With most of the major European seasons now complete, the rumour mill has been sent into overdrive as clubs ponder their moves ahead of what will be a busy transfer window. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Man United, Barca both in for Kounde
Manchester United are facing competition for the signature of Sevilla FC‘s Jules Kounde, according to Mundo Deportivo. The French centre-back is now on the shortlist of Barcelona as Ronald Koeman continues Barca’s rebuild since finishing third in La Liga this season.
With Gerard Pique now at 34-years-old, Kounde is seen as a potential future replacement and a player that can dominate aerially.
Barcelona are reported to have been monitoring the 22-year-old since his standout performance in the Europa League final against Internazionale in 2020, but Kounde’s stock has since continued to rise, featuring 34 times at the heart of Sevilla’s defence in the club’s record-setting season of 77 points in the league.
The Frenchman has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League with reported interest from Old Trafford, but Barca could now make it difficult for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to negotiate a deal, with the defender contracted until 2024 and a release clause of €80 million.
Sevilla, for their part, are reportedly “calm” and even “satisfied” with all the transfer talk surrounding Kounde, according to Marca. Sporting director Monchi rejected a €55m offer from Manchester City last summer in the hope of attracting an even higher bid this year.
Marca says that Kounde “has put himself on the market” with his recent comments in favour of a move while on national team duty “and now Monchi only has to pick up the phone and wait for the most interesting offer.” Despite Kounde’s release clause, the newspaper reports that Sevilla would accept a “slightly lower” transfer fee.
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21.04 BST: Antonio Conte was a big reason Romelu Lukaku joined Internazionale in 2019. Could the pair reunite wherever the former Chelsea and Juventus manager lands next?
1:08
Shaka Hislop delves into why all signs point to Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku linking up again next season.
20.54 Marseille are expected to finalise the signing of 24-year-old midfielder Gerson from Flamengo by the end of the day, Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte reports, with the French club fending off a late offer from Atletico Madrid for the Brazil youth international.
20.39 BST: With Ruben Dias emerging as a premier centre-back in world football, do Manchester City really need to sign pending free agent Sergio Ramos?
1:05
While Shaka Hislop fully respects Sergio Ramos, he’s a bit leery of the Spaniard moving to Manchester City.
20.25 BST: Twenty-nine-year-old winger-turned-full-back Lucas Vazquez has rejected contract offers from Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli to sign a new contract with Real Madrid for another three seasons, according to AS.
20.10 BST: Do Real Madrid have another Gareth Bale-like problem on their hands with Eden Hazard?
1:19
Shaka Hislop assesses Eden Hazard’s status at Real Madrid as the summer transfer window approaches.
19.56 BST: Massimilliano Allegri wants a new midfielder upon his return to Juventus, Gazzetta dello Sport writes, but there are no simple solutions. The two names at the top of his list are Manuel Locatelli of Sassuolo and Barcelona’s Miralem Pjanic. The former wouldn’t be allowed to leave Emiliano Romagna for less than €40m, a fee that could prove prohibitive in this transfer market, while the latter’s expensive (and convoluted) move from the Bianconeri to the Catalan capital just last summer makes any return exceedingly unlikely.
19.27 BST:
Real Madrid have announced the shock return of Carlo Ancelotti as manager. Ancelotti, 61, has left Premier League side Everton to replace his former assistant Zinedine Zidane at Bernabeu, who resigned last week. Read the full story.
18.58 BST: United States striker Daryl Dike is returning to Orlando City SC following a standout six-month loan at Barnsley, according to the Orlando Sentinel, which reports that the Championship outfit declined to exercise their $20m option to make the move permanent.
18.29 BST: Gianluigi Donnarumma has three clubs he’d like to join, writes Tuttosport, becoming a free agent this summer after running down his contract with AC Milan: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona. The issue for all three, however, is that they already have established No. 1s that they’d likely have to find new homes for to accommodate the 22-year-old Italy goalkeeper.
18.00 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Internazionale need to raise €100m through player sales this summer, which can likely be achieved by finding new homes for some fringe members of the squad and sending Achraf Hakimi to either Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea. But if they want to bring in any new players – say, Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, for example – they’d need to part with more of their squad. And there’s a lengthy list of players who could leave the San Siro to achieve just that.
Twenty-four-year-old midfield maestro Nicolo Barella has interest from the Premier League. Former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen could be moved on. The club could cash in on the potential of injury-prone Stefano Sensi, with Fiorentina and Shakhtar Donetsk interested. And Inter are expecting an offer from Napoli for Matias Vecino.
