LIVE Transfer Talk – Real Madrid join PSG and Tottenham in race for Milan’s Franck Kessie

The January 2022 transfer window has closed, but there are still plenty of rumors floating around about who is going where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumors, whereabouts and, of course, closed deals!

TOP STORY: Madrid turn to Milan’s Kessie

Real Madrid ready to turn their attention to AC Milan midfielder Frank Kessie as the 25-year-old midfielder enters the final months of his contract at San Siro, according to Spanish outlet AS.

Looking for midfield competition for Casemiroles La Liga leaders want to acquire a player who can dictate from the No.6 position, and so far Kessie has done just that during his time in Serie A He scored 13 goals and assisted four more last season, and it didn’t. t went unnoticed by suitors across Europe.

The Ivory Coast international has already attracted offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, and it is the latter who are believed to be the favorites in the race.

But with Los Blancos now ready to chill the pursuit of Antonio Rudiger due to the high salary demands, the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy will instead focus on Kessie, hoping to land him on a free transfer before the summer.

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LIVE BLOG

08:00 GMT: Barcelona left Dani Alves out of their Europa League squad but Ousmane Dembele remains registered despite being told to leave the club in January due to the impasse over his contract.

Alves was one of four signings for Barca last month, along with Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but UEFA regulations only allow clubs to add three additional players to their European squads at mid-season.

Head coach Xavi Hernandez also had to omit youngsters Abde Ezzalzouli and Ferran Jutgla from his Europa League plans. Neither player was signed up at the start of the season and they don’t count as youth players as they haven’t been at the club long enough.

Dembele remains eligible to represent the club in Europe, despite reports that Barca will terminate his contract after failing to agree to a January departure from Camp Nou.

Dembele is out of contract in June and, given the impossibility of reaching an agreement to sign an extension, Barca have told him he has to find a new club before January 31.

However, the transfer window has closed with Dembele still at Barca and Xavi now has to decide how to use him between now and summer. He has been dropped from the match day squad in the last two matches.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)

– Real Madrid, Internazionale and AC Milan are tracking the defender Guillaume Salibaaccording to Calciomercato. It is reported that the LaLiga side have inquired with Arsenal about his availability during the January transfer window, with the club currently looking for defensive reinforcements. The 20-year-old centre-back is on loan at Marseille where he has been a key part of the Ligue 1 season so far, and he even caught the eye of legendary defender Paolo Maldini who added him to the shortlist of Milan as a potential target in the summer.

– Fenerbahce made a signing offer Diego Costa on a free transfer until the end of the season, reports Ekrem Konour. Costa, 33, recently became a free agent after winning the league title in Brazil with Atletico Mineiro, and despite reports of interest from LaLiga, he could now decide whether or not to move to the Turkish Super Lig.

– The Daily Star writes that Chelsea are considering activating the signing clause Saul Niguez on a permanent contract. The 27-year-old midfielder is on loan from Atletico Madrid, and after a rocky start to life at Stamford Bridge, his recent comeback is starting to win the Blues hierarchy, who are now considering paying the £30million to see his move become permanent.

– Napoli will make a decision on the future of Kalidou Koulibaly at the next transfer window, according to Calciomercato. The 30-year-old centre-back is seen as a key part of the squad, but with his contract expiring in the summer of 2023, the Serie A club’s hierarchy are keen not to face a repeat of the Lorenzo Insigné situation , which saw them lose a star player on a free transfer to Toronto FC from MLS. It is reported that if Koulibaly fails to agree a new deal, Napoli will look to offload him. The Senegalese international has previously been linked with Manchester United.

– The Times writes that Manchester City are confident of reaching an agreement on a new contract for Bernardo Silva. It is understood that positive talks have taken place with representatives of the 27-year-old attacking midfielder, and despite reports that he wanted to leave last summer, his heavy involvement in Pep Guardiola’s success this season has sparked a change which now sees him wanting to stay at the Etihad Stadium.

– Manchester United refused to sign Boubacar Kamara in January, according to fabrice romano. After failing to sign Denis Zakaria and Julian Alvarez, it is reported that the Old Trafford hierarchy have also passed on the 22-year-old Marseille midfielder due to plans to acquire a new manager this summer.

– Sebastien Blanco will remain with the Portland Timbers as the free agent is set to finalize a new deal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. The 33-year-old Argentina midfielder’s contract had expired after the end of the MLS season but is now looking to stay with the Cascadia side. He joined the team in 2017.