Transfer Market: Madrid Eyes McTominay, Chelsea Keeping Tabs on De Jong

The market waits for no one, and this week brings another handful of familiar names back into the headlines. There's a storyline with Spanish flavor too: Real Madrid has already made a move for a midfielder whose future in Italy remains unsettled, while in England a longtime giant is keeping a close eye on one of Barcelona's key pieces.

Let's take it step by step. Scott McTominay is going through an odd stretch at Napoli: contract renewal talks have stalled, which has set off alarm bells. According to Tuttomercatoweb, Madrid has already reached out to the Scotsman's representatives to gauge the situation. He's not short on suitors either. If a deal with the Italian club keeps failing to materialize, Premier League clubs could also enter the picture. Don't expect an immediate departure, though. Napoli wants to tie him down in January, if only to buy time and negotiate without pressure, so any real movement will likely be pushed back to next summer.

In England, Chelsea has its radar locked on Frenkie de Jong. According to the newspaper Sport, the London club is closely monitoring the Dutchman's situation with January in mind. Barcelona, for its part, is evaluating his playing time following the knee injury he'd been carrying, and with more competition in midfield, things aren't entirely clear-cut for him. Chelsea has already shown it won't hesitate to strengthen that area of the pitch (just look at the Enzo Fernandez deal with Manchester City), and in Barcelona no one is ruling anything out. But De Jong has been clear about what he wants: to stay and reclaim his role under Hansi Flick.

Moves in Germany and a Possible Endrick Exit

Bayern Munich is also shopping. According to journalist Christian Falk, the Bavarians are closely tracking Luka Vuskovic, the Croatian center back at Brighton who earned plenty of praise during his loan spell at Hamburg last season. The player is thrilled at the idea of joining Bayern, but there's a catch: the club first needs to move on either Kim Min-Jae or Hiroki Ito to clear space and free up budget. For now, there's no offer on the table.

Another player who could pack his bags in January is Endrick. The Brazilian forward, who has seen little playing time at Madrid this season, would reportedly be open to a loan move to Milan, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Milan isn't the only club interested: Roma and Aston Villa have also inquired about him, but Milan holds an extra card, the strong relationship between owner Gerry Cardinale and the player's representatives at Roc Nation. Still, everything hinges on Madrid giving the green light.

And speaking of Madrid, there's another name still in the file: Michael Olise. Sky Germany reports that the Spanish club expects the winger to eventually sign a renewal with Bayern, which has already opened preliminary talks to extend a contract running through 2029, with terms that could make him the highest-paid player in the squad. The door to Madrid remains slightly open, but without a concrete offer, Olise is staying put. Should renewal talks collapse, Bayern itself could consider letting him leave.

What's Brewing in Other Leagues

Newcastle appears set to go after Gabriel Sara of Galatasaray, though Everton has also picked up the pace in recent weeks. In Italy, Juventus is already looking at alternatives to the loaned-out Nick Woltemade, with Florian Balogun (Monaco) emerging as a strong candidate and Antonio Raimondo (Frosinone) also in the mix.

In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen has two situations to manage: the club could lose Christian Kofane, who dreams of the Premier League and would turn down a renewal, while working against the clock to lock down Ibrahim Maza on a long-term deal through June 2030.

Finally, two stories that do seem to be moving forward: Kai Havertz will sit down with Arsenal to discuss a contract extension, and at Barcelona everything points to Raphinha putting pen to paper today on a new deal through 2030. Meanwhile, Galatasaray isn't giving up and has renewed its push for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.