The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer 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: Newcastle plan trio of star England signings
Newcastle United are set to make a move for three England internationals this summer as manager Eddie Howe looks to add some “elite” talent to his squad, according to the Telegraph.
Talks are reported to have been conducted with the board over potential future transfer moves, with the Magpies keen to build on their promising Premier League results this season that have them in fourth place.
West Ham United defensive midfielder Declan Rice is reported to be among the top names on their shortlist, though the 24-year-old has also been tracked by Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, while his transfer would cost over £100 million.
Leicester City playmaker James Maddison is also on the radar. The 26-year-old was the subject of two bids from Newcastle up to £50m last summer but it looks as though they could finally land him after an impressive campaign for the Foxes that has seen him contribute to 15 goals in 24 Premier League games. Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who was on Newcastle’s books from 2015 to 2018, is also being tipped for a return to St. James’ Park.
To ensure the club’s transfer moves are aligned with financial fair play regulations, it is reported that Howe could look to offload some players as he streamlines his squad ahead of next season.
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21.44 BST: Eintracht Frankfurt are expecting to hear a final decision from defender Evan Ndicka over his future in the next 10 days, according to Sky Sport Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The Bundesliga club believe there is “no hope” that the 23-year-old former France youth international will choose to stay at Deutsche Bank Park with just two months remaining on his contract, and they have identified 25-year-old VfB Stuttgart centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos as a potential replacement.
21.11 BST: Manchester City won’t block a move away from the club for centre-back Aymeric Laporte, writes the Daily Mail. The 28-year-old Spain international is reportedly frustrated with his playing time this season, having made just seven starts in the Premier League, and has previously been linked with Barcelona.
20.38 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing a move for former Spain manager Luis Enrique, according to the Telegraph. The Premier League side are prepared to rival Chelsea for his signature as they consider their next permanent head coach, but it is reported that they would need to achieve Champions League qualification before he would consider making the switch to north London. Spurs are currently three points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.
20.05 BST Juventus could be set to accelerate their move for Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, reports Calciomercato. The 23-year-old Italy international, who has also been on the radar of Inter Milan and AS Roma, is said to have impressed the Bianconeri in Sassuolo’s 1-0 Serie A victory over them on Sunday, and they are hopeful of landing him in the summer.
19.32 BST: Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, according to RMC Sport. Having previously worked with Mourinho during his spell at Real Madrid, sporting director Luis Campos sees him as a potential replacement should they decide to part ways with Christophe Galtier, with the PSG hierarchy keen to sign a manager who can better control the dressing room.
18.59 BST: Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt and Leeds United are among a number of clubs across Europe who are tracking Lens forward Lois Openda, according to Foot Mercato. The 23-year-old Belgium forward has 15 goals in 31 Ligue 11 appearances this season, and is under contract through 2026-27, with Lens not entertaining offers of less than €30m.
18.23 BST: RB Leipzig are set to make one final attempt to sign forward Dani Olmo to a new contract, reports Sky Sport Deutschland. The Bundesliga club aren’t prepared to lose the 24-year-old on a free transfer when his contract expires after the 2023-24 season, and if he doesn’t sign new terms before this summer, it is expected that they will look to move him on for a transfer fee of €30m.
17.42 BST: Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount remains the priority option for Liverpool despite their recent interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, reports Fabrizio Romano. While it is said that the Reds approached the Netherlands international’s representatives over a potential move, the latest indicates that he wasn’t an alternative to Mount, 24, who is being linked with an exit away from Stamford Bridge amid no signs of progress over a new contract.
17.00 BST: Newcastle United scouts have been keeping a close eye on Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, according to the Daily Mail. The Magpies have been present at the 19-year-old Germany international’s past two games, but the Bundesliga club’s hierarchy will look to resist offers should they receive them in the summer.
16.15 BST: Chelsea have already spent £600m on players, but they need an overhaul.
1: 21
Dawson: Never seen anything like record-equalling Haaland
Rob Dawson watches Erling Haaland equal Mohamed Salah’s record for goals in a 38-game Premier League season, with eight games to spare.
