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LIVE Transfer Talk: Werner prefers Liverpool switch over Chelsea move

It's go time as the January transfer window is open. Find out when it closes across Europe, view the latest transfers as they happen and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.

TOP STORY: Werner wants Klopp connection over Lampard link

Timo Werner has consistently been reported to be one of Chelsea's primary transfer targets in recent weeks, but West London is not the 23-year-old's preferred Premier League destination, according to German publication Bild.

The report suggests that the RB Leipzig forward is keen on the Premier League, but rather than move to Stamford Bridge, his desire is to join compatriot Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. And Bild notes that Leipzig and the Anfield outfit maintain a strong relationship following their negotiations over Naby Keita, which saw the Guinea international move from Red Bull Arena to Merseyside.

There are also details on how the player would be a perfect fit in Klopp's system.

Just one piece of information is missing from this puzzle: whether Liverpool have any interest in activating Werner's €60 million release clause.

LIVE BLOG

22.00 GMT: That's everything for tonight's transfer gossip, but be sure to join us tomorrow for more of the same.

21.35 GMT: Get this! Third-tier Egyptian club 6th October are signing 75-year-old Eez Eldin Bahder, which would make him the world's oldest professional player.

Apparently the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have invited the Guinness Book of World Records to validate the record when Bahder makes his debut.

Something smells a bit fishy to us, but if everything is all above board then, according to Kingfut, he'll overtake Israel's Isaak Hayik, aged 73 years and 95 days, who plays for Maccabi Ironi.

21.03 GMT: Reminder that if you're a Manchester United fan, the deal for Bruno Fernandes looks a long way off given he's playing for the club against Braga tonight.

United are prepared to walk away from a deal for Fernandes unless Sporting Lisbon drop their demands, sources have told ESPN.

Sporting want €65m up front and another €15m in add-ons for Fernandes, a stance that has baffled United because the Portuguese side were prepared to let the midfielder join Tottenham in the summer for around €45m plus add-ons.

20.46 GMT: Update from 16.52 -- D.C. United have acquired midfielder Julian Gressel from Atlanta United in exchange for up to $1.1m in allocation money.

20.39 GMT: Marca claims that Celta Vigo will bid for Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu.

The La Liga side recently sold Stanislav Lobotka to Napoli and have targeted the former Chelsea player as his replacement.

20.16 GMT: David Beckham's Inter Miami are targeting Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, says the Sun.

Aguero, 31, has a contract which runs out in 2021 and he has always said he would return to boyhood club Independiente.

But the paper claims he might consider a stint in MLS before he heads back to Argentina.

19.36 GMT: Leeds United have signed Chievo goalkeeper Elia Caprile on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

19.08 GMT: Feel like your team doesn't have enough depth? It's important!

18.13 GMT: Barcelona are looking for cover for injured striker Luis Suarez and evidently AC Milan's Krzysztof Piatek is on their radar.

Piatek, 24, has been linked with Man United and Tottenham after Milan signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Mundo Deportivo says that 'the new Robert Lewandowski' would be perfect for Barca.

17.49 GMT: A transfer triple from Mexico here.

Club America forward Roger Martinez has been in talks with Inter Miami about a potential move, with the MLS club willing to pay $15m, but reports in Mexico suggest the Colombia international is intent on moving to Europe. The problem, according to El Universal, is that the offer from Miami is much more attractive than the loan deal Genoa is proposing, with America naturally preferring the option in MLS.

Meanwhile, one of the biggest signings in Liga MX this winter looks like becoming a reality, with Matias Kranevitter having agreed a deal to move from Zenit St. Petersburg to Monterrey, according to TUDN. The 26-year-old starred for River Plate in the 2015 Copa Libertadores, but hasn't been getting regular playing time of late at Zenit.

And Kranevitter may not be the only Argentine heading from Europe to Mexico. TNT Sports is reporting that AC Milan's Lucas Biglia, 33, is of interest to Club America, who recently sold holding midfielder Guido Rodriguez to Real Betis.

17.17 GMT: It's the one they've all been waiting for. Matteo Darmian's agents have landed at Inter Milan, as Antonio Conte bids to rebrand Inter as 'Man United misfits XI'.

