The transfer window may have slammed shut, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Bayern to move for Norwich defender Aarons
Bayern Munich may have already secured the €42.5m signing of RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano for the summer, but their transfer planning doesn't end there.
The Daily Mail reports that the Bavarian giants are stepping up their pursuit of Norwich City right-back Max Aarons, who may be available for around €40m.
The 21-year-old is able to name Manchester United and Barcelona among his other admirers, so it is understandable that Bayern want to get a head start, especially as Norwich look set to seal promotion back to the Premier League at the end of the season.
Sources told ESPN in September that Bayern were keen on USMNT right-back Sergino Dest before he joined Barcelona from Ajax, while both clubs had also shown interest in Aarons.
In addition, kicker claims that Bayern have agreed a pre-contract agreement that will see left-back Omar Richards, 23, move to the Allianz Arena from Reading once his deal expires in the summer. A four-year contract is on the table for the one-time England U21 international, who is set to complete his medical. He will take up a back-up role to Alphonso Davies and free Lucas Hernandez to return to the centre-back position.
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21.39 GMT: Dalian Professional forward Salomon Rondon has joined CSKA Moscow on loan for the remainder of the season, the Russian Premier League club announced on Monday.
Salomon Rondon @salorondon23 joined #CSKA on loan until the end of the season-2020/21 https://t.co/4EFurlZYZn pic.twitter.com/lztBcsU0nb
— PFC CSKA Moscow (@PFCCSKA_en) February 15, 2021
20.52 GMT: Two Western Conference clubs and an Eastern Conference outfit are interested in bringing 28-year-old Kemar Lawrence back to MLS, according to Soccer By Ives. The Jamaica international spent five seasons at the New York Red Bulls before joining Anderlecht a year ago, and the Belgian club are open to parting with their starting left-back if they can recoup the $1.25m transfer fee they paid in January 2020.
20.05 GMT: Marca writes that Luis Suarez has an escape clause in his Atletico Madrid contract that would allow him to leave Los Rojiblancos this summer for free, but the 24-year-old forward has no plans to abandon Diego Simeone's side amid his revitalisation after leaving Barcelona six months ago.
19.18 GMT: According to prominent Spanish TV program El Chiringuito, there's no chance of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos remaining with Los Blancos after his contract expires this summer.
18.31 GMT: The San Jose Earthquakes have announced the signing of 25-year-old midfielder Eric Remedi from Atlanta United in exchange for $200,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money (GM) "plus additional GAM for player retention and performance," which Atlanta claims could be worth as much as another $300,000 in allocation money.
¡Bienvenido @Eric_Remedi! 🇦🇷
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) February 15, 2021
NEWS: Earthquakes acquire Eric Remedi from Atlanta United FC.
17.44 GMT: Neymar may miss Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League clash with Barcelona on Tuesday with an adductor issue, but that hasn't stopped him from helping Les Parisiens destabilise their midweek opponents, with L'Equipe reporting that the Brazil international has recently made contact with Lionel Messi to sell his former Blaugrana teammate on a move to Parc des Princes this summer.
16.57 GMT: ICYMI - Manchester United fended off competition from Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich to agree a first professional contract with promising youngster Shola Shoretire, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
The 17-year-old forward's representatives fielded enquiries from some of Europe's biggest clubs before the player agreed professional terms with United last Monday.
Shoretire was convinced to commit his long-term future after conversations with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and head of first team development Nicky Butt, who highlighted the progress of fellow academy graduate Mason Greenwood under his watch.
Shoretire, who has scored five goals for the Under-23s this season, has started training with the first-team and has been earmarked for a senior debut in the next 18 months.
16.20 GMT: Manchester United midfielder Dylan Levitt is set to join Croatian top-flight side Nogometni Klub Istra 1961 on loan.
Levitt, 20, returned from a loan at Charlton Athletic in January after United activated his recall clause.
16.00 GMT: Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman admits he would have liked to have signed a defender in January.
Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia, 20, was on the verge of a move but Barca were unable to pay any transfer fee due to their financial situation. Instead, Garcia will likely arrive in the summer on a free transfer.
"I told the club that we needed a signing, but I respect any decision," Koeman said. "I do not speak after the past. I was talking to them for a moment, but I respect the decision of the club, because of the economic issue. We continue with what we have.
"But, with the casualties and the bad luck of our injuries, we lack defenders, we lack forcefulness, we have not reinforced what we needed. Due to injuries we have lowered our performance in defence."
