Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a freak last-gasp goal to snatch a 4-3 victory for Inter over Fiorentina in a Serie A thriller at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

A frantic first half saw Inter race into a two-goal lead with only 15 minutes on the clock, Nicolo Barella opening the scoring and Martinez doubling the lead, but Arthur Cabral's penalty gave the Viola hope.

Jonathan Ikone curled home an equaliser on the hour mark before Martinez doubled his tally from the penalty spot, but Luka Jovic appeared to have snatched a point with time running out.

The drama was not over, however, as substitute Lorenzo Venuti saw his attempted clearance hit Mkhitaryan on the shin and bobble into the net in one stunning final twist.

The Frenkie de Jong transfer rumour mill is heating up once again as we get closer to January, with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly set to join Manchester United in the pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder.

De Jong, 25, was one of the most ubiquitous names in the most recent transfer window, with United and Barcelona in regular communication as Erik ten Hag tried to recruit his former Ajax pupil.

After deciding to remain at Camp Nou, despite the LaLiga club urging him to leave to help ease their finances, De Jong has started six out of 14 matches for the Blaugrana so far this season.

With their Champions League campaign looking headed for an early exit, and more playing time likely on the table in the Premier League, it may seem more palatable for the Dutch international to make the jump in January.

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE GIANTS PREPARE BIDS FOR BARCELONA'S DE JONG

Barcelona and United agreed on a deal starting at €65million plus add-ons before De Jong decided to veto the move by refusing to sign a contract with the Old Trafford side.

With his contract still tying him to Barcelona until 2026, there is no reason to believe that figure would dip unless the Catalan outfit are desperate to get a deal done.

ESPN's report claims Chelsea have had their interest spurred by the injury status of N'Golo Kante, who will apparently miss around four months after undergoing surgery on his hamstring, while Liverpool have made no secret about their desire for midfield reinforcements, and are said to have contacted De Jong's representatives.

ROUND-UP

– According to Football Italia, Juventus will be willing to sell 24-year-old American midfielder Weston McKennie for €20m in January.   

– The Evening Standard is reporting Arsenal are interested in 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka, with the French international set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

– Wilfried Zaha is likely to reject a new contract from Crystal Palace so he can join a top-six Premier League side when his deal expires at the end of the season, per the Daily Mail.

– Football Insider claims 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko has caught the eye of the world's elite clubs, with interest coming from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.

– Le 10 Sport is reporting Inter view Sevilla centre-back Tanguy Nianzou and Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby as potential replacements for Milan Skriniar, with the Slovakian expected to leave in January.

Romelu Lukaku is expected to return from injury when Inter host Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League next Wednesday, Simone Inzaghi has revealed.

Lukaku scored 24 goals as Inter won the Serie A title in the 2020-2 season, and was expected to play a key role in another tilt at the Scudetto after returning on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

However, a thigh injury has kept Lukaku sidelined since August, with the Belgium striker's recovery taking longer than was initially expected.

With Inter bidding to secure qualification for the Champions League round of 16 next week, Inzaghi is keen to get Lukaku back, but he will not feature at Fiorentina in Serie A on Saturday.

"He has been training partially in a group for two days. He has to regain his condition, but he is very motivated," Inter head coach Inzaghi said. "Finally, after a very long time, he has overcome the injury. 

"He will not be with us tomorrow in Florence, [but] we try to bring him back on Wednesday. He has to find his condition, but after seeing him work, I am confident."

Inter finished just two points behind rivals Milan at the culmination of the Scudetto battle last season, but are already eight points adrift of leaders Napoli this campaign.

Asked whether Inter could still play a part in the title race, Inzaghi added: "Now we have to look at the calendar, to be realistic. 

"There is a gap and they are racing ahead, now the goal is to recover points in the league and go through in the Champions League.

"What matters most is to think game-by-game, now there are so many games missing until the [World Cup] break, and we have to get there in the best possible way."

Inter have won on their last two Serie A trips to Fiorentina; only once in their history have they won three successive away league games against the Viola (between 1977 and 1980).

Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri are unbeaten in their last 10 league meetings with Fiorentina (W5 D5), having lost five of their previous six games against them (W1).

Chelsea have reportedly identified two major targets for the January transfer window, with plans to secure RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and Lille's Jonathan David.

