The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- you can find out when the windows close here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond. Plus, check out the latest major completed transfers across Europe.
TOP STORY: Man United to move for Kante
Manchester United want to sign Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, according to The Mirror.
Perhaps thinking that he would provide balance alongside options such as Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek, United are hoping to bring him to Old Trafford.
However, they are reportedly demanding that he take a cut of his £300,000-a-week wages to complete the move.
The World Cup winner is also a target for Internazionale, with Antonio Conte keen to be reunited with a player he managed from his Chelsea days. The Blues have brought in over £200m of new additions this summer and, somewhat surprisingly, Kante is deemed surplus to requirements, with the club reportedly seeking to land West Ham's Declan Rice before the window closes on Oct. 5.
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22.25 BST: After 21-year-old Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig was reportedly told to find a club to join on loan in 2020-21 because he had no place in the plans of Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman, FC Porto are set to enquire about the possibility of taking the Spain U21 international on a season-long loan, according to Portuguese outlet Record.
21.38 BST: While Stade Rennes have been credited with interest in 22-year-old Lyon midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide for some time, and are said to have already submitted a €25m offer, L'Equipe writes that OL president Jean-Michel Aulas has said the France U21 international is closer to joining Hertha Berlin instead.
20.51 BST: After telling Atletico Madrid that he didn't want to burden the club and would agree to leave if Los Rojiblancos determined that was the best course of action, Diego Costa has asked former Chelsea teammate and now Aston Villa assistant John Terry to take him to Villa Park, according to Mundo Deportivo.
20.04 BST: Gazzetto dello Sport reports that Internazionale centre-back Milan Skriniar is more in London than he is in Milan, adding that the Nerazzurri are expecting an offer as soon as Monday, with a deal expected to be completed for as little as €40m plus add-ons. So, what will Inter do with the money?
The favoured candidate to replace Skriniar is Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic, but an appealing alternative has emerged: sign Chris Smalling on loan with an option to buy, following his successful short-term stay at AS Roma last season, and instead spend the Skriniar cash on prizing N'Golo Kante from Chelsea.
19.17 BST: Milan are closing on the signing of a player who almost knocked them out of the Europa League last week, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
Jens Petter Hauge, 20, is set to switch to the Italian giants from hometown club Bodo Glimt in his native Norway after a meteoric rise that was capped with a fine display when the two clubs met last week; Hauge scored Bodo's second in a 3-2 defeat.
With personal details agreed, the next step toward the deal being completed is agreement between the two clubs. Di Marzio adds that Milan would look to bring Hauge to San Siro immediately, rather than loaning him back to Bodo.
18.33 BST: An update on the Andreas Pereira to Lazio speculation that featured in Paper Talk earlier: It looks like the deal, which is expected to be an initial loan with later option to buy, is getting close.
Tuttomercato reports quotes from Lazio sporting director Igli Tare that claim the Manchester United midfielder will arrive at the Roman club "in two or three days."
17.49 BST: Looks like Man City's business is all done, in the central defensive area, at least.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the arrival of Ruben Dias means there will be no further pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly, Jules Kounde or Jose Gimenez.
17.10 BST: Bayern Munich aren't unbeatable after all; do they need to make some more signings?
16.45 BST: Cadena COPE reports that Valencia are looking to swoop for Tottenham defender Juan Foyth.
Foyth, 22, has slipped down the pecking order at Tottenham and is looking to leave for more regular football.
Valencia are also tracking Juventus' Daniele Rugani, but Foyth is reported to be their top defensive target.
16.11 BST: Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has been speaking to France Football about his exit from PSG this summer.
"It p----d me off. I did not like how it was handled," he said. "Lockdown or not, things should have been done differently. [Sporting director] Leonardo did it awkwardly and hastily. Not just with me, either. I think of Edinson Cavani too, PSG's all-time top scorer. I am saying this now so that PSG can progress and avoid similar mistakes in the future.
"After the Champions League final, my agent told me that Lyon were one of the clubs interested. Juninho dreamed of taking me there in a leadership role. When I knew PSG was over, I hoped for something big. God heard me as Chelsea are England's best.
"It was sad not to say goodbye to the PSG fans. The worst thing about it is that the same happened with AC Milan -- I did not know that was my last match. It is awful not to have been able to feel the affection of the PSG fans one last time. It hurts."
16.00 BST: Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan
🤝 @LorisKarius signs in Köpenick on loan from @LFC.#fcunion https://t.co/qTDd4LvXS1
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion_en) September 28, 2020
In other Liverpool goalkeeper news... Kamil Grabara has joined AGF Aarhus on loan for the remainder of 2020-21.
15.34 BST: Big praise here for a potential Arsenal signing.
14.47 BST: Frank Lampard has said goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga still has a future at Chelsea and rounded on the Spain international's critics.
