LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid receive boost in hopes of signing Camavinga

The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.

TOP STORY: Camavinga edging closer to Real Madrid move

Eduardo Camavinga is edging closer to a move to Real Madrid after Rennes have lowered the fee they are willing to accept for the teen sensation, according to AS.

The midfielder has come under some criticism after a drop in performances, but he is still backed by France coach Didier Deschamps and Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane remains interested.

The 18-year-old recently switched agents and they are targeting a move to the Bernabeu, with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos both getting on in years.

The report says that Rennes are now willing to listen to offers of €50m, rather than the €80m demanded in the summer, which will be music to Real Madrid ears.

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21.00 GMT: Is there any way back for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal? ESPN FC's Janusz Michallik questions how "average" Arsenal can turn things around and whether January signings will be needed.

20.15 GMT: FC Dallas has established itself as one of the top development sides in Major League Soccer (Weston McKennie, Reggie Cannon, Chris Richards) but have now secured the services of veteran defender Jose Antonio Martinez from La Liga side Eibar. The 27-year-old Spaniard has spent time at Granada and the B-sides of Barcelona and Sevilla.

Martinez's MLS move could coincide with the impending departure of Bryan Reynolds, Dallas' latest highly-touted product who has been tied to Lyon and AS Roma, among other clubs.

19.00 GMT: Atalanta winger Amad Diallo has been granted an Italian passport ahead of a reported £37.2m transfer to Manchester United, according to Sky Sports.

The youngster made his debut for Atalanta last season, becoming the youngest player -- at 17 years and 109 days old -- to score on his Serie A debut in their 7-1 win of Udinese.

Diallo emerged as an option at Old Trafford once United's pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho collasped during the summer.

18.30 GMT: Is Thomas Tuchel feeling the pressure at PSG? According to ESPN Insider Julien Laurens, the German tactician is a short leash at the Parc des Princes with Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino among the caandidates should there be a change.

Sources say that ex-Juventus and Italy boss Allegri is close to PSG sporting director Leonardo, while ex-Spurs gaffer Pochettino is highly thought of in Paris not only for his coaching career so far, but for his time as captain of Les Parisiens in his playing days from 2001-03.

17.25 GMT: The LA Galaxy is in advanced discussions with former Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney to be the team's next manager, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle after Grant Wahl had first reported the state of the talks.

A source added that former San Jose Earthquakes head coach and current Galaxy interim manager Dominic Kinnear are also among the candidates.

"[There are] still some final details and steps to be taken," the source said, adding that the Galaxy is hoping "all will fall into place."

The position has been vacant ever since Guillermo Barros Schelotto was fired with three games remaining in the 2020 regular season, a campaign that saw the Galaxy fail to make the postseason for the third time in four years. Kinnear, a Galaxy assistant for parts of the last four seasons, took over on an interim basis for the second time in his tenure with the club.

Vanney just recently became available, resigning his position with Toronto on Dec. 1 following a stellar spell with the Reds that lasted parts of seven seasons. Prior to his arrival, Toronto had never qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs, but under Vanney the team became one of the elite sides in MLS.

In 2017, the Reds won a domestic treble of MLS Cup, Supporters Shield and Canadian Championship. Toronto reached the MLS Cup final on two other occasions and also won the Canadian Championship in 2016 and 2018. His overall record with the Reds was 112-82-56.

16.47 GMT: Wolves will look to sign a striker in the January transfer window to cover for Raul Jimenez's long-term absence, manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed.

Jimenez suffered a fractured skull following a collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz last month. The Mexico international had a successful operation two weeks ago, but no time frame has been given for his return.

Wolves have been linked with Liverpool's Divock Origi to add to Nuno's attacking options alongside the club's 18-year-old club-record signing, Fabio Silva.

"We need to rebalance the squad," Nuno said ahead of Wolves' match against Burnley on Monday. "I am not happy because unfortunately we had a huge situation with one of our important players out for some time. The transfer window is a window of opportunity for all the clubs to rebalance their squads.

"It can be players coming in, or players going out. We are ready to react if that is the case."

15.58 GMT: Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that the club could cut short Gedson Fernandes' loan.

Portugal international Fernandes arrived at Spurs in January on an 18-month loan from Benfica with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer of 2021. However, the 21-year-old has struggled for game time ever since arriving in north London, and has made just one appearance this season.

"The situation is sad because he was out of the Europa League list," Mourinho said ahead of Sunday's match against Leicester. "By being out of that list reduced immediately a chance of nine matches that we already played in the Europa League, where we had five substitutions where we rotated the players a lot and we can bring to the bench 12 players.

"To be out of these nine matches I believe that breaks confidence levels and even dynamics and routines and was very bad for him."

