The coronavirus pandemic made the summer transfer market unlike any before it, but there were still plenty of deals done, and you can check out the major ones here. The window might be closed across the top leagues in Europe, but here are the best rumours from around the globe.
TOP STORY: Manchester City want Grealish
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told the club to make a move for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish, The Independent reports.
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Guardiola reportedly views Grealish as a primary target in his upcoming rebuild of the first team, with possible new signings serving as an integral part of the contract negotiations that Pep underwent before inking the deal to confirm his extension.
According to the report, Guardiola spoke about Grealish with Kevin De Bruyne who was full of praise for the Englishman after he came up against him in the recent Belgium match with the Three Lions.
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Lampard wants Giroud to stay at Chelsea
Sky Sports is reporting that Chelsea manager Frank Lampard now wants Olivier Giroud to stay at the club.
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There has been a great deal of speculation surrounding Giroud's future at Stamford Bridge with a report as recently as Monday morning indicating that he is set to leave. However, in a prematch interview before the Blues' game against Rennes, Lampard made it clear how he feels on the subject.
"I do have plans for Oli and I want him to stay," Lampard said. "He played a lot of games [last season] and made a lot of starts. He'll always want to play more but he's a huge member of the squad for me. I know he will be important for us going forward, so I want Oli to be here and to stay."
New Roma deal for Mkhitaryan?
AS Roma are close to agreeing to a contract extension for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
The Armenia international's current deal in Rome is set to expire at the end of the season, but the belief is that an announcement regarding a new contract is imminent -- and there could even be one before Christmas.
After reviving his career through a loan spell in Italy from Arsenal, Mkhitaryan has continued to build on that form and is now regarded by many as one of the club's most important players.
Tap-ins
- Juventus, Internazionale and Everton are all keeping an eye on Luis Alberto's current situation with Lazio. Alberto had recently hit out at the club's transfer strategy before retracting his statement, but now, it's being reported that the relationship could be beyond repair -- opening the door for the aforementioned interest.
- Heerenveen are in talks to sign Siem de Jong on a free transfer, Voetbal International reports. The former Ajax forward is currently a free agent after leaving FC Cincinnati last month, and because Heerenveen have been able to build up some funds through sales, they will be able to afford such a move.
Source: espn.co.uk