The January transfer window may 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: Mbappe could leave PSG for €150m as contract talks stall
Paris Saint-Germain could consider letting star striker Kylian Mbappe go for €150 million this summer, with progress stalling over his contract renewal, reports Le Parisien,
Mbappe, 22, joined PSG from Monaco in a deal worth €180m in 2017 as one of the top young prospects in football but, after narrowly missing out on the Champions League title last season, it looks as though the forward’s time in Ligue 1 could be coming to an end as sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens there has been no breakthrough in contract negotiations.
PSG’s hierarchy are keen to avoid losing Mbappe on a free transfer in 2022 and could sanction his exit this summer, with Liverpool and Real Madrid leading the elite clubs in Europe for his signature.
The 2018 World Cup winner told RTL after France’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Bosnia-Herzegovina: “If it [contract talks] had progressed, I would have come to talk about it already. Of course, I will talk about it when I have made up my mind.”
A frustrated Mbappe also claimed he is growing tired of criticism and pressure from the media, believing he is treated differently to other stars in the France national team.
“Of course it [criticism from the media] gets tiring, especially when you play for a club in your country and you give everything for your national team,” he said. “After a while it gets tiring. It’s different for players who play abroad and only come back here for the national team. I’m there all the time, they speak about me a lot more. It’s a different context [to other players], but I knew it would be like that when I signed for Paris. We’ll see.”
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LIVE BLOG
18.24 BST: Corriere dello Sport estimates that Internazionale are facing the prospect of a €140m loss for the financial year, and will need to raise funds by transferring players out of the club. One player the Nerazzurri reportedly will look to hold on to amid this situation is 27-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku, but if an offer of €120m arrived then the Serie A leaders would have to consider it.
17.27 BST: Chelsea are monitoring Sergio Aguero‘s exit from Manchester City, with the striker viewed as a possible alternative should they fail in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund‘s Erling Haaland, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley. Read the full story.
16.30 BST: Manchester United and Arsenal are both scouting Everton left-back Thierry Small, reports the Daily Express.
Small, 16, has been compared in playing style to Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, but has grown frustrated with a lack of opportunities in the first-team after becoming the youngest player (at 16 years and 157 days) to feature for Everton when he came on as a substitute in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Brentford and Brighton are also keeping tabs on the youngster.
15.40 BST: Real Salt Lake has signed forward Bobby Wood, bringing the U.S. international to Major League Soccer for the first time in his career.
Wood, 28, will join Real Salt Lake upon expiration of his contract with Hamburg in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga this summer. He has 13 goals in 45 caps for the USMNT.
“It was really important for me to get into a club that felt like a family and that’s why it feels so good to come into Real Salt Lake. In talking with the coaches, that was the vibe I got and made it an easy decision,” Wood told the club website. “I’m excited for this new chapter and challenge and I want to make it as successful as possible.”
Huh … Wood ya look at that!? pic.twitter.com/1IS4bQIjCg
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 2, 2021
15.15 BST: Everyone is talking about Erling Haaland today. But could he play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona?
1:27
Alex Kirkland details why Lionel Messi could be tempted to stay at Barcelona if they sign Erling Haaland.
14.48 BST: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he still has to decide on Manchester United’s best goalkeeper and added that Dean Henderson and David de Gea will both play for the team between now and the end of the season.
United face Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday with England keeper Henderson having played in the club’s last six games due to De Gea being allowed to return to Spain for the birth of his child.
Despite a number of high-profile mistakes by De Gea this season, Solskjaer had remained loyal to the former Atletico Madrid keeper for United’s biggest games. But with both keepers now fit and available for the visit of Graham Potter’s team this weekend, United manager Solskjaer said he will use both Henderson and De Gea in the coming weeks rather than announce one as his first choice.
“I have the great option of two top goalkeepers and it’s a pleasure to have them here,” Solskjaer said at a news conference on Friday. “We’ve got nine games, plus five in the Europa League hopefully to go, I’m sure you’ll see both of them playing in goal for us.