Mourinho added: "If he remains at the club from January, I cannot answer you. I truly believe that we have to respect the player and Benfica. The player because he deserves all our respect and Benfica because as a friendly club deserves our respect. "What they decide is fundamental and what they decide will prevail."

15.19 GMT: Jadon Sancho just hasn't been the same player since his proposed move from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United failed to materialise. 

14.26 GMT: Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi are among the players being offered to Manchester United as Juventus look for ways to put together a deal to sign Paul Pogba, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.

Juventus are keen to re-sign Pogba, after he left for United in a £89.3 million deal in 2016, following comments from agent Mino Raiola that the midfielder will not sign a new contract at Old Trafford. The contract will expire in 2022 -- United have exercised their one-year extension option -- when he will become a free agent. Rather than try to sign Pogba in January, Juventus are hoping to agree a deal with United next summer.

Sources told ESPN the Serie A champions are aware they are unlikely to be able to match United's asking price having taken a financial hit because of the coronavirus pandemic and are exploring other options, including offering players in exchange.

United have been told via intermediaries that both Dybala and Bernardeschi would be made available if Pogba, 27, was allowed to move in the other direction. Dybala came close to moving to Old Trafford in 2019 but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pulled out of the deal over concerns the striker did not want to leave Juventus.

- Insider Notebook: Juventus propose Pogba-Dybala swap deal

13.44 GMT: Zinedine Zidane has refused to rule out adding to his Real Madrid squad in January while admitting that a fully fit Eden Hazard is what the team needs going into the second half of the season.

Madrid have won three league games in a row to give themselves a fighting chance of defending the La Liga title they won in 2019-20. That is despite the club deciding not to spend on strengthening the team during the summer, and star forward Hazard being limited to just three league appearances so far.

"I am happy with my players, I will count on all of them," Zidane said in a news conference ahead of Madrid's match at Eibar on Sunday. "Things could happen, that's clear. Until the end of January, at any club, anything can happen. But what I can say is what I feel. My players are the best."

One high-profile player linked with an exit has been Isco, with his father and agent admitting last month that the playmaker would like a move abroad.

"I can only speak about my players," Zidane said, when asked if he'd consider a swap for long-term target Paul Pogba. "Isco is here with us. We have enough to think about with what we're doing. Tomorrow we have an important game."

12.59 GMT: Frank Lampard said Chelsea have no regrets over allowing Declan Rice to leave the club's academy amid ongoing speculation the Blues could look to sign him back from West Ham in January.

Sources told ESPN in October that Chelsea would consider a mid-season move for Rice if the Hammers softened their stance over an £80mprice tag which proved prohibitive earlier in the summer.

Rice left Chelsea's academy aged 14 after seven years in the youth ranks but has since become one of the Premier League's hottest prospects, making his senior England debut in March last year and becoming a regular in Gareth Southgate's side this term.

But ahead of West Ham's visit to Stamford Bridge on Monday, Lampard said: "He's a fantastic player for West Ham and England, so fair play because his journey there after leaving Chelsea and going to West Ham is a good story to hear. There are lots of those stories for different reasons at whatever level and that shows a strength of character. In terms of from our end, I certainly wouldn't use the word 'regret.' Our academy is one of the best in the world.

"You look at our first team now, the players we have produced here that are in and around the first-team squad, we've got so many. And it is not easy. It is not an exact science to pick and choose whatever players. The academy work brilliantly here and bring through a lot of players. Declan Rice, let's give him personal credit for going and having a great start to his career that he's had at West Ham."

- Karlsen: Chelsea see Rice's potential as one of Europe's top defensive midfielders

12.23 GMT: Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has raised the prospect of signing Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira in the January transfer window.

Khedira, 33, was part of Ancelotti's team at Real Madrid which won the Champions League in 2014. The midfielder joined Juventus the following year, and his contract with the Italian champions expires next summer.

"Sami Khedira was my player at Real Madrid, an important player for us,' Ancelotti told a news conference ahead of Saturday's match against Arsenal. "I've a good memory of him but I don't think we are looking for him at this moment.

The Italian then added with a smile: "Maybe in January."

11.44 GMT: Mohamed Salah has said his Liverpool future is "in the club's hands" and was "very disappointed" to be overlooked for the captaincy in their Champions League match with FC Midtjylland this month.

Salah, 28, expected to wear the armband for the final group D game on Dec. 9 with Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum on the bench and James Milner and Virgil van Dijk both injured. Coach Jurgen Klopp picked 22-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold as captain instead.

"Honestly, I was very disappointed," Salah, who scored a first-minute goal in the 1-1 draw with Midtjylland, told Diario AS. "I was expecting to be the captain. But it's the manager's decision. I accept it."

Salah has been regularly linked with La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona during a hugely successful three-and-a-half years at Anfield since joining from Roma in 2017. His goals helped fire Liverpool to the Champions League trophy in 2019 and the Premier League, ending a 30-year wait for the club, in 2020.

