The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- you can find out when the windows close here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond. Plus, check out the latest major completed transfers across Europe.
TOP STORY: Man United explore deal for Atalanta's Traore
Manchester United really seem to want a forward. That could be Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, if they agree to pay €120m to sign him, or they may land a loan deal for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, sources have told ESPN.
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Juventus' Douglas Costa, Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic and Watford's Ismaila Sarr are also under consideration as alternatives to Sancho, with the Manchester Evening News raising the prospect that United could bring in Atalanta winger Amad Traore before Monday's deadline.
Traore, 18, has caught the eye in Italy after making the breakthrough to the first-team last season but "the proposed deal has been described as 'not straightforward' by sources."
The Ivory Coast-born forward became the youngest player to score on his Serie A debut -- at 17 years and 109 days old -- in Atalanta's 7-1 win over Udinese.
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12.46 BST: Barcelona have completed the signing of USMNT right-back Sergino Dest from Ajax.
Shhhhh ... pic.twitter.com/FcrRwES4JH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 1, 2020
The 19-year-old joins Barca on a five-year deal, with Ajax receiving a fee of around €20m plus a potential €5m in add-ons, sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton.
Dest was also on Bayern Munich's radar and, according to ESPN sources, the European champions twice travelled to Amsterdam for talks although no deal could be agreed.
Sources also told ESPN that Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman was key in agreeing a transfer for the defender thanks to his long-standing interest.
12.32 BST: Surely a club of Man United's wealth can afford €120m for Jadon Sancho if they really wanted to...
play1:09 Laurens: Man United will have one last go for Sancho
ESPN FC's Julien Laurens provides the latest surrounding the ongoing Jadon Sancho to Man United saga.
12.15 BST: Fabrizio Romano has an update that impacts a number of clubs.
He reports that: "Rennes are in advanced talks to sign Dalbert from Inter as new left back. If Dalbert will leave on next hours, Inter will try again to sign Marcos Alonso on loan from Chelsea."
11.40 BST: Some Premier League clubs may be spending millions but Mark Ogden reports that English football is teetering on the brink of an abyss. By Christmas, some of the game's oldest and best-run clubs could be out of business, driven to extinction by the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Alarm bells are beginning to sound up and down the footballing pyramid, all the way from tiny Accrington Stanley to the powerhouse of Manchester United.
"November and December is when it will all start to hit home," Mark Catlin, chief executive of English Football League (EFL) League One Portsmouth, told ESPN. "Clubs won't have cash coming in at that point. They will start to look at their debt mountain and have to make decisions about whether they can go again and continue. If you have no cash and are just accumulating debt every month, that's unsustainable for any business."
Portsmouth, a well-supported club with an average home attendance of 17,800 last season, have not reported a financial loss in seven years, but playing without paying supporters is costing them £700,000-a-month.
"On paper, the profit and loss is horrific," Catlin said. "It's running into millions."
11.22 BST: Tottenham are set to complete a loan move for Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius which will also include an option to make the deal permanent for around £36m, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho has been desperate to bolster his attacking options and provide cover for Harry Kane, the club's only out-and-out striker in the first-team squad.
They were linked with a host of forwards including Southampton's Danny Ings, Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik and Bournemouth's Callum Wilson (before he joined Newcastle) but are now in advanced talks with Benfica over Vinicius.
Vinicius must be granted a work permit but the deal is expected to be completed by this weekend, safely ahead of Monday's transfer window deadline.
11.05 BST: Everton want to sign Norwich City centre-back Ben Godfrey, says the BBC.
Godfrey, 22, has a contract until 2023 and is valued over £20m. Everton's desire to add to their defence comes amid injuries to Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite, but they are trying to broker a loan deal while Norwich will not consider that now they have been relegated to the Championship.
10.52 BST: Inter Milan are still struggling in defence, but they have time to fix that.
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10.31 BST: Fulham have launched a €15m bid for Barcelona outcast Jean-Clair Todibo, sources have told ESPN's Moises Llorens.
Todibo, 20, spent last season on loan at Schalke and has been linked with a host of clubs as Barcelona look to move him on. Sources said that the player will make a decision over his future in the coming days.
Fulham had first tried to sign Marlon Santos from Sassuolo but he failed a medical.
10.11 BST: Fiorentina are set to offer an initial €6m to acquire River Plate centre-back Lucas Martinez, according to TyC.
The Serie A outfit are keen to sign the 24-year-old Argentina international before the transfer window closes as he becomes a free agent next summer.
However, River are unlikely to accept Fiorentina's offer, having reportedly turned down a €5.5m bid from La Liga side Celta Vigo to acquire 50% of Martinez Quarta's sporting rights.
10.07 BST: AC Milan have announced the signing of Norwegian forward Jens Petter Hauge from FK Bodø/Glimt on a permanent deal for around €5m.
Official Statement: Jens Petter Hauge ?? https://t.co/gb3HSkfkXU
Comunicato Ufficiale: Jens Petter Hauge ?? https://t.co/tmyKxGJuSM#ReadyToUnleash #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/kOD4zL67wr
Advertisement— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 1, 2020
09.52 BST: Ajax will confirm FC Utrecht's Sean Klaiber as the replacement for Barcelona-bound Sergino Dest on Thursday and are still chasing a deal for Davy Klaassen, sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton and Okko van de Berkt.
