Transfers

Jose Mourinho is reportedly in advanced talks to take the reins at Benfica after the Portuguese club sacked manager Bruno Lage in the aftermath of their humiliating Champions League defeat to Qarabag FK. The Liga Portugal giants blew a two-goal lead on their way to a 3-2 defeat in their Champions League opener at home on Tuesday. Lage was immediately relieved of his duties after the game.

Manchester United have reportedly come up with a shortlist of five potential successors to replace under-pressure boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as a candidate for the job, along with Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, former England coach Gareth Southgate, Fulham's Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth.

The most tantalising fixture on matchday one of the new Champions League season comes from the Allianz Arena, where kings of Germany Bayern Munich play host to Club World Cup winners Chelsea. These two teams have history - this will be the Blues' first trip back to Bavaria since lifting their first European Cup there in 2012 - but there is an extremely contemporary entity now linking them.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has explained the club's decision to let Nicolas Jackson join Bayern Munich on a season-long loan. The striker secured a deadline day move to the German giants, just when it looked like a switch to the Bundesliga might not happen. Now, the Senegal international's current team are set to face his old employers in the Champions League.

Renan Lodi has unilaterally terminated his contract with Saudi heavyweights Al-Hilal after he was excluded from the list of players registered for the Saudi Pro League. A legal battle between the two parties is set to ensue, as the former Atletico Madrid left-back has vowed to "assert his rights like any worker" after being deprived of the chance to play regularly.

Arne Slot has jumped to the defence of Florian Wirtz after his slow start at Liverpool, while hitting out at those criticising the club's lavish spending. The Reds have been targeted after splashing £116 million ($158m) on the German and £450m ($615m) on arrivals overall, but Slot says that is not a fair assessment.

Manchester United players have made their feelings known on Rasmus Hojlund in response to the striker's fast start at Napoli following his loan move. It took him just 14 minutes in a Napoli shirt to do what he so often struggled to do at Old Trafford: score when it mattered.

Dele Alli has been told why it will be “tough” for him to land a working relationship with NFL legend Tom Brady at Birmingham City. Ex-England international Dele finds himself in the free agent pool again after being released by Como. A return to his homeland has been speculated on, with ambitious teams in the Championship among those said to be keen.

Senne Lammens' brother has admitted he felt that the Belgian goalkeeper should have joined Galatasaray instead of Manchester United in the summer transfer window, amid fears he would "succumb to the pressure" of life at Old Trafford. Lammens completed an £18 million ($25m) deadline day move from Royal Antwerp as the Red Devils decided against placing a formal offer for Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez.

Paul Scholes has torn into Manchester United for a "criminal offence" in the summer transfer window, with Ruben Amorim missing out on a "best in the world" signing. The Red Devils spent a whopping £205 million ($280m) on the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens, but have still made a poor start to the new season.

Arsenal have announced that former Rangers winger Archie Stevens is now a Gunners player, with the promising forward signing a professional contract with the Premier League giants. The talented teenager saw his time in Scotland brought to a close when walking away from Ibrox upon the expiration of his deal in Glasgow over the summer - making him a free agent.

Dani Ceballos reached out to Roberto De Zerbi to explain his decision to reject Marseille's offer as the midfielder opted to stay at Real Madrid. The French side approached the Spaniard late in the transfer window and even reached a deal with Madrid, with De Zerbi eager to make him a key player following Adrien Rabiot's exit.

Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen has made it clear he wants to extend his stay at Camp Nou beyond the current season. Despite his contract expiring next summer, the Dane rejected lucrative offers from the Premier League, Bundesliga, Saudi Arabia and even La Liga rivals in order to stay in Spain. With Inigo Martinez gone and Hansi Flick reshaping the defence, Christensen sees an open path to reclaim a starting role.

Erling Haaland has reportedly become an “obsession” for Joan Laporta, with Barcelona’s president confident that the Norwegian striker can be prised away from Manchester City. The Blaugrana will find themselves in the market for a new No.9 during the summer of 2026 as prolific Polish frontman Roberto Lewandowski is seeing his contract run down towards free agency.

