Transfer news and rumours LIVE: Neymar still longing for Barcelona return

Liverpool are set to discuss new contracts with Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho from March 2021, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Both men have been nursing untimely injuries of late, but there value to the cause at Anfield is obvious and they will be rewarded with offers of fresh terms.

Neymar is still longing for a return to Barcelona, claims Sport, with the Brazilian eager to avoid signing a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

The South American appeared to have settled into life at Parc des Princes after much speculation surrounding his future, but it is claimed that would welcome the chance to head back to Camp Nou.

Real Madrid are not ruling out the prospect of welcoming Gareth Bale back into their squad, claims AS.

The Welshman is currently taking in a loan spell back at Tottenham, having been frozen out in Spain, but he remains tied to a contract with the Blancos through to 2022.

The Dutch forward is currently on the books at Lyon and hopes he will be freed to head for Camp Nou in January, despite the Ligue 1 outfit’s reluctance to sell in the middle of a season.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, talks between Paulo Dybala and Juventus are in danger of breaking down.

A new contract for the Argentine is said to have been in the pipeline for some time, but no paperwork has been signed and he is weighing up his options once more.

Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani has revealed he rejected offers from clubs in Scotland and Belgium before moving from Hellas Verona to Naples in January.

The centre-back – who has been loaned back to Verona for the 2020-21 season – says he is willing to wait for his chance at Napoli and reward their faith in him.

The 26-year-old Kosovan said: “Napoli have invested a lot in me. I had offers from Celtic and Standard Liege but in the end I chose to sign for Napoli. This is the most important step of my career.

“They had a strategy to sell Koulibaly but coronavirus changed the scenario. I’ve been told that I’m still an important member of the squad and that my time will come soon.”

Real Madrid are interested signing of Red Bull Salzsburg’s Dominik Szoboszlai, according to AS.

The 20-year-old Hungarian attacking midfielder, who on Thursday night scored the winning goal against Iceland to send his nation to the European Championships, has been linked with Arsenal and RB Leipzig among other leading European clubs.

Real Madrid have been linked with several creative midfield targets as they search for a successor to Luka Modric – and at a reported €30 million, Szoboszlai would be an affordable option for the Spanish giants.

Barcelona need to “try and sign one or two strikers” in the January transfer window if they have any ambition of challenging for the Champions League crown, says Rivaldo.

He told Betfair: “I thought Barcelona should sign someone before Ansu Fati’s injury, so now I think it even more. The club should try to sign one or two strikers if they want to fight for the Champions League.”

The Brazilian added: “Koeman should have more options in attack to manage a line-up which is sufficiently decisive and competitive in big games, in important ties.

“Ansu was playing well, he was gaining confidence and becoming more influential in the team, his absence is another headache for the coach.”

Liverpool’s injury struggles mean they have to now be giving serious consideration to spending “a lot of money” on RB Leipzig centre-half Dayot Upamecano, says Steve Nicol.

Nicol told ESPN FC: “Oh my goodness, [Liverpool’s title chances] drop a good 20, 25 per cent from where they were, without Van Dijk.

“I think right now Liverpool absolutely, because of this injury, have to go out and spend a lot of money. I think this forces them into it and they should go and get Upamecano.”

Tottenham have the option to extend Gareth Bale’s loan spell for a second season, reports football.london.

Spurs brought a familiar face back onto their books from Real Madrid over the summer and could keep the Welshman on beyond the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Liverpool do not see Schalke defender Ozan Kabak as someone who can make an immediate impact at Anfield, reports The Mirror.

That means that the Reds will likely turn their attention elsewhere in January if Jurgen Klopp does call for reinforcements at centre-half.

Lucas Torreira could secure a permanent move to Torino in the winter transfer window, claims Tuttosport.

The midfielder is currently taking in a loan spell at Atletico Madrid from Arsenal, but the former Sampdoria star remains keen on returning to Italy.

Real Madrid hope Martin Odegaard can convince fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland to make a move to Santiago Bernabeu.

The Blancos have made the Borussia Dortmund striker one of their top targets for upcoming windows, with AS claiming that they may have a secret weapon in their ranks when it comes to talks.

Premier League rivals battle for Bayern defender

Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all keen on Jerome Boateng, claims Sport Bild.

The World Cup winner is all set to leave Bayern Munich as his contract runs down, with at least three sides looking to return the former Manchester City defender to England.

Cristiano Ronaldo is fully focused on seeing out his contract at Juventus, and has no interest in returning to Manchester United.

It had been reported that Ronaldo was tempted by a return to United, who had made an approach, but AS state that the Portuguese is not interested in heading back to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo’s people say his preference is to see out his deal in Turin, which runs until 2022, but that a coronavirus vaccine could be a game changer in the transfer market and could see him consider a move to Paris Saint Germain.

Slaven Bilic is still on shaky ground as West Brom manager, reports the Mirror.

The Croatian is under increasing pressure with the Baggies in 18th place and still without a win this season.

Bilic has also seen his relationship with the club’s board become strained in recent weeks.

Barcelona intend to hold their presidential elections on January 24, according to Marca.

The club’s managing board met on Thursday to ratify plans and while the pandemic means the decision is still to be confirmed, the aim is to hold the elections in January – with ballots to be held in different locations to avoid mass gatherings of people.

Neymar is seeking a  €44 million (£39m/$51m) payment from Barcelona, according to Marca.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar’s legal team has presented an appeal against a court’s decision to make Neymar pay Barca €6.7m, with the forward seeking €44m on account of the club reneging on a bonus payment due to the Brazilian.

Sevilla rejected a €55 million (£49m/$64m) offer from Manchester City for defender Jules Kounde, according to eldesmarque.

City’s interest has been well documented, but Sevilla sporting director Monchi confirmed they turned down “a magnificent offer” as it did not reflect what they thought of the defender.

Real Madrid are putting the finishing touches to their budgets for 2021, with ESPN saying it will involve asking the playing squad to take pay cuts.

Clubs around the world are feeling the pinch due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Real Madrid are not immune to the financial pain.

The exact figures have not yet been confirmed, but they will be communicated to club captains Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane.

Christian Eriksen has admitted his move to Inter has not turned out as planned.

The midfielder made the move to Inter from Tottenham earlier this year, but told TV2 that he will consider his future in January.

The Reds are currently suffering an injury crisis

RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano currently tops Liverpool’s wish list, according to The Athletic.

The Reds are currently in the midst of a defensive injury crisis, with Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk out with long-term problems.

Alongside Upamecano, Liverpool are also considering a move for Brighton’s Ben White, Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, and Torino’s Bremer.

Wolves are growing “increasingly annoyed” with Adama Traore over his failure to sign a new contract, according to 90min.

A deal has been on the table for some time and Wolves expected the player to ink the contract but it is still unsigned and is a “source of frustration” at Molineux.

Sporting CP have increased the release clause of Nuno Mendes from €45 million (£40m/$52m) to €70m (£62m/$81m), according to Record.

The teenager is reported to be a target for Manchester United, and they will now have to dig deep if they want to land the left-back.

Teenage U.S. sensation Gio Reyna has agreed terms on a new deal with Borussia Dortmund, according to CBS Sports.

Reyna turns 18 on Friday and the report says the deal, which will tie the midfielder to the club until 2024, will be announced imminently.

Feyenoord have activated an option in Luis Sinisterra’s contract, according to De Telegraaf.

The Colombian forward’s deal was due to expire next year, but the Eredivisie club have now tied him to a deal until the summer of 2023.