Transfer Talk: Napoli want €100m for Osimhen amid Man United, Newcastle interest
The summer transfer window is closed for the major leagues in Europe. However, with an eye on January, 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: Napoli set out Osimhen demands
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is demanding €100 million for Victor Osimhen and will only listen to offers from June, according to Calciomercato.
This comes amid interest from Premier League duo Manchester United and Newcastle United, who are both expected to have spending power in the upcoming transfer window.
Napoli have been in incredible form this season, having already topped their Champions League group ahead of Liverpool. Gli Azzurri will enter the World Cup at least eight points ahead in Serie A regardless of results in the Sunday fixtures.
Osimhen has undoubtedly played a part in that success, recording 10 goals and three assists in just 14 matches across all competitions.
The Nigeria international did suffer from an injury but seven of his Serie A goals and two of his assists have come in the six league matches since, suggesting there has been no long-lasting impact.
The Red Devils have been the side most strongly linked with the 23-year-old in recent weeks, partly due to the continuing situation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his possible departure. However, even with talk of a potential January exit for the Portugal international after the World Cup, it seems as though Erik ten Hag will have to wait if Osimhen is to be the man to replace him.
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18.08 GMT: Could one of the Copa America’s cult heroes be on the move in the summer? The Sun reports that Chile and Blackburn star Ben Brereton Diaz — expertly profiled by ESPN’s Tom Hamilton last year — is on Villarreal‘s radar for a free transfer in the summer given his contract has just over six months to run with the Championship side.
Brereton Diaz, still just 23 years old, has been a steady goalscorer for Blackburn since breaking out in the 2019-20 season, with 22 goals (all competitions) last season followed by 10 in 22 games in 2022-23 so far. With no sense of him negotiating a new contract in Blackburn and his club likely to put a prohibitive price tag on any January interest, Brereton Diaz is likely to try and assist their playoff push before finding a new club in the offseason. Villarreal are certainly keen, though they’ll face competition from West Ham and Tottenham according to reports.
17.00 GMT: Canada World Cup star Jonathan Osorio is hoping his performances in Qatar can earn him a move to England, reports The Sun on Sunday.
Osorio, a 30-year-old midfielder, has been at Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC for his whole career and is the club’s record appearance holder.
However, his contract has expired and he will be a free agent in January — and clubs in the Championship will be monitoring his situation.
He has 56 caps for Canada and on Sunday was confirmed in their World Cup squad.
15.53 GMT: Mundo Deportivo reports that Memphis Depay wants to leave Barcelona in the January transfer window.
The Netherlands international has barely played for Barca this season, and is well down the pecking order under Xavi Hernandez.
The 28-year-old has been linked with a return to Manchester United, after a disappointing two-year spell at Old Trafford earlier in his career. Tottenham have also been credited with interest.
The report says that Depay has told Barca he will not extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season. It means Barca must find him a new club in January to avoid him leaving on a free transfer.
15.08 GMT: Could Paris Saint-Germain make a move to sign Son Heung-Min from Tottenham? If you believe El Nacional in Spain, the South Korean is going to be one of PSG’s key transfer targets.
The 30-year-old has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent months, but the report says that PSG want to make a statement signing by beating Los Blancos to forward.
A transfer fee of €80m is mooted by the paper, but Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to feel that is too much for a player in his 30s. That could open the door for PSG.
14.20 GMT: Antonio Rudiger has revealed he turned down a move to Barcelona before joining Real Madrid as a free agent in July. The Germany international signed a four-year deal with Madrid after his contract with Chelsea expired.
Asked about Barcelona’s interest, he told AS: “They knocked on my door. But for me it wasn’t a possibility. For me Madrid was not even a dream because I thought it would be something unachievable.
“If you look at the names that played here like [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo] … I could not turn down the possibility to play with [Luka] Modric, [Toni] Kroos and [Karim] Benzema … it would have been difficult to turn it down.”
Rudiger, 29, says he would love to end his career at Real Madrid. “I feel good and if I can play at Real Madrid at 37 like Modric, I will,” he said
13.33 GMT: The Sunday Mirror reckons that Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is a possible transfer target for Manchester United, if David De Gea is allowed to leave at the end of the season.
The report says that Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd scouting team believe Sanchez, who in is Spain’s squad for the World Cup ahead of De Gea, could be a long-term No. 1 at Old Trafford.
Sanchez, 24, joined Brighton from Levante in 2013 at the age of 15 and came through the ranks to displace Mat Ryan as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper. He has also been linked with a move to Chelsea to be reunited with former Seagulls boss Graham Potter.
12.49 GMT: Veteran right-back Jordi Alba, under contract with Barcelona until 2024, has no intention of leaving the club any time soon.
“As far as I am concerned, I feel capable of continuing here for many years,” the 33-year-old told Mundo Deportivo. “I think that when I’m playing, I’m doing well and when I’m not playing, I support my teammates and try to help the younger ones as much as I can.