Darmian left United for Parma in the summer, with reports that Inter had an agreement for their fellow Serie A club to sell to them this summer. Now it's January and it seems those talks have been bumped up.

Sebastiano Esposito, a highly-rated young Inter striker, could be sent to Parma on loan by way of recompense.

16.52 GMT: Atlanta United has traded Julian Gressel to D.C. United for an undisclosed amount of money, according to the Washington Post reporter Steven Groff. 

The trade comes after a long battle regarding the German's contract. Groff reports that a huge raise in Gressel's salary played a factor in his move. 

Gressel is the latest player to join D.C. United following the signing of Edison Flores for $5m last week. 

 16.30 GMT: Real Sociedad are the latest club interested in signing Manchester United winger Tahith Chong, sources have told ESPN.

The Dutchman's contract expires in the summer and he will be able to leave on a free transfer.

Juventus and Inter Milan have been linked with a move for the 20-year-old but they will now face competition from Real Sociedad, who also have former United academy product Adnan Januzaj.

Chong joined United's academy from Feyenoord in 2016 and made his professional debut in a 2-0 FA Cup third round win over Reading in January 2019.

16.09 GMT: Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old striker Leonardo Campana from Ecuadorian club Barcelona SC. 

15.58 GMT: Despite only joining Fenerbahce in the summer, German international Max Kruse is being linked with a move to the English Premier League Leicester City. 

Bayern Leverkusen and Read Betis are also interested in signing the 31-year-old, according to Haber Global. 

Kruse moved to Fenerbahce on a free on a free transfer from Werder Bremen and reportedly doesn't want to leave the Turkish club. 

15. 26 GMT: Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas has reiterated that forward Moussa Dembele is not for sale.

There was growing speculation that the former Fulham and Celtic player would move to Manchester United following confirmation that Marcus Rashford will be out for some time. 

"Our players are often targeted," Aulas said. "We want Moussa Dembele and Lucas Tousart to stay."

Losing Rashford for up to three months has put pressure on Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to sign an attacker, especially following the club's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend. 

14.56 GMT: Barcelona have reportedly made signing Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on loan a priority this month, according to Goal.

The audacious move would be in order to provide cover for the injured Luis Suarez, who is out for four months with a knee injury.

Aubameyang, who has 18-months left on his contract at the Emirates, dismissed speculation he wanted to leave the club earlier this month, but the allure of moving to the Catalan giants may be too much to resist for the Arsenal captain.   

14.38 GMT: There is always speculation around Wilfried Zaha's future, but the Crystal Palace winger is likely to stay at Selhurst Park until the end of the season.

Zaha had been seeking a move this month, according to the Daily Mail, but with no club seemingly willing to meet Palace's £80 million valuation, the Ivory Coast international is seemingly willing to wait until the summer before moving on.

Arsenal were linked with Zaha last summer before signing Nicolas Pepe, while Chelsea and Tottenham are reportedly among the clubs monitoring the situation.

14.13 GMT: Christian Eriksen's reported move to Inter Milan is no closer to being done, Jose Mourinho has said, with the Spurs boss suggesting he will pick the Danish playmaker for tomorrow's game against Norwich.

Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio told Sky Sports that the club had made an offer for Eriksen amid reports that the Dane has already agreed personal terms.

But Mourinho insists a deal is not imminent and that he expect Eriksen to be in Tottenham's squad tomorrow: "The news is that he [Eriksen] will be selected for tomorrow," Mourinho told a news conference. "We have no news."

Meanwhile, Mourinho has become the latest manager not to rule out a move for wantaway Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani: "I have good relations with Paris Saint-Germain, and I'm not going to disrespect them."

14.01 GMT: Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has confirmed to the LA Times he is moving to LA Galaxy. 

Neither LA Galaxy nor Sevilla have confirmed the move, but the Times have published an interview with the Mexican star in which he spoke about his excitement about moving to MLS.

- Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez confirms move to LA Galaxy: 'It was the right time'

13.35 GMT: Newcastle United have announced the signing of former Spurs midfielder Nabil Bentaleb on loan from Schalke until the end of the season, with an option to make the deal permanent.