"I think Madrid and Barcelona are top clubs," he said. "We never know what's going to happen in the future. Right now I'm focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League again with [Liverpool]."

Salah's contract at Anfield runs until June 2023.

"That's a tough one," he said, when asked how long he would stay. "Right now I can say everything is in the club's hands. Of course I want to break records here, every record at the club, but everything is in the club's hands."

11.11 GMT: Lionel Messi's Barcelona future and the club's transfer business in on hold until Jan. 24 at the earliest as the club waits to elect a new president following the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu in October, sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Messi is waiting to listen to the club's next president -- there are nine men in the race, including Joan Laporta and Victor Font -- before deciding on his long-term future at Camp Nou, having told the club he wanted to leave last summer. This season, Messi has said he is fed up with being blamed for Barcelona's problems after Antoine Griezmann's former agent accused him of running a "regime of terror" at the club. Font has said he will be able to convince Messi to stay if he wins the election.

Meanwhile, sporting director Ramon Planes is working on deals ahead of the January window but he is unable to sign off on any of them with the presidency in a state of flux at the club. All his work could be in vain if the incoming president and his chosen sporting director decide to pursue other options. The new president is likely to arrive with his own ideas and may opt not to make use of the work done by Planes to line up potential signings and to secure players to longer deals.

Resolving Messi's situation is high on the list for whoever takes the presidency, and there is also the small matter of negotiating the transfer window. Koeman would like Manchester City defender Eric Garcia and Lyon attacker Memphis Depay, who are both out of contract next summer. Planes is also looking at low-cost options as alternatives to Garcia and has watched Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, too. Negotiations have also begun with Ousmane Dembele over a new deal, with his contract expiring in 2022.

- Barca, Messi and a napkin: Oral history of transfer, 20 years ago

10.27 GMT: Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is close to signing a big new contract at Old Trafford, the Daily Mirror reports.

Rashford's current deal runs until 2023, with the option of an extra year after that.

United are reportedly keen to commit their youth product to a new contract as a reward for the 23-year-old's form this season and to ward off potential interest in him this summer. He has scored 12 goals so far this season, and is set to play a key role for England in their European Championship campaign.

The Mirror reports that European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Rashford, who can expect a big raise on the £200,000-a-week wage he earns at the moment.

09.42 GMT: Former Arsenal captain William Gallas believes the Gunners need to strengthen their squad with more experienced players, and that manager Mikel Arteta's transfer business up to now has not been good enough.

Arsenal travel to Everton later on Saturday sitting 15th in the table, with a goal difference of -5. They will be without midfielder Granit Xhaka and defender Gabriel Magalhaes for the trip to Goodison Park, after the pair were sent off in recent matchers against Burnley and Southampton respectively.

"They have to bring some players in," former defender Gallas told Ladbrokes. "I'm still not convinced about the defenders. You need more experienced players that the ones they have. When you look at their defence, who has experience? David Luiz is injured. Maybe Hector Bellerin is one of your most experienced players at the back now, but he's not been very good.

"Then you look in midfield. Where is their experience coming from? Granit Xhaka? I'm sorry but for me, after what I've seen, I think there's something wrong with him. You can't give away so many fouls and get so many cards. He makes too many mistakes. If he's your most experienced player and he doesn't have the experience to know you can't make these mistakes and keep getting booked, you're going to be in trouble.

"Mikel Arteta has brought in plenty of players since he took over, but there's a difference between bringing in names and bringing in quality players that are going to fit in your team. At the moment the players he's bought haven't made the difference -- which is a big problem.

"Arteta wants to play the way Pep Guardiola did with Manchester City when he first came to England, but don't forget Pep has had that system in place for a long, long time. You can't just go into a club and expect to successfully apply that system straight away. Maybe he has to change his style."

- Olley: Arsenal task impossible unless discipline improves

09.00 GMT: Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma is being closely followed by Liverpool ahead of the January transfer window, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens, with manager Jurgen Klopp tracking him as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who is out of contract in the summer.

Bissouma, at 24 and with a likely value of around £30 million, fits the profile of potential players that Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards and the club's recruitment team are interested in.

Liverpool won't be the only club after him, though, as sources told ESPN Monaco and Manchester United are also keeping tabs on the former Ligue 1 star, as well as two Spanish clubs. Brighton are expecting to receive offers for him, possibly in next month's transfer window, and will face a battle to persuade him to stay.

Bissouma, who joined Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2018 for around £15m, has raised his game massively this season. Some of his statistics so far this term are pretty much on par with Wijnaldum, who looks likely to leave Liverpool in the summer as his contract expires, with Barcelona hoping to sign him.

PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)

Barcelona willing to sell Coutinho

Barcelona are willing to sell Philippe Coutinho during the January transfer window, reports ARA.