Transfer rumors, news: Barcelona open to loaning Fati

Barcelona want to find a possible loan for Ansu Fati, while Manchester United and Chelsea are both considering a late move for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

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TOP STORIES

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Barcelona want to find a loan move for winger Ansu Fati before the end of the transfer window, reports Sport. It is reported that the Blaugrana are keen for him to find regular first-team minutes to recapture his previous form, and they have informed his representatives to persuade him to leave Camp Nou until the end of the season. The 22-year-old has made just one league start in the current LaLiga campaign, but he is keen to ensure he does not face a repeat experience to what he had at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he saw 16 of his Premier League appearances come from the bench.

– Fabrizio Romano says that Mathys Tel wants to leave Bayern Munich this window, with the club and forward now assessing potential transfer options, either on loan or permanently. Sky Sports Deutschland adds that Chelsea and Lyon are among the clubs showing a serious interest in the 19-year-old, while Manchester United may also consider a move for Tel — as they rate him highly — but will need to sort out the futures of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford first.

– Aston Villa will accept an offer worth over €70m from Al Nassr for Jhon Durán, reports L’Equipe, which adds that the 21-year-old is waiting for the clubs to agree a fee having come to personal terms with the Saudi Arabian outfit. Florian Plettenberg, however, says that Al Nassr have reached an agreement to sign Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen for over €60m. It remains to be seen if both strikers will head to the Gulf, or if Al-Alami are waiting to see which deal suits them best before proceeding. If Al Nassr do choose to sign Boniface, Mark McAdam reports that Leverkusen have lined up Brighton & Hove Albion‘s Evan Ferguson as a replacement.

– Chelsea remain interested in Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, reports Teamtalk. The Blues are reported to be keen to find cover for currently sidelined Romeo Lavia, and it is said that they will be among the “busiest” clubs towards the end of the current transfer window, with the 19-year-old one of the players on their shortlist. Mainoo has made 17 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils so far this season.

– Talks are underway between Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford over a move for striker Yoane Wissa, reports Calciomercato. Spurs are believed to be the latest club to join the race for the 28-year-old, who is also reportedly on the radar of Nottingham Forest, and they have informed his representatives of their interest in him. Wissa has been a key player for the Bees so far this season, with eleven goals and two assists in 20 Premier League matches.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

– Neymar has agreed to return to Santos nearly 12 years after he left the Brazilian team, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira. The Brazil forward confirmed earlier that his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once. Read

– Fiorentina have signed Spanish defender Pablo Mari on a permanent transfer from Como. The former Arsenal player, who made 83 league appearances for Como, has signed a contract with La Viola until June 2027.

– USWNT defender Crystal Dunn is free to pursue new opportunities after NWSL side Gotham FC announced that she would be leaving the club. Read

– Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed that they have signed attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season.

– Sheffield United have confirmed the signing of defender Harry Clarke on loan from Ipswich Town until the end of the season.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen explores interest in Bayern’s 19-year-old prodigy Mathys Tel.

While Tel’s talent is undisputed — his record at youth level for France is exceptional and he became Bayern’s youngest ever goal scorer (17 years and 126 days) when he hit the net in a cup game just a few weeks after his €20m switch from Rennes in the summer of 2022 — he has struggled to make a consistent mark for the German giants.

One reason for that is obviously the presence of Harry Kane as a No. 9, another being the perpetual dilemma over his future position: will he ever mould into an out-and-out centre-forward? Or does is he intrinsically a winger (as his heatmap suggests)? At only 19, such considerations are part of a player’s natural development but it’s problematic when a lack of playing time is thrown into the equation.

Whether he’d see more minutes for Chelsea or United remains unclear. But the Frenchman has everything in the locker to become one of the top forwards in European football. He’s wonderfully athletic — strong and fast with the acceleration to stretch defences. He also has excellent control and excels in attacking 1v1s through bursts or dribbling.

There’s a reason why his youth performances drew comparisons to Kylian Mbappe, but those impressive skills have only been witnessed in flashes at senior level. A change of environment to build confidence can prove wonders though. If (and it’s a big “if”) a big club can reinvigorate the teenager, they might well have a €100m player on their hands.

OTHER RUMORS

– The WSL window ends tomorrow but Chelsea have shown interest in signing USWNT defensive midfielder Sam Coffey from the Portland Thorns. (BBC)

– Arsenal’s women are finalizing a deal for former NWSL rookie of the year and USWNT defender Jenna Nighswonger from Gotham FC. (Athletic)

– Marcus Rashford’s wage demands mean Juventus are his only option to leave Manchester United in January, although there is still the prospect of a Barcelona move in the future. The 27-year-old reportedly has little interest in the proposals from Tottenham and West Ham, while there is no prospect of a deal being completed to join Borussia Dortmund. (The Independent, )

– Chelsea are in advanced negotiations to sign 16-year-old left-back Denner from Corinthians for €8m and another €4.5m in add-ons. (UOL)

– Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has rejected the option to join Roma, as the Brazil international is not interested in a move to the Italian capital. (TNT)

– Santos are preparing for the return of Neymar but have also agreed to sign Chelsea forward Deivid Washington on loan until June. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Real Betis have already taken winger Antony on loan from Man United and the club are also keen to bring in left-back Tyrell Malacia. (Diario de Sevilla)

– Internazionale are looking to sign left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal in the summer, with a move to Borussia Dortmund this month having collapsed. (InterLIVE)

– Struggling Tottenham want to sign Lille midfielder Angel Gomes this month, with chairman Daniel Levy pushing for a deal. (GMS)

– Manchester City are close to a €70m deal to sign Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 24, but have to wait until after Wednesday’s Champions League match against Benfica, although he is injured and won’t play in the game. (GMS)

– Bayer Leverkusen have withdrawn their interest in Manchester City midfielder James McAtee as they are set to land Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Real Madrid won’t sign any players in January now but will try to persuade 26-year-old Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to join them in the summer. (Marca)

– RB Leipzig midfielder Eljif Elmas is set to undergo a medical at Torino, before signing on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Shakhtar Donetsk have submitted a €15m bid to sign West Ham’s 18-year-old winger Luis Guilherme. (Fabrizio Romano)

– AC Milan will make a second offer to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez on Wednesday evening if they secure a place in the Champions League top eight. (Calciomercato)

– Manchester City have made Juventus an offer to sign midfielder Douglas Luiz on an “expensive” loan deal. (Nicolo Schira)

– Napoli have turned down a €65m offer from Galatasaray for the permanent transfer of Victor Osimhen. (Corriere dello Sport)

– Internazionale right-back Tajon Buchanan is close to joining Villarreal. (Calciomercato)

– Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell could be set to stay at Stamford Bridge unless a team makes a late approach for him, with no talks currently advanced. (Daily Mail)

– Rafael Benitez has turned down the opportunity to join Botafogo as head coach. (MARCA)

– Head coach Steven Gerrard has left Al-Ettifaq after 18 months. (The Telegraph)

– AS Roma midfielder Nicola Zalewski is “keen” on making the switch to Internazionale. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Rennes are confident of beating Wolves to the signature of Lens and Austria international centre-back Kevin Danso. (Daily Mail)