The coronavirus pandemic has made the summer transfer window uncertain, but here are the rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Arsenal want Dembele in Aubameyang deal
Arsenal have been linked with a host of players in recent days including Barcelona‘s Philippe Coutinho and Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser. But, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, they are willing to sell Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in order to land Ousmane Dembele.
Barca are prepared to let Dembele leave if they receive a decent offer (reported to be around €40m), while Aubameyang’s contract expires in 2021 and the Gabon striker doesn’t look likely to sign a new one. Arsenal have been tracking the injury-hit Dembele for some time and evidently view the deal as a positive given they could lose Aubameyang for nothing.
Meanwhile, Spanish outlet Diario ABC has reported that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has “already confirmed” his intention to sign Coutinho this summer, once his loan deal from Bayern Munich expires.
And The Athletic also reports that the Gunners are also keen to improve their defence and will listen to bids for Rob Holding, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi, while they are reportedly interested in RB Leipzig‘s Dayot Upamecano, Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti and Bayern’s Jerome Boateng as replacements.
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13.56 BST: Diego Simeone‘s long-time No. 2 German ‘Mono’ Burgos will leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Burgos has been a popular, larger-than-life figure at the club, playing an important part in the seven trophies won over the last nine years.
The 51-year-old — who played for Atletico as a goalkeeper before returning to the club as Simeone’s assistant in 2011 — wants to pursue a solo coaching career and has already attracted interest in Europe and Latin America. The move has been on the cards for some time, but ESPN understands a final decision was taken this week.
Nelson Vivas, the former Arsenal defender and another long-term friend of Simeone who has been coaching at Atletico since 2018, will step up to become his assistant.
Sources have told ESPN that vacancy left on the coaching staff could be filled by former Atletico captain Gabi, with both parties keen on the idea.
13.14 BST: Newcastle United might be getting ahead of themselves as they haven’t yet seen their £300m Saudi-backed takeover go through, but they are being linked with a move for Philippe Coutinho and Mundo Deportivo says they have already opened talks.
Another player on their agenda, according to the Daily Mail, is Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri.
12.20 BST: Wolves and Mexico striker Raul Jimenez has been linked with a move to Juventus. But would it work?
1:40
Craig Burley doubts rumours of Raul Jimenez moving to Juventus will come to fruition.
12.02 BST: SPORT says Inter Milan are weighing up a Barcelona offer of around €50m plus two players (from Arturo Vidal, Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo) for striker Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez, 22, has a €111m release clause in his contract and is Barca’s top target this summer to replace Luis Suarez long-term.
In other Barcelona news, SPORT also says that young winger Ansu Fati is not for sale.
11.24 BST: Reports in France from La Gazette du Fennec say that Chelsea want to sign Brentford winger Said Benrahma.
Benrahma, 24, has been dubbed ‘the Algerian Lionel Messi’ and was linked to Arsenal last year. He scored 10 times in Brentford’s 37 Championship games so far and is valued at £31m, with Chelsea keen to bring in new wide talent as Willian and Pedro are set to leave this summer.
10.46 BST: Liverpool are not prepared to pay RB Leipzig the full asking price for striker Timo Werner, Sport Bild reports.
Werner, 24, has a €55m release clause in his contract, which runs until 2023. He has heavily been linked with a move to Anfield and there have been reports that the Germany international and Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp talked about a possible move during a video call last month.
But Sport Bild reports that Liverpool owners FSG do not want to pay the full price amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Leipzig are not interested in allowing Werner leave for less than his market value.
“It won’t get any cheaper,” Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said. “We will not sell any player for less than the set fee if he’s still under contract for longer than 12 months.”
Liverpool must trigger the release clause by June 15 and Mintzlaff said Leipzig will just wait to see what happens: “If the decision is back in our hands, we’ll be very relaxed. He’s got three more years on his deal.”
10.30 BST: Chelsea are reportedly keen on Mexico international Jesus Corona. Would it be a good move?
1:50
Herculez Gomez wonders if Jesus “Tecatito” Corona can make the jump from FC Porto to the Premier League.
10.05 BST: Spain‘s Fichajes says that Manchester United are planning a move for Valencia winger Ferran Torres, if they can’t get a deal for Borussia Dortmund‘s Jadon Sancho over the line.
Torres, 20, has been tracked by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Man City. The winger has a contract which expires in June 2021, so his €100m price tag is lowering by the day and United are reportedly ready to test the water.
09.26 BST: Casemiro won’t be leaving Real Madrid anytime soon, Marca reports, as the midfielder has already extended his contract at the Bernabeu until 2023.
The newspaper claims a deal was agreed months ago but kept quiet in line with a new club policy of not announcing contract renewals. Real Madrid are refusing to comment publicly on the claims.
The Brazilian is crucial to Zinedine Zidane’s plans, starting 25 out of 27 league games so far this season, and is the only first team player without a like-for-like replacement in the squad.
The extension would see Casemiro spend a decade at Real Madrid, having joined in 2013 and been a first team regular since 2015, featuring prominently in all three of their back-to-back Champions League wins.
08.53 BST: Boca Juniors president Jorge Ameal is confident Carlos Tevez will continue at the club for a further season.
Tevez, 36, has yet to sign a contract extension, with his current deal ending on June 30.
“With Tevez we will end up sorting it out, I have no doubt he will end his career at Boca,” Ameal told Radio La Red.
