The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- you can find out when the windows open and close here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond. Plus, check out all the latest major completed transfers across Europe.
TOP STORY: Arsenal to include Torreira in Partey deal
Arsenal's interest in Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey is no secret, but they have been having issues negotiating a deal as the Spanish club are holding out for the player's €50m release clause.
Partey, 27, is reported to be one of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's top targets, but the Ghana international won't come cheap and the Gunners are having to get creative in talks over a move.
El Gol claims that Lucas Torreira could be included as part of the deal, with Arsenal valuing the 24-year-old at €25m. However, Atletico are also in discussions with Espanyol to sign Marc Roca for €15m and that could scupper any hopes Arsenal have of moving on Torreira.
Torreira has been left out of the Arsenal squad for the first two Premier League games of the season, with Torino and his former club Sampdoria monitoring.
LIVE BLOG
22.12 BST: And that will do it for another day of ESPN FC's live Transfer Talk blog. We'll be back in about an hour to bring you tomorrow's paper round before doing the whole live thing again on Tuesday. Thanks as always for checking in!
21.51 BST: Former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra says the club's difficulties in the transfer market are the result of lawyers and not football people handling the negotiations.
United, who lost their Premier League opener 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, have been linked with Borussia Dortmund's England winger Jadon Sancho throughout the close season, but they have yet to agree to a deal.
In a video posted on Instagram, the 39-year-old ex-France international contrasted United's current approach, under chief executive Ed Woodward, with how the club was run when David Gill was CEO and Sir Alex Ferguson the manager.
"When Manchester United needed a player they [went] and they talk(ed) to them face-to-face," Evra said. "When Ferguson and David Gill came to meet me at Monaco it was worse than an interview from the CIA or FBI.
"But now my phone is ringing from a sporting director from [another] top football club and they say, 'Patrice, can you please ask [contract negotiator] Matthew Judge to answer his phone?'
"People need to understand we send lawyers to talk to players. So when we send lawyers they talk about numbers - they are not people from the football world."
21.18 BST: Meanwhile, United are pushing ahead with negotiations with Porto for Brazilian left-back Alex Telles, according to sources from ESPN's Rob Dawson..
Solskjaer has been given encouragement over a move for the 27-year-old, who has also had spells at Galatasaray and Inter Milan, although a fee has not yet been agreed with the Portuguese side, who want close to £18.5 million. Sources say United are hopeful of making at least one new signing before the Oct. 5 deadline.
20.46 BST: Barcelona youngster Riqui Puig may have to find playing time elsewhere this season, with a report by Mundo Deportivo on Monday linking him with a potential loan deal to Ajax.
Barca manager Ronald Koeman is aware that Puig is talented enough to be on the senior squad this season, but could find breaking through with reasonable minutes difficult.
Puig is resistant to a move and is apparently focused on staying at Camp Nou, but a possible loan to the Amsterdam powerhouse could keep him in Koeman's future plans. There has been no concrete deal in place for the youngster yet but with the strong links between the two clubs, it could be an option.
20.02 BST: Real Madrid's Luka Jovic is eager to return to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan as he continues to find opportunities to play hard to come by in Zinedine Zidane's side. That's from Mundo Deportivo, which suggests that Jovic, who joined for €60m in the summer of 2019, believes a return to the Bundesliga can get his career back on track.
The Serbia international rose to prominence during a previous two-year loan spell with Eintracht Frankfurt from Benfica, where he scored 25 goals in 54 appearances and was on the team that won the German Cup in 2018 with a 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich.
19.26 BST: Sky Sports is reporting on its transfer show that Spartak Moscow are confident that a move for Totteham's Serge Aurier will come to fruition before the window closes in October. The report says that the Frenchman is open to a move in order to find first-team football after spending both of Spurs' first two matches on the bench as an unused substitute.
18.44 BST: Arsenal have signed Iceland goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson from Ligue 1 club Dijon on a four-year deal, the Premier League club said on Monday.
Arsenal did not disclose the transfer fee but British media reported that they paid 1.5 million pounds ($1.92 million) for the 25-year-old, who played 13 games in all competitions for Dijon last season.
Runarsson joins the north London club as a back-up to first-choice keeper Bernd Leno following the departure of Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa.
"We want to create healthy competition for places and we look forward to seeing Alex bring further depth to the goalkeeping position," manager Mikel Arteta said.
18.10 BST: Even if they land Alvaro Morata, Juventus are still chasing Edin Dzeko from Roma, but how will the striker line up?
17.16 BST: Manchester City had a €55m offer for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde rejected recently.
In fact, it was basically confirmed as Sevilla's sporting director Monchi was quoted by Mundo Deportivo as saying: "It is true that in recent days we have received the interest of a club for Jules. That club has transmitted an offer to us, which has been valued by the management committee and has been rejected ... If they were to make an offer we would listen to them again and we would respond to them again."