Nkunku has been in brilliant form over the past 18 months. He netted 35 goals in 52 club appearances last season and was rewarded with his international debut for France in March. Having been equally as brilliant for Leipzig this season, the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker is set for a breakout World Cup campaign with the reigning champions.

David will also be at the World Cup, representing Canada in only their second qualification for a finals, and the country's first since 1986. With Lille, the 22-year-old has nine goals and two assists in 11 Ligue 1 games this season.

Chelsea's interest in Nkunku has been well-established for months, while David is newly on their radar, and both could be wearing blue by the end of January.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLAN TO SPLASH THE CASH

News emerged in recent weeks that Chelsea were able to conduct a preliminary medical on Nkunku in the recent transfer window, and despite Leipzig's wishes to retain his services until the end of the season, The Mirror is reporting Chelsea are trying to get a deal done in January for a price in the range of £52million.

Meanwhile, Jeunesfooteux claims it will cost Chelsea at least £60m to tempt Lille into letting go of David, as the Canadian is still under contract until June 2025.

The Mirror's report adds Chelsea are hoping to land Brighton and Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard – who head coach Graham Potter developed an affinity for during his time with the Seagulls. They could face competition from Atletico Madrid, however.

ROUND-UP:

– Calciomercato is reporting Juventus have an interest in Atletico midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka.

– According to The Evening Standard, highly desired Serie A talents Milan Skriniar of Inter and Rafael Leao of Milan appear likely to sign contract extensions with their respective clubs.

– Sky Sports Germany claims Bayern Munich remain heavily interested in Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who will have 18 months remaining on his contract when the January transfer window arrives.

– Napoli winger Hirving Lozano is likely to leave the club in January, according to Calciomercato, as his contract demands are said to be more than the Italian side are comfortable with.

– The Guardian is reporting Manchester United are delaying their contract decisions for David de Gea and Marcus Rashford as Erik ten Hag wants to see more before potentially offering extensions.

Lautaro Martinez believes Sunday's 2-0 win over Salernitana proved Inter have matured as a result of honest conversations that occurred in the changing room during their difficult run.

Their win at San Siro made it four games unbeaten across all competitions for the Nerazzurri, though that run followed a sequence of five defeats in 10 at the start of the season.

Before Sunday's game, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni told Sky Italia their recent improvement came after purposeful talks among the players behind the scenes.

Bastoni indicated Inter came to understand there were too many players complaining about others, with this realisation helping force a change in attitude.

While Martinez – scorer of the first goal on Sunday – did not want to elaborate on specifics, he feels Inter are past their issues.

"What we say in the locker room stays there," he said to Sky Italia. "We talked a lot after the defeats, we started working and it shows on the pitch.

"This victory means that we have grown and matured after the match against Barcelona at home.

"We are fine, we have to continue like this."

Asked if Inter are "back", he added: "We are on the right path, we have moved on."

Inter's early season struggles led to head coach Simone Inzaghi coming under pressure, though he insists he was never particularly concerned, well aware such scrutiny is to be expected in his job.

He said: "It is normal that things weren't working out, we looked at 84 points last year as a defeat, behind Milan.

"We come from three wins and a draw – what I look at now is on the field. There are pressures and there always will be – I know what job I'm doing.

"We had control of this match from the start to the end. We have to continue like this, things are going well and they have to get better."

Inter clinched their third win in four games as they comfortably beat Salernitana 2-0 at San Siro.

Simone Inzaghi had come under pressure after a shaky start to the season saw Inter lose five of their first 10 matches, but they are now unbeaten in four and built on Wednesday's promising 3-3 draw away to Barcelona with three points in Serie A.

Lautaro Martinez's long-range effort gave Inter a first-half lead on Sunday, and although the hosts struggled to add to that initially, Salernitana rarely looked capable of posing much of a threat.

A brilliant Nicolo Barella goal put Inter in complete control just before the hour, ensuring the Nerazzurri moved to within two points of the top four for at least a few hours.

The visitors' resistance lasted just 13 minutes as Martinez's 25-yard strike bobbled awkwardly on its way past Luigi Sepe and into the bottom-left corner.

Edin Dzeko headed agonisingly wide as Inter looked to put the game beyond Salernitana, before Sepe kept out Milan Skriniar's powerful close-range effort.

