The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Coutinho clause opens way for Wijnaldum
Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho could play an unlikely role in his club signing his former Liverpool teammate, Georginio Wijnaldum, in January.
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Coutinho moved to Camp Nou in January 2018, and The Times reported later that year that Liverpool had inserted a clause in the €160 million transfer stipulating that Barca would have to pay a €100m premium on top of any transfer fee if they tried to sign another player from Anfield.
According to The Times report, the clause covered the remainder of the 2017-18 season and the next two full seasons, expiring at the end of the summer window in 2020. That means Barca will be able to sign a Liverpool player without paying the premium from when the transfer window opens again in January.
Wijnaldum, 30, became a target for Barca during the extended summer window after Ronald Koeman, his former coach at international level with Netherlands, took over at Camp Nou.
The midfielder's contract at Anfield is due to expire next summer, but the expiration of this reported clause could persuade Barca to move sooner in order to kickstart their faltering season rather than wait for him to become a free agent at the end of the season.
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12.55 GMT: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said he wants Olivier Giroud to remain at the club amid the striker admitting he is concerned by his lack of playing time.
Giroud, who scored the winning goal in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Rennes in the Champions League, has expressed hiw worries that he will miss out on a place in the France team at this summer's European Championship if he does not play much for Chelsea, and admitted a January move could be an option.
"Everybody kind of feels from the outside what a great professional he is, how highly regarded he is by his teammates and myself," Lampard told reporters after the match.
"He's so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn't even a factor for him. He's getting better with age. if anything, in terms of how he look after himself.
"He offers a lot for us and I keep saying it but the big schedule coming up and the way we play means I will rely on players.
"Thankfully for me he's a player that always keeps the right attitude if he's not playing regularly and I know when I call upon him that he comes in as he did today."
12.16 GMT: Sevilla president Pepe Castro has denied that the club are planning to move for Real Madrid's Isco in January.
The midfielder's agent and father has admitted that he'd like to leave the Spanish champions to get more playing time, although is preference would be a move abroad.
"[Coach Julen] Lopetegui hasn't asked me to sign Isco," Castro told COPE. "I don't know if we'll sign in the winter window... (Sporting director) Monchi is always working and we'll see."
Sevilla scored a 95th-minute winner to beat Krasnodar 2-1 on Tuesday night to ensure their qualification from Champions League group E.
11.32 GMT: With his brace on Tuesday's 3-0 win over Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has scored 16 goals in 12 Champions League games. He's the fastest to 15 in the UCL era.
The Norway international was already one of the most coveted young talents int he world when he joined Dortmund in January. If he keeps going like this, how much longer can they keep hold of him?
play1:10 Burley: Scary thing about Haaland is he can still improve
Gab Marcotti and Craig Burley react to Erling Haaland's latest star showing in Dortmund's 3-0 win over Club Brugge.
10.55 GMT: Inter Milan are hopeful that the matter a new contract for striker Lautaro Martinez can be settled next month, according to FCInterNews.
Martinez made a big impact last season, scoring 24 goals as he struck up a productive strike partnership with Romelu Lukaku, and was a major transfer target for Barcelona.
The Argentina international has brought that form into the 2020-21 campaign. He has scored six goals in 11 appearances so far, most recently in Sunday's 4-2 win over Torino (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).
Martinez, 23, and his representatives will reportedly sit down with Inter in Milan next month in order to finalise the terms of a deal that will commit him to the club until 2025.
10.18 GMT: Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena said he felt like a footballer again after earning his first start for Barcelona this season on Tuesday, and is not looking to leave the club.
Alena, 22, played 90 minutes against Dynamo Kiev in what was his second appearance for Barca this campaign.
"I've returned to feel like a footballer, playing 90 minutes," he said. "I think I've made the most of the opportunity given to me. With the work I do and what I do in training, little by little, I'm starting to feel again like a footballer. You can't stop working because this is Barca, the best team in the world. The demand here is the highest because the best in the world are here."
Alena, who has been linked with a permanent move to Real Betis after a spell on loan there earlier this year, says he is not considered leaving the Camp Nou, in the winter transfer window.