The veteran forward, who is in his third spell at Boca, scored nine goals, including one that gave Boca the league title against Gimnasia y Esgrima in March, in 17 league appearances to help his team be crowned champions.
08.28 BST: Harry Kane is facing a “crossroads” in his career and will need to re-evaluate his future at Tottenham if the club does not continue to progress, former Spurs forward Teddy Sheringham has said.
Sheringham spent five years at Tottenham in the 1990s but did not win a trophy in that time. After leaving White Hart Lane for Manchester United in 1997, he played an instrumental role in the club’s historic Treble success in 1999 and won two more Premier League titles before returning to Spurs in 2001.
“There are similarities but you have to look at Tottenham and where they are and where they were when I was playing for Tottenham,” Sheringham said to Sky Sports about Kane, who has alos been linked with interest from Old Trafford. “I think the ambition had been sucked out of the club when I was at Tottenham, weren’t really going places.
“At least with Tottenham are the moment they’re getting into the top four, they’re challenging for things, in the Champions League final not so long ago. He’s got to weigh up his situation. Does he want to leave? Are there going to be top players coming in to play with him?
“Or is he going to have to go elsewhere to play with top players? At the moment I would say his career at Tottenham — I know they haven’t won anything — has been steadily going forward. But I think it might be at a crossroads.
“And if not this year, if they haven’t won anything or if they don’t look like they are going forwards in the next season I think there could be changes because Harry has only got one career and he wants to win things.
“We’ll see what happens with that but my advice would be: you only get one career, Harry, make sure you make the most of it.”
08.00 BST: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still holding out hope of a last-minute deal with Shanghai Shenhua to extend Odion Ighalo‘s loan.
Ighalo’s initial spell at Old Trafford will come to an end this week and talks with Shanghai about keeping the striker for longer are at an impasse.
But Solskjaer is keen to keep Ighalo in his squad for the remaining weeks of the season, delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the Norwegian has not given up hope of reaching an agreement.
“The loan deal went until the end of May now, so obviously he’s supposed to be going back,” Solskjaer told MUTV on Tuesday.
“We’re in dialogue. They’ve been great towards us, his club, and allowed him to play for his dream club.
“It’s been a dream for him and hopefully he can finish off what he started, hopefully with a trophy for us. At the moment, nothing has been agreed. Their league is going to get started soon so we’re just waiting to see.”
2:32
Steve Nicol and Alejandro Moreno discuss if Timo Werner would slot right into the attack if he joined Liverpool
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)
Five clubs in the mix for Liverpool’s Lallana
Adam Lallana‘s contract with Liverpool runs out in five weeks and while the star will be hoping he can stay beyond the end of the current campaign, the Daily Mirror is reporting that he will have his pick of at least five clubs if an extension isn’t forthcoming.
Burnley are the latest club to take an interest in the attacking midfielder, with Clarets boss Sean Dyche keen to convince the midfielder of the delights of Turf Moor.
Lallana is ultimately hoping for more first-team football and Leicester City are also said to be interested. Brendan Rodgers signed Lallana at Liverpool and would relish working with him once again, and he might be in a position to offer Lallana first-team football.
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are the other clubs rumoured to be interested in signing the former Southampton man.
PSG target Roma midfielder Pellegrini
Paris Saint-Germain are tracking AS Roma and Italy international Lorenzo Pellegrini, according to Le10Sport.
PSG sporting director Leonardo is a huge fan of the midfielder and Roma could be persuaded to sell because of the financial difficulties they find themselves in because of the coronavirus.
PSG aren’t alone in their admiration for the 23-year-old star however, for in Italy alone Juventus and AC Milan have already expressed their interest, while Everton are also said to be one of several Premier League clubs keen to add him to their squads.
Pellegrini is expected to cost around €30 million and the fee could even be paid in two installments, which would make him an attractive proposition for anyone looking to add to their midfield without spending a huge amount.
Pellegrini is under contract until 2022.
Milan play waiting game for PSG’s Silva
PSG’s Brazilian defender Thiago Silva is a free agent this summer and AC Milan are among the clubs looking to grab a bargain. However, Silva could yet remain in France, if they’re forthcoming with a short-term contract, reports Calciomercato.
Silva is contemplating a return to the San Siro, where he played for three years, but PSG could still offer Silva a lifeline that would see him stay in the French capital for another season.
Calciomercato reports that Leonardo is putting together a proposal that would see Silva stay albeit on a reduced salary. Silva is evidently keen to at least see what is on the table, but the longer the discussions continue, the more confident Milan feel they can tempt Silva back.
Milan are yet to lodge an official bid, but they’re monitoring discussions closely, and are ready to pounce.
Tap-ins
– Wolverhampton Wanderers are preparing a bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to the Daily Mirror. The Portuguese club are open to selling the 24-year-old, on loan at rivals Braga, who currently has a buy-out clause of £18m. However, Wolves believe there’s a deal to be done as a result of the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. The defensive midfielder played twice against Wolves this season, and obviously made an impression.
– Norwich City are targeting Dutch forward Rajiv van Le Parra who has recently left Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, reports the Daily Mail. A free transfer, the 28-year-old represents an attractive option for the Canaries particularly as he has experience of playing in England, first with Wolves and again with Huddersfield Town. Norwich may have to fend off competition from Swansea City to get their man however; the Welsh side one of four Championship clubs keen on landing a bargain.