The transfer window may have slammed shut, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves are heating up so check out the latest gssip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: PSG to return for Messi
Paris Saint-Germain have been boosted by the news that Neymar looks likely to stay at the club, with sources telling Julien Laurens that the forward is set to sign a four-year extension, and Marca is reporting that the Ligue 1 champions will try to reunite the Brazilian with Lionel Messi this summer.
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman hinted on Tuesday that while he remains hopeful, he doesn't expect Messi to stay beyond the end of the season, and PSG are now determined to land the Argentine.
PSG have already expressed their interest in signing the striker, who has clearly been unsettled this season, with leaked contract details this week adding to the drama surrounding his future.
Messi and Neymar enjoyed a strong partnership at Camp Nou, and the latter has hinted that he wants to play with his former teammate once more.
PSG are hoping Neymar's decision to stay could convince Messi to part ways with Barca and complete a formidable front three also including Kylian Mbappe.
Barca might need to reassess their situation this season amid financial difficulties, with players unpaid for December, and mounting debts.
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21.38 GMT: ESPN Argentina reports that Brazilian giants Internacional have interest in recruiting 32-year-old River Plate full-back Milton Casco.
20.51 GMT: In the wake of Andre Villas-Boas's dismissal from Marseille, L'Equipe looks at his potential replacements, with former Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri, ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre and Rafael Benitez all named as possible successors.
20.04 GMT: The Portland Timbers have announced that they've signed 27-year-old right-back Josecarlos van Rankin from Chivas of Liga MX on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent.
✍️ Done ✍️ Deal ✍️
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) February 3, 2021
Jose Van Rankin has signed a one-year loan, with an option to exercise a permanent transfer from @Chivas. #RCTID
19.17 GMT: The January transfer window has been closed for less than 48 hours, and already Corriere dello Sport has identified three of AC Milan's primary targets for their summer business.
First is of longstanding interest to the club, 28-year-old winger Florian Thauvin, whose contract at Marseille expires in the summer and would move to Milan on a free transfer. Twenty-three-year-old left-back Matis Vina just won the Copa Libertadores with Palmeiras, and the Uruguay international is seen as an ideal deputy to Theo Hernandez - although if the Rossoneri can't come to an agreement with the Brazilian club, they could turn their attentions to Barcelona's Junior Firpo. Finally, if Milan are unable to lower the transfer fee stipulated in their loan agreement for Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz, the club feel 25-year-old Otavio of Porto would be a fine alternative.
18.30 GMT: Thomas Tuchel has been Chelsea manager for seven days, but already he's drawn up a shortlist of three centre-backs from which he'd like the Blues to recruit one in the summer, according to Bild, and all three hail from the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich's David Alaba is said to be the west London club's primary target, and the story suggests that negotiations between the Austria international and Real Madrid aren't as advanced as has been reported in Spain and that the player is open to a move beyond the Spanish capital. Chelsea's alternative, should Alaba rebuff their advances, is Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig, although Bayern are reportedly in pole position for the 22-year-old's signature. If the Blues miss out on both, then they could turn to 25-year-old Niklas Sule, whose contract at Bayern expires in 18 months and is willing to leave the eight-times-defending German champions if he can't agree a new contract to remain in Bavaria.
17.43 GMT: There has been a change in attitude in Boca Juniors attacker Cristian Pavon since his 18-month loan with LA Galaxy, according to ESPN Argentina, that could afford the 25-year-old Argentina international a second chance with the Buenos Aires giants.
16.56 GMT: AS cites Spanish radio outlet Cadena SER as reporting that some Barcelona presidential candidates have sounded out Sergio Aguero over a switch to the Catalan capital when his contract with Manchester City expires this summer, and that the 32-year-old would be interested, but the report also specifically mentions his interest in playing with Argentina teammate Lionel Messi.
So, if Messi is to leave the Camp Nou this summer when his contract expires, as has been widely speculated, would Aguero still be tempted by Barca? And could the Blaugrana, who are more than €1b in debt and were unable to afford a €6m deal for Eric Garcia in January, even afford City's No. 10?