Now City have gone back with another and El Chiringuito reports that it comprises €65m, plus Nicolas Otamendi. But it's still not enough for Sevilla to let Kounde go.
16.51 BST: Corriere della Sera claims that Lazio want to sign Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi.
Mustafi, 28, is surplus to requirements at the Emirates now and Arsenal want €15m for him. However Lazio look set to get their man for €11m and Serie A is a league he knows well as he spent two years at Sampdoria from 2012-14 before moving to Valencia.
16.34 BST: Remember the fuss over former Liverpool academy player Bobby Duncan joining Fiorentina?
Liverpool registered their disappointment at "unfounded allegations" released in a statement by Duncan's then-agent, Saif Rubie, back in August, which accused the club of "mentally bullying and destroying the life" of the player.
Duncan, 19 and the cousin of Rangers boss and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, moved to Italy but has now decided to head back to England, says The Athletic, where Derby County will sign him to a three-year deal.
The report states: "The Championship club are in the process of sorting out the finer details of the agreement with the Serie A outfit. Fiorentina have indicated they are willing to let Duncan go on a free transfer as long as a sell-on clause is written into the deal."
16.20 BST: Chelsea are set to secure a deal for Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the next 24 hours, with a deal likely to be worth an initial £18m.
That could rise to as much as £25m as the Premier League club look to find a new No. 1 to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Mendy is having his medical, says Sky Sports, and should be done soon.
16.04 BST: Houston Dynamo have transferred winger Alberth Elis to Portuguese club Boavista, the club announced on Monday.
Elis, 24, scored 34 goals and gave 27 assists in 88 appearances but has moved on as his contract was set to expire at the end of the season. The Honduras international joined the Dynamo from Liga MX side Monterrey in 2017.
15.56 BST: Atletico Madrid are close to completing the signing of Luis Suarez after the striker edged closer to terminating his contract with Barcelona, various sources have confirmed to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Rodrigo Faez.
There's a desire on Atletico's half to announce the deal as soon a possible, but they must first move on Alvaro Morata, who is in talks to join Juventus on loan with an option to buy.
Coach Diego Simeone has been the driving force behind Atletico's move for Suarez, which is dependent on him arriving for free due to the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic on the club.
15.32 BST: The transfer deadline will close on Oct. 5. Barcelona better get busy.
14.55 BST: Real Madrid are weighing up the option of signing Edinson Cavani in a bid to solve their crisis in front of goal but Juventus lead the chase for the striker, various sources have told ESPN's Rodrigo Faez and Moises Llorens.
Cavani, 33, is available for free after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired in June and he has been offered to a number of Europe's biggest clubs.
Sources say the Uruguay international has already held talks with Juve and that he would be keen on a return to Italy, with his children still residing in Naples.
Juve are looking for a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, who has joined Inter Miami, and sounded out Cavani even before they ruled out a move for Barcelona's Luis Suarez last week. Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata is also an option, sources have confirmed.
Madrid, meanwhile, were not initially looking to strengthen their squad due to the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic but several sources say they are now considering changing that stance. However, to sign Cavani, they would first need to shift some of the excess forwards they have in the squad before the transfer window closes.
14.21 BST: Could Tottenham finally be set to sign a backup striker?
Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst has been linked with the club by De Telegraaf and the 28-year-old is valued at around €35m.
Bild insists that Wolfsburg aren't keen to let him depart, but would open talks if an offer in that region were submitted.
13.59 BST: UPDATE from 12.55 -- Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has poured cold water on the Brewster to Palace story.
We have asked Sky to take this down
— Steve Parish (@CEO4TAG) September 21, 2020
as it is a total fabrication from start to finish.
We have not made a bid formal or informal. https://t.co/uIusuAsDcW
13.50 BST: Barcelona right-back Moussa Wague has joined PAOK on loan until the end of the season, the Catalan club confirmed on Monday. The Greek club will pay the defender's wages and the deal doesn't include an option to make the move permanent.
Wague, 21, joined Barca in 2018 but has been restricted to just four first-team appearances. The Senegal international spent the second half of last season on loan at French side Nice.
Barca hope Wague's exit will be the start of a busy week. Nelson Semedo, another of the club's right-backs, will complete a move worth up to €40m to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the coming days, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The Catalan club will then look to bring in a new right-back, with Ajax's United States international Sergino Dest and Norwich City's Max Aarons both targets.
13.41 BST: Kepa Arrizabalaga had another nightmare in the Chelsea goal, but a replacement is imminent at least.
13.12 BST: PSG have been exploring the signing of a new midfielder, with Tottenham's Dele Alli linked, but The Sun claims they are keen on Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The Blues paid £40m to sign him from Monaco three years ago and sources told ESPN's James Olley they want to recoup as much of that fee as possible now they are ready to let him go.
