The transfer window may have slammed shut, 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: Barca must act fast to sign ‘best footballer in Spain’
Barcelona must move fast if they want to sign Sevilla midfielder Bryan Gil, according to one of club scouts.
Gil, 20, is currently on loan at Eibar, where he has scored three goals and set up two more in 15 games this season.
Barcelona scout German Vaya ‘Mani’ believes Gil, whose contract with Sevilla runs until June 2023, has some similarities to former Barca and current Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar.
“Right now the best footballer in Spain is Bryan Gil,” Mani said ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg clash between the two sides (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.). “I have spoken to [Barcelona technical director] Ramon Planes, who has Bryan Gil on his mind. If they [Barca] do it [make a move] now, Gil’s clause is €35m. If he renews with Sevilla it will become €150m.”
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17.39 GMT: Paris Saint-Germain are the latest club – after Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona – to register their interest in Sevilla‘s Parisian-born France U21 centre-back Jules Kounde, according to AS.
15.52 GMT: Sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez this week that Manchester City are still pursuing a free transfer for Lionel Messi this summer. But would the superstar unbalance Pep Guardiola’s squad?
1:48
ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden questions why Manchester City might not need Lionel Messi after all.
14.43 GMT: Major League Soccer club Austin FC have announced the signing of midfielder Tomas Pochettino as a designated player.
Pochettino, 25, moves to Texas from Argentine top-flight club Talleres, and becomes Austin’s second DP alongside Cecilio Dominguez.
Pochettino won the Argentine Primera Division with Boca Juniors in 2015. After joining Talleres in 2018, Pochettino scored seven goals and registered 10 assists in 62 appearances for the Cordoba-based club.
He’s #VERDE!
Your newest Designated Player. 🌳Welcome to Austin FC, Tomás Pochettino! pic.twitter.com/WUwcTuoqdS
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) February 11, 2021
13.58 GMT: AC Milan executive Ivan Gazidis said Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the “exception to all the rules” and the club want to open contract talks with the Swede.
Ibrahimovic, whose contract at the San Siro ends at the end of the campaign, is just two goals off the top scorers chart in Serie A despite having played six games fewer than first-place Cristiano Ronaldo.
His goals have seen Milan in a battle for the title for the first time since 2012 and, despite the Rossoneri having adopted a transfer policy of recruiting talented players under the age of 25 in recent seasons, Gazidis said those rules don’t apply to 39-year-old Ibrahimovic.
“Absolutely, why not?” Gazidis told Sky Sport Italia when asked if he would be keen top open contract talks with Ibrahimovic. “He is the exception to all the rules — he’s unique. “He has a history Milan. This club excites him in a special way.”
– Marcotti: How Ronaldo, Ibra and other ‘golden oldies’ keep going
13.09 GMT: Nigeria international Ahmed Musa is still looking for a club after his trial at West Brom came to an end without the Premier League club signing him, the Express & Star reports.
Musa is a free agent having left Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in October.
The 28-year-old was Leicester City’s club-record signing in 2016 when he signed from CSKA Moscow for £16.6m, but only scored five goals in 18 months in England before he was loaned back to CSKA.
12.22 GMT: Liverpool will have to pay a record amount of compensation to Fulham for midfielder Harvey Elliott, a tribunal has ruled.
The Professional Football Compensation Committee has ruled that the Premier League champions must pay up to £4.3m for the 17-year-old and give Fulham 20% of any future transfer fee.
Elliott, who joined Liverpool as a 16-year-old in July 2019, is on loan at Championship side Blackburn this season.
“After a full hearing, the PFCC has decided that Fulham should be entitled to substantial compensation,” Fulham said. “The award (undisclosed) is a record amount for a 16-year-old player and, in the circumstances, Fulham is very pleased and thanks the PFCC for its careful consideration of the arguments we put forward.”
11.37 GMT: Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho admits that all the speculation surrounding Dele Alli may have distracted the midfielder.
Alli came on as a substitute in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss at Everton in the FA Cup, his first appearance since the third-round win at lower-league Marine on Jan. 10.
The England international was linked heavily with a move to Paris Saint-Germain last month and a reunion with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, but a move did not materialise.
“There’s nothing to speak about anymore,” Mourinho said before the Everton game (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.). “It’s possible that he was distracted, yeah.
“It depends on the player’s mentality, how much the player is influenced by and follows the media and social media. I don’t know in his personal case.
“But I was expecting that this story is over. Now it’s about him working to be back in the team, to have minutes.”
