Villarreal and Zenit are interested in AC Milan forward Luka Jovic, who has one year left on his deal. (Ekrem Konur)

Schalke are in talks to sign former Borussia Dortmund striker Anthony Modeste. The 36-year-old is currently a free agent, having last been under contract with Egyptian giants Al Ahly. (Florian Plettenberg)

The Brazilian Football Confederation is making a “major play” to recruit Man City boss Pep Guardiola as the country’s new men’s head coach. (The Athletic)

Napoli’s Giovanni Simeone remains an option for several clubs around Europe, including Torino, Fiorentina, Lazio, Genoa, Atalanta, Galatasaray and Real Betis. (Ekrem Konur)