Kepa, 25, is facing a fight to save his career in west London after being dropped from the starting lineup in favour of 39-year-old Willy Caballero. There's also fresh competition for places following Edouard Mendy's arrival from Rennes for a fee in the region of £20m.
Mendy could make his debut in Tuesday night's Carabao Cup fourth round clash at Tottenham Hotspur as Kepa is linked with a loan move away from the club, having joined Chelsea as the world's most expensive goalkeeper in 2018 after arriving from Athletic Bilbao for £71.4m.
"I certainly won't go to the point of [saying] he's played his last game for Chelsea," Lampard said. "I think it has been a difficult time for Kepa. That's been well documented. I know it, he knows it, but we certainly shouldn't jump to that conclusion."
14.26 BST: Both Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Tottenham are close to sealing a €40m deal for Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar.
Sources told ESPN's James Olley last week that Spurs were interested in the centre-back but that the Serie A club were holding out for a fee of €60m.
Evidently negotiations have moved on, with reports suggesting that €40m plus add-ons (at least €7.5m) will be enough to land the player.
13.50 BST: An update (not really much of one) about Manchester United's chase for FC Porto left-back Alex Telles.
A Bola says the Brazilian will be allowed to leave for €20m, but United are only willing to spend €15m on a player whose contract expires next summer.
The transfer window shuts on Monday but Record states that Porto are expecting Telles to play against Marítimo on Saturday.
13.33 BST: Will Ruben Dias improve Man City's defence?
13.10 BST: Manchester City are preparing to make Ruben Dias one of the most expensive defenders of all time after agreeing a deal to sign the 23-year-old from Benfica in a deal reportedly worth £65m.
The fee involved would take Guardiola's spending on defenders alone to around £368m in the space of just four years. Here's how the biggest chunks of that money have been spent and how the players involved have fared (Hit or Miss) since arriving at the Etihad.
Hint: John Stones = Miss.
12.44 BST: Barcelona will renew their efforts to sign Manchester City's Eric Garcia this week after the Premier League side completed a €68m move for Benfica's Ruben Dias, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.
Garcia, 19, is out of contract next summer and has told City he doesn't intend to extend his deal. Barca want to bring their former defender back to Camp Nou but have so far failed to match City's valuation.
A first offer of around €10m was knocked back immediately. City quoted Barca €30m but sources say the Catalan club won't pay that much for a player they can sign for free next July. However, sources added the Catalan club hope City's signing of Dias could open the door for Garcia to leave. In addition to Dias, Pep Guardiola also has Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and John Stones to compete for the centre-back positions, although there are fitness doubts over the latter.
Barca, ideally, would also move on Samuel Umtiti and Jean-Clair Todibo before finalising a deal for Garcia. Both defenders are looking for a new club before the transfer window closes next month.
12.13 BST: Anyone know why Juventus president Andrea Agnelli is at Milan's training ground? Answers on a postcard.
Il presidente della #Juventus #Agnelli appena arrivato a #casaMilan @TorreGigi @MilanNewsit pic.twitter.com/a45r9g67PT
— Antonio Vitiello (@AntoVitiello) September 28, 2020
Immediate update: It's apparently some dull Serie A legal stuff and not anything to do with signings. Oh well.
11.56 BST: Crystal Palace forward Christian Benteke could be set to move to Tottenham.
Football Insider reports that Spurs are still looking for a backup to Harry Kane and Benteke is on Jose Mourinho's shortlist. The Belgian scored 49 goals in 101 games for Aston Villa but flopped after a £32.5m move to Liverpool in 2015.
He moved to Crystal Palace a year later and has 21 goals in 108 games for the club to date.
11.28 BST: Barcelona got rid of Arturo Vidal, Nelson Semedo and Luis Suarez last week but still have a lot of business to be done before the transfer window closes next week.
Sergino Dest will join from Ajax for €20m in the coming days but any other new arrivals are likely to depend on departures. The club are still trying to shift several players, including defenders Samuel Umtiti and Jean-Clair Todibo, and midfielder Rafinha.
Sources have told ESPN that Everton are a possible suitor for Todibo. Mundo Deportivo reports that Barca would also listen to bids for left-back Junior Firpo and forward Martin Braithwaite.
As for signings, Barca hope Ruben Dias' move to Manchester City will speed up negotiations for Eric Garcia, who has less than a year to run on his deal at the Etihad. Coach Ronald Koeman would also like another forward. Lyon's Memphis Depay is the most likely option in that department as he's much cheaper than Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.
Whatever happens, another busy week in the offices at Camp Nou is guaranteed.
11.01 BST: Manchester United are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Jadon Sancho with just a week to go before the end of the transfer window, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Borussia Dortmund insist privately Sancho will not leave this summer and will remain at the club for at least another year. But sources said that message has not been relayed directly to United officials, prompting hope an agreement can still be reached before the Oct. 5 deadline.