Klaiber is expected to complete a €5m move where he will vie with Noussair Mazraoui for the right-back slot. And Ajax are also chasing Klaassen, who left the Dutch side for Everton in 2017 and is now at Werder Bremen. Sources have told ESPN that Ajax are hoping to pay in the region of €12m to sign the Dutch midfielder.
09.24 BST: Diego Costa's future at Atletico Madrid could remain up in the air until the deadline, according to coach Diego Simeone.
"I've spoken about it a thousand times," Simeone said when asked about the striker. "Until the market closes everything is open."
Paris Saint-Germain are the latest to be linked with the Spain international, with Diario AS reporting on Wednesday that the Ligue 1 club is the forward's preferred destination after his agent Jorge Mendes "spent several days exploring the possibilities that the market offers to find a top team."
Costa, who has a year left on his deal at Atletico Madrid, revealed after Sunday's 6-1 win over Granada that he would be willing to stay or go, depending on what his current club decides before the transfer window closes on Monday.
According to AS, Costa would be available for free, but PSG would have to move a player on first to be able to accommodate his wage demands and meet FFP requirements.
If Costa were to go, Diego Simeone would look to replace him, with former PSG striker Edinson Cavani -- who almost joined Atletico in January -- the leading candidate.
08.55 BST: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has not ruled out striker Luka Jovic leaving before next week's transfer deadline.
Jovic was ineffective after starting for Madrid against Real Valladolid on Wednesday, and was replaced by Vinicius Jr., who fired his side to a scrappy 1-0 home win.
Asked after the match if he could confirm no one will leave, Zidane told reporters: "No I can't confirm that, until Oct. 5 anything can happen. Jovic is a player in this squad. I'm the coach and I decide the line-up and that's all.
"I won't say anything. Until Oct. 5, we'll see. Anything could happen. Right now he's here. Today he played and that's all I can say."
08.28 BST: Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic is set for a third season on loan at Hertha Berlin, according to kicker.
Grujic, 24, has spent the last two years on loan at the Bundesliga club, scoring nine goals in 51 league appearances in that time.
The Serbia international remains a target for a permanent signing for Hertha, but they are not willing to pay the €20m transfer fee that Liverpool are after.
08.00 BST: Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has said Manchester United target Ousmane Dembele is still in his plans despite the uncertainty surrounding the forward's future.
Sources have told ESPN that United are exploring a loan deal for Dembele, who was on the bench for Barca's 4-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday, with little progress being made in their move for Jadon Sancho.
However, sources at the Catalan club have told ESPN there has been no contact with United since they initially sounded out the possibility of signing the France international earlier this summer.
"This is a situation to be resolved by the club and the player," Koeman told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the league game against Celta Vigo,
"As long as the player is with us, he is part of my plans. He didn't start [against Villarreal] because there are other players, too, and Ansu Fati has demonstrated that he is good enough to play.
"Ousmane has to wait for his chance. He was better physically in the first few weeks of preseason. He has dipped a little bit in the last week, but he trained well today and I'm counting on him."
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PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle): Bayern Munich go after Kramaric
Bayern Munich have enquired about the availability of Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric, Sport Bild reports.
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After he scored twice against Bayern in Hoffenheim's shock 4-1 win over the German champions, the reigning European champions have now put their focus on trying to bring him to the Allianz Arena.
However, Bayern would reportedly have to come up with a fee of around €40m to sign the Croatia international, who has already scored seven goals in three club appearances this season.
Kramaric has been with Hoffenheim since signing from Leicester City four years ago and he's transformed into one of their best forwards in years, scoring 77 goals for the club to date.
Chelsea's Rudiger unclear over future
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been left none the wiser regarding his future at Stamford Bridge, Sky Sports reports.
The Germany international has yet to feature for the Blues so far this season in the Premier League, and with the European Championships coming up next summer he wants to ensure he's playing regular first-team football.
With so many incomings and outgoings already at the club, many still expect manager Frank Lampard to make a few changes before the window officially shuts on Oct. 5.
West Ham make Milenkovic bid
The Daily Mail is reporting that West Ham United have made a bid for Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.
The Hammers are reported to be stepping up their push to sign at least one defender before the transfer window comes to a close. The club has had offers for Saint-Etienne's Wesley Fofana -- who is joining Leicester City -- and Burnley's James Tarkowski rejected.
While West Ham have enjoyed a few strong performances lately, many fans still believe they need to strengthen, so the club have tabled an offer in the region of £20m with the Serbian viewed as a versatile player who can also play at full-back.
Tap-ins
- Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race to sign Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko, Goal reports. The two parties are in discussions ahead of a possible loan deal as PSG sporting director Leonardo and Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia are leading the charge, although the Premier League outfit would still prefer a permanent deal.
- Fenerbahce are set to battle Aston Villa in the pursuit of Norwich City star Emi Buendia, TRT Sport reports. Buendia was able to make a notable impact during the Canaries' season back in the top-flight last campaign, and even though Villa and Leeds United have offered him the chance to get back there, Fenerbahce may have jumped to the front of the queue.
Source: espn.co.uk