– Ogden: FA Cup thriller showcases all that makes football great
10.52 GMT: Borussia Dortmund are among a number of clubs to remain interested in Germany midfielder Florian Neuhaus, kicker reports.
The Gladbach star can leave Borussia Park for a set fee of €40m in the next transfer window, and BVB have joined Juventus, Bayern, Liverpool and Manchester City in tracking the 23-year-old.
Dortmund’s interest in Neuhaus is coupled with their pursuit Gladbach coach Marco Rose, who they want to revive a team which is struggling to qualify for Champions League this term.
Dortmund’s pursuit of Rose has already led to a backlash from sections of the Gladbach fanbase, who hit out at the coach online following the recent 2-1 home defeat in the derby against Cologne.
– Uersfeld & Hamilton: How long until top clubs come calling for Neuhaus?
10.09 GMT: Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has offered to lower his wages in order to remain at the club for another season, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Real Madrid are negotiating salary reductions with each player due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the club’s finances.
Modric, 35, has been in talks with Madrid to sign a one-year contract extension and is willing to reduce his wages to make it happen. The Croatia international becomes a free agent in June.
The former Tottenham player has been a regular in Zinedine Zidane’s squad, making 28 appearances for Los Blancos this season.
09.16 GMT: Thomas Tuchel believes Kepa Arrizabalaga can still rescue his Chelsea career but urged the goalkeeper not to try too hard to impress on his first start for the new Blues boss.
Kepa’s future at Stamford Bridge looked doomed under Tuchel’s predecessor Frank Lampard after falling out of favour as the club brought in Eduoard Mendy from Rennes to become their first-choice goalkeeper.
The Blues signed Kepa from Athletic Bilbao for a world-record fee of £71.6m in August 2018 but were willing to listen to offers this summer if the majority of that sum could be recouped.
No club was interested at that price and Kepa has played just four times since Mendy’s arrival in September. However, Tuchel’s arrival has given him opportunity for a fresh start, beginning with Thursday’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Championship side Barnsley.
“He will play tomorrow, he will start tomorrow,” said Tuchel, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in December before succeeding Lampard last month. “And from outside, of course we had a view on his situation, and some difficulties on the sporting side. Maybe also the circumstances of his transfer maybe a little bit on his shoulders. That was the impression from outside.
“From inside I see a nice guy, I see a nice personality, an open personality, a hard-working guy, with obviously a lot of quality. So the good thing for him is that we start new, it’s a new start for him. I don’t have a history with him and I hope there will be no difficulties, because I don’t see them coming.”
08.30 GMT: The Daily Mail reports that Manchester United have made RB Leipzig‘s Ibrahima Konate their No. 1 transfer target for the summer — after admitting defeat in the race to land his centre-back partner, Dayot Upamecano.
With Bayern Munich now the firm favourites to sign Upamecano, it’s France Under-21 star Konate who is attracting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attention. The Mail reports that United may have to find £37m if they want to sign the former Sochaux player. He has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool.
PAPER ROUND (by Harry Kettle)
Spurs, Juve want Damsgaard
Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus are set to fight it out for winger Mikkel Damsgaard, according to Tuttosport.
The Sampdoria star has reportedly seen his value triple since arriving at the club from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland for around £6.5 million last summer. Juve are hoping that they can convince him to stay in Serie A, but Spurs fancy their chances of luring him to the Premier League.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is personally keeping an eye on the 20-year-old Denmark international as the summer transfer window draws closer.
Angelino set to seal RB Leipzig move
Angelino is set to join RB Leipzig on a permanent deal from parent club Manchester City, Sport Bild reports.
The 24-year-old is out on loan in Germany, where he is enjoying a really successful spell and, due to a clause in his contract, he is now set to officially bring his time at the Etihad to an end.
The report states that if Angelino plays against Augsburg on Friday in Bundesliga action, he will have played the requisite number of games to trigger the clause which means Leipzig much purchase the player.
Tap-ins
– AC Milan are aiming to lock Davide Calabria down to a new contract, Calciomercato reports. The 22-year-old will be given the chance to extend his time at the San Siro through to 2025 after speculation over his future with the Serie A title contenders. Milan want to get the deal signed before the end of the season, hoping that Calabria can continue to play a key role in their resurgence.
– Chinese side Shandong have made a £9m bid to sign Lyon midfielder Thiago Mendes, according to Globo Esporte. The 28-year-old is believed to be open to the idea of making the jump over to China where many top players in world football have gone in the last few years, although it’s not yet known if Lyon are willing to let him go. The transfer window remains open in China in February.