16.09 GMT: Real Madrid view David Alaba as "a solution for three problems," Marca reports, offering cover at left-back, centre-back and defensive midfield, where the team has struggled when Zinedine Zidane's first-choice picks have been unavailable.
According to the Spanish outlet, Alaba, 28, has agreed a four-year deal at Madrid and will join when his Bayern Munich contract expires in June.
Madrid are looking for competition for full-back Ferland Mendy, with veteran Marcelo failing to impress this season, as well as a convincing third-choice central defender to fill in for Sergio Ramos -- if he stays at the Bernabeu beyond this summer, when his contract is due to expire -- and Raphael Varane.
Alaba would also provide an alternative to Casemiro, who currently has no natural replacement in the Real Madrid squad.
15.33 GMT: Jose Mourinho has insisted Tottenham "need a good Dele Alli" and believes face-to-face talks with the midfielder will give him the extra motivation to revive his career.
Alli had hoped to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan in the January transfer window -- reuniting with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino -- but chairman Daniel Levy blocked the move amid concerns over squad depth and a desire to see the player succeed in north London. The 24-year-old has started just six games across all competitions this season but Mourinho confirmed he sat down with Alli yesterday to discuss his future and believes there is a key role for him to play once recovering from what the Spurs head coach has described as a "tendon" injury.
Asked what Alli had to do now he is staying at Tottenham, Mourinho said: "He needs to recover from his injury, he needs to be back to training and he needs to have a fresh start because in the last few weeks, he couldn't even train.
"So that's the most important thing. I had a good conversation with him yesterday. We spoke around this question that you ask me and I think we found very common ground, let's say. It is an important period of the season for the team, it is an important period of the season for him also.
"We need him. We need a good Dele Alli. We are just waiting for him to be back to normality, to be back to training with the team. It is not just Dele, [Harry] Kane, Gio[vani] Lo Celso, we are speaking about players that without all three, we miss a little bit of creation, some magic around the attacking areas so we need him back. I made that very sure to him.
"A conversation doesn't make miracles. A conversation doesn't put a player in great form or without any limitations in terms of fitness but I believe the conversation was maybe the extra motivation he needed to be back as soon as possible, to become available for the team.
"We play Europa League very soon, we are in the Premier League playing every week a couple of matches. We have the FA Cup, I don't believe he will on time for that one. We have a final to play in April so we need a good Dele back. And I believe that when physically he is ready, he will mentally be in a good place to go for it."
On Thursday, Spurs face Chelsea, who recently appointed Thomas Tuchel as their new coach just weeks after he was sacked by PSG. Tuchel was asked about Alli in his own prematch news conference...
14.56 GMT: Queens Park Rangers forward Sinclair Armstrong is set to sign a new contract with the Championship club despite interest from clubs including Manchester City, according to Talksport.
Republic of Ireland youth international Armstrong joined QPR's youth set-up from Shamrock Rovers on a short-term deal in October of last year. The 17-year-old could therefore sign a pre-contract with another club.
Talksport reports that Manchester City, Celtic and Crystal Palace have all been monitoring Armstrong's situation, but QPR expect him to sign a permanent deal with them.
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14.12 GMT: FC Dallas and United States youth international defender Justin Che has agreed to join Bayern Munich on loan, sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton.
Che, 17, has agreed a move to the Bundesliga champions with the move pending FIFA approval as he is classified as a "minor," sources told ESPN.
Che has a German passport which has helped negotiations, but if the move gets approval -- with sources confident it will get the green light -- the move will see him link up with Bayern Munich for six months on loan, with no option to buy included.
Che trained at Bayern from Jan. 6 to Jan. 29 and the German champions wanted to take a closer look at him, so offered him a six-month loan deal with Che likely to feature for their reserves in 3. Liga.
13.43 GMT: Manchester United Women's forward Kirsty Hanson has signed a new contract that commits her to the club until 2024.
