The transfer window for Europe’s biggest clubs is closed, but click here for all the deals and keep track of who has joined the big boys. And Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world’s media and set correspondents loose to see what’s on the agenda for the summer.
TOP STORY: Madrid monitor Dybala situation
All is not well in Turin. After deserting his teammates for an early shower after being an unused substitute against Parma, Paulo Dybala received a meagre seven minutes of action at Sassuolo.
The Argentine has let his dissatisfaction be known, and while Juventus received the message loud and clear, so too have Real Madrid, according to AS. Los Blancos have been interested in the 25-year-old attacker for the better part of three years now, and the disharmony at the Old Lady could encourage them to make their move this summer.
In a summer that could see Madrid offload Isco, Gareth Bale and more, the report states that the capital club are considering a €120 million offer for Dybala. It also suggests that the Champions League holders would prefer a cash-only purchase, rather than including any players to lower the fee, which raises an interesting point.
With Marcelo having been linked with leaving the Spanish capital for the north of Italy to follow in the footsteps of close friend Cristiano Ronaldo, could the 30-year-old Brazilian not be a useful makeweight in such a deal?
LIVE BLOG
08.54 GMT: Barcelona have not reached an agreement with Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic but do maintain an interest in the player, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.
Reports in Germany on Monday claimed Barca had struck a deal with Jovic and would now look to negotiate a transfer with Frankfurt. Sources told ESPN FC that is not the case but — as revealed in November — Jovic is one of the forwards interesting Barca as they look for a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez .
08.30 GMT: Brazilian left-back Marcelo says the idea of leaving Real Madrid this summer has not crossed his mind.
Marcelo has been strongly linked with Juventus but has been at Madrid for 10 years and is under contract with the club until 2022.
“Leaving Madrid has never crossed my mind,” he told Brazilian outlet Esporte Interativo. “I trust myself more than any other person and there is no reason to leave. If the day comes that Madrid doesn’t want me, I will go. If that happens, they can pay me and everything will be ok. I’ll be sad but I’ll go, although I’m sure that I’m not going to be offloaded.”
Marcelo admitted it was hard to see Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo leave in the summer.
“I gave everything for Zidane, we had a wonderful relationship,” he added. “I have a very good relationship with Cristiano, I played nine years with him and it’s normal to be sad.”
PAPER TALK
Sarri on borrowed time
The future of Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea has been a major topic of discussion recently. Then the Italian manager watched on helplessly as his side got stuffed 6-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad. So what next?
Well, the Telegraph reports that Chelsea’s answer lies close to home, suggesting that Sarri assistant Gianfranco Zola is the man most likely to take over as an interim replacement as Chelsea’s season goes from bad to worse.
It might not be a bad idea, either, particularly bearing in mind that a Champions League title was delivered in 2012 by a Chelsea manager with the word “caretaker” in his job title in the form of Roberto Di Matteo.
Tap-ins
– The Sun reports that Efe Ambrose is set to join Derby County on a short-term contract, with Frank Lampard adding the ex-Celtic star to the Rams’ promotion-chasing squad.