Transfer rumors, news: Santos eye fairy-tale Neymar homecoming

Bayern Munich are ready to rival Chelsea and Manchester United to sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmundwhile Douglas Luiz could return to Manchester City on loan. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

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TOP STORIES

– Sources: Chelsea agree fee for Strasbourg’s Sarr
– Sources: Man United looking to add a left-back this month
– Sources: Milan eye Félix and Man United pair as Rashford alternative

TRENDING RUMORS

– Bayern Munich are the latest club to show a firm interest in Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittensreports Florian Plettenberg. Gittens, 20, is the latest in a line of young English talent to make his way at Dortmund, following on from Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham. He was in the youth academy of Reading, Chelsea and then Manchester City before moving to the Bundesliga for first-team football in 2022. The England under-21 international has scored seven goals in 18 league appearances for a struggling Dortmund side, who sit 10th. Chelsea and Manchester United are the key Premier League clubs interested, but Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked.

– International and Borussia Dortmund are tracking Manchester City attacking midfielder Jack Grealishreports the Sun. It is reported that both clubs are watching his situation amid belief that his future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, and the 29-year-old is said to be open to the idea of a switch outside of the Premier League. Grealish joined City from Aston Villa for a £100m transfer fee in summer 2021, but he has endured continued struggles for form this season, with his one goal in 21 games coming in the 8-0 FA Cup third-round win over Salford City.

– Aston Villa are set to reject an offer worth £57m from West Ham United for strikers John Duranaccording to the Athletic. It is reported that manager Unai Emery’s side have no plans to part ways with the 21-year-old, who signed a contract extension in October that secures his future at Villa Park until 2030. Durán, who has scored seven goals in 603 Premier League minutes this season, is also reported to be attracting interest from across Europe.

– Both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea could compete to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delapreports TeamTalk. The two clubs are said to be “very interested” in the 21-year-old, with Spurs keen to reinforce their side with an option to support Dominic Solanke. The Portman Road hierarchy reportedly aren’t looking to move Delap as they strive to stave off relegation, but they could be persuaded to offload him if they receive a significant offer.

– AC Milan are hopeful of completing a move to sign Manchester City defender Kyle Walkeraccording to Transfer market. Club senior advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic is said to be “pushing hard” to secure the 31-year-old’s signature, but with City unwilling to release him from his contract, the Rossoneri are exploring a loan deal that would include a €1m fee. There are no concerns over personal terms, with Walker reportedly having previously agreed a two-year deal at the San Siro.

– Barcelona forward Ferran Torres wants to stay at the club amid interest in his signature from AC Milan, reports Sport. The 24-year-old is reported to be “very reluctant” to leave the Blaugranadespite having struggled for regular starts this season with eight of his 14 LaLiga appearances coming from the bench. Torres is said to be one of several options on the radar of the Rossoneri.

– Manchester United are in talks with Lecce over the arrival of full-back Patrick Dorgusays Corriere dello Sport. United need to raise funds before they can sign anyone and could let winger Alejandro Garnacho move to Napoli for €60m, while possible departures of Marcus Rashford and Antony could also free up funds. The club need an attacking full-back to play in Rubem Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system and the 20-year-old Denmark international is considered a perfect fit. He can play on either the right or left and his transfer has been valued at around €40m.

– Manchester City are considering bringing back former player Douglas Luizwho has struggled at Juventus since joining the Serie A club from Aston Villa last summer. The Athletic reports that the 26-year-old could return to City on loan until the end of this season, with no automatic permanent deal clause. The Brazil international spent two years at the Etihad between 2017 and 2019 but failed to make a single first-team appearance. The midfielder left for Villa, where he became a key player before Juve spent €50 million to sign him.

– Al Hilal superstar Neymar has green-lit a return to his boyhood club Santos on loan, Fish Diary reports. Negotiations are now reportedly underway between the two clubs, though no agreement has been reached. Neymar started his career with Brazilian outfit Santos, scoring 107 goals in 177 league appearances between 2009 and 2013. Prior to Santos’ interest, the 32-year-old was heavily linked with a move to MLSwith Chicago Fire FC among the clubs interested. Neymar’s Al Hilal deal is set to expire this summer, meaning he’ll become a free agent once any proposed loan move concludes.