“I understand the question and the narrative in the media, there’s always tension where there can be potential tension and controversy, that’s why everyone wants to hear a comment from me. But I’ve got great options with both of them. It will be decided on merit and we have to think who’s going to give us a win on any given day.
“With Dean and David, the two keepers will probably be needed in these last nine games and they know we value them both really highly. It’s difficult to leave one of them out, but it’s easy to give the nod that they’ll play.”
14.00 BST: And throw in one more ‘not gonna happen’ response from a manager today…
Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho has insisted he will not speculate on Harry Kane‘s future but claimed the striker should “be happy with the moment he is living” for club and country.
The 27-year-old stoked rumours he may consider leaving Spurs after Euro 2020 by stating “I’m fully focused on doing the job on the pitch from now until the end of the summer, and then we’ll see where we go from there” in response to a question over reports linking him with a move to Manchester United, Manchester City or Real Madrid.
Kane, who scored twice on international duty as England won all three World Cup qualifiers, is under contract until 2024 with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy reluctant to entertain letting the England captain leave.
Another season without silverware would further the argument Kane may have to move on to fulfil his desire for trophies as he enters the peak years of his career, but Mourinho said of the debate: “I cannot play that game. I have to focus on what is for us… of course I am always pleased when my players go to national team and do well.”
13.45 BST: And to complete the circus… a bunch of other managers were asked about Haaland too.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel:
0:46
Thomas Tuchel refuses to comment on Chelsea being linked with the race for Erling Haaland.
Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: “Who we’re interested in and who we can go for and who we will go for, I’m not going to comment on that. I think the way the world works at the moment, you’d like to do all your business on the quiet and all your talks on the quiet, but there are platforms everywhere, the news, media make that more difficult.
“Hopefully we can suddenly sit here with players no one has written about. We conduct our recruitment business, scouting, the players that we are interested in, we do it the right way I hope and feel. And even though I worked with Erling [at Molde] it’s not right for me as United manager to talk about Erling, he will make his own mind up.”
Man City boss Pep Guardiola: “With these prices, we are not going to buy any striker. It is impossible, we cannot afford it. All the clubs struggle financially and we are not an exception. We have Gabriel [Jesus], Ferran [Torres], a lot of players in the Academy, and we sometimes play with a false No. 9. There are a lot of big chances that we are not going to sign a new striker for next season. We have enough players in the first-team right now and interesting players in the Academy. It is a big challenge, for the situation in the world, because of the economic problems in world football, we are not going to sign any striker for next season.”
13.40 BST: Zinedine Zidane has said he’s “tired” of having to deal with questions about Erling Haaland and other potential Real Madrid transfer targets after the striker’s father and agent met with the club on Thursday to discuss a possible deal.
Alf-Inge Haaland and Mino Raiola held talks with Barcelona on Thursday morning and Real Madrid later that same day in what sources told ESPN was a “friendly” two-hour meeting aimed at sounding out each party’s intentions for this summer.
“I get tired of saying the same thing, but everything that happens outside — and what’s more, he isn’t my player — I won’t say if it’s good or bad, I won’t get into it,” Zidane said when asked about Haaland in a news conference on Friday ahead of Madrid’s La Liga match with Eibar.
“What interests me is thinking about tomorrow’s game. I get tired of saying it, but if you or your colleagues ask me again about other players, I’ll say the same thing, so maybe save the question and ask a good football question.”
“The rest, what will happen next year, I don’t know,” he said. “Everyone does what he wants (at Real Madrid). I don’t get involved. My job is preparing my players well for tomorrow’s game.”
13.03 BST: Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has told ESPN what players need to play for the club.
1:38
Scott McTominay explains why it’s a priority to make sure players are “thick-skinned” when playing for United.
12.45 BST: Marseille winger Florian Thauvin has seen interest from Milan, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Sevilla with his contract expiring this summer, says L’Equipe.