AC Milan have been in talks but haven't managed to agree terms and PSG are now in the running, with Chelsea seeking £4.6m loan fee and then £27.4m paid as the full fee next summer.
12.55 BST: Sky Sports reports that Crystal Palace have made a £19m offer, plus £6m in add-ons, for Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster.
The 20-year-old is highly rated but could help balance the books after the signings of Thiago and Diogo Jota for over £50m.
The report states: "The offer includes the option for Liverpool to have first refusal, and buy the player back for £37m in the future."
12.43 BST: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is closing on a move to Atletico Madrid.
And now Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Juventus are in talks with Atletico Madrid to sign Alvaro Morata on a €10m loan and €45M option to buy.
Juve had been tracking Suarez themselves but the deal appears to have gone south, while they have also explored a move for Roma striker Edin Dzeko.
Morata scored 27 goals in 93 games at Juve from 2014-16 before Real Madrid exercised their buyback option and then later sold him to Chelsea.
12.28 BST: RB Leipzig are hoping to get the transfer of Alexander Sorloth over the line this week, CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said ahead of Sunday's 3-1 win over FSV Mainz.
Sorloth, 24, is set to replace Timo Werner, who left for Chelsea in the summer. Under contract at Crystal Palace, the striker spent last season on loan with Trabzonspor and the deal is reported to be worth an initial €20m plus a further €3m in bonuses.
12.09 BST: Bayer Leverkusen are interested in Atletico Madrid right-back Santiago Arias, kicker reports.
Arias, 28, could be a much-needed addition for Leverkusen defensive line. The paper suggests that Atleti sporting director Andrea Berta's comments they were talking to "Roma, Everton and PSG, but not Leverkusen" could be a bluff and that the Colombia international could be signed.
11.45 BST: Should Real Madrid have found a way to bring in some new attacking players this summer?
11.07 BST: Botafogo striker Luis Henrique is set to move to Olympique Marseille for €10m, reports RMC.
Henrique, 18, will reportedly sign a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 side.
10.50 BST: Mark Ogden details why Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale chose to return to Tottenham on loan and what he could bring to Jose Mourinho's side.
Being around familiar faces again is a major factor in his decision to head back to the club where he made his name. Playing for Mourinho, a coach who has always made clear his admiration of Bale, is another key element in his decision to choose Spurs over the alternative option of waiting for United to put an offer on the table.
But don't be fooled into believing that Bale only had eyes for Tottenham. Sources have told ESPN that he was attracted by the prospect of playing for United -- he turned down a move to Old Trafford when leaving Southampton for Spurs in 2007 as well as rejecting United in favour of Madrid six years later -- but having been told he was only a backup in the event of their failure to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, the 31-year-old opted instead to take the guaranteed offer of first-team football at Spurs. But if United had been able to do a deal immediately, sources have said that Bale would have been tempted to head to Manchester rather than return to Spurs.
10.12 BST: Manchester United lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace this weekend, suggesting they might require a few more additions in the transfer market this summer.
Indeed, left-back Luke Shaw certainly thinks so. "We have a very good group, but personally I think we need more players to strengthen the squad," he said after the game. "It can give us a boost. When you look around at how other teams are strengthening their teams, then we must also do it to keep up with the others."
But The Athletic reports that a new centre-back is not on the agenda. United have Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Axel Tuanzebe and Teden Mengi to play backup to first-choice pair of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
And the report says: "United did not view centre-back as a priority for the market and The Athletic has been told there has been no change in strategy, despite the perceived weakness. They have been offered players who could potentially help bolster that part of the team, however it has been made clear in conversations that other positions are of more immediate concern."
09.45 BST: ICYMI - Wolves are looking to quickly reinvest the €45m they got for Diogo Jota from Liverpool.
Indeed, Barcelona defender Nelson Semedo is set to join Wolves in a deal worth around €40m, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.
Semedo, 26, is expected in England in the coming days to finalise a move to the Premier League side, with Barca also keen on Ajax's Sergino Dest and Norwich City's Max Aarons as potential replacements.
Wolves have been in the market for a right-back since selling Matt Doherty to Tottenham earlier this summer. Barca's desire to sell Semedo, plus the fact he's represented by Jorge Mendes, who has a big influence at Wolves, made the Portugal international an obvious target.
09.27 BST: Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been linked with a shock move to PSG.
08.54 BST: Pep Guardiola has said he will only start discussions over a new deal at Manchester City when he feels he "deserves" to stay at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has a contract until the end of the season and while he says he is open to extending his stay, the 49-year-old insists his future will be determined by performances on the pitch this term. He said:
"I would love to stay longer here, it is a place I love to be but I have to deserve it. This club achieved standards in the last decade but we have to maintain that and I have to deserve it. I am going to see if I deserve it this season in terms of how the club goes forward and improves.
