Barcelona working hard to sign 29-year-old striker, Manchester United's conditions to let attacker leave in January revealed and more: Fabrizio Romano Exclusive

The transfer window is officially open, so now, it's time for negotiations and surprises. After Ferran Torres, Barcelona have begun to look at the possibility of buying a new central striker for Xavi Hernandez. His desire these days is Alvaro Morata, who is currently on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. The deal involves three clubs and is not easy to pull off, especially in January.

Morata wants an immediate transfer to Barcelona and Xavi is actively pursuing him. The problem is mainly linked to Juventus, who must find another striker within the next few days, which won't be an easy task. Meanwhile, an agreement is also needed between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, which has not yet been reached so far. This is why the operation is complicated and it remains to be seen if Barcelona will be able to resolve the situation within four weeks.

Remaining in Spain, Real Madrid have denied rumors of an agreement for the transfer of Erling Haaland. As for January, there is no possibility of a transfer and the Norwegian will remain at Borussia Dortmund at least until the end of the current season. Only in the coming months will he decide which clubs he wants to move to.

Real Madrid, however, are working on new contracts. At the moment, Luka Modric, whose agreement expires in June 2022, is the priority. The club has been planning a new contract for Modric until 2023, but there are still some details to be fixed, after which there will be a meeting to ensure the continuity of the Croatian for the 2022-23 season. His relationship with Carlo Ancelotti is excellent and therefore, he will not leave the club as a free agent.

The case of the week in the Premier League is Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker angered Chelsea fans, the club and Thomas Tuchel because of a very strong interview in which he spoke openly about his his love for Inter Milan, his decision to leave Milano only due to his failure to renew his contract and a lot more. These were strong claims that surprised everyone because the club was unaware of Lukaku's interview.

Tuchel himself was very surprised by what happened and his decision to leave the striker out of the squad for the match against Liverpool was a form of protection for his team. Tuchel had no doubts about his decision precisely because Lukaku had given an interview without alerting the club and also because the contents of the interview were very questionable.

Chelsea have no intention of selling Lukaku despite questionable interview

Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League

The parties will clarify face to face very soon, but Chelsea's stance is very clear in the early weeks of the January transfer window - there is no intention to sell or offload Romelu Lukaku during the month of January.

The Blues invested €115 million for the Belgian in the summer and have absolutely no desire of getting rid of him after only four months. They'll need to clarify the situation and heal a fracture - Lukaku will certainly have to be forgiven by the club, Tuchel, his teammates, and of course, the fans.

And Inter? It is fair to clarify that at the moment the club has no thoughts of re-signing Lukaku in January. This is because his salary is close to €12m net per year and Inter are not experiencing an easy economic situation, so they absolutely cannot afford to buy back Lukaku despite his love for the club. The only possibility would be linked to a loan that Chelsea have never considered so far. There has hasn't been dialogue or negotiation with Inter and there is no real possibility of seeing Lukaku in Milan in January. AC Milan and Juventus are not seen as pleasing destinations to the player who has already made it publicly clear how he would never go to one of Inter's two rival clubs after signing for Chelsea last summer. In short, Romelu knows that settling the situation with the London club is probably the wisest thing.

Finally, Manchester United's plan for Edinson Cavani is very clear. As Ralf Rangnick reiterated, there is no intention of selling the striker in January because he is considered fundamental to the club's goals. Corinthians have never approached Cavani's camp directly, while Barcelona thought about the Uruguayan before looking for Alvaro Morata. Cavani will remain in England and will decide his future at the end of the season, with his Manchester United contract set to expire in June 2022.

Anthony Martial, on the other hand, could soon leave the club, but Manchester United are demanding potential suitors to pay his salary until the end of the season and also a loan fee to let the Frenchman leave. Sevilla, like other clubs, are now aware of the conditions to buy Martial in January.