"I'm very happy to come back to the Premier League, especially with a club such as Newcastle," Bentaleb said in a statement.

"The project really interested me. I wanted absolutely to come back to the Premier League. The coach [Steve Bruce] had some trust in me and the club also -- I saw that straight away -- and I think it's the perfect move for me."

Bentaleb has made 97 appearances for the Bundesliga side, scoring 19 times, and played for the Schalke in the Champions League.

The 25-year-old midfielder also represented Algeria at the 2014 World Cup, as well as the African Cup of Nations in 2015 and 2017.

13.30 GMT: Manchester United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward was the highest paid director in the Premier League last season, despite the club failing to qualify for the Champions League.

Should United sack Woodward? The ESPN FC panel weigh in on the whether the United chief should keep his job.

13.03 GMT: Real Madrid defender Alvaro Odriozola is in talks with Bayern Munich over a loan move, sources have told ESPN FC.

The right back has barely featured for Madrid this season and appears to have lost the confidence of coach Zinedine Zidane.

"He has a chance of leaving, but it's still not official. We're going to wait," Zidane said in a news conference on Tuesday.

Odriozola's last appearance in La Liga came in Real Madrid's 1-0 defeat at Real Mallorca in October.

Other clubs are interested, including Athletic Bilbao, but ESPN FC understands that Bayern are favourites to compete the deal and are Odriozola's preferred destination.

12.52 GMT: The welcome party for Aston Villa's new £10 million man Mbwana Samatta is still alive and kicking!

12.35 GMT: Sheffield United have signed Nottingham Forest defender Jack Robinson on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, the club have announced.

12.29 GMT: Atletico Madrid women have announced Dani Gonzalez as their new head coach.

"The challenge is there and we will work 100% to try to make the best of all the players," Gonzalez said in a statement. "We want to see a strong and competitive team and see the name of Atletico Madrid at the top as it has been happening in recent years."

12.09 GMT: Liverpool have turned down approaches by Roma and Sevilla to sign Xherdan Shaqiri on loan, with the club ruling out a move for the winger this month, Goal reports.

The Switzerland international has been a useful backup to stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah when required, but has only made six Premier League appearances this season.

12.00 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain are willing to let Edinson Cavani leave for a €20 million fee, club sources have told ESPN.

The 32-year-old is wanted by Atletico Madrid to solve their goal-scoring crisis and they have already had a €10m offer rejected.

Atletico are now optimistic about completing a deal for Cavani, sources have told ESPN, having believed the transfer was near impossible earlier in the January window.

11.20 GMT: Defender Jerome Boateng remains on Arsenal's radar, but Bayern Munich are unlikely to offload the 2014 World Cup winner without a solid replacement, according to German outlet Kicker.

The 31-year-old former Manchester City defender has been linked with a return to Premier League for a number of months.

But amid Bayern's injury crisis at the back -- Niklas Sule, Javi Martinez and Lucas Hernandez have all been out for a while -- the German champions need Boateng in their bid to win yet another Bundesliga title.

10.45 GMT: Real Madrid right-back Alvaro Odriozola is negotiating his departure from the club, with Sevilla and German champions Bayern Munich potential landing spots, according to Spanish football journalist Jose Luis Sanchez.

The 24-year-old Spanish defender, who joined Real Sociedad in 2018, has made just four league appearances for Madrid this season.

10.06 GMT: La Liga side Getafe have announced the signing of Palmeiras striker Deyverson Silva on until the end of the season.

09.13 GMT: Flamengo expect to finalise the signing of Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa, and that of coach Jorge Jesus, this week, Globo Esporte reports.

According to the Brazilian media outlet, negotiations with Inter Milan are on the right path and Flamengo are confident they can sign Gabigol on a permanent transfer this week.

Gabigol was a big hit at Flamengo during his season-long loan from Inter that expired last month. The Brazil forward scored two goals in three minutes to help Flamengo win the Copa  Liberadores and greatly contributed to the team's Brazilian title triumph.

