The summer transfer window is now open in Europe, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Pogba gets €100m Saudi offer
Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli have offered Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba a three-year contract worth €100 million plus bonuses, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Al Ahli will look to add the 30-year-old France midfielder to a squad that already includes ex-Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy and former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino.
The Saudi Pro League side will want to check Pogba’s physical condition offering him the deal, which has already been verbally outlined to his agent Rafaela Pimenta.
The report follows an injury-hit season in which Pogba managed just 161 minutes from 10 appearances across all competitions for Juventus after re-signing him from Manchester United as a free agent last summer. There are also questions about whether or not Pogba wants to leave the Serie A side.
If Pogba tells Juventus that he wants to move, the Bianconeri will not block the deal and will look to bring in a €10m transfer fee.
Fellow midfielders Denis Zakaria, Weston McKennie and Arthur Melo could also leave Juventus, who are looking at Atalanta‘s Teun Koopmeiners, Barcelona‘s Franck Kessie, Atletico Madrid‘s Rodrigo de Paul and Strasbourg‘s Habib Diarra as possible candidates to strengthen that area.
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21.12 BST: Jordan Henderson is considering whether to stay at Liverpool or move to Saudi Arabia, as reported by The Telegraph.
The 33-year-old midfielder is being offered a significant pay rise to join up with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, with a decision set to come shortly.
20.44 BST: Newcastle United remain locked in talks with Leicester City as the Magpies consider making an opening offer of £30m to sign Harvey Barnes, reports The Daily Mail, who add that the Foxes want closer to £40m.
Aston Villa and West Ham United have also shown an interest, but Newcastle is the 25-year-old winger’s favoured option because they can offer Champions League football.
20.23 BST: Al Hilal have submitted a formal offer for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Fulham have no intention of accepting €30m but Al Hilal have made the 28-year-old a priority after being rejected by Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, so they will continue talks after announcing the signing of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
20.07 BST: Internazionale want to bring in between €20m and €25m for Robin Gosens amid interest in the wing-back from the Bundesliga, according to Calciomercato, with Inter aiming to bring back Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea and sign two goalkeepers.
Union Berlin and Wolfsburg have both been heavily linked with the 29-year-old.
19.45 BST: Liverpool have set their sights on a move for Torino centre-back Perr Schuurs, having also shown an interest in the Dutchman during his time at Ajax, reports Football Insider.
Jurgen Klopp wants to strengthen his backline but the Reds cannot afford to compete for the most expensive options — especially as they aim to bring in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia — while 23-year-old Schuurs would be keen on a move to Anfield.
19.20 BST: Atletico Madrid left-back Renan Lodi is close to completing a move to Olympique de Marseille after spending last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, reports Foot Mercato.
The 25-year-old has a verbal agreement with OM and negotiations between the two clubs are at an advanced stage.
18.50 BST: Hertha Berlin forward Jessic Ngankam will join Eintracht Frankfurt for €4m plus add-ons on a long-term contract, reports Florian Plettenberg.
That contract is likely to last until 2027 and include the option for an extra year, while the documents are ready to be signed and the 22-year-old will have a medical in the next 48 hours.
17.56 BST: Barcelona and Girona both want Oriol Romeu’s return to the Blaugrana to be completed by the end of the week, reports Diario Sport.
Even so, Barca want to offer between €4m and €5m up front for the midfielder and include add-ons instead of meeting the 31-year-old’s €8m release clause. A meeting will be held in the coming hours as the two clubs try to reach an agreement.
17.00 BST: Nottingham Forest and Fulham have both sent formal proposals to free agent Willian, reports Fabrizio Romano, with the winger having spent last season at Craven Cottage.
Saudi Arabian clubs are also making approaches for the 34-year-old, who is expected to make a decision on his future in the coming days.
15.44 BST: Romelu Lukaku has been given permission by Chelsea to sit out the start of preseason, according to Sky Sport Italia. The Belgium forward wants to return to Inter, having spent last season on loan at the Nerazzurri.
Inter are planning to make a €35m offer to sign Lukaku on a permanent transfer, and they are hopeful that a deal could be reached before July 17 when Chelsea leave for their United States tour.
Lukaku, 30, is under contract with Chelsea until June 2026.