Thauvin, 28, looked set to leave the Ligue 1 club but new president Pablo Longoria and manager Jorge Sampaoli seem to have turned things around for the Frenchman.
It’s now possible he will stay if offered a new contract on improved terms, otherwise his suitors may return.
12.07 BST: Everton star James Rodriguez said he only joined the club to be reunited with manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Speaking exclusively with ESPN Colombia, Rodriguez said playing for Italian boss was key to the decision to join the Premier League side after their stints together at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
“I’ll say it with all sincerity that if Carlo weren’t here, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll say it with all my heart, he was one of the reasons for which I came,” the Colombia international said.
Rodriguez’s time at Goodison Park started brightly, having scored five goals in 18 league matches, but the 29-year-old been sidelined since February with a calf injury. The Toffees sit in eighth place with 46 points, tied with city rivals Liverpool, and are in the mix for either a Champions League or Europa League berth.
“I started to get to know the club, how they work, how they want to work, win things, play in Europe,” Rodriguez said. “The fact that Carlo is here was fundamental to come, where I am learning every day.
“In these remaining nine [league] matches, I want to perform well, I had some physical problems for a month, but I have overcome them and it’s my goal to get a European spot, hopefully in Champions League.”
11.13 BST: Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland will not be able to trigger a release clause this summer even if the Bundesliga side miss out on Champions League football, sources have told ESPN’s Stephan Uersfeld.
Dortmund, fifth in the table and four points adrift of fourth-place Eintracht Frankfurt who they face this weekend, are holding out for €180 million should he leave at the end of the season.
Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola, has held talks with Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid over a possible move for the 20-year-old, according to ESPN sources.
Dortmund remain relaxed about the situation with sporting director Michael Zorc having simply urged Raiola and Haaland’s father Alf-Inge to stay in line with the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
“If they want to take in the Mediterranean sun and stick to the coronavirus regulations, everything’s okay,” Zorc told local paper Ruhr Nachrichten.
10.32 BST: Manchester United may be looking to move on midfielder Paul Pogba this summer and Juventus are keen.
1:27
Gab Marcotti explains Mino Raiola’s role in orchestrating a potential return to Juventus for Paul Pogba.
09.44 BST: Liverpool are facing a conundrum over the future of Mohamed Salah this summer, sources told ESPN’s James Olley. There is a growing sense within the Liverpool squad that Salah is eyeing a new challenge elsewhere, and intermediaries who have worked closely with the club previously have privately expressed the belief a transfer may be possible.
The situation will be influenced in part by how Liverpool finish the season, needing to stop an alarming slump in the Premier League yet chasing a third Champions League final appearance in four years.
Sources added the Reds are relaxed about the situation, given the 28-year-old’s contract has two years left to run, and there has been no obvious deterioration in the forward’s form or commitment to the club with Salah the joint leading scorer with Tottenham’s Harry Kane in the Premier League this season with 17 goals.
Liverpool may look to defer the decision over Salah’s future for another year but he would then have 12 months left on his deal and would command a much smaller fee than he would this summer. A new Liverpool contract may be the best outcome for all parties, allowing the club to protect their star man, giving Salah the “love” he craves and his potential suitors another year to replenish their transfer funds.
09.30 BST: ICYMI – Erling Haaland‘s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, and agent Mino Raiola held talks with Barcelona and Real Madrid on Thursday over a possible transfer for the superstar Borussia Dortmund forward.
Alf-Inge Haaland and Raiola flew into Barcelona on Thursday morning for a 2½-hour meeting with new Barca president Joan Laporta and the club’s incoming director of football Mateu Alemany.
Sources told ESPN that the meeting was a first step to explore the viability of a deal, with talks in their very early stages. The pair then flew to Madrid, arriving at the city’s Barajas Airport on Thursday afternoon and holding discussions with Real Madrid which went on into the evening.