– Three Bundesliga clubs are monitoring Lyon forward Rayan Cherki ahead of his anticipated exit, according to Patrick Berger. The 21-year-old, who is set to be available in the summer for around €22m, is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. While Cherki’s Lyon deal doesn’t expire until 2026, there is a “secret verbal agreement” between the player and club that he’ll be allowed to leave for a set fee at the end of the season.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

– Manchester City have completed the signing of Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Read the full story.

– Free agent midfielder Jonjo Shelveywho recently left Super Lig side Eyüpspor, has joined Burnley until the end of the season.

– Sheffield United have signed Southampton striker Ben Brereton Diaz on loan until the end of the season.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Sam Tighe explores interest in Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.

Borussia Dortmund’s season may not be going to plan — they’re 10th in the Bundesliga and out of the cup — but they can at least hang their hat on the fact they have yet another young superstar burgeoning in their ranks.

Gittens, 20, has managed to rise above the chaos this season, and has scored 11 goals in all competitions and added four assists. The Englishman is following in Jadon Sancho’s footsteps by trading Manchester City academy life for first-team football abroad early on and is reaping the benefits.

Those excellent goal contribution numbers represent the leap he’s taken this year. He’s always been fast, his dribbles have always zig-zagged and baffled defenders, but until this season he lacked the end product. That’s now changed, so he’s become a key player for Dortmund: They give him the ball as often as possible and look to him to make the difference.

No wonder Bayern (and others) are interested in him. Not only does he have thousands of Bundesliga minutes under his belt by age 20, he’s showing top potential, and Bayern in particular may be looking to make a move if they lose Leroy Sané on a free transfer at the end of this season.

TRENDING RUMORS

– An agreement over a transfer fee has almost been agreed between Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille for strikers Elye Wahi. (Foot Market)

– Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus have joined Leicester City in the race for Udinese defender Thomas Kristensen. (Daily Mail)

– Sao Paulo have rejected an offer for defender Alan Franco from Students. (UOL)

– Liverpool are unwilling to consider offers for attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott amid interest from Borussia Dortmund. (Football Insider)

– Aston Villa have seen their €25m offer for Sevilla defender Loïc Badé rejected, with the LaLiga club holding out for a €30m transfer fee. (Foot Market)

– Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna is set to meet with Manchester United for talks over the €60m signing of winger Alejandro Garnacho. (Corriere dello Sport)

– Juventus have entered the race to sign Chelsea defender Renato Veiga with talks already underway, and Newcastle United’s Lloyd Kelly is also on the club’s radar. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Bayern Munich are ready to cement the final details of Alphonso Davies’ new contract this week, having made big progress on Friday, with the left-back set to stay at the club and snub a free transfer to Real Madrid. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Chelsea are set to sign Strasbourg centre-back Mamadou Sarr19, and send him back to their sister club on loan. (Fabrice Hawkins)

– Galatasaray want to sign AC Milan right-back Emerson Royal if Milan complete a loan deal for Manchester City’s Kyle Walker. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Botafogo star Luiz Henrique is set to leave the club to join Russia side Zenit Saint Petersburg in a €32m deal. (ESPN Brazil)

– Wolfsburg have made a loan offer for Brentford right-back Mads Roerslev. The proposed deal contains clauses to make the trans fer a permanent one depending on the number of games he plays for the Bundesliga club. (Sky Sports)

– The future of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Julio Enciso could be decided next week amid continued interest in the player from Atalanta. The forward was the subject of a bid from Atalanta earlier this month, although it fell short of Brighton’s reported €40m asking price. (Rudy Galetti)

– Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is “considered a serious candidate” to be the new manager of Borussia Dortmund should the Bundesliga club get rid of Nuri Sahin. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Feyenoord will not consider sanctioning the exit of Mexico international striker Santiago Gimenez in January. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Southampton are set to sign Stade Rennais midfielder Albert Grønbaek23, on a loan with an option to sign permanently for €15m. (The Team)

– Another Stade Rennais midfielder, Glen Kamaracould be on the move just six months after signing for €10m. Southampton and Ipswich are both keen on the former Rangers and Leeds star. (The Team)