The Daily Mail reports that Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been given extra time to resolve their futures, rather than return to training with the rest of the squad this week.
Inter, meanwhile, are set to unveil German centre-back Yann Aurel Bisseck on Wednesday. Bisseck, 22, joins on a permanent transfer from Danish club Aarhus GF.
15.10 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta is confident Ousmane Dembele will continue at the club beyond the end of this coming season.
Contract talks with Dembele’s agents are ongoing, with the France international due to become a free agent in June 2024. The winger has been a target for Paris Saint-Germain in recent transfer windows.
“Dembele is delighted to be at Barca and this is our great luck, and at Barca, we want him,” Laporta told Mundo Deportivo. “I think he will continue and that is what he wants.
“We had this [PSG link] fear last year and it did not happen. Dembele wants to continue at Barca and I think he is not in favour of going to any team. Dembele is a player who is very loved by the coach, the technical team and by me. I am a big fan.
“He has some representatives who are difficult to negotiate with. Now we are in negotiations so they continue, and we hope that it will be resolved — but I am of the opinion that it will [not happen] until the end [of the season].”
14.38 BST: Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga is no longer of interest to Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City, Diario AS reports, but Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all still keen on his signature.
Veiga, 21, was one of the breakout stars of the last LaLiga season, with Real Madrid and Barcelona among the clubs tracking the youngster, who has a €40m release clause.
According to AS — citing reports from French outlet le10sport — PSG and City are no longer in the race, although there’s still interest from the Premier League, with Veiga’s future entering a “decisive phase” since the end of the European Under-21 Championship.
14.05 BST: The Daily Telegraph reports that Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher has been shortlisted as a possible replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Hojbjerg is wanted by Atletico Madrid and clubs in the Bundesliga, and new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is preparing for life without the Denmark international.
Gallagher, 23, could be the latest victim of Chelsea’s summer rebuild, and his box-to-box qualities would tick boxes for Spurs.
The report states that Chelsea value the midfielder at £50m.
13.33 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has explained why Arda Guler‘s transfer to the Camp Nou did not materialise, with the Turkish teenage midfielder joining Real Madrid instead.
“We have to apply common sense and we thought that we should move away from this operation,” he told Marca. “We had an agreement with the club [Fenerbahce] for €17.5m. We also had an agreement with the player. Madrid entered and considered that they had to pay the amounts that they have paid.”
Sport reports that Barca are now considering a move for Kebir Ali Canpolat from Eintracht Frankfurt.
12.59 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have announced the signing of Italy under-19 midfielder Cher Ndour from Benfica for an undisclosed fee.
The former Brescia and Atalanta player, who only made his first-team debut for Benfica in March, has signed a five-year contract.
“I am very moved,” Ndour told the club’s official website. “It’s a mix of emotions but above all happiness because Paris Saint-Germain is one of the best clubs in the world with a lot of champions and for me it’s an honor to be part of this new family.”
🔴 #WelcomeNdour 🔵 pic.twitter.com/mUD1SpmJjl
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 12, 2023
12.20 BST: Barcelona have confirmed the signing of forward Vitor Roque from Athletico-PR for a fee of around €40 million ($44m)..
ESPN reported last week that Barca had agreed a deal with the Brazilian club and Roque, 18, has penned a contract with the Catalan club until the end of the 2030-31 season. He will stay in Brazil for the next year, and join Barca next summer. The buyout clause will be set at €500m.
𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗥𝗢𝗤𝗨𝗘. 𝗡𝗢𝗨 𝗝𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗖̧𝗔 🇧🇷
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) July 12, 2023
11.50 BST: Chelsea are preparing to make an opening offer for Lyon wonderkid Rayan Cherki as they seek a replacement for Christian Pulisic, sources have told ESPN.
Pulisic is closing in on a move to AC Milan, with the United States midfielder due to undergo a medical with the Serie A giants in the next 24 hours, ESPN reported Tuesday.
And Chelsea are already moving to replace Pulisic, with Cherki one of the targets. Elye Wahi, the talented Montpellier centre-forward, is also on the London club’s shortlist.
11.11 BST: L’Equipe reports that Bayern Munich will up their transfer offer for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane to €100m (£85.3m).