But Inter's best opportunity to double the lead before the break came on the stroke of half-time – Martinez missed the ball as he tried to backheel Denzel Dumfries' pass goalwards, with Sepe saving a point-blank header when the Argentinian was offered a fortunate reprieve.

Boulaye Dia forced Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana into action early in the second half, but the points were wrapped up four minutes later.

Barella brought Hakan Calhanoglu's pinpoint pass down exquisitely in the box before flicking the ball past a defender and drilling left-footed into the bottom-right corner to seal a routine triumph.

What does it mean? – Inzaghi building positivity again

It was not so long ago that Inzaghi looked in real danger of losing his job. He certainly is not out of the woods yet, but things are going in the right direction.

With three wins and a draw – which itself was very nearly a victory – in the past 12 days, Inter are beginning to look a little more like their usual selves.

While this may not have been a spectacular performance, you have to credit the professionalism in Inter's display. Salernitana hardly threatened at all.

Calhanoglu pulls the strings

Much of what was good about Inter's performance stemmed from Calhanoglu. The Turkey international's four key passes led the match, and he also got an assist for Barella's goal with that wonderful long-range pass into the box.

Piatek virtually anonymous

Former Milan forward Krzysztof Piatek was particularly quiet for Salernitana. He probably was not helped by being seemingly shunted out to the right, but even then he might have been a bit more involved. The Poland international was unsurprisingly withdrawn just after Inter's second goal, having had just one attempt, though he did get it on target at least.

What's next?

Inter go to Fiorentina on Saturday, while Salernitana host Spezia the same day.

Ronaldo has revealed he is in therapy following a battle with depression as the Brazil great bemoaned the way mental health problems were "absolutely ignored" during his playing days.

The former PSV, Barcelona, Inter and Real Madrid superstar was widely recognised as one of the finest players of his generation.

Ronaldo went to four World Cups with Brazil and won both the Golden Boot and the Silver Ball in their 2002 success, having played no part in the Selecao's 1994 triumph.

But he remarkably only won two domestic league titles (both in LaLiga with Madrid) as his career was hampered by injuries.

In a new documentary on DAZN, Ronaldo discussed mental health in football with former Madrid and Brazil team-mate Roberto Carlos.

And 'O Fenomeno' was asked further about his own struggles in an interview with Marca, confirming he had suffered from depression.

"Today I am in therapy," Ronaldo said. "I have been in therapy for two and a half years, and I understand myself much better than before.

"But then again, I'm from a generation in which you were thrown into the arena and you had to do your best without the slightest hint of drama.

"I look back, and I see that yes, we were exposed to a very, very big mental strain and without any preparation for it.

"Also because it was the beginning of the internet era, with the speed at which information travels. At that time, there was no concern about the mental health of the players.

"Today players are much better prepared, they are given the medical attention they need to face the day to day, and players are studied more: the profiles of each player, how they react, how they should react.

"In my time, there was none of that, unfortunately, because we have known all our lives that soccer can cause a lot of stress and be very decisive for the rest of our lives."

He added: "The reality is that we didn't even know this kind of problem existed. It was absolutely ignored among our generation.

"Many, obviously, have gone through terrible times, even depression, because of the lack of privacy, the lack of freedom.

"It is true that the problems were very obvious, but the solutions were not very available."

Joan Laporta has told Barcelona fans to "keep believing" as they head into El Clasico on Sunday looking to hit back from a midweek Champions League disappointment.

A 3-3 draw with Inter on Wednesday was a blow to Barca's hopes of reaching the round of 16, but a win against Real Madrid in one of the most anticipated fixtures in world football would be a perfect response.

The fierce rivals head into the match level on points, with the Catalan giants top of LaLiga by virtue of their superior goal difference.

Barca president Laporta urged supporters to maintain their faith in Xavi and his players, telling BarcaTV: "Keep believing. We have a very competitive team, with very good players who are going to bring you a lot of joy.

"Stick behind Xavi, he needs your warmth and confidence. That's what we will give him and we hope the fans do too.

"I have my full faith in Xavi and his staff, and also with the players. We have a great squad and I'm sure they'll bring us a lot of joy. We have a team to compete against anyone in Europe.

"We'll get through this. We won't ever stop working for what we want. This club has had all kinds of ups and downs over the years, but we have always bounced back. And we can still do that, from every part of the club."

Laporta acknowledged just how important Sunday's fixture could be in the title race, adding: "We're top of the league and there's a big game on the way at the Bernabeu.