Flamengo have offered Gabigol a minimum four-year contract. Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is in talks to sign a contract extension with Flamengo until 2021. His current deal expires in June.

The former Benfica manager led Flamengo to the Brazilian Serie A and Copa Libertadores titles in 2019, less than six months after taking charge of the Rio de Janeiro club.

08.52 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has said he his "100% with the club" amid regular links with interest from Real Madrid.

Asked about the Spanish giants and a potential future switch to Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe told the BBC it was not the time to discuss his future.

"Everyone talks about it," he said. "When I was young, I talked about it too, but now I am a player and I know it is not the moment.

"We are in January. It is the money time of the season. Imagine I answer your question and say something. Everybody will talk about it and it is not good for PSG.

"Now I am with PSG and I am 100% with the club. I want to help the club grow this season, to win a lot of titles, so for me it is not good to talk about [my future].

08.23 GMT: Real Madrid's Alvaro Odriozola is likely to leave the club on loan before the end of the transfer window, according to reports in Spain.

COPE radio reports that Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao are closest to landing the 24-year-old, who Madrid signed from Real Sociedad for €30m in 2018. According to Estadio Deportivo, Bayern Munich are also keen to acquire the services of the Spain international.

Odriozola was the most highly rated young right-back in La Liga when he joined Madrid, but his development has stalled and he has failed to seriously challenge Dani Carvajal for a place in Zinedine Zidane's preferred team.

He has made just four appearances in the league this season, the last coming in Real Madrid's defeat at Mallorca in October.

08.00 GMT: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will give his players until the end of the season to prove they have what it takes to wrestle the Premier League title back from champions elect Liverpool.

"My bosses have one eye to see if I deserve to continue here," said Guardiola. "My eyes have to control my players and how their performances deserve to be here. There is no other solution."

City are expected to prioritise a centre-back in the summer after failing to replace Vincent Kompany and Guardiola may also need a forward if Leroy Sane gets his way and moves to Bayern Munich.

David Silva has announced his attention to leave after a decade at the Etihad Stadium but Guardiola has said in the past he may not seek a replacement for the Spaniard.

"I have an idea what we need," said Guardiola. "We speak quite often with the club. There are still four months and it depends on that. We are going to take a decision.

"We are not far away to get the standards [of Liverpool]. The way we've played is quite similar.

"I think every season all the teams move a little bit of the squad. Some have to move a lot in some areas. Maybe we have to buy some new players. Not much some new players."

PAPER TALK (by Tom Fenton): PSG set asking price for Cavani

With Edinson Cavani handing in a transfer request, Paris Saint-Germain have accepted that they may not be able to hold on to their all-time record goal scorer, and have moved to set the market for his eventual sale.

The Manchester Evening News writes that Manchester United could be interested in signing the 32-year-old forward to fill in for the injured Marcus Rashford, but that they would have to pay £25m for a player whose contract expires in six months.

Atletico Madrid are said to be in pole position, despite having already submitted an offer for the Uruguay international that PSG sporting director Leonardo said "was not commensurate with the player's value."

With three clubs interested (Chelsea boss Frank Lampard spoke openly of his admiration for Cavani on Monday) and a price now set, PSG manager Thomas Tuchel may have summed it up best: "I am not sure that Edinson Cavani will be here in February."

Moses edges closer to Inter switch

Victor Moses is edging closer to a reunion with former boss Antonio Conte, as the 29-year-old is on the brink of a surprise move to Inter, Calciomercato reports.

The report suggests that Moses is in Milan, with a medical due to take place on Tuesday. The Chelsea wing-back is set to link up with Conte once more, following a successful spell under the Italian during the club's title-winning 2016-17 campaign.

Moses has spent the first half of this season on loan at Fenerbahce, with the Nigeria international deemed surplus to requirements by new Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

Tap-ins

- Far from content with signing Genk's Mbwana Samatta, Aston Villa have now set their sights on adding Rio Ave forward Mehdi Taremi to their roster, according to Sky Sports.

- Wolves are keen to bolster their attacking options, with former Reading man Nelson Oliveira and Ecuadorian marksman Leonardo Campana both on Nuno Espirito Santos' wish list, according to Sky Sports.

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