A Paris Saint-Germain figurehead has appeared to aim a subtle dig at former goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma following his summer move to Manchester City. PSG football advisor Luis Campos has suggested that the Italian's salary demands were beyond their wage "policy" and that nobody is bigger than the club.

A Benfica presidential candidate has addressed speculation he wants to bring Ruben Amorim to the Portuguese giants after watching Manchester United's 3-0 loss to Manchester City. Joao Noronha Lopes and his team were at the Etihad for the Manchester derby and now he has made his thoughts on the Red Devils head coach perfectly clear.

Mikel Arteta was asked about Arsenal’s summer interest in Nico Williams as he faced the press ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Athletic Club. The San Sebastian-born coach played down speculation over a potential move for the Spain international but admitted the winger is a “fantastic player” admired at both club and international level.

Andre Onana has suggested his Manchester United story may not be over despite sealing a season-long loan move to Trabzonspor. The goalkeeper has chosen to leave his family in Manchester while he looks to rebuild his reputation in Turkey, a decision that hints at a possible long-term return to Old Trafford once his loan spell ends in the summer of 2026.

Julian Alvarez’s agent has poured cold water on rumours linking the Argentine World Cup winner with a sensational switch to Liverpool in the summer of 2024. Reports had claimed the Reds proposed a swap involving Luis Diaz, but Fernando Hidalgo has now confirmed there were no official approaches, insisting the forward remains fully committed to Atletico Madrid.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has insisted that he never said he wanted to leave the club in the summer ahead of signing a new contract at the club. The World Cup winner was heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid but instead committed his future, whilst also being appointed club captain.

Robert Lewandowski has recalled the difficulty he had when speaking with Sir Alex Ferguson about a potential move to Manchester United. The Polish striker had been linked with a move to Old Trafford for some time during his Borussia Dortmund days and has explained why such no such deal materialised before he ended up heading to Bayern Munich and then Barcelona.

Tottenham sent scouts to watch Monaco play Auxerre in Ligue 1 this weekend, as they continue to run the rule over attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche. The club were linked with a summer swoop to sign the 23-year-old and appear to be keeping a watching brief on the young forward. During the summer, Spurs signed Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

Christian Pulisic has been advised to keep his “eye open” when it comes to a possible transfer away from AC Milan. The USMNT star has been posting personal bests during his time in Italy, but the Rossoneri have struggled for consistency as a collective and that has led to speculation suggesting that Pulisic could be lured away from San Siro by the right offer.

Manchester City are ready to rival Liverpool for potential free agent Marc Guehi next summer. The Reds agreed a deal to sign the Crystal Palace centre-back in the summer but the move collapsed on deadline day as the Eagles pulled the plug at the eleventh hour. Now, the Reds face intense competition for his signature, with his contract expiring.

Andrew Robertson has revealed how close he came to leaving Liverpool for Atletico Madrid in the summer. The Scotland international was linked with a surprise move to LaLiga after the Reds secured the signing of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth but he ultimately chose to stay put on Merseyside and fight for his place.

Andre Onana is being tipped to secure a marquee transfer away from Manchester United in 2026, with a loan spell at Trabzonspor allowing his reputation to be rebuilt. The Cameroon international is now out of sight and mind at Old Trafford, but the expectation is that another big club will come calling once his ability has been highlighted again in Turkey.

Manchester United have been urged to launch a January swoop for Marc Guehi after the Crystal Palace captain's proposed move to Liverpool fell through. The centre-back was set to move to Anfield on deadline day but, at the eleventh hour, the move collapsed, leaving Guehi to spend at least the first half of the season at Selhurst Park.

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the midfielder to discuss his record move, challenges of Europe and his USMNT ambitions

Chelsea's plan for new signing Facundo Buonanotte has been revealed after signing the Argentine midfielder on a season-long loan deal from Brighton on deadline day. Buonanotte was close to sealing a temporary switch to newly-promoted Leeds United, but the Blues swept in to hijack the deal, which saw them pay a £2 million (€2.3m/$2.7m) loan fee for the Brighton sensation.