The January transfer window might seem like a distant memory, but that doesn’t mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up, so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Man City considering Messi move, but it will cost
Manchester City have been told they have a chance of landing Barcelona star Lionel Messi, but only if they offer him £500,000-a-week in wages, after tax, reports The Sun.
Messi’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and the Argentina international hasn’t yet declared his next move.
The Sun reports that Messi is open to a move to City, with the 33-year-old interested in a one-year deal worth £25 million, including the option of a second year at the end. The move would make Messi the best-paid player in Premier League history, and it seems that City boss Pep Guardiola is ready to make it happen after having so far waited in the wings to see how contract negotiations played out.
Barcelona have offered their talisman a new deal, though it is believed to be on reduced terms. Barcelona are still hopeful Messi will stay at Camp Nou, though much will depend on their ability to tempt Borussia Dortmund‘s Erling Haaland to the club.
City are one of only two clubs, alongside Paris Saint-Germain, that have the financial muscle to be able to even consider trying to tempt Messi away from Barcelona, but Guardiola’s relationship with the Argentine could prove pivotal.
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LIVE BLOG
13.59 BST: Mikel Arteta has said he feels “hurt” by David Luiz‘s impending departure from Arsenal.
Sources have told ESPN that the 34-year-old will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season after talks ended without an agreement over an extension.
Although Arsenal have suggested they made the decision to end his involvement with the club, sources close to Luiz have told ESPN he in fact chose to walk away.
During a news conference, Arteta was coy on whether William Saliba would now finally get his chance to kickstart his Arsenal career having been signed for £27m from Saint-Etienne in 2019 only to be loaned back to the Ligue 1 club for a year before spending the 2020-21 campaign at Nice.
“You will see in the summer the possible replacements, William is our player for sure and that is a decision we are going to be taking in the summer,” Arteta said. “When we finish the season we will sit down and discuss the roles of every member of the squad and how they can fulfil that role. He is our player so he will be back here for sure and after that we will make the decision based on the agreement of the role he is going to play in the squad.”
13.03 BST: Roy Hodgson has announced he will step down as Crystal Palace manager at the end of the season.
The 73-year-old’s management career spans 46 seasons working with 20 different teams in eight countries.
Hodgson took charge of Palace in September 2017 and recorded their best-ever Premier League points total of 49 in 2018-19 — a tally they can beat if they win their last two matches of his tenure against Arsenal on Wednesday and Liverpool on Sunday.
12.45 BST: Dortmund secured Champions League football for next season. So does that mean that Erling Haaland is staying for another season?
Reminder: He has a €75m release clause which kicks in for 2022.
1:29
Archie Rhind-Tutt and Kasey Keller are at odds over Erling Haaland’s future at Borussia Dortmund.
11.57 BST: Real Madrid face a “big decision” between Massimiliano Allegri and Raul to replace manager Zinedine Zidane, according to the frontpage of Diario AS on Tuesday.
Sources told ESPN on Sunday that Allegri and Raul are the best-placed candidates to follow Zidane if he chooses to walk away at the end of this season.
Cadena SER reported on Monday night that Allegri — currently out of a job after choosing to leave Juventus in 2019 — “isn’t in a hurry” to decide his future and, with various job offers on the table, is happy to wait for the Real Madrid situation to be resolved.
Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport goes a step further on its Tuesday frontpage, claiming Madrid have already offered Allegri a €10m-a-season two-year deal with an option of a third.
The newspaper reports that Juventus are hoping to lure Zidane to Turin to replace fellow club legend Andrea Pirlo, who has struggled in his first season in charge.
11.38 BST: Manchester United and Napoli are both keen on Getafe’s defensive midfielder Mauro Arambarri, Marca reports.
The 25-year-old Uruguayan has a €25m release clause, but the newspaper claims he would be available for €18m-€20m.
Getafe narrowly escaped relegation this season, confirming their survival last weekend.
According to Marca, Arambarri would only leave “if all parties reach a beneficial agreement that satisfies club and player” out of gratitude for the four years he has spent in La Liga.
11.13 BST: Former Barcelona and LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos is expected to leave Club America as a free agent after terminating his contract with the Mexican outfit.
The 32-year-old forward joined America from LA Galaxy in 2019 but has only scored four goals in 42 appearances for the club, falling out of favour with manager Sebastian Solari towards the end of the season.
America are also unlikely to give new deals to Sergio Diaz and Jordan Silva as they are preparing for a big overhaul ahead of next season.
11.02 BST: Harry Kane has told Tottenham he wants to leave the club this summer, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.
Sources said the England captain expressed his desire to move on during a face-to-face meeting with chairman Daniel Levy, and he would prefer to remain in the Premier League.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have all lodged interest with Kane’s representatives, but it remains to be seen whether any club will offer the £150m it will likely take to convince Spurs to let him leave.
1:35
Julien Laurens explains the financial difficulties that could complicate Harry Kane’s efforts to leave Tottenham this summer.
10.35 BST: Southampton have reached an agreement in principle with Theo Walcott to return to the club on a permanent basis after his deal with Everton expires this summer.
Walcott, 32, has been on loan at St Mary’s from Everton this season but will return to the club where he made his first-team debut at the age of only 16.