15.14 GMT: Former Milan and Chelsea striker Alexandre Pato is an MLS player now.
14.33 GMT: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hit back at rumours suggesting he could walk away from the club and said he is ready for the challenge to turn things around.
Klopp conceded the 2019-20 Premier League champions were out of the title race this season after they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Leicester City on Saturday.
Liverpool have lost three consecutive league matches and sit 13 points behind leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand. There were reports that Klopp could leave the club but he was defiant at his news conference ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash against RB Leipzig and said his team are prepared to respond to their critics.
"Did I get the sack or did I leave by myself? Neither," he said. "I don't need a break. Privately, we had a tough time, that was a much longer time already and we always deal with it as a family 100%.
"I am 53 -- I have worked in football for a long time and I can switch off. I don't carry things around. Nobody has to worry about me. I am full of energy, honestly. I see it as an interesting challenge. We will sort it by playing football, we will sort it by fighting with all we have. That's the plan. I am ready and the boys are ready."
14.29 GMT: Borussia Monchengladbach manager Marco Rose will leave to take over at Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season, it was announced on Monday.
Lucien Favre was sacked as Dortmund coach in December and, despite being considered title contenders at the start of the campaign, the club faces a fight to qualify for the Champions League as they lie in sixth place in the Bundesliga table.
"Marco Rose has opted to leave Gladbach at the end of the season and join Borussia Dortmund," Gladbach posted on their Twitter account.
Rose had led Gladbach into the Champions League this season, but exercised a clause in his contract to leave his job a year early.
Dortmund have been coached by Edin Terzic on an interim basis since Favre's departure.
13.55 GMT: Barcelona brought in midfielder Miralem Pjanic over the summer in a swap deal with Arthur and Juventus.
13.24 GMT: Manchester United will prioritise signing a new centre-back in the summer as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to solve his team's defensive frailties, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Solskjaer is keen to bring in a partner for captain Harry Maguire, who cost £80m from Leicester in 2019, with Sevilla's Jules Kounde, Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, Raphael Varane at Real Madrid and Braga's David Carmo the names on his shortlist.
Solskjaer has been promised money to spend to strengthen the squad in the summer but the United boss has also been told the club will continue to be cautious with their finances while the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing.
Sources told ESPN that United have also not given up on signing winger Jadon Sancho, although they remain firm in their stance that Borussia Dortmund would need to drop their £120m asking price.
12.46 GMT: Arsenal have been linked with Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard for some time, with the Daily Express claiming they could sign him for £15m this summer.
Edouard, 23, has a contract which expires in the summer of 2022 and he doesn't look like he will renew it. The Frenchman has 11 goals in his last 11 appearances and, after his brace against St Johnstone on Sunday, is back on the agenda of Arsenal.
The Gunners are seeking a long-term replacement for Alexandre Lacazette, with Edouard at the front of the queue.
11.51 GMT: Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira has denied that his side are in negotiations with former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa.
"I noticed that the names, when they come from Europe, are soon linked to Palmeiras. What I can guarantee is there is absolutely no negotiation with this player. Absolutely none! Now, I look for centre forwards like I look for goalkeepers. It is a very specific position and we have three centre forwards, like we have three goalkeepers," Ferreira said.
"I noticed that Palmeiras have become propaganda. Often for agents and players, they add the name Palmeiras because it's like a trap. Dip your line in the sea and you usually catch a fish. To be clear: our plans for next season were finished up a while ago and delivered to the directors."
11.31 GMT: River Plate have reached an agreement with Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata to sign 22-year-old midfielder Jose Paradela, sources told ESPN Argentina.
River manager Marcelo Gallardo was desperately looking to bolster his midfield to cover the imminent departure of Nacho Fernandez and they have struck a deal with Gimnasia for $2.8m to acquire 75% of Paradela's rights.
Paradela has already bid farewell to his teammates and is expected to undergo his medical with River on Monday before completing the move.
11.03 GMT: Manchester United made a great move to sign Bruno Fernandes for around €80m from Sporting CP in January 2020.
10.13 GMT: Ousmane Dembele was on the verge of leaving Barcelona last summer for Manchester United but has fought his way back into Ronald Koeman's plans and says he's never been happier at Camp Nou.
Dembele, 23, made his 100th appearance for Barca in Saturday's 5-1 win over Alaves. It was also the first time the winger had played 12 matches in a row for the club since joining from Borussia Dortmund for €105m in 2017, having finally appeared to have left his injury problems behind.
