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: Barca eye triple swoop of City for Jesus, Laporte and Jesus
Barcelona are already signing Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia when their respective contracts with Manchester City expire at the end of June. However, according to two reports from Sport, the Catalan giants are aiming to bring in three more players from Pep Guardiola’s squad.
The first report says that they will move for centre-back Aymeric Laporte, who, like Garcia, has struggled to get in the team ahead of Ruben Dias and John Stones at times this term. It is even hinted that Barcelona could look to include Sergi Roberto in a swap deal to bring down the price of the proposed move.
This could help them complete the deals detailed in the second report, with the first of those being Gabriel Jesus.
As previously mentioned, Barcelona have already confirmed that Aguero is joining them, while Memphis Depay could sign for free this summer after the completion of his deal with Lyon.
With that in mind, it is stated that Joan Laporta will only look to sign the Brazilian if a deal is “irresistible”.
Finally, Barcelona are eyeing German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who was a leading figure for City this term. The 30-year-old is seen as an alternative to long-time target Georginio Wijnaldum, who now appears set to spurn Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.
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08.47 BST: Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier has told his England teammates that he is keen on a summer transfer to Manchester United, according to The Sun.
Trippier has taken his career to another level since leaving Tottenham hotspur to join Atletico in 2019, and he started 28 matches in their 2020-21 La Liga title-winning campaign.
United have been linked with interest in the former Manchester City youth player, whose final match for Spurs was the 2019 Champions League final loss to Liverpool.
The Sun reports that United hope to bring Trippier in to provide competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and believe a deal could be done for a fee of £15-20m.
08.00 BST: Real Madrid are facing an uphill struggle to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer after Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted the French club “will never sell [Mbappe] and he’ll never leave for free.”
Mbappe, Madrid’s top target for this transfer window, has just a year left on his contract in Paris and hasn’t yet shown any inclination to renew. However Al-Khelaifi sounded bullish in an interview with L’Equipe.
“Kylian will continue in Paris,” he said. “We’ll never sell him, and he’ll never leave for free… Which clubs, in terms of ambition and project, can compete with PSG?”
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Fresh off his new contract extension, Diego Simeone has asked to sign Inter Milan and Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez, according to AS. It is suggested that there may be troubles in completing a deal, though, as the Serie A outfit are asking for €70m for the 23-year-old.
Lautaro scored 17 goals and added 10 assists last season for Scudetto winners Inter, but has been linked with a move away due to Inter’s financial worries.
– AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will decide his future in the coming days, reports Fabrizio Romano. Donnarumma is soon to be a free agent, and it is suggested that Barcelona’s current priority is a deal for Memphis Depay, while Paris Saint-Germain have met with his agent, Mino Raiola, to discuss the goalkeeper.
PSG are also negotiation with Raiola regarding Moise Kean and Xavi Simons, while Juventus are still in the race to sign Donnarumma.
– Atletico Madrid are hoping to sign Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin this summer, Ra. The Spaniard has long been linked with a move away from the Emirates and it is now stated that Atleti think the 26-year-old can either provide competition for Kieran Trippier or replace the England international if he leaves.
– Joaquin Correa could be set to leave Lazio this summer, but only if the Serie A side receive €40 million, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. It is suggested that there are a number of Premier League clubs looking at the Argentine forward, with West Ham United and Everton named listed by the outlet.
– Kristoffer Ajer has already admitted that he expects to leave Celtic this summer, and Kicker have stated that Bayer Leverkusen are interested in bringing in the Norwegian centre-back. It’s added that Premier League duo Newcastle United and Norwich City are also looking at the towering 23-year-old.
– AC Milan are looking to make Sandro Tonali‘s loan move from Brescia permanent for a lower fee than had originally been agreed, reports Calciomercato. They paid an initial €10 million for the loan and are now hoping to let go of €10m plus add-ons, rather than €15m, though they will need to come to a deal before June 15th if this is to happen.