Bayern have already seen two bids worth €70m and €80m rejected by the north London club, who are likely to let the striker run down the final year of his contract unless they receive an offer in the region of €120m.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Spurs are still hoping that they can get Kane to sign a new contract if he’s still at the club when the summer window closes, and a £400,000-a-week deal could be on the table.
Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that Kane is keen to join Bayern.
10.32 BST: Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has denied there’s any issue with Joao Felix‘s attitude in training, as the star forward looks to leave the club ahead of the new season.
The Portugal international has appeared frustrated in the team’s training session this week, after returning from an inconsistent loan spell at Chelsea last campaign.
“We’re happy to have a player of his quality,” Cerezo said, as the Atletico squad met for their traditional preseason dinner in Segovia on Tuesday. “[Joao] is a player everyone loves.
“Right now he’s an Atletico player. When your holidays are over and you have to work so hard physically it’s normal that you get mad. You’re getting up at 8 instead of 11, I wouldn’t be happy either!”
The relationship between Joao Felix and coach Diego Simeone has suffered in recent years, with Simeone admitting last season that there had been problems between the pair.
“[Joao] is a player and [Simeone] is a coach,” Cerezo said. “That’s the relationship. What’s the problem?”
The player is strongly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, who may make their move if Kylian Mbappe or Neymar depart this summer.
09.54 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that Vitor Roque‘s move to the club. Barca have reached an agreement with his club, Athletico-PR, to sign the Brazilian forward for around €40m.
“[Barca signings] Inigo [Martinez] and [Ilkay] Gundogan are two players that [Barca coach] Xavi wanted,” Laporta said. “We can say that Vitor Roque is a done deal. The contract is signed, and he is a Barca player. “
Laporta did not specify when Roque will join Barca. He said: “We have this viability plan and it is scheduled for January [2024] or June [2024] unless the foreseen circumstances improve, although they could still occur.”
Barcelona could officially confirm the transfer on Wednesday.
On Barca’s transfer market, Laporta said: “I think we are missing a right-back and we are working on it. We also want to reinforce our midfield line.”
09.14 BST: USMNT star Christian Pulisic has landed at Milan airport ahead of completing his move to AC Milan from Chelsea.
The midfielder is expected to complete a medical before being unveiled on Wednesday evening.
Pulisic had a message for the Milan fans after he had landed.
Here he is 🇺🇸🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/w4EDSTFxuS
— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) July 12, 2023
08.30 BST: Lionel Messi landed in Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday in preparation for an unveiling ceremony to be hosted by his new MLS club, Inter Miami CF, on Sunday.
Messi arrived his wife and children as the club also made the announcement confirming the welcome event, which has been called “The Unveil,” which is set to start at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the team’s DRV PNK Stadium.
Inter Miami has not yet made the signing official, after reaching an agreement with the Argentina legend, who spent two seasons with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona.
Miami is targeting its July 21 Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul for Messi to make his debut.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Sky Sports Deutschland reports that Bayern Munich would like to move on Bouna Sarr, Alexander Nubel, Yann Sommer, Marcel Sabitzer, Sadio Mane, Benjamin Pavard and Ryan Gravenberch in order fund a deal for Tottenham Hotspur‘s Harry Kane. Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that Kane would interested in a move to Bayern, who have already made two bids for the England captain.
– Manchester United are getting closer to reaching an agreement with Internazionale for Andre Onana, reports Calciomercato. The Red Devils have offered €55m while Inter want €60m, but the 27-year-old goalkeeper has already agreed to personal terms with United that will double his salary at Inter.
– Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will sign a three-year contract to join Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly at Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. The documents are in place for the €40m move with the contract signing and medical still pending.
– Napoli‘s Piotr Zielinski could replace Milinkovic-Savic at Lazio, but the midfielder also has a large offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club, according to Calciomercato. The offer is a three-year contract worth between €10m and €12m-per-season, while Napoli want no less than €20m for the 29-year-old’s transfer.
– Marseille are in advanced negotiations with Sheffield United forward Iliman Ndiaye, reports Fabrizio Romano. An agreement is expected to come soon with a five-year deal being discussed. The 23-year-old wants the move, but Marseille will need to negotiate a transfer fee with the Blades.