"El Clasico is very important, whoever wins get a huge injection of morale and the loser takes a mighty blow. It's the kind of game you want to see. We'll go there with our heads held high. We have a team to do things there.

"I hope the players will defend the Barca shirt with the right spirit, because whenever you get knocked down, you have to pick yourself up again. We want to show how good we are and that we can win the league."

Laporta spoke of his frustration at not securing a win over Inter that would have put their chances of progressing in their own hands.

"It was a big game for us and I am sad and angry that we didn't win despite scoring three goals," Laporta said.

"It was always going to be a difficult group. We should have got a better result in Munich because we were the better team.

"And the refereeing in Milan was scandalous. We shouldn't play the victims card, but we were very unhappy with the match officials, and I spoke to UEFA about it afterwards.

"Financially, missing out on the latter stages of the Champions League is a big blow."

Robert Lewandowski admits Barcelona forgot how to defend in their 3-3 Champions League draw with Inter on Wednesday as they were so focused on scoring.

Barcelona realistically required victory in their Group C encounter with Inter at Camp Nou to remain in with a shot of avoiding an early elimination for the second season running.

However, Nicola Barella and Lautaro Martinez struck after Ousmane Dembele had given Barca a half-time lead, before Lewandowski levelled up with a deflected shot.

Xavi's men went all out for a winner and were caught out by Robin Gosens late on, though Lewandowski's second goal did at least keep them in the competition for now.

Inter are three points better off than Barcelona and can eliminate the Catalan giants from the competition with a home win against pointless Viktoria Plzen in two weeks' time.

Lewandowski took his tally to 14 goals in all competitions this term – only Erling Haaland has scored more in Europe's top five leagues – but it was a day of disappointment. 

"We wanted to score so much that we forgot about the defence," the Poland international told Movistar+. "Inter got through on goal too easily and often had a man over in attack.

"We've had a lot of injuries in recent weeks and it's not easy to change the line-up all the time. We've lacked stability and that maybe explains the situation.

"Inter are tough opponents for any striker. They defend with five players and also have a defensive midfielder. 

"We tried to attack with many players but it meant we lost coverage. We scored three goals but conceded the same amount. We were disappointed not to get the win."

The high-scoring draw with Inter was only the fourth time in their Champions League history Barca have conceded three goals in the second half of a game.

It also marked the first time in six visits to Camp Nou in the competition Inter have avoided defeat, paving the way for the Nerazzurri to wrap up qualification at Barca's expense.

Gosens, the scorer of the visitors' third goal, told Inter TV: "This was a match between two sides that wanted to win. We showed we have the right spirit to do well at Camp Nou.

"This is one of the most important stadiums in the world and not everybody comes away from here with a point. We stayed in the game and played like a real Inter side.

"This result must now stimulate the team to give even more. We know we've hurt a team like Barca and this must encourage us to do even more."

Real Madrid had a drawn-out pursuit of Kylian Mbappe earlier this year but ultimately missed out on the France forward.

Mbappe opted to sign a lucrative contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain in May, tying him to the Parisians until 2025.

But earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano reported the situation between PSG and Mbappe had got tense, with the player keen to depart.

TOP STORY – MADRID MOVE ON FROM MBAPPE AMID TRANSFER TWIST

Marca claims that Real Madrid are no longer have interest in signing Mbappe amid reports that he is unsettled at PSG and wants to leave.

The report claims that Los Blancos are observing the situation from afar with no desire to participate in the latest drama.

Romano also said PSG had no intention of selling Mbappe in January amid the speculation he wanted out. PSG director Luis Campos denied the report on Tuesday.

ROUND-UP

– Bayern Munich will turn to Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram should they fail to land Tottenham's Harry Kane , reports TZ. Thuram's Gladbach deal ends at the end of this season.

– Sky Sport's Florian Plettenberg reports that Toni Kroos and Real Madrid are set to commence talks on a new deal running until 2024, with his currently deal expiring at season's end.

– Barcelona will try to lure Chelsea pair N'Golo Kante and Jorginho to Camp Nou as free agents at the end of this season, claims the Evening Standard. The Blues are currently trying to convince both to re-sign.

– 90min claims Manchester City have told Bayern Munich and Inter that defender Nathan Ake is not for sale in January, following speculation about their interest.