17.31 BST: Manchester City are willing to send Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus to Tottenham Hotspur in a players-plus-cash deal that would see Harry Kane join the Premier League champions, according to the Sun. Both players’ futures at City are uncertain, so using them in any deal to secure Kane would be a dream for Pep Guardiola & Co. The report also states that Arsenal are “leading the chase” for Sterling’s signature.
17.02 BST: All right, Chelsea fans, here comes a long list of potential comings and goings this summer, as reported by the Athletic. First, those who could call Stamford Bridge home next season.
Borussia Dortmund have ruled out parting with Erling Haaland and Chelsea are doubtful Tottenham Hotspur would send Harry Kane to a London rival, leaving 28-year-old Internazionale forward Romelu Lukaku as the most feasible option to lead the Blues’ line. Twenty-two-year-old Inter teammate Achraf Hakimi is also of interest, which could see Reece James slot into a central defensive role as the heir to Cesar Azpilicueta, although a potential bidding war with Paris Saint-Germain could see them turn their attentions to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore as a fallback wing-back option.
There is also a desire to recruit a new centre-back, with Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule, Maxence Lacroix of VfL Wolfsburg, Sevilla FC’s Jules Kounde and Pau Torres of Villarreal all on Chelsea’s shortlist. The west London club’s interest in West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice didn’t disappear when Frank Lampard did, either, with Thomas Tuchel pushing to bring the Chelsea academy product back home. But, the Hammers have little motivation to sanction such a move, and the Blues are also considering AS Monaco’s France U21 international Aurelien Tchouameni.
Oh, and Gianluigi Donnarumma is of interest, despite the scintillating form of Edouard Mendy. But only if they can find a taker for Kepa Arrizabalaga and his heft wages.
Got all that? Now for the outgoings.
Forwards Olivier Giroud (set to join AC Milan) and Tammy Abraham will move on in the summer. Centre-back Fikayo Tomori is all but certain to be reunited with Giroud at the San Siro following his excellent loan spell in Milan. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is likely to be loaned out again following a so-so spell at neighbouring Fulham. Kurt Zouma could leave the club, as his style doesn’t align with Tuchel’s philosophy and his form could see the club raise a significant transfer fee.
The club will also listen to offers for Ross Barkley, Emerson, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zappacosta and Michy Batshuayi. Whether there are any interested parties is another story.
16.33 BST: Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has said Lionel Messi wants to stay, although he denied he has already reached an agreement to sign a new contract.
Messi, 33, is out of contract at the end of the month but reports on Tuesday suggested he had given the green light to a new two-year deal at Camp Nou. Barca president Laporta explained things are not that far along yet, but echoed comments made by new Barca signing Sergio Aguero on Monday that suggest Messi is likely to stay.
“Talks are ongoing with Messi’s people,” Laporta said in a news conference when asked if an agreement was in place. “As I have said, they’re going well. We hope to keep making progress. It’s not done but I am convinced, like [Aguero] said, that they would like to play together here. I have always said the issue with Leo is not financial for him.
“[Messi] is showing a lot of understanding and wants to stay and have a competitive team that wins trophies. The sooner we have a decision the better, of course, but we’re not in a rush.”
After completing the signings of Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero from Manchester City this week, Barcelona continue to work hard on adding more numbers to their squad ahead of next season, sources have told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.
Dutch duo Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay could join Garcia and Aguero at Barca next. They are both out of contract with their clubs and have held talks about a move to Camp Nou. However, they are currently preparing for the European Championships with the Netherlands, which could delay the announcement of any signing.
Sources also indicate that Barca are also set to pay €9m to take on Emerson Royal‘s full registration, who’s spent the last two seasons at Real Betis. Like Wijnaldum and Depay, though, he’s currently on international duty with Brazil in South America.
The signings will increase pressure on Barca to shift some of the excess players they have on the books. The Catalan club desperately need to reduce the wage bill during the transfer window.
15.58 BST: The transfer window in Europe is yet to officially open, but we have already seen plenty of transfers announced involving top European clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester City. Here are the grades for all the major summer deals.
– Molyneux-Carter: Grading every big signing from Europe’s top clubs
15.34 BST: After becoming the first men’s U.S. international to win the Champions League, is there any reason for Christian Pulisic to leave Chelsea?
