A round-up of Monday's football transfer gossip includes Manchester United's interest in Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde, Liverpool's search for a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk, and Real Madrid's pursuit of Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
According to Spanish outlet Record via Marca, the 23-year-old Spain international Balde could leave Barcelona in January, alerting Manchester United. If Balde departs, Barcelona may move for Manchester United's 28-year-old Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez, as reported by the Mirror.
Liverpool have identified Nottingham Forest's 24-year-old Brazil centre-back Murillo and Borussia Dortmund's 26-year-old Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck as potential replacements for 35-year-old Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, according to Caught Offside.
Real Madrid are monitoring Brighton's 24-year-old Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as a future replacement for 34-year-old Belgium stopper Thibaut Courtois, per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
Other rumours include Manchester United possibly selling 32-year-old Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes rather than losing him for free next summer (Mail), Marcus Rashford exploring a move if he lacks regular starts (Football Insider), Tottenham retaining interest in Nottingham Forest's 26-year-old England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White (Football Insider), and Barcelona and Real Madrid both keen on Tottenham's 27-year-old Spain right-back Pedro Porro despite a £62m asking price (Sport).
Monaco's 25-year-old United States striker Folarin Balogun could leave in January with Manchester United among potential suitors (Teamtalk), while Arsenal face competition from AC Milan, Aston Villa and Roma for Real Madrid's 20-year-old Brazil forward Endrick (Calcio Mercato). Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United are also tracking Villarreal's 22-year-old United States defender Alex Freeman (Football Insider).