"My idea is to remain here," he said. "I feel physically well. I want to stay, if it was down to me, I would stay here all my life. The only path is to work and push hard in training. I gradually feel better."
09.41 GMT: Sergio Ramos is yet to receive any offers to leave Real Madrid and wants to hear what the club have to say before considering a move away, COPE radio reports.
The club captain, 34, will be free to talk to rival clubs in January when he enters the final six months of his contract at the Bernabeu.
According to COPE's Manolo Lama, Ramos' "priority is to stay at Madrid" but the club are yet to open formal negotiations over an extension.
09.08 GMT: Former Premier League striker Rudy Gestede has joined Melbourne Victory in a significant boost to the club's bid to return to the A-League's upper echelon.
Gestede, 32, enjoyed a long career in the Premier League and English Championship at Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.
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Victory's third new international signing after English duo Callum McManaman and Jacob Butterfield, Gestede represented France at under-19 level before playing for Benin at senior level.
"After speaking with the club, in particular Grant Brebner, I was very impressed with the vision they outlined around the brand of football they want to play and the role they want me to play," Gestede said. "The club has been very successful in the past, they have great facilities and I can't wait to meet up with my new teammates and start putting in the hard work."
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08.30 GMT: Norwich City right-back Max Aarons has spoken about being let go by Tottenham as a young player, after recently being linked with a move back to Spurs.
Aarons, 20, was in Tottenham youth setup as a teenager, but was released when he was 14 years old. After eventually turning pro at Norwich, the defender made 36 appearances for the Canaries in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham were reportedly interested in signing the England U21 international during the summer transfer window, but instead brought in Matt Doherty from Wolves.
"I went when I was 14, Norwich wanted to sign me then, but it was quite far from where I lived so I said, 'No, I'm going to wait and go on trial at a few different teams...,'" Aarons told the adidas X podcast. "Chelsea, Tottenham, there was a few different teams, but I ended up going on trial at Spurs. And I was there for a while, training and playing games with them. Nothing ever came from it, one day they said 'We don't think it's right for right now.' But that had gone on for a quite a while and I was going on 15. After that I was training with my local team in my area which was MK Dons, when Norwich came in again.
"It was tough to be fair, because I was 14. You know when you have your heart set on something and you really believe it's going to happen. For nothing to come from it, and it was perfect at the time... it felt like the perfect fit. For nothing to come from it, it was tough, but for me it was straight on to the next thing. Which was Norwich, which was the best thing for my career."
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle): Silva set for extension already
play1:18 Nicol: Chelsea's defence looks settled with Silva
Steve Nicol praises Thiago Silva's impact on Chelsea's defense, and calls out Timo Werner's miss vs. Rennes.
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Chelsea have already entered into talks to try to extend defender Thiago Silva's contract, Tuttomercatoweb reports.
Silva, who signed only a one-year deal at Stamford Bridge, is starting to prove why he's still such a valued commodity after producing a string of strong performances for the Blues.
Chelsea are in negotiations with his representatives, with the hope being that he will extend until 2022, cementing his status as one of the most important Chelsea signings in recent memory.
Modric wants to retire at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid sensation Luka Modric has confirmed that he wants to end his career at the Bernabeu.
The 35-year-old veteran has enjoyed a successful spell with the European giants, and while there have been some rumours linking him with a move elsewhere in the past few transfer windows, Modric himself couldn't be any clearer about what he wants.
"I feel that I can help the team. If you ask me what I want, of course I want to stay," he said during a news conference on Tuesday.
"I want to end my career here, but it depends on many things. But no one will be happier than me if I can finish my career here."
Tap-ins
- RB Leipzig are hoping to edge to the front of the line in the race to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Football Insider reports. Arsenal have made a handful of attempts to sign the Hungary international in the past, but Leipzig believe they can gain an advantage by signing him and subsequently loaning him back to RB Salzburg.
- Calciomercato is reporting that Tottenham, alongside Napoli, are once again interested in trying to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta. Jose Mourinho has his eyes set on a new striker, and even though he already has a parade of strong attacking stars at his disposal, it's always nice to have some more competition.
Source: espn.co.uk