United have an agreement in principle with Sancho's representatives over wages and agent fees but have made little progress in talking down Dortmund's €120m asking price.
10.40 BST: Leeds United look set to keep up their spending since sealing a return to the Premier League, as they close in on the signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Cuisance.
Sources told ESPN's David Cartlidge that negotiations between the clubs have been ongoing for a week and are at an advanced stage for the 21-year-old, who was signed only last summer by Bayern from Borussia Monchengladbach, with a fee in the region of € 20m being discussed.
Leeds might well face competition though, as Newcastle United are also showing an interest in the Frenchman, though Marcelo Bielsa's side are in pole position.
Cuisance remains highly rated despite being unable to get regular minutes at Bayern. Many thought of the player as a potential replacement for Thiago, who left the club earlier this summer for Liverpool, but Bayern coach Hansi Flick can't offer him guaranteed first-team football.
10.34 BST: Real Madrid haven't used the transfer window at all. Has manager Zinedine Zidane got an issue to solve?
10.02 BST: ICYMI - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said he rejected multiple offers to leave Arsenal this summer, including one from Barcelona, but was convinced to stay by manager Mikel Arteta and his relationship with the club's supporters.
Aubameyang ended months of speculation by signing a bumper long-term contract with Arsenal earlier this month. Sources told ESPN the new deal is worth £250,000-a-week with further performance-related bonuses on top and represents a significant improvement on his £180,000-a-week wage.
The 31-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, claimed an approach from Barcelona was among those he rejected to stay in the Premier League.
Arsenal's reinvigorated duo, Aubameyang and Lacazette, key to chances at Liverpool "There were several offers, notably from Barça, but also other clubs," he told Canal+. "My priority was to stay for two reasons: the first is the coach, Mikel Arteta, because we spoke a fair amount during the 'lockdown' as they say here, we were at home and spoke several times and he convinced me, notably in terms of the project.
"And of course, secondly, is the love that I receive from the fans and people at the club. Since I have been here I have been treated like one of their own, and as I am one of their own, I am going to stay here, it is as simple as that."
09.37 BST: Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is set to return to the Bundesliga where he will join Union Berlin on a season-long loan, says kicker.
The 27-year-old is expected to undergo his medical on Monday. He has been drawn to the German capital by his Berlin-based girlfriend, having spent two years on loan at Besiktas after his errors cost Liverpool the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid.
09.00 BST: With deadline day -- Oct. 5 -- across the major European leagues fast approaching, what is left to decide?
- Man United: A bit of everything required
- Liverpool: Centre-back cover still needed
- Barcelona: A complete overhaul
Find out what each of Europe's top clubs needs before the window slams shut.
08.26 BST: Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign defender Ruben Dias from Benfica for €68m plus add-ons of €3.6m, the Portuguese club have announced.
Benfica also said that City defender Nicolas Otamendi will go the other way in a separate transfer for €15m.
08.00 BST: Diego Costa says he can't understand why Barcelona would let a player of the calibre of Luis Suarez leave the club.
Suarez scored twice and set up another on his Atletico Madrid debut despite only coming on in the 70th minute. Costa, who started for Atletico, said after Sunday's win against Granada: "Luckily we have Luis. I don't know how Barca allows a player like Suarez to leave. Luis Suarez is a great player. He's going to help us by scoring goals, and also with his warrior spirit and his eagerness to win titles."
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Barcelona finally give up on Martinez
Barcelona's pursuit of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez has been one of the ongoing stories of the summer. However, according to Calciomercato, the Catalan giants have finally given up on signing the Argentine striker.
This comes with Inter having demanded more than €80m, a fee Barca tried to bring down by adding a player to the deal. They have failed to reach an agreement, though.
Although Martinez was looking forward to the prospect of playing alongside his compatriot Lionel Messi, the report says he has accepted the decision.
Lazio swoop for Man United duo
Lazio are looking to make a double swoop on Manchester United, as they try to bring Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira to Italy, reports The Sun.
Fabrizio Romano tweeted earlier in the day that Pereira could be joining the Serie A outfit, and it is now being reported by the tabloid that he might be joined by Mata.
Neither player seems to be in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's immediate plans at Old Trafford, so making a move seem realistic.
Lazio's decision comes after Manchester City's David Silva turned them down to join Real Sociedad earlier in the window, after initially being close to completing a move to the Stadio Olimpico.
Tap-ins
- Leicester City's interest in Wesley Fofana has been widely reported, but Sky Sports Italia is now suggesting that AC Milan will challenge them for the 20-year-old. They are looking into how much Saint-Etienne would be willing to let the centre-back leave for, with the fee around the €25m mark.
- Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Cuisance is getting closer to joining Leeds, according to L'Equipe. It is suggested in the report that Leeds have had a bid of €20m accepted by the Bundesliga champions, with terms agreed on a contract to keep Cuisance at Elland Road until 2025.