“I want to continue performing well; I’ve been here at Barcelona for many years and my intention is to stay here.”
Alba, who was included in Spain’s World Cup squad, has been at Barca for 11 years. There were reports this summer that Barca would cut short his contract and that the club were considering loaning him to Inter Milan, which he has denied.
“Honestly, I didn’t get any offer from that club, or from any other,” he said. “I knew the opinion of the coach, who wanted me. There has been talk for many years that I could go on loan or sign for another club. But my intention has always been to stay here.
“I am a culé [supporter of Barcelona], during these years I have worked hard for this club, then things will turn out better or worse, but that will continue to be my intention until the end of the season and what remains on my contract.”
Barca president Joan Laporta says the club will honour Alba’s contract, telling Sport: “Jordi has a contract until June 30, 2024, and we are going to respect it. Jordi is having a good season, he is giving everything.”
12.01 GMT: Tyler Morton could be the next young English player to head to Borussia Dortmund, following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
Morton, a 20-year-old midfielder, currently plays for Blackburn Rovers on a season-long from Liverpool.
The Sun on Sunday reports that Dortmund could ask for Morton as part of any potential deal that could take Bellingham to Anfield, with Liverpool one of the favourites to sign him next summer.
11.16 GMT: The Star on Sunday says that goalkeeper David De Gea will have to take a huge pay cut if he is to sign a new contract at Manchester United.
The 32-year-old is out of contract at Old Trafford next summer and is one of the club’s highest earners, reported to be on £375,000-a-week.
United have a year’s option on De Gea, though that would be activated at his current salary. The report says that United are only interested in a renegotiated contract worth at least £100,000-a-week less for the Spain international, who has missed out on this month’s World Cup.
10.30 GMT: Brazilian club Gremio are looking to sign veteran forward Luis Suarez, according to Globoesporte.
Newly elected club president Alberto Guerra and his board have sent an offer to the 35-year-old, who is a free agent after leaving Nacional and helping the club win the league title. The former Barcelona and Liverpool star had returned to Nacional, the club where he began his career, after his contract with Atletico Madrid was not renewed in June.
Gremio are keen to sign Suarez but know that it will not be easy. Suarez is currently training with Uruguay’s national team in preparation for the World Cup and has a number of suitors. Suarez is a reported target of MLS side LA Galaxy. It’s unlikely the player will take a decision regarding his future until after the World Cup.
09.48 GMT: Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool are in talks with Roberto Firmino over a new contract.
Firmino, who was a surprise omission from Brazil’s squad for the World Cup, is a free agent at the end of the season and will be able to open talks with clubs outside of England as of Jan. 1.
Klopp said: “Normal conversations [are] happening, so we will see what happens there.”
The Liverpool boss could also look to strengthen his midfield in January.
“We are always open to these kind of things, but we don’t have to open this discussion now,” he said. “If there is something possible we will do it but the door is open and we are open as well.
“It is not about wanting. We want to improve the team all the time, we just believe in the training ground we can do it there.”
Real Betis’ Guido Rodriguez has been named in the Spanish press as a possible target.
09.00 GMT: Chelsea are struggling to agree a contract extension with Mason Mount, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
Mount, 23, will link up with the England squad this week for the World Cup, and when he returns from Qatar he will have little more than 18 months remaining on his deal.
Talks have been going on throughout 2022 and Chelsea are still hopeful common ground can be found. But if he doesn’t sign, Chelsea will have to consider making him available for transfer to avoid losing him for free in 2024.
AS Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini and Villarreal’s Yeremy Pino are mentioned as transfer options if Mount fails to extend his contract.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Paris Saint-Germain are close to reaching an agreement with Marco Verratti to extend the midfielder’s contract until 2026, reports L’Equipe, with the Italian’s current deal set to end in 2024. The Ligue 1 champions have also either started or resumed contract discussions with Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.
– Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken to Diario Sport about how the Blaugrana will try to ensure they are able to make signings during the January transfer window.
“To sign in winter, we would have to incorporate players who improve what we have and it is not easy, especially considering that we continue to have fair play problems due to the elimination of the Champions League, which has reduced our budgeted income and LaLiga has already warned us that we will have less capacity to sign,” Laporta said.
– Calciomercato has reported that Juventus are looking to strengthen in both full-back positions and could do so as soon as January, offering four players the Bianconeri are considering for right-back. They are AS Roma‘s Rick Karsdorp, Real Madrid‘s Alvaro Odriozola, Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot and Spezia‘s Emil Holm.
– Lens have been in contact with Paris FC regarding a potential move for centre-back Julien Le Cardinal, reports L’Equipe, with the Ligue 1 side looking for somebody to help fill the void left by Jimmy Cabot‘s injury. Discussions are said to have advanced in recent days and the two clubs could close a deal worth a fee in the region of €3m.
