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LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid to poach Ronald Araujo from Barcelona?

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Marcotti: Conte biting his tongue over Spurs transfer situation (1:01)

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the situation at Spurs after they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Chelsea. (1:01)

The 2022 January transfer window is open (find out when it closes here), and there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Real Madrid to poach Araujo from Barcelona?

Real Madrid are hoping that Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo will not sign a contract extension with the club and want to sign him this summer, Diario AS reports.

Araujo, 22, has made 22 appearances in all competitions for Barca this season -- including with a broken hand against Madrid in the Supercopa Clasico defeat on Wednesday.

Talks between the Uruguay international and Barcelona to extend his contract have stalled in recent months and, with his deal expiring in June 2023, Los Blancos are monitoring the situation closely. Barcelona are still in need of cash as they battle €1.4 billion debts and could be persuaded to let Araujo go, even to their bitter rivals.

Madrid tried to sign the centre-back in 2018 before he joined Barca from Boston River in August 2018 for an initial €1.2 million transfer fee.

Araujo's future is not Barca's biggest priority right now, with the Catalan club focusing most of their energy on getting winger Ousmane Dembele to sign a new deal before he becomes a free agent this summer.

LIVE BLOG

21.32 GMT: Fabrizio Romano reports that Barcelona and Bayern Munich are highly interested in signing Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen, whose contract in west London expires at the end of the season. The Blues were reported to have agreed fresh terms with the Denmark international months ago, but no deal was ever signed, and ever since some of Europe's biggest clubs have been credited with interest in signing the 25-year-old academy graduate on a free transfer while talks between Christensen and Chelsea appear to be at a standstill.

20.59 GMT: Torino have signed Mohamed Fares on loan from Lazio with an option to make the deal permanent. This comes after the 25-year-old returned from his loan spell with Genoa that lasted the first half of the season, in which the winger scored twice in nine appearances.

20.26 GMT: Premier League relegation rivals Newcastle United and Watford are both holding transfer talks with Nantes regarding Ludovic Blas, according to the Star. The attacking midfielder has scored seven times in Ligue 1 this term, with his performances also drawing interest from Lille and Bundesliga clubs.

20.09 GMT: LAFC have announced that they have acquired United States midfielder Kellyn Acosta from the Colorado Rapids for $1.1m in General Allocation Money, with another $400,000 worth of GAM being added to the total if certain performance thresholds are met. Colorado also is entitled to a percentage of any transfer fee Los Angeles would receive should they move the 26-year-old.

Shortly before the deal was announced, Acosta took to Twitter to state that the Rapids pushed him out of the organisation, and executed the trade with LAFC despite ongoing interest in the FC Dallas academy graduate from European clubs.

19.53 GMT: Faouzi Ghoulam is likely to leave Napoli when his contract runs out this summer, according to Calciomercato. With just three starts to his name this season, and annual wages of €2.5m, the 30-year-old Algeria international will be cut loose as the Partenopei seek greater bang for their buck.

19.36 GMT: France could be a possible destination for Getafe striker Jose Juan Macias, writes Superdeporte. The 22-year-old Mexico international has seen little action with the LaLiga club, and following the arrival of Borja Mayoral from Real Madrid, it appears as though Macias is no longer in the plans of manager Quique Sanchez Flores.

19.20 GMT: Chelsea are interested in signing Sergio Gomez, reports TEAMtalk, after the 21-year-old Spain youth international has excelled at Anderlecht in left-back and wing-back roles. A January move is unlikely despite the injury suffered by Ben Chilwell, but the Blues will continue to keep tabs on a player whose success has also caught the attention of Manchester United.

18.47 GMT: Serie A side Venezia have announced the signing of 35-year-old winger Nani on a free transfer. The former Portugal international was a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Orlando City SC, where he spent the past three seasons, and has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him in Venice through the 2022-23 season.

18.14 GMT: Internazionale are continuing their contacts with Sassuolo regarding Davide Frattesi, reports Calciomercato, with Lorenzo Pirola possibly going the other way as part of a deal. Sassuolo would look for a transfer fee of €25m to sanction the midfielder's departure, although that could rise to €30m by the summer, while Inter would look for a fee for Pirola, who is on loan at Monza, of €9m. Both sides are keen for the deal to happen, and could agree on a loan with the obligation for a permanent transfer.