Sources told ESPN that the meeting with Madrid was “friendly” and “like those we often hold regarding players.”
Raiola and Haaland wanted to know more about Real Madrid’s intentions and summer plans, while Florentino Perez wanted to hear first-hand details of the player’s situation.
Sources said that, if Madrid decided to move for the Norwegian, they felt they would have the edge over Barca given their relationship with Borussia Dortmund and more favourable financial situation.
08.48 BST: Enzo Zidane, the son of Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, is on trial with MLS side Inter Miami CF, sources have told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.
One source indicated that Zidane has been training with Miami throughout preseason, but cautioned that it’s still unclear if the 26-year-old will be offered a contract.
Zidane was last on the books of Spanish second-tier side UD Almeria, where he made four league appearances during the 2019-20 campaign. He was released in October.
Zidane previously rose through the ranks of Real Madrid’s academy, but his only first team appearance with Los Blancos was in 2016 in a Copa del Rey match. After leaving Real Madrid at the conclusion of that season, the midfielder went to play for the likes of Alaves and Rayo Majadahonda in Spain, as well as Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and Portuguese side Aves. He’s made a total of 147 professional league and cup appearances, scoring 12 goals.
08.30 BST: Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is on loan at Atletico Madrid from Arsenal, has declared his wish to sign for Boca Juniors as soon as possible to be closer to his family following the death of his mother.
Torreira was granted compassionate leave and travelled home after his mother passed away from COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old, who is under contract with Arsenal until June 2023, told ESPN F90: “I always said it. I am dying to play there [Boca]. I will always say it, not only now because I am going through this moment, if it is not now it will be in June or if not, later. The night my mother died, they called me and one of the first people I told was my agent. I told him that I don’t want to play in Europe anymore and I want to come to Boca.
“If my agent is watching the interview, he will kill me, because he says it will get complicated. Now after the interview he will send me a message. It all depends on how the clubs can negotiate; my decision does not involve money. If I want to continue making money I stay in Europe … I still have one-and-a-half months left and I hope I can end the season with Atletico lifting La Liga.”
1:33
Gab Marcotti explains why he believes it will be difficult for a club to match Borussia Dortmund’s valuation.
PAPER GOSSIP
– The Manchester Evening News claims that Brighton defender Ben White is open to the idea of moving to Manchester United in the summer. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been tracking the 23-year-old, along with Villarreal‘s Pau Torres, while Brighton are expected to be seeking in excess of £35m for White’s contract.
Huh … Wood ya look at that!? pic.twitter.com/1IS4bQIjCg
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 2, 2021
– Arsenal are targeting RB Leipzig‘s versatile Christopher Nkunku, with the French midfielder a key target for Mikel Arteta in the summer. That’s according to The Mirror, which reports that the North London club are ready to reignite their interest in the 23-year-old whom they were previously linked with in 2018.
– Arteta is expected to be in the market for a right-back this summer with reports that Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ready to leave the club, according to The Telegraph. The 23-year-old has played in midfield as well as cover at right-back for Hector Bellerin, who is also reported to be leaving in the summer. Maitland-Niles has been unable to nail down a place in the first team since making his debut in 2014 in the Champions League against Galatasaray and is currently on loan at West Bromwich Albion.
– Aston Villa have are trying to put off would-be suitors as Premier League giants continue to monitor Jack Grealish‘s situation. The Mirror claims the English midfielder’s contract is valued at £100m if he is to leave Villa Park in the summer. The 25-year-old has been linked with Manchester United yet again, but it is also reported that Manchester City are keen to add Grealish to their ranks.
– Manchester United and Chelsea are set to go head to head for the signature of Lucas Vazquez with the versatile Real Madrid star at a stalemate in contract negotiations. ABC is reporting that the 29-year-old winger/right-back would need to take a 10% pay cut if he wants to stay part of Zinedine Zidane’s plans at the Bernabeu beyond his contract expiry this summer.