Scotland international Hanson, 22, joined United from Doncaster Belles in 2018, since when she has scored 11 goals in 57 appearances.
The 22-year-old's new deal also includes the option to extend for a further year.
🎥 Kirsty talks her new contract, United highlights so far and looks ahead to the future! ❤️#MUWomen pic.twitter.com/H96QLRUriS
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) February 3, 2021
13.08 GMT: The leak of Lionel Messi's huge contract with Barcelona has brought attention to the high amount of taxes football players pay in Spain, prompting the league to raise concerns about the departure of its top stars.
Details of Messi's €555m ($671m) contract over four seasons were released by the El Mundo newspaper on Sunday, upsetting the club and instigating the promise of lawsuits.
The contract made headlines everywhere, and Spanish league president Javier Tebas took the opportunity on Monday to underline the high amount of taxes owed by Messi. He noted that the Argentina great has to pay about €270m ($326m) in taxes for his contract, nearly half of its value. Tebas said that in Italy, for example, a player with a similar contract would have to pay about €135m ($163m) in taxes.
"We will have an exodus of talent to other countries,'' Tebas wrote on Twitter. "The [league] will lose players who help generate 1.37% of the country's GDP and more than 180,000 jobs.''
12.31 GMT: Should Chelsea lose out on Bayern Munich target Dayot Upamecano and free agent David Alaba this summer, the Blues could turn to Germany and Bayern centre-back Niklas Sule, Bild reports.
Sule, 25, is under contract at the Allianz Arena until 2022 and this summer would be the last chance for the European champions to get a transfer fee for the Germany international, who has struggled for form ever since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in October 2019.
This term, Sule has only started eight Bundesliga games for Bayern and was moved to the right-back position by coach Hansi Flick, with Jerome Boateng and Alaba playing in central defence.
Bild estimates that Sule could be available for as little as €30m, should he not agree to sign a new contract at Bayern until the summer break.
11.58 GMT: Atletico Madrid tried to sign centre-back Guilherme Ramos of Portuguse second-division side Feirense on deadline day and could return for him this summer, according to Diario AS.
The newspaper claims Atletico bid €1m for the 23-year-old defender, who could have featured for both Diego Simeone's first team and the reserves.
AS reports that Sporting Club, who own half the player's rights, "gave the green light to the deal" but Feirense turned down the offer. Ramos' contract expires in the summer of 2022.
11.25 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of 16-year-old Ajax attacker Julian Rijkhoff, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld.
Rijkhoff will initially join Dortmund's under-17 squad, where he can only train because of the current suspension of all youth leagues because of the coronavirus pandemic.
BVB have signed Rijkhoff to an academy contract until his 18th birthday in January 2023, with a professional contract kicking in after that.
11.04 GMT: Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says he is targeting a new striker in the summer to provide support for first-choice Jamie Vardy.
Vardy, the Premier League's top scorer last season, has missed the last two games after undergoing a hernia operation, and the 34-year-old will be sidelined again for Wednesday's game again Fulham.
Ayoze Perez did not score while covering at centre-forward in either the 1-1 draw at Everton or the 3-1 home loss to Leeds, while Kelechi Iheanacho an unused substitute in both games.
"Jamie is still, when he's fit and playing, up there with the best strikers in the league, but when you're playing the number of games we want to play and anticipate playing, then you need more than one," Rodgers said.
"We've got Kels [Iheanacho] who has been a great support striker. He hasn't played so much and perhaps hasn't got the goals he would have wanted. But you always have to plan forward and that's something we look at here at the club, in every position, not just the striking position. It's constant, you always have to be planning forward and looking forward.
"We know Jamie's age. I still have great confidence in his fitness and his abilities but he can't do it all on his own. We respect that. That's something that will be continual over the next few months looking ahead to the summer market."
10.27 GMT: Real Madrid are considering making young forward Vinicius Jr. available for transfer this summer, Diario AS reports.