17.41 GMT: Southampton want to make Armando Broja's loan move permanent if Chelsea listen to offers, reports Sky Sports, with the Albania international having scored five goals in 15 Premier League appearances for the Saints this term.

Despite the striker's displays, the west London club are questioning whether he has a future at Stamford Bridge, which has generated interest from numerous clubs and suggests a move could be possible this month. Despite the 20-year-old's familiarity with Southampton and success on the South Coast, the Saints are likely to face significant competition for his signature.

17.08 GMT: The Portland Timbers are interested in signing former Toronto FC talisman Sebastian Giovinco, according to Gianluca Di Marzio. The 34-year-old former Juventus attacker and Italy international is a free agent following his departure from Saudi club Al-Hilal, and the Timbers are ready to make contact regarding a move.

16.35 GMT: Tottenham want to sign Wolves winger Adama Traore this month and TEAMtalk reports they are ready to offer one of four players in exchange.

The club are happy to include defenders Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga, or wingers Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke, though Wolves manager Bruno Lage said at his news conference: "I see Adama here on Feb. 1, that's in my mind. But this is football, the club has talked with Adama before, he has one year left on contract."

16.03 GMT: The Colorado Rapids have sent United States international midfielder Kellyn Acosta to LAFC in a deal that can reach roughly $1.5m in General Allocation Money, a source confirmed to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.

Acosta is coming off a resurgent 2021 season in which he helped lead the Rapids to the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs and played a major role for the United States in three international competitions. The deal includes roughly $1.1m up front with incentives.

This is the second major move between LAFC and Colorado involving an international midfielder since last summer, when LAFC sent Canadian midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye to Colorado for roughly $1m in GAM and a 2022 international roster spot. The Rapids also received LAFC's first-round pick in the 2022 SuperDraft, which they traded.

Colorado is also in active discussions about sending Cole Bassett to Dutch side Feyenoord in what has been reported in the Netherlands as a possible 18-month loan, a separate source confirmed to ESPN. Former LA Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese left the club in November to become the CEO of Feyenoord.

15.15 GMT: Barcelona are still looking to trim their squad and both Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong have been linked with moves away recently.

Mundo Deportivo claims that 27-year-old forward Depay is the player they would let go first, with Juventus one of the clubs showing an interest.

De Jong is deemed more crucial to the balance of the squad at Camp Nou and is still only 24, so the midfielder has plenty of his career left.

14.40 GMT: 90min reckons that Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara is back on the radar of Arsenal.

Kamara, 26, began his career at Arsenal before moving to Dundee and then Rangers. The Finland international has been on his former club's shortlist for some time, but Aston Villa are also keen on landing him.

14.11 GMT: Aston Villa landed Everton left-back Lucas Digne for around £25m yesterday.

13.40 GMT: The amount spent on player transfers in international football fell for a second year in a row to its lowest for five years as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continued to be felt across the game, according to figures released by FIFA on Friday.

The study showed that the total spend across the global game for the previous year was $4.86bn down from $7.35bn in 2019 and $5.63bn in 2020.

However, the total number of transfers increased from 17,190 in 2020 to 18,068 in 2021, with clubs opting to sign more out-of-contract players.

"This means that while all clubs needed to freshen up their squads, clubs were not as eager to pay transfer fees, and therefore the total transfer fees hit a five-year low in 2021," the report said.

13.27 GMT: Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has said he has told both Donny van de Beek and Dean Henderson that he wants them to stay at the club until the end of the season.

The pair have been linked with moves in the January transfer window after finding opportunities limited this season, but Rangnick said he is keen to keep his squad together ahead of a busy second half of the season.

"I told [Henderson] I would like him to stay because he is a fantastic goalkeeper, in training yesterday he had a couple of fantastic saves," Rangnick told a news conference on Friday. "I can fully understand he wants to play. He's at an age where you should regularly play but we are in three competitions and we need three goalkeepers right now. I can understand his desire to get regular game-time elsewhere in the Premier League."

13.00 GMT: Pontus Jansson has put an end to speculation over his Brentford future by signing a new deal with the Premier League side.

Jansson, the club captain, had a contract due to expire in the summer and was linked with several teams including Everton and Newcastle.

Jansson signed from Leeds in July 2019 for an undisclosed fee after falling out with their manager, Marcelo Bielsa, and has been a key player for Brentford during their promotion campaign to the Premier League.

