Tuesday 12 December 2017 10:38, UK
The winter transfer window does not open until January 1, but clubs across Europe are busy planning for potential ins and outs.
Our friends at Football Whispers have scoured the European newspapers and websites to bring you the latest transfer gossip and news from the continent.
Steven N'Zonzi, a former Tottenham transfer target, looks set to be heading to Arsenal after the Gunners agreed to pay £35.3million to secure his services. (El Gol)
Real Madrid are preparing a player-plus-cash deal to take Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to the Bernabeu. The La Liga champions and are willing to send Lucas Vazquez in the other direction as they prepare to freshen up their attacking options. (Don Balon)
Zinedine Zidane also expects to sign Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in January with an offer of €25million (£22.07m) being made as soon as the transfer window opens. It would mean long-term transfer target David de Gea would remain at Manchester United. (Marca)
Everton and Valencia are haggling over a fee for striker Sandro Ramirez. The Spaniard looks set to leave Goodison Park in January after struggling to settle following his move from Malaga in the summer. The 22-year-old wants to return to Spain and Valencia want to bolster their attacking ranks as they push for a Champions League place next season. (Cadena Cope)
Barcelona could be set to enter the chase for young Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt as a replacement for veteran Javier Mascherano. The Argentine is free to negotiate a move away from the Nou Camp in January. (Sport)
Barcelona are wanting to take up the option they have with Palmeiras to sign centre-back Yerry Mina for €9million (£7.9m) during the winter window. Manager Ernesto Valverde wants to bring in defensive reinforcements. (AS)
Juventus, the masters of the free transfer market, had hoped to sign Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa in the summer when his contract expired. The Turin giants viewed him as a long-term successor to Gianluigi Buffon. However, with Real Madrid prepared to go all out and pay as much as €30million (£26.4m) to sign him in January, the Serie A champions have ruled themselves out of the running. (Calciomercato)
AC Milan are keeping a close eye on a player dubbed 'the next Christian Eriksen'. Ajax midfielder Donny Van De Beek has caught the eye over recent weeks having scored five goals in his last four matches, including one in the 3-0 win over PSV. The 20-year-old versatile midfielder is seen as the ideal player to inject some creativity into the middle third for Gennaro Gattuso's team. (Calciomercato)
Touted as a future Bayern Munich manager, Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann is a possible candidate to takeover at Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Having just sacked Peter Bosz, the club appointed Peter Stoeger on an interim basis as they look to identify a new long-term manager, and Nagelsmann is one of the names being mentioned. (SportBild)
Lille manager Marcelo Bielsa is currently suspended after a poor start to the Ligue 1 season. The reason they are yet to sack 'El Loco' was recently revealed by the manager's agent who claims there is a clause in his contract which prevents him from being sacked for serious misconduct: "The pure and simple execution of his contract that runs until June 2019 (note: about €400,000 gross monthly). Which excludes besides, it is written black on white, any possibility of dismissal for serious misconduct. For now, we are in a legal battle with the LOSC. But an arrangement is always possible." (Le10Sport)
Jurgen Klopp has already identified a replacement for Barcelona transfer target Philippe Coutinho. The Liverpool manager wants to bring Monaco's Thomas Lemar to Anfield having failed to do so during the summer transfer window. The former Borussia Dortmund manager feels the Frenchman has the ideal profile to replace his midfield maestro. (L'Equipe)
