LIVE Transfer Talk: Arsenal turn to Atletico striker Matheus Cunha to replace Gabriel Jesus

With the opening of the January transfer window coming closer, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Arsenal turn to Atletico striker Matheus Cunha

Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha could move to Arsenal as a temporary replacement for the injured Gabriel Jesus in January, according to Goal.

Jesus, 25, suffered a knee injury playing for Brazil at the World Cup and could be ruled out for three months. The Gunners have only one central striker, Eddie Nketiah, in the squad as they seek to challenge for the Premier League title at the end of the season.

As a result, manager Mikel Arteta may dip into the transfer market in January to sign a short-term replacement and Goal claims that the 23-year-old Cunha could be available.

Atletico are ready to let the Brazil international depart and have Leeds, Aston Villa and Wolves also interested.

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14.54 GMT: Cristiano Ronaldo has a lucrative offer to move to Saudi Arabia on the table after his departure from Manchester United, and Al-Nassr are confident he will join them before the end of 2022, according to Marca.

Sources have told ESPN that Al-Nassr are willing to offer the 37-year-old a 3½-year contract worth more than $119m (€112m) a year.

Saudi Arabia are hopeful that Ronaldo’s presence in their domestic league would help a bid to host the 2030 World Cup and would be keen for the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward to work as an ambassador for the country.

Ronaldo is still open to the idea of staying in Europe and will wait for a clearer picture about which clubs are interested before making a final decision on his future.

14.04 GMT: Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk is on the radar of Newcastle United, according to Football Insider.

Mudryk, 21, is a top target for Arsenal, though Shakhtar have indicated that they want around €100m from club to sign the Ukraine international.

Newcastle, backed by an ownership group funded by Saudi Arabia, have that kind of money now but Mudryk has a contract with the club until 2026 so won’t come cheap.

13.30 GMT: What does the future hold for France coach Didier Deschamps?

12.21 GMT: Barcelona have “practically ruled out” signing a right-back in January with Hector Bellerin set to stay until the end of the season, according to Sport.

Bellerin, 27, only joined on a one-year deal from Arsenal at the start of the campaign but, per the report, coach Xavi Hernandez is already keen to upgrade.

However, with Barca’s hands tied by their financial situation and Bellerin happy to see out his contract, the club are unable to act in the January transfer window.

Bellerin came through the academy at Barca before joining Arsenal in 2011. He returned on a free transfer in August but has made just five appearances in all competitions so far this season, in part because of an injury he picked up in October.

12.15 GMT: Manchester City defender Alex Greenwood has signed a three-year contract extension until the summer of 2026. 

Greenwood, 29, has been at the club since 2020 and was a UEFA Women’s European Championships winner with England this past summer.

“I’m really pleased to have my new deal sorted and it’s come at the perfect time — after a strong first half to the season, I can now just focus on the remainder of the campaign and the next three years,” she told the club website. “Feeling settled at a club for me is so important and I absolutely have that here at City, which is why I’ve signed such a long-term deal — I just love being here.

“I have a really good relationship with Gareth [Taylor] — we’ve worked together throughout my whole time here so far — and the way he wants us to play marries up exactly with how I want to personally, so it’s the perfect match for me.”

11.34 GMT: Barcelona could bring forward negotiations to renew Ousmane Dembele’s contract following the winger’s start to the season, according to Sport.

Dembele, 25, endured a difficult World Cup final, taken off in the 40th minute of France’s defeat to Argentina, but has begun the campaign well with his club.

Coach Xavi Hernandez has made him a key part of his team and Barca would like to hand him a longer-term deal.

Dembele only signed a new contract earlier this year, but his terms expire in 2024 and his current contract includes a €50m release clause. The former Borussia Dortmund winger, who joined Barca for €105m in 2017, has scored five goals and provided seven assists in 20 appearances this season.

11.03 GMT: Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is close to reaching a precontract agreement with Barcelona, says Sport.

Kante, 31, is out of contract at the end of the season and has yet to agree new terms. Talks with Chelsea have reportedly flagged and now the France international could be set to move on, with Barcelona ready to take advantage of the situation.

10.22 GMT: Sevilla are looking to sign Loic Bade as a replacement for injured centre-back Marcao, according to Estadio Deportivo.

Marcao will undergo surgery this week to repair a hamstring injury and will be out of action for a minimum 12 weeks. The Andalusian club are eager to find a quick replacement for Marcao and have rekindled their interest in Bade.

Bade, 22, joined Stade Rennes in 2021 for €17m and is under contract with the French outfit until June 2026. He joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan from Rennes this summer but has not made an official appearance for the Premier League side and wants to leave in the January transfer window in search of playing time.

Sevilla want to sign Bade on a six-month loan and include a €15m option to land him permanently at the end of the season.

09.58 GMT: Inter Milan are hoping reported Chelsea and PSG target Milan Skriniar will sign a new contract and remain with Italian team.

