The winter transfer window hasn’t re-opened in Europe yet, but there are moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Bayern eyeing Barca’s Araujo and loanee Lenglet
Bayern Munich are focusing their attention on Barcelona in their efforts to strengthen at centre-back, as they are looking at Ronald Araújo and current loanee Clément Lenglet, as has been reported by Sky Sports Deutschland.
Defence is seen as a priority position for the Bavarian giants due to thin numbers in that area and recurring injuries.
Club bosses and manager Thomas Tuchel are all keen on the 24-year-old Araujo and have held initial discussions, although the chances of actually signing the Uruguayan are not good as he is expected to sign a contract extension with the Blaugrana.
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Lenglet is currently on loan at Aston Villa but hasn’t played a single Premier League game this term with all of the 28-year-old’s minutes so far coming in the Europa Conference League.
The Frenchman is currently on the extended list of players that Bayern are considering but isn’t a priority due to that lack of game time.
Bayern are also moving away from the idea of signing 28-year-old Fulham midfielder João Palhinha due to the London club’s demands, with Arsenal and Liverpool looking at the Portugal international.
Finally, there has been plenty of interest in Mathys Tel — notably from Manchester United — but the 18-year-old has decided that he doesn’t want to leave Bayern on loan or permanently.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is willing to spend whatever it takes to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli, according to FootballTransfers. The Blues are determined to bring in the 24-year-old striker and are even willing to break their transfer record to do so, with Armando Broja potentially being offloaded to help them afford the move.
– Juventus are keen to sign Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners in January as they aim to go for the Scudetto, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Bianconeri sitting top ahead of the weekend’s fixtures after beating Napoli 1-0. They will need to offload players to be able to afford €45m-€48m that is expected to be required for the 25-year-old, with Samuel Iling-Junior, Kenan Yildiz, and Frosinone loanee Matìas Soulè among those who could depart.
– Barcelona are keeping their options open and could move for Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi when his Foxes contract expires in the summer, reports Diario Sport, although there is expected to be competition from Juventus, Sevilla and Premier League clubs. Barca have previously been linked with Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi and Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich but would not be able to afford them.
– Roma have intensified their interest in signing Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski when his contract ends in the summer, according to Calciomercato, who add that they will face competition from Internazionale and Roma for the 29-year-old. The presence of manager Jose Mourinho might not be enough to sign the Poland international, who wants to continue playing Champions League football.
– RB Leipzig have made a concrete written offer to sign Schalke 04 midfielder Assan Ouedraogo during the summer, as reported by Sky Sports Deutschland. They are aware that there will be plenty of competition for the 17-year-old midfielder with Bayern Munich and AC Milan already aiming to sign him.