12.50 GMT: Sky Sports reports that "Derby County have this morning been placed under a fresh transfer embargo, after they failed to convince the EFL that they have a substantive business plan in place for the rest of the season which would guarantee they can pay their outstanding football bills, and fulfil their remaining fixtures in the Championship."

Manager Wayne Rooney won't be allowed to make any new signings in January, while veteran defender Phil Jagielka has left the club with immediate effect

Former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is reportedly ready to make a £50m offer to rescue the financially-stricken club.

12.38 GMT: Arsenal are hopeful of securing a loan move for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.

The Gunners are willing to cover the 25-year-old's entire salary -- thought to be in the region of £125,000-a-week -- and talks have involved including an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

Sources claim Arthur is open to joining Arsenal this month but Juventus want to secure a replacement before agreeing a deal. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen on securing a midfielder quickly after losing Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny to the Africa Cup of Nations.

As ESPN first reported on Dec. 24, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was also allowed to leave for Roma, leaving Arteta with few options in central midfield. That problem was compounded by Granit Xhaka testing positive for COVID-19 and then getting sent off in Thursday's Carabao Cup semifinal, first leg draw at Liverpool.

Xhaka will miss the Gunners' next two games. Arteta was left to hand teenager Charlie Patino his debut alongside 22-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga for last weekend's FA Cup third round defeat at Nottingham Forest.

11.56 GMT: Pohang Steelers attacking midfielder Hyun-ju Lee has signed for Bayern Munich on a year's loan.

Lee, 18, impressed on a trial and will join Bayern's reserve side, with the club maintaining an option to sign him permanently.

"I am very grateful that I signed my first contract with Bayern Munich," he told the club website. "I want to get used to it quickly so that I can show my best performance on the pitch."

11.45 GMT: Sergino Dest faces an uncertain future at Barcelona after being left out of the squad for Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa but is determined to fight for his place, sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Teams from around Europe, including Bayern Munich and Chelsea, are monitoring Dest's situation, but sources close to the United States international have told ESPN he hopes to stay at Camp Nou beyond the January transfer window and prove his worth.

However, sources at the club refuse to rule out an exit this month. The right-back has fallen out of favour under new coach Xavi Hernandez and his departure could help fund a move for a new striker.

Barca have already signed Dani Alves and Ferran Torres this month but Xavi would like to add a No.9 as well. Alvaro Morata is a target but Juventus, where he is on loan at from Atletico Madrid, are reluctant to let him leave without a replacement lined up.

ESPN first revealed in December that Barca would be open to offers for Dest in January. The player, though, would prefer to stay in Spain and fight for his place.

11.24 GMT: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah still hasn't signed a new contract, with his terms expiring in 2023.

However, The Daily Telegraph reports that Liverpool are reluctant to meet his current demands.

Salah could become the Premier League's first £500,000-a-week player but his club will have to work out whether to hand a 29-year-old such a big deal, or let him go.

11.00 GMT: Will Tottenham do anything in January?

10.32 GMT: Kenedy has admitted that Chelsea's decision to recall him from his loan spell at Flamengo caught him by surprise as he was expecting to remain at the Brazilian club until the end of the season.

Kenedy, 25, could fill in at left-back after the injury to Ben Chilwell but the Blues are also looking to the transfer market to find cover.

"I was taken by surprise. I found out yesterday night around 11 p.m. Everything was very fast," Kenedy said after the news were confirmed. "Chelsea had a contract with Flamengo. They asked me to present myself and I'm presenting myself. It was Flamengo that told me. I'm just fulfilling the contract."

10.15 GMT: Pablo is in negotiations to terminate his contract with Sao Paulo ahead of completing a move to Atletico PR.

The two clubs have failed to reach an agreement but the 29-year-old forward, who has a contract with Sao Paulo until 2023, could be ready to give up part of his salary to facilitate the move.

10.00 GMT: Mexico international Jesus 'Tecatito' Corona has signed for Sevilla.

The LaLiga side have agreed to pay FC Porto a reported €3m and the winger has signed a contract until June 2025.

Corona, 29, joined Porto in 2015 from Dutch side Twente, who he joined two years earlier from Mexican club Monterrey. He scored 31 goals and had 69 assists in 286 appearances for FC Porto.