"I've changed a lot, mostly physically," he told UEFA ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. "When I came here, I was very frail. I've come on a long way at Barcelona with the physical trainers, etc. My way of training, my way of preparing for matches, it's all changed. The years go by and I'm growing up, so it's kind of normal for me to change a bit. I'm more comfortable, I feel good here in Barcelona and in my own life."
Dembele's contract with Barca runs until 2022. Sources have told ESPN that the club have already been in touch about extending the Frenchman's terms, although it will be up to the new president, who will be elected on March 7, to finalise any potential renewal.
09.52 GMT: Tor-Kristian Karlsen tells us what Bayern Munich will get from Dayot Upamecano after beating Europe's elite to sign the defender from RB Leipzig for €42.5m.
It's the attributes that made Upamecano stand out as a youth player that have also cemented his status among Europe's elite young defenders: he's exceptionally quick and powerful.
This season he recorded the third quickest sprint speed in the Bundesliga (35.34 km/h), but unlike most other centre-backs he's not only fast once he gets going, he's also agile and quick on the turn (often the Achilles' heel of even those defenders playing at the highest level.)
Upamecano's fine physical attributes don't stop with pace, though; he comes out on top from an impressive 70% of his aerial battles, plus he's efficiently assertive in one-vs.-one challenges defensively. The Frenchman has also become more comfortable with the ball at his feet: whereas he was previously prone to occasional sloppiness when under pressure, he's now confident enough to pick out midfielders in central positions, often by finding narrow gaps between the oncoming opponents.
09.15 GMT: Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa only joined the club from Brentford in 2019 for £12m but is already attracting attention.
The Athletic reports that the 23-year-old centre-back is "one of the options Liverpool and Tottenham are studying as they seek to bolster their defences in the next transfer window."
08.30 GMT: Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato showed on social media why he was destined to play for Orlando City after displaying a lion tattoo on his left hand.
Pato, 31, joined "The Lions" this weekend as a free agent. The former AC Milan and Sao Paulo star expressed his excitement about playing alongside Orlando City striker Benji Michel and had the lion tattoo done in 2017 in honour of his mother, Rosali Rodrigues, who loves the animal.
He wrote at the time: "A lion to me means a lot: since I was a child I have always heard about the strength of the lion. My mother always told me that she liked the lion, because he is the king of animals and has the strength to fight and overcome everything he finds. I always dreamed of being a football player and do you know why I did it? Because when I was born, I was born playing football, but when I was 10 years old it could all have ended when I had a serious problem and everything could have gone down the drain. But there were my mom and family close by to help me get over it. When I was 10 years old, I had surgery to remove the bone tumor from my arm and just one year later, when I was 11 years old, there would be an opportunity for me to leave the house and play football. Do you know who was there? My mom!"
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
PSG haven't given up on Messi
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been at the centre of many headlines in recent months, with Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami, Manchester City and various other clubs being linked to the forward, as his contract expires in the summer.
When rumours around Messi's future first began, Man City were the club most heavily touted to bring in the 33-year-old, but PSG also emerged as a potential destination and L'Equipe claims that the Argentina international joining the French champions on a free transfer is still a possibility.
However, it is also outlined that this "remains a very complex challenge" for the Parisians.
Meanwhile, City have not given up on signing Messi this summer but will wait until March or April before sounding out the situation, various sources have told ESPN's Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez.
Messi's future could hinge on who comes in as the new Barca president, with the election penciled in for March 7. Messi will listen to the plans of the incoming president, with Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa the three candidates, before deciding his next move.
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Dos Santos Premier League-bound?
Burnley are hoping to sign Carlos Joaquim dos Santos from Benfica B, according to The Sun.
The goalkeeper, who was on the bench for the USMNT's 6-0 victory over El Salvador in December, is being lined up as cover for Nick Pope.
It is suggested that the 20-year-old is keen on a move to the Premier League, while there is confidence that a work permit can be sorted out.
Dos Santos is still yet to play for Benfica's first-team, but the Philadelphia-born star has impressed enough for the Clarets to show an interest.
Tap-ins
- AC Milan are looking to Lens for their defensive reinforcements in the summer, reports Calciomercato. The Italian outlet suggests they are eyeing Facundo Medina and Loic Bade, who are 21 and 20 years old, respectively. Part of this comes with doubts arising over whether they will be able to afford to sign Fikayo Tomori, with Chelsea reportedly demanding €30m to make his loan deal permanent.
- Tottenham Hotspur will let youngster Kazaiah Sterling leave in the summer, as reported by Football Insider. The 22-year-old has now had four loan spells away from Spurs and failed to make a massive impact in any of them, with the latest coming at Scottish second tier side Greenock Morton.