– West Ham have joined Roma and Manchester United in pursuing a deal for Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, according to Calciomercato.

– Football Insider reports Brentford have commenced discussions with England international striker Ivan Toney on a new deal, with Tottenham linked to him.

Simone Inzaghi admitted he left Camp Nou feeling regretful but hailed Inter's performance at Barcelona as the Nerazzurri took a significant step to the Champions League knockout stages.

Robin Gosens seemed to have secured qualification for Inzaghi's visitors on Wednesday, scoring to make it 3-2 in the 89th minute, only for Robert Lewandowski to equalise three minutes later.

It was not the first time Inter had squandered the lead, though, having been pegged back earlier by Lewandowski after second-half goals from Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez followed Ousmane Dembele's 40th-minute opener.

Despite twice relinquishing the advantage, Inter need just one win from their last two games to progress from Group C, though Inzaghi wishes his side could have sealed qualification with victory in Spain.

"There is regret, for what we have created and for the last chance, with a victory we would have qualified with two games to spare," the Inter head coach said. 

"But we have played two games of great application against Barcelona. In my opinion, they are a very, very strong team."

While Inter ultimately settled for sharing the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw, the stalemate proved a marked improvement as it ended a five-game losing streak at Barcelona in the Champions League.

With just one win needed against either Viktoria Plzen or Bayern Munich, who have already progressed, Inzaghi aims to deliver qualification for the second season in a row to appease the Nerazzurri faithful.

Asked whether the result at Barca could prove a turning point for Inter's somewhat underwhelming season thus far, Inzaghi responded: "Maybe, but as I said before we miss the last step.

"We have to give the qualification to our fans as we did last year after eleven years, it would be the second year in a row. We missed the last step."

Inter caught Barca cold with three second-half goals, the Blaugrana conceding three or more times in a single half of Champions League football for just the fourth time in their history.

Inzaghi acknowledged his plan was to attack by starting with Edin Dzeko and Martinez, while he suggested another strong performance against a European heavyweight will help his side to improve.

"Yes, we played it openly, I thought about whether to play the two forwards because they have been playing for the last three games," Inzaghi added.

"Instead, Dzeko and Lautaro were very good together and played a very good match against an opponent that we have managed to limit.

"We have faced Real Madrid and Liverpool. Now we have faced Barcelona twice in two very good matches, which have put us in a very good position. Now it is up to us to grow."

Xavi declared Barcelona "do not deserve" to progress in the Champions League after failing to beat Inter at home on Wednesday.

Robert Lewandowski took his tally to 14 goals in all competitions this season – only Erling Haaland has scored more in Europe's top five leagues – with two late equalisers in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Inter.

The Poland striker first levelled after Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez put Inter in front following Ousmane Dembele's opener, before cancelling out Robin Gosens' 89th-minute strike three minutes later.

Lewandowski now has five goals in his first two Champions League games for Barca at Camp Nou, though that meant little to Xavi after Barca were left trailing Inter by three points with just two games to go.

"If you don't beat Inter at home you don't deserve to go on," the Blaugrana head coach told reporters, with Inter needing just one win from their final two games to progress and eliminate Barca.

"Now it doesn't depend on us anymore, we don't deserve to continue in the Champions League. It is a hard blow, very hard. The word would be cruel.

"If one player or the other makes a mistake as a manager, it's my responsibility. I take full responsibility when my players make mistakes.

"We had to stay focused and instead we went on the pitch badly in the second half, but it remains a mistake of the coach.

"In front of such extraordinary supporters, you had to do more. I'm disappointed and this competition is cruel to us."

The stalemate not only signalled the likely end of Barca's Champions League campaign this season, it also marked the first time in six games that Inter have avoided defeat at the Blaugrana in the competition.

Barca veteran Sergio Busquets echoed Xavi's sentiments, bemoaning the Blaugrana for failing to deliver after investing heavily in the last transfer window to bring in the likes of Lewandowski and Raphinha.

"A disappointment. It was a difficult group but we had to aspire to more after all the signings that have been made," Busquets said. "It is not mathematically [impossible] but it is very difficult.

"We have not been as forceful in the areas and that is paid for in the Champions League. It was heads or tails and it went wrong for us in that second half."

While Barca's hopes hang on the unlikely scenario of Inter losing against both Viktoria Plzen and Bayern Munich, who have already progressed, Xavi must now turn his attentions to Sunday's clash with Real Madrid.