1:13
Herculez Gomez says he can’t imagine Christian Pulisic finding a better situation at a big club if he leaves Chelsea.
14.58 BST: Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto is drawing interest from Manchester City, according to Catalan newspaper Diario Sport.
Roberto, 29, would prefer to stay at Barca but will listen to City’s offer if the Catalan club want him to leave. He shares an agent with City coach Pep Guardiola, who handed him his Barca debut over a decade ago. The report says Guardiola believes Roberto’s versatility — he can also play right-back — would be a welcome addition to the Premier League champions’ squad.
Barca, meanwhile, would apparently be open to selling Roberto, who is out of contract in 2022. President Joan Laporta announced big changes and “the end of a cycle” recently after Barca finished outside the top two in La Liga for the first time since 2008.
Roberto, therefore, is supposedly surplus to requirements as they look to reduce the wage bill to make room for new signings — Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia have already been announced. However, until the club tell him he’s not wanted, Roberto’s preference is reportedly to stay at Barca.
14.22 BST: Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is so determined to leave the club that even the return of Mauricio Pochettino would not be enough to convince him to stay, according to The Times.
Pochettino led Kane and Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, but was sacked just five months after they lost to Liverpool in Madrid. The Argentine coach took over at Paris Saint-Germain in January, but sources told ESPN’s James Olley last week that Spurs have contacted him over a dramatic return to north London.
However, the Daily Mail reports that PSG have triggered an extension in Pochettino’s contract, which now runs until 2023, making it more difficult for him to negotiate an exit this summer.
1:40
Nedum Onuoha joins Gab and Juls to debate whether Harry Kane would suit Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
13.37 BST: ESPN FC’s scouting and transfers exert, Tor-Kristian Karlsen, has taken a look ahead at who could move in this summer’s transfer window, as loans and free transfers are set to dominate business once again:
So far there’s been little to indicate that a summer of big spending among the elite clubs in Europe will happen. If the failed European Super League breakaway attempt was proof of anything, it was that the football economy is not in a good place. Over a year on, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt, projected and counted, with the game’s financial future still unclear. Clubs will have lower budgets to work with, while loans and free transfers will be high on the agenda again.
However, the huge recent changeover of managers in Europe’s top leagues should result in some players switching teams. How does Massimiliano Allegri want to shape his Juventus side? What’s in store for Real Madrid now that Zinedine Zidane has left? And it’s hard to believe that Jose Mourinho joined Roma without the promise of being able to bring in new players. Then there are perennial high spenders Paris Saint-Germain, who might end up cutting the Mauricio Pochettino era short if they let him return to Tottenham Hotspur.
All these changes in the hot seat could stir something in the transfer market. While the days of €100 million-plus deals being done are probably over for the time being, there still are bargains out there.
13.02 BST: Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele continue to discuss a contract extension but there have been no major advances, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Dembele, 24, is out of contract in 2022 and Barca will look to sell him this summer if they can’t agree a renewal to avoid the possibility of losing him for free next year. The report says talks with his representatives have gone OK but that “it will not be easy” to reach an agreement, citing differences over the financial and the sporting side of the deal.
Dembele, who is currently with France preparing for the European Championships, has had his most productive season for Barca since joining in 2017. He remained largely injury-free, making 44 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
Manchester United were close to signing him last October, only for Dembele to decide to stay at Barca and fight for his place at Camp Nou.
12.13 BST: Manchester City are following Sergio Ramos‘ situation closely and are considering offering him a two-year contract if the defender doesn’t renew at Real Madrid, multiple sources have told ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland.
Coach Pep Guardiola values Ramos’ experience and leadership qualities. City are looking at offering him a tailored deal based on the player’s form and own priorities: a two-year contract, with the possibility of a third if performance allows, or the alternative of a spell in Major League Soccer at City Football Group’s New York City FC.
Ramos’ contract at the Bernabeu expires on June 30 and his priority is still to renew with Madrid, but he will move on if an agreement with president Florentino Perez cannot be reached.
Sources told ESPN a meeting between the club captain and president is planned for the next few days when a definitive decision will be taken.
11.30 BST: Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is interested in bringing AS Roma forward Pedro to Goodison Park, Calciomercato reports.
Pedro joined Roma on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer. After initially getting off to a good start in the Italian capital, scoring four goals in his first nine games, the 33-year-old only netted twice more as Roma finished seventh in Serie A.
