The winter transfer window is now open in Europe, and there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Race for Dragusin heats up
Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli are embroiled in a tug-of-war over promising centre-back Radu Dragusin, with Fabrizio Romano and La Gazzetta dello Sport both offering different takes on the situation.
Romano says that Spurs have had new, positive talks with Dragusin’s club Genoa and the deal is advancing towards the final stages of negotiations. The North London club are hoping to sign the 21-year-old next week as talks continue. For now, everything has been on a verbal basis and Genoa are waiting on the final, official proposal.
La Gazzetta, meanwhile, have acknowledged that reigning Serie A champions Napoli face competition from Spurs to sign the Romania international, stating that the Premier League side is willing to offer €20 million. However, the Italian outlet adds that it would take more to convince Genoa and claims that Napoli have offered €15m, plus Leo Skiri Ostigard, and Alessandro Zanoli on loan.
Genoa, for their part, reportedly prefer Napoli’s offer but are tempted by the larger financial component of Spurs’ offer as 20% of anything earned will go to Dragusin’s former club Juventus.
Even so, Napoli are pushing hard to get the deal across the line as they want both Dragusin and Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic secured within the next week. Regarding Samardzic, La Gazzetta says that issues surrounding image rights and commissions have been overcome, with a definitive agreement being all that is left to sort. The deal will be worth €20m plus add-ons, with Samardzic set to sign a five-year contract worth €2m-per-season.
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PAPER GOSSIP
– There has been plenty speculation over the future of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappé, which has continued with conflicting reports. Foot Mercato have suggested that the 25-year-old has reached an agreement with Real Madrid in recent days, while The Times claims that he has rejected Los Blancos and is turning his attention to the Premier League.
– Bayern Munich have talks ongoing to sign Paris Saint-Germain right-back Nordi Mukiele, reports Florian Plettenberg, with the Bavarian club having been informed that a transfer for the 26-year-old is possible. This comes with the club also pushing for a centre-back amid talks about Tottenham’s Eric Dier.
– Juventus are racing to sign Lille defender Tiago Djaló, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, with a deal being reached for a transfer worth around €3m plus add-ons. The Bianconeri are now locked in talks with the 23-year-old’s entourage and are hoping to agree terms after overtaking Internazionale in their efforts to sign him.
– AC Milan, Juventus and VfB Stuttgart are all showing concrete interest in AFC Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, reports Fabrizio Romano, who adds that Tottenham made an offer for the 25-year-old in the summer and are continuing to monitor his situation. Kelly’s current contract expires at the end of the season, but he has not ruled out staying with the Cherries.
– Charlotte FC have submitted a US$9.5 million offer for Bodo/Glimt attacking midfielder Albert Gronbaek, says The Athletic, which adds that it would be a club record transfer if accepted. The Norwegian club’s progression to the Europa Conference League’s knockout rounds makes a move more difficult, while there is also competition from Napoli, Galatasaray and Leicester City.