Arne Slot praises Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and comments on the club’s contract negotiations ahead of the January window. (1:38)
Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly made a decision: he will leave Liverpool for Real Madrid, while Barcelona sign Rafael Leão from AC Milan. Join us for the latest moving news, rumors and gossip from around the world.
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– Trent Alexander-Arnold has told Liverpool that he wants to play for Real Madrid, Marca reported in its frontpage story on Saturday, with the newspaper calling a contract renewal for the player at Anfield “impossible.” A January move has been ruled out, though he can sign a precontract agreement as on Wednesday ahead of his contract expiring at the end of this season.
– Liverpool remain interested in Internazionale striker Marcus Thuram, while Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the 27-year-old, Calciomercato reports. Thuram has a release clause of 85 million euros, affordable for a player of his caliber. France Exterior has publicly stated that it will not take advantage of this clause.
– Paris Saint-Germain is “rubbing its hands” over the option of having Dani Olmo from Barcelona in January, according to Diario Sport. Barça were dealt a blow on Friday when a court rejected their request to register Olmo in La Liga for the second part of the season. Sport reports that PSG could sign Olmo, highly appreciated by the club’s coach Luis Enrique, with whom he played in the past with the Spanish team.
– In addition to Nico Williams from Athletic Club, Barcelona sign Rafael Leão from AC Milan with the intention of signing a winger this summer, reports Marca. It would be difficult to sign the Portuguese due to his valuation of 75 million euros, while some within the Blaugrana have doubts about the 25-year-old. There is still time to make a decision, as a move in January will be financially impossible.
– Coach Ruben Amorim is hopeful that Manchester United can sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani in January, TEAMtalk reports. The Parisians are going to let the 26-year-old go, and he needs to be promoted to the Premier League. but there may also be Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal festivals.
– Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior has travelled to the Chinese town of Wuhan and has signed a pre-contract that will take him to Paris Saint-Germain for 10 seasons, reports Mundo Deportivo. This is the wish of club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after Los Blancos recruited Kylian Mbappé as a free agent while Neymar helped with communication. Al-Khelaifi had thought about bringing him back from Al Hilal but Luis Enrique put an end to this decision.
ESPN’s Alex Kirkland on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s latest link with Real Madrid:
Marca’s front-page claim that Trent Alexander-Arnold “wants to come to Madrid” is the latest step in a crusade for the Liverpool and England star to become a Real Madrid player next summer.
Madrid enjoyed Alexander-Arnold, the latest in a long line of high-profile loose move targets, after Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, even before starting right-back Dani Carvajal, 32, suffered . season in October.
Regardless, Carvajal would want to be replaced long-term, and Alexander-Arnold, 26, would offer a complementary option going forward, with a radically different skill set.
It’s helpful, of course, that Alexander-Arnold is close friends with Jude Bellingham, and Bellingham’s experience so far in his 18 months at the Bernabéu couldn’t have been any better: winning trophies, becoming a Ballon d’Or contender and growing his global profile. ESPN has reported that Alexander-Arnold is Madrid’s top target for next summer. Carvajal’s injury brought an increased sense of urgency to the situation. That increased with backup Lucas Vazquez’s inconsistent form filling in, although Vazquez put in his best performance of the season in Madrid’s 4-2 win over Sevilla before Christmas.
It has been accepted that a January move for Trent is highly unlikely unless Liverpool are willing to make concessions and avoid wasting him for free, even if it means weakening the team as they lead the Premier League race.
Alexander-Arnold’s arrival at Madrid would raise additional questions, adding who would start at right back when Carvajal regains his form next season.
But there’s no doubt that Trent’s creativity and long-range passing would help one of the team’s biggest shortcomings since the departure of Toni Kroos last summer, whether it’s from the back or midfield.
– Manchester United could target the Belgian U21 goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, who plays in Antwerp. (Daily Telegraph)
– Juventus are more interested in signing Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United than outcast Marcus Rashford. (The Sun)
– Arsenal are interested in Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi but could face competition from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window. It’s unlikely the 24-year-old would be allowed to leave for anything under €40m-€50m. (Corriere dello Sport)
– Liverpool are keeping a close eye on USMNT and Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson and a deal in January is a realistic possibility. A figure of between £40m and £50m would be needed to sign the 27-year-old next month. (Football Insider)
– Everton have not entered into contract negotiations with defender Jarrad Branthwaite, the centre-back is fit to dedicate himself to the Club. Branthwaite’s contract runs until 2027 and Everton value him at £75m. (Daily mail)
– Juventus signs central defender Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan. The 27-year-old English foreigner is said to earn around £20 million. (Gazzetta du Sport)
– Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Brentford, plus Bayer Leverkusen and Fiorentina are all considering a move for Manchester City’s James McAtee. The 22-year-old midfielder hasn’t managed to force his way into the team this season. (Daily Telegraph)
– Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and Real Madrid are both open to listening to offers, despite agreeing a new contract last summer. The Ukraine international is aware that he has no chance of regular football while Thibaut Courtois remains at Madrid. (Diario AS)
– Mario Balotelli could leave Genoa despite only joining Serie A in October, as the 34-year-old striker is largely a replacement option and Cruz Azul gives him €5m a year, or five times your existing salary. (Sports Gazette)
– Lazio are monitoring Stade Rennais midfielder Valentin Atangana, despite the 19-year-old’s contract being extended to 2027. (Nicolo Schira)
– Napoli remain linked to Roma attacking midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, while Daniele Rugani, on loan to Ajax from Juventus, is considered an option if Danilo is signed in January. (Corriere dello Sport)
– The Premier League is interested in Alfie Gilchrist, but Chelsea and the defender consider his loan to Sheffield United to be the most productive option. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Stade Rennais are looking for a deal to bring Seko Fofana back to Ligue 1 from Al Ettifaq. (The team)