Calciomercato reports that there is has been no formal approach yet for Pedro, who has two years left on his contract, but that Ancelotti has “always respected” the former Barcelona player.
10.49 BST: Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier has told L’Equipe that he has “reached the end of a cycle” with the club and is hopeful for a return to Paris Saint-Germain.
Aurier joined Spurs form PSG in 2017 and has gone on to make more than 100 appearances for the London club.
However, after a tumultuous 2020-21 season, in which manager Jose Mourinho was sacked and the club finished seventh in the Premier League, Aurier says he is ready to leave.
“Everyone knows that if I wanted to extend my contract at Tottenham, I’d have already done so,” he said. “I’m not going to do that in six months’ time. I’ve experienced the Premier League and a Champions League final. I’ve reached the end of a cycle and it’s time to look elsewhere. Both parties, the board and my agents are in agreement in terms of the conditions, so we will see.
“I’ve never hidden my desire to go back to PSG one day. It’s my boyhood club and I’m still a PSG supporter, so I feel free to talk about it, but I don’t want people to think I’m just issuing a come-and-get-me plea and I’m not closing the door on anyone. If the club does make an offer this summer, PSG will certainly be among my top choices.”
10.06 BST: Eden Hazard insists he is not thinking of leaving Real Madrid despite enduring a difficult two seasons at the Spanish club.
Hazard has struggled with injuries and form since moving to the Bernabeu in 2019, starting just 21 times in La Liga and scoring five goals for the club in all competitions in that time.
He has attracted plenty of criticism in Spain, which came to a head recently when one TV presenter declared that the forward “cannot continue at Real Madrid for one second more” after he was seen smiling and congratulating a few of his ex-teammates following Real’s Champions League loss to Chelsea.
The 30-year-old told a news conference while with the Belgium squad: “I don’t see myself leaving Madrid with my contractual situation. I know myself, what I have to do, I know when I’m in form, and when I am, I can bring a lot to Real Madrid next season.”
When Hazard, whose transfer fee could rise to as much as €150m, was asked specifically about a return to the Premier League, to which he replied: “I still have three years of contract at Real Madrid so returning to England isn’t up for discussion. Everyone knows my first two years weren’t good so first I have to show my worth at Real Madrid.”
09.18 BST: Sporting Lisbon left- back Nuno Mendes has played down talk of a summer move following his breakout season.
Mendes, 18, made 29 league appearances for champions Sporting and was rewarded with a place in Portugal’s Euro 2020 squad.
His performances have led to links with European giants like Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m a Sporting player and I will continue to be,” he told a news conference. “I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m focused on the European Championship and helping the national team.”
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💙❤️ #EricCuler— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 1, 2021
08.30 BST: Barcelona have completed the signing of Eric Garcia on a free transfer from Manchester City, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.
Garcia, 20, will join Barca on a contract until 2026 on July 1 when his deal with City expires. He will be presented on Tuesday and his buyout clause has been fixed at €400 million.
The defender first joined Barca’s La Masia academy in 2008 and came through the club’s youth system at the same time as Ansu Fati. However, he left for City in 2017 and has since made 35 appearances for the first team under Pep Guardiola.
Garcia has been restricted to just 12 games this season, though, after telling City last summer that he did not intend to renew his contract.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Real Madrid have made contact with Everton‘s
– Leeds United are beginning preparations for a second season in the Premier League and are reported to be interested in Cagliari‘s Nahitan Nandez. That’s according to Tuttomercato, which reports that there is “concrete interest” from Marcelo Bielsa’s side. The midfielder started 31 matches in the Serie A last season for Cagliari.
– Negotiations between Aston Villa and Chelsea over striker Tammy Abraham are stalling with the West London club looking for a fee of around £40m. The Birmingham Mail claims that Villa feel the demand is unrealistic given the 23-year-old’s lack of game time since the arrival of Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.
– Everton
– AC Milan are close to finalising a permanent deal for Fikayo Tomori, reports Fabrizio Romano. The fee is reportedly set at €28m on a five-year contract for the 23-year-old who impressed during a loan spell at the San Siro last season in 17 appearances for the centre-back.
– The Daily Mail reports that Brighton & Hove Albion have returned to the table for Stuttgart’s Nicolas Gonzalez. The two clubs were unable to agree a deal last season with the German club wanting around £16m, though Graham Potter’s side could now be prepared to meet those demands after the 23-year-old scored six goals and registered two assists from 15 appearances last season.