“I’m not sure I can properly express how happy I am about this,” Walcott said. “Southampton is a club that means so much to me, and it has been incredibly special for me to have spent this season back at St Mary’s. But to now have the opportunity to return for a further two years means such a great deal to me, both personally and professionally.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to the club, my teammates and the fans for making me feel so welcome back here, and I can’t wait to continue pulling on the shirt in the next couple of seasons. Hopefully in that time we can make a few more special memories too. I would also like to say thank you to everyone at Everton, who have been so good to me throughout my time with the club, and I wish them every success in the future.”
10.19 BST: Real Madrid face a “big decision” between Massimiliano Allegri and Raul Gonzalez to replace Zinedine Zidane, according to the front page of Diario AS on Tuesday.
Sources told ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland on Sunday that Allegri and Raul are the best-placed candidates to follow Zidane if he chooses to walk away at the end of this season.
Cadena SER reported on Monday night that Allegri — out of a job since choosing to leave Juventus in 2019 — “isn’t in a hurry” to decide his future and, with various job offers on the table, is happy to wait for the Real Madrid situation to be resolved.
Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport goes a step further on its front page, claiming Madrid have already offered Allegri a €10m-a-season two-year deal with an option of a third.
The newspaper reports that Juventus are hoping to lure Zidane to Turin to replace fellow club legend Andrea Pirlo, who has struggled in his first season in charge.
– Gab & Juls podcast: Will Zidane leave Madrid?
09.27 BST: Southampton are set to make a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Thomas Delaney, sources have told ESPN’s Stephan Uersfeld.
The Denmark international is under contract at the Westfalenstadion for another season, and the German club would be willing to part ways with him for a transfer fee in the region of €10m.
Having joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2018, Delaney made 85 competitive appearances for BVB across all competitions, but in recent weeks lost his place on the team.
The 29-year-old has been mostly coming on as a substitute as Germany international Mo Dahoud and England youngster Jude Bellingham have been regular starters in central midfield.
08.46 BST: Flamengo are negotiating the sale of their Brazilian midfielder Gerson to Olympique Marseille, according to Globo Esporte.
Gerson has played 100 games for Flamengo since joining the club from AS Roma in the summer of 2019. The 23-year-old has a contract with the Brazilian giants until December 2023 but isreportedly open to return to Europe.
Marseille executives met with Flamengo and the player’s agent to discuss the potential move. The deal could be completed in the coming days and will be worth an initial transfer fee of €25m.
08.00 BST: Barcelona are exploring replacements for Ronald Koeman, but president Joan Laporta doesn’t want to sack the Dutch coach without having a successor in place, multiple sources have told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.
Barca had the destiny of the La Liga title in their own hands before facing Granada on April 29, but one win in five games has seen them lose ground on Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid with one game to go. Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Camp Nou against Celta Vigo officially ended the Catalan club’s hopes of winning the league and increased the doubts surrounding Koeman’s future.
However, Koeman, who led Barca to Copa del Rey success earlier this season, still has one year left on his contract. Sources at the club told ESPN he could still fulfil his deal if none of the alternatives convince.
The same sources told ESPN that Barca are keen to avoid a repeat of what happened after Ernesto Valverde was sacked in 2020 without a substitute lined up. Quique Setien ended up replacing Valverde after the Blaugrana failed to persuade Koeman, Xavi Hernandez, Mauricio Pochettino or Erik ten Hag to take on the job.
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1:08
Julien Laurens warns against thinking Jadon Sancho is certain to leave Dortmund this summer.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)
– Dortmund are preparing for life after Jadon Sancho, and they’ve made Lille‘s Jonathan Ikone their top priority, according to France Football. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has been in fine form for the Ligue 1 leaders, and Dortmund are prepared to offer €25m. Dortmund are said to be also monitoring PSV’s Donyell Malen, Ajax’s David Neres and Sporting CP’s Pedro Goncalves, but Ikone is the man they want.
– PSG are closing in on a move for Tottenham Hotspur full-back Serge Aurier and they’re prepared to offer him a long-term contract, according to Football Insider. The contract is believed to be lucrative and there appears to be very little preventing 28-year-old Aurier from agreeing personal terms and rejoining Les Parisiens, as well as former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, when the transfer window reopens.
– Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in Yves Bissouma, but they’ll both have to fork out £40m to land the Brighton & Hove Albion star, according to the Sun. The midfielder has impressed for the Seagulls this season, and the south-coast club are reluctant to let him leave, which is why they’re determined to recoup a high fee if he decides he wants to move on this summer. Jurgen Klopp is believed to have tracked the 24-year old all season, while Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants to partner Bissouma in midfield with Thomas Partey.
– Manchester United have been targeting Nuno Mendes for some time, and now the Sun believes the club has made contact with Sporting CP over a possible £52m move. The 18-year-old full-back is hot property after a stunning season for the Portuguese champions; and because Mendes is represented by Bruno Fernandes‘ agent, United are hopeful they can steal a march on their rivals.
– Barcelona are believed to be close to signing Memphis Depay on a two or three-year contract, according to Fabrizio Romano. Moreover, the Catalan club aren’t finished, as Sport also is reporting that they’re looking to sign Chertanovo’s young Russian forward Sergey Pinyaev. Manchester United also are tracking the youngster, though English transfer rules would prevent them from making a move until he is 18.
– Chelsea are willing to offer Atalanta £20m for midfield maestro Ruslan Malinovskyi, according to the Sun. The Ukraine playmaker has been outstanding for the Italian side this season, and he has scored nine goals and added 12 assists in 41 games. The 28-year-old plays against Juventus in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday night, and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is likely to be watching.