09.57 GMT: Ajax have announced they have reached an agreement for the transfer of winger David Neres with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Neres, 24, had been under contract until 2023 but will depart for €12m plus another €4m in add-ons.

Ajax have been linked with a move for Tottenham's Steven Bergwijn as a replacement.

09.40 GMT: River Plate are already preparing for life without forward Julian Alvarez as the 21-year-old star is attracting interest from European clubs.

ESPN Argentina says that River were interested in bolstering their attack with a new forward and would try to sign an extra one if Alvarez does leave the club for his $20m release clause.

Yet, according to the reports, Napoli, Atalanta, Nice and another European club are interested in signing the Argentine starlet and River are preparing to receive offers in the coming days.

09.16 GMT: Marcus Rashford's struggles are not worrying Manchester United, writes Rob Dawson, but it's up to him and coaches to turn things around.

Despite Rashford's dip in form, senior sources at Old Trafford say he is "absolutely key" to the club and hope to open contract talks before the end of the season. But with a deal running through 2023 and the option of another year, sources have told ESPN he will not be in a rush to sign.

A United fan who has been at the club since the age of seven, Rashford is desperate to be successful at Old Trafford, but he also remains ambitious to collect top trophies. He was on Paris Saint-Germain's list of possible replacements for Kylian Mbappe in the summer and in the past has been mentioned as a target for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola are big fans of the striker, and sources have told ESPN that Rashford would not be unhappy if Pochettino was named as United's next permanent manager. He is one of the names on a five-man short list.

For now, though, it will fall on Rangnick to find a way of getting Rashford back to his best. He would like to play regularly on the left side of a front three, but it's a position that has not always existed in the German's system since he arrived at United in December.

08.30 GMT: Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has told ESPN Brasil that he is aiming to continue his footballing career until the age of 42.

Despite his club's struggles this season, the 36-year-old is United's top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions.

When asked whether he can see a limit to his longevity, he told ESPN: "I feel happy to be a player who has shown who, in my case, longevity has been a crucial factor for me to keep playing at a high level, putting in good performances.

"Genetically I feel like I'm 30 years old. I take great care of my body and my mind. Something I've learned recently is that after 33, I believe the body can deliver if you need it, but the real battle is mental.

"Going through many things with the focus on the end goal of staying at a high level is the hardest thing, and that's what I've been doing for the last few years. I've been working and focusing more on working on my mind. I know my body will handle me because I have a lot of respect for it and I listen to it a lot.

"Life has to have important moments, for better or for worse, but when you fall you must have the strength to get up. I'm happy, I want to stay here and see what will happen. I want to find out if I'm going to play until I'm 40, 41, or 42, but the most important thing is that my daily goal is to enjoy the moment."

PAPER GOSSIP

- Chelsea are set to renew talks over a new contract with defender Antonio Rudiger, reports the Mail. The Germany international can leave on a free transfer in the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid said to be interested, but the 28-year-old is said to be open to staying in west London for a wage packet worth around £200,000 a week.

Serie A side Napoli are looking to land Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, writes Calciomercato. Spurs' record signing is reportedly free to leave the club in January, with Antonio Conte yet to find a place for the 25-year-old in the side. The Partenopei are one of a number of sides linked with the France international, with the team sitting third in Serie A looking to reinforce their central ranks.

- Tottenham are monitoring a potential move for Internazionale defender Stefan de Vrij, according to Ekrem Konur. Conte won Serie A last season with the Netherlands international a staple of his back three, and the 29-year-old is out of contract in 18 months' time, with the Italian manager said to be keeping an eye on the situation.

- Burnley are eyeing former Newcastle United and England striker Andy Carroll, according to the Mail. The Clarets are said to be in the market for a striker to replace Chris Wood, who left for relegation rivals Newcastle on Thursday. Carroll, 33, is with Championship side Reading, having joined the club on a short-term deal to prove his fitness after leaving the Magpies last summer.

- Marseille are looking to sign Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, according to RMC Sport. The 29-year-old has just six months remaining on his contract and reportedly will be allowed to leave the club this month. OM manager Jorge Sampaoli coached the former Banfield and Independiente standout while in charge of Argentina in 2017 and 2018.

- Burnley have held talks with Ligue 1 side Lens over a potential move for midfielder Seko Fofana, writes the Mail. The report suggests that Newcastle United and Leeds United also hold an interest in the 26-year-old, who could leave this month if the right offer comes in.