The Brazil international, 20, was not long ago seen as Real's next big star following his rapid development and a series of game-changing performances since arriving from Flamengo in 2018.
However, this season has seen his performances suffer, particularly in the recent losses to lower-league Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.) and Levante in La Liga.
AS claims that Madrid have drastically re-assessed Vinicius' status in the squad, and are now willing to let him leave in order to raise much-needed funds to help cover for losses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
09.42 GMT: Borussia Monchengladbach have signed midfielder Hannes Wolf from RB Leipzig, the Bundesliga club have confirmed.
Austria international Wolf had already been at Gladbach on loan, scoring three goals 26 appearances in all competitions so far this season, triggering the club's obligation to sign him on a permanent deal.
"Hannes Wolf has now made enough appearances to activate his purchase clause," sporting executive Max Eberl said of the 21-year-old. "He is officially a Borussia player."
09.00 GMT: Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has said she is not looking for another job after reports she is on the shortlist for the head coaching role at League One side AFC Wimbledon, which would make her the first woman to coach in the professional men's game in England.
Hayes is one of the most successful managers in the history of the Women's Super League. Her side are top of the WSL and are on a record-breaking run of 33 unbeaten league games.
"I am manager at Chelsea. I manage and represent elite and world class players and this for me is an amazing job I've spent nine years cultivating all my energy into. I'm not looking for another job," Hayes told a news conference on Tuesday.
"I think the football world needs to wake up and recognise that women, while the game is played by a different gender, it is exactly the same sport and the qualities involved with having to manage that is exactly the same then it would be for a men's team.
"This is not about Emma Hayes and AFC Wimbleldon. This is about football world being in a position to have a normal conversation to talk about having coaches from Asian backgrounds, from Black backgrounds in coaching rooms and not as an exception to the rule but as something as normal."
AFC Wimbledon are 21st in League One, England's third tier, while Hayes' Chelsea are 2019-20 league champions, 2020 Continental Cup holders and compete in the Champions League.
When asked if the League One side could afford her, she said: "Absolutely not."
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)
Juve poised for new Pogba effort
Juventus continue to dream of a Paul Pogba return this summer, if Calciomercato are to be believed.
The Turin club was tempted to try to sign a new midfielder in January but ultimately decided waiting until the summer would reap greater rewards.
However, they're now waiting to see what Manchester United do next. Pogba's contract has one year left to run and so far he is yet to sign an extension. So Juve are simply waiting to see the next move from both club and player. If they can free him from his contract this summer, they're ready to act, says the report.
However, they're also conscious that Pogba could be a difficult deal to get over the line, and so they're also well advanced when it comes to Plan B in Lyon's Houssem Aouar.
Juve still considering Milik despite Marseille move
Arkadiusz Milik may have joined Marseille on loan from Napoli, but Juventus haven't given up on the idea of signing the Poland striker in the summer.
That's according to Calciomercato, which is reporting that the Old Lady might renew their interest in the 26-year-old at the end of the season.
Milik has joined Marseille on loan until 2022, and the Ligue 1 side have the first option to buy the striker on a permanent basis. Marseille would have to pay £7 million at the end of the loan period and a further £3.6m in bonuses.
They would also have to pay 20% of any future sale back to Napoli, while Juve feel they might be able to tempt Milik back to Italy by offering a longer deal.
Tap-ins
- Manchester City sent scouts to watch Palmeiras star Patrick de Paula in the Copa Libertadores final, according to Brazilian site UOL.com. The outlet is reporting that Pep Guardiola is keeping an eye on the 21-year-old but that Benfica are also interested in signing the midfielder. The player has a huge release clause of €100m. Not surprisingly, while there have been several approaches for him, there has been no official bid as yet.
- Sporting Lisbon have paid €16m to sign Portugal international striker Paulinho from Braga. According to L'Equipe, the 28-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the current league leaders for a record fee, and Sporting will hope his arrival can catapult them to a league title. Paulinho will be reunited with coach Ruben Amorim, for whom he played under at Braga.