"We think of [Real] Madrid [in Sunday's] Clasico tomorrow, it will not be easy to win, but we must think of the championship where we want to continue to be first in the standings.

"The season is long, we have not given the best for our mistakes and this is cruel. We must continue."

Eric Garcia conceded Barcelona "made mistakes that cannot be made" in their thrilling Champions League draw with Inter.

Xavi's side are hanging on by a thread in UEFA's flagship club competition, needing Inter to fail to win either of their final two games if they are to snatch progression from Group C.

Barca were indebted to two late equalisers from Robert Lewandowski, who cancelled out Robin Gosens' 89th-minute strike after already making it 2-2.

Garcia acknowledged Barca were far from good enough in a second half that also saw Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez score after Ousmane Dembele's earlier opener.

"We have made mistakes that cannot be made at this level," the centre-back told Movistar.

"We were where we wanted, pressing high, stealing balls and we wanted to continue the same way, but in the second there was a lot of lack of control and we took the risk of playing with three at the back.

"They were the 15 minutes that almost killed us. We battled to the end to get the draw and as long as there is hope we have to continue.[But] we had a huge opportunity and we did not take advantage of it."

Simone Inzaghi's side require just one win from games against Viktoria Plzen and Bayern Munich, who have already progressed, to seal a place in the last 16 – but goalscorer Barella insisted the job is not complete yet.

"We really wanted a win. A draw arrived instead, but we are still very happy with our spirit on the pitch," the Italy international told Amazon Prime Video. "We are finding it and we are satisfied.

"We went through a period in which nothing suited us and we got carried away – now we want to return to the team we were.

"It's not done yet. You never know – we'll give it our all until the end."

Robert Lewandowski twice equalised late on but Barcelona's hopes of progressing to the Champions League knockout stage look slim after a 3-3 draw with Inter.

Lewandowski's late show keeps Barca's chances alive, though the Blaugrana are now relying on Inter not to win either of their final two Group C matches.

Ousmane Dembele's first-half strike put them ahead, though elimination was back on the cards as Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez struck in a chaotic second half.

Robin Gosens thought he had sent Inter into the last 16 in the 89th minute, only for Lewandowski to score his second goal in the space of 10 minutes to snatch a point for Barca.

Manchester United are joining Milan in the chase for midfielder Davide Frattesi, with Sassuolo reportedly willing to cash in on him if their asking price is met.

Frattesi, 23, burst onto the scene this past season after returning from three consecutive loan stints in Serie B, earning 35 league starts before taking a step forward this term with three goals in nine games.

His rapid ascension earned him his first senior international cap for Italy in June, and he has since started in big Nations League fixtures against Germany and England.

There was a belief he could leave the club this past transfer window, when Sassuolo also sold Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham, but his continued improvement means he could be gone in January.

TOP STORY – UNITED PONDER MOVE FOR SASSUOLO'S FRATTESI

According to Calciomercato, United sent scouts to Sassuolo to get a closer look at the six-foot tall midfielder, and were told he could be available for a price of €35million.

United may find that a bit rich after recent reports their financial position will only allow them to make a move for one of Jude Bellingham or Frenkie de Jong, but they could receive a cash injection of their own if they are to part ways with 23-year-old defender Diogo Dalot. Calciomercato also claims Dalot wishes to leave the club, and Juventus have a strong interest in him. 

Frattesi's contract ties him to the Serie A side until 2026, giving them all the leverage in the negotiation, and with Milan's interest already established, that price tag may not be an unreasonable demand.

ROUND-UP

– Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting Juventus are preparing a January move for Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who will only have 18 months remaining on his contract.

– After reportedly turning down a bid of €60m from Paris Saint-Germain in the most recent transfer window, Tuttosport now claims Inter will accept a bid in the range of €25m for centre-back Milan Skriniar in January, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

– Sky Sport's Florian Plettenberg believes PSV forward Cody Gakpo has no interest in joining Leeds United, who are said to have launched a move for him on deadline day, and will instead hold out for a bigger move.

– According to Record, Tottenham are keen on signing 21-year-old Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte, although his price is believed to be set at €80m.

– The Athletic are reporting Erling Haaland has a €200m release clause in his Manchester City contract that can be activated by any team outside of England as soon as 2024.