"This is my mind. We didn't speak with the club in these terms. They didn't push me from day one to today in September. They didn't tell me you have to do this or you have to do that or you have to win this or you have to win that.
"I know the standards of the club and if I don't achieve the standards, I probably don't deserve [to stay] so I have to win to extend my contract."
08.26 BST: Tottenham are interested in signing Jesse Lingard from Manchester United, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Jose Mourinho is keen on a reunion with Lingard, who became a key player during his spell in charge at Old Trafford, and has asked chairman Daniel Levy to explore the possibility of bringing him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sources have told ESPN that discussions between intermediaries are underway.
Lingard has slipped down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is open to a move in order to find more first team football. Zenit St Petersburg are also interested.
The England international would be reluctant to leave United, his boyhood club, after coming through the academy, but believes that at 27 he needs to be playing more regularly.
08.00 BST: Chile international Arturo Vidal arrived to Inter Milan on Sunday ahead of an expected transfer from Barcelona.
🤳 | SALUTO
— Inter (@Inter) September 20, 2020
👋 @kingarturo23 😉 pic.twitter.com/G8cHdMBMFs
The deal would see Vidal reunited with Inter manager Antonio Conte, under whom he won three Serie A titles in a row at Juventus.
Inter's official Twitter account published a photo of Vidal's arrival and a video of the player, 33, saluting fans saying "Hi Inter, I'm here."
Conte had been keen to seal Vidal's signature a year earlier when he took over at San Siro, but was unable to finalise the deal.
ESPN FC's Julien Laurens discusses how Edin Dzeko will fit in with Andrea Pirlo's tactics at Juventus.
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)
Pedri, Alena next to depart Camp Nou
The clearout continues at Barcelona, and it looks like Riqui Puig, Carles Alena and Pedri will be the next players to exit the club, according to Sport.
Ronald Koeman has made it clear which players he would like to keep and which he believes need to find new clubs.
Unfortunately for Alena and Pedri, with Puig having already been told that he has no future under the Dutchman, Koeman doesn't believe either player is ready to play every week. Instead, Koeman is keen to let them find new clubs in an effort to get the experience he thinks they need, whether on loan or in permanent deals.
Both players are considered to have huge potential, but with Barca looking to raise some much-needed transfer funds before the end of the transfer window, the club is looking to streamline the squad before making new additions.
Both Alena and Pedri would like to fight for their places, but that appears unlikely to happen.
Arsenal's Sokratis to Napoli if Koulibaly heads to City
Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos could be on his way to Napoli, according to Corriere dello Sport, but only if Kalidou Koulibaly leaves for pastures new.
Sokratis is reported to have an agreement in place with the Italian club, but the deal is dependent on Koulibaly's next move.
The in-demand Senegal international has been courted by Manchester City all summer, but the Premier League side have yet to meet Napoli's asking price. Koulibaly's agent is believed to be acting as a mediator in an effort to get the transfer over the line, but that leaves Sokratis in limbo.
The 32-year-old is aware of the situation and is talking to Arsenal bosses in the meantime, though he's keen for the Gunners to let him go on a free transfer, despite having one year left on his contract.
However, should Koulibaly leave for City, Arsenal will no doubt want to recoup some of the £17.6m they spent in 2018.
Mendy move to Chelsea all but set
Following Saturday's rumours that Chelsea have agreed a deal to bring Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to Stamford Bridge, it is being reported that the Blues are hoping to unveil Mendy this week hot on the heels of Kepa Arrizabalaga's horror show against Liverpool on Sunday.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano is reporting that a €20m deal is done and that the move will be announced before Chelsea's next league game at the weekend.
Frank Lampard will be eager to get Mendy into the club following another disappointing performance from Kepa. The Spaniard failed to clear his lines in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and instead gifted the ball to Sadio Mane, who netted his second of the game.
Kepa has failed to settle in west London, and Lampard was increasingly looking to use backup Willy Caballero between the sticks but is now keen to secure a long-term replacement.
Tap-ins
-- Liverpool are planning a clearout before the end of the transfer window, and Rhian Brewster could lead the way, with the young forward set to join Crystal Palace, according to The Sun. Brewster has been a target for a number of clubs, including Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion, but it looks as though Liverpool are willing to do business with Palace, though they're keen to insert a buy-back option and a sell-on clause into the contract. Liverpool are also looking to allow Divock Origi, Marko Grucic and Harry Wilson to leave.
-- Rennes and Napoli have made contact with Barcelona about the future of Jean-Clair Todibo, according to Footmercato. The 20-year-old central defender is not part of Koeman's plans, and Barca are looking to raise some much-needed income by moving him and others off the wage bill. Marseille expressed interest in Todibo at the start of the transfer window, but it looks like Ligue 1 side Rennes, who are desperate to land a defender, could lead the way. Barca were hoping to get €25m for their man.