The Slovakia centre-back becomes a free agent next summer and has been offered a new deal to remain at San Siro.

“Will Skriniar renew? That’s what we all hope for, manager and fans,” Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio said. “I hope it’s also Milan’s wish because it takes two to get married. We have made an important offer. I’m glad to see him calm, motivated, focused on his work. This counts, then there’s us and the agent who are dealing with this situation trying to bring it forward. Whether it will be closed by the end of the year or in the next few days remains to be seen, the important thing is to get things done right. The idea from Inter’s point of view is certainly to still have Skriniar with us for a long time, he too has to put something into it. We see…”

Skriniar, 27, joined Inter from Sampdoria in 2017. He has made 25 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri this season.

Ausilio, meanwhile, confirmed that Inter will offer Edin Dzeko a contract extension. The Bosnia & Herzegovina striker becomes a free agent next summer.

“Dzeko still looks like a kid, he doesn’t look like a 36-year-old,” Auslio said. “What he does in training is an example for the youngsters and he is performing at a high level… we will soon start looking for a solution that will give continuity to Inter.”

09.12 GMT: Sao Paulo have opened an internal investigation to review why the club turned down Brazilian starlet Endrick in 2016.

By not offering the then-nine-year-old Endrick a contract, Sao Paulo believes it “lost a lot” from a “technical, financial and even image” side.

Endrick, 16, has not forgotten being overlooked by the club. Earlier this year, he posted a video on TikTok that included a photograph of a young Endrick wearing the Sao Paulo kit with the message: “Sao Paulo: We can’t afford housing and employment for your parents. You are released!”

In the same video, Endrick showed images of the goals he has scored for Palmeiras, whose youth team he joined at the age of 11. Santos and Corinthians also declined the opportunity to sign the player when he was young.

Real Madrid announced earlier this month it had reached an agreement with Palmeiras to sign the Brazilian forward in a reported €60m transfer when he turns 18 in 2024. Endrick is the only player ever to be crowned champion for the Palmeiras in all age categories.

08.43 GMT: Calciomercato reports that Inter Milan are hoping to sign Chris Smalling from AS Roma when his contract expires at the end of the season. 

Smalling, 33, joined Roma from Manchester United in 2019, initially on loan before making the switch permanent in October 2020 and is a crucial player in Jose Mourinho’s defence.

Juventus are also said to considering making a contract offer to the centre-back.

08.00 GMT: Everton are hopeful of agreeing a new contract with Anthony Gordon to ward off interest from Chelsea, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Gordon, 21, was the subject of a number of transfer offers from Chelsea as the summer transfer window closed, but Everton were not interested in releasing their homegrown star.

Tottenham Hotspur had also made enquiries about the England under-21 international’s availability, and now the Goodison Park club want to agree a contract extension to reward his performances. 

Everton hope to announce the new deal before the transfer window reopens on Wednesday. 

The Merseyside club are also close to agreeing a fresh contract with midfielder Alex Iwobi.

PAPER GOSSIP 

– Bayern Munich have placed 34-year-old goalkeeper Yann Sommer at the top of their shortlist as a successor for Manuel Neuer, who suffered a leg fracture on a skiing tour after Germany’s elimination from the World Cup, according to Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg. Julian Nagelsmann’s side have stepped up their search for a goalkeeper this month, and while they have been linked with World Cup stars Dominik Livakovic of Dinamo Zagreb and Yassine Bounou of Sevilla, it looks as though they will first make a move for a familiar Bundesliga name.

– Sergio Busquets will sit down with Barcelona in the coming days to discuss his future, reveals Sport. Xavi Hernandez’s side are still interested in keeping the 36-year-old defensive midfielder at Camp Nou. Busquets’ has previously been linked with a move to Major League Soccer, but the Blaugrana could look to convince him to remain at the club for one more season.

– Sevilla are the latest club to enquire about Morocco international midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, writes journalist Ekrem Konur. The 22-year-old plays in Ligue 1 for Angers, but after a run of impressive displays at the World Cup, clubs around Europe are now circling for his signature.

– Ibrahima Bamba is attracting interest from a number of clubs across Europe, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. Atalanta, Club Brugge, as well as some sides in the Premier League are all reported to be interested in the Italy international’s signature, and he could leave Guimaraes this January. The 22-year-old has made 12 appearances this season.

– Talks over a deal between Monterrey and Espanyol for centre-back Cesar Montes look to have finally concluded, reveals TUDN. The 25-year-old Mexico international was on the radar of the Periquitos in the summer, and an agreement worth $8m has been struck that will see him make the switch to LaLiga.

– Angel Di Maria is attracting interest from Brazilian side Botafogo, Calciomercato reports, and they could make a move for the 34-year-old Argentina World Cup winner when the transfer window opens. He is, however, expected to honour his contract with Juventus before returning to Rosario Central, where he made his professional debut. His deal with the Bianconeri will expire in the summer.