15.19 BST: Man United have scouted Birmingham City’s teenage centre-forward Trevan Sanusi, says Football Insider.
Sanusi, 15, is set to leave the club after rejecting a scholarship contract and now has some of the Premier League’s top clubs on his trail.
The striker impressed for Birmingham’s Under-21s against Watford and United’s scouts were reportedly wowed by his performance.
14.22 BST: Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque is set to make a decision on his future soon, says Fabrizio Romano.
Roque, 18, is highly rated and finished joint-top scorer at the South American U20 Championships recently as he helped Brazil to win the title.
The striker has four goals in nine games this season and has attracted the interest of Barcelona and Arsenal at a reported fee of around €40m.
However, Romano says that Barca are leading the way even though their financial situation means they need to save €150m before they can sign new players.
13.50 BST: ICYMI — Joel and Avram Glazer are increasingly confident of securing the outside investment that will enable them to remain as Manchester United owners and potentially double the value of the club over the next decade, a source has told ESPN.
The Glazer family, who have owned United since 2005, announced last November they were considering “all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions,” in order to generate the funds required to transform the team, training ground and the Old Trafford stadium, which has been overlooked as a potential venue for the joint United Kingdom and Ireland bid to host Euro 2028 despite being the biggest club ground in Britain.
While Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani is fronting a Qatari bid to buy United in face of competition from Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man, a number of United States-based investment funds have contacted Raine Group, the New York bank overseeing the process, to register their interest in acquiring a minority stake in the club.
Elliot Investment Management, Ares Management Corporation, Sixth Street Partners and The Carlyle Group are all attempting to secure a stake in United, having lodged their interest with Raine Group ahead of the April 28 deadline for third bids.
12.27 BST: Real Madrid midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are expected to sign new one-year contracts, says The Athletic.
Kroos, 33, reached an agreement on a deal earlier this month, with Madrid ready to offer him a longer extension, and has previously said he would be happy to retire at the club.
Meanwhile, 37-year-old Modric met club president Florentino Perez on April 5 and talks are ongoing, though are not near completion yet.
11.52 BST: United States midfielder Julie Ertz has signed a one-year deal with National Women’s Soccer League side Angel City FC, the club said Monday, continuing her surprise comeback after an extended absence from the sport.
Ertz, 31, gave birth in August and earlier this month took the field for the U.S. for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics, with the hope of making the squad for the Women’s World Cup in July. She came on at half-time of Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Ireland.
11.02 BST: Manchester City did some amazing business when they signed Erling Haaland for €60m.
1: 21
Dawson: Never seen anything like record-equalling Haaland
Rob Dawson watches Erling Haaland equal Mohamed Salah’s record for goals in a 38-game Premier League season, with eight games to spare.
10.23 BST: Bayern Munich want to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, according to Calciomercato.
Chiesa, 25, has two goals and four assists in 21 games this season but has struggled with injuries in recent years.
The Italy international could be available for around €40m, as his contract expires in 2025, and new Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel is reportedly interested in bringing him in to replace Leroy Sane.
09.52 BST: Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram is Inter Milan’s preferred choice to replace loanee Romelu Lukaku, according to Calciomercato.
Thuram, 25, becomes a free agent this summer and has turned down a contract extension at Gladbach, with a host of top clubs on his trail.
Inter are in the market for a striker with Lukaku set to return to Chelsea at the end of the season after an injury-hit loan spell back at Inter, just a year after he left the club for a €115m move to Stamford Bridge.
Thuram reportedly has offers from Bundesliga and Premier League clubs after scoring 16 goals and setting up six more in 29 appearances across all competitions this season. But Inter have been in contact with the France international since before the 2022 World Cup and are hoping to convince him to accept their offer.
08.58 BST: AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli wants winger Brahim Diaz to remain at the club beyond this summer.
Diaz, 23, has been on loan at Milan from Real Madrid for the past three seasons and is expected to return to the Bernabeu. Milan are keen to sign the Spain international on a permanent transfer but face stiff competition from other clubs, including Arsenal.
“I think everyone can see that he’s growing a lot,” Pioli said. “He’s a young player but he has a lot of personality, he’s a young man who likes being under pressure and knows how to handle it well. He’s growing a lot, he’s becoming a top-level footballer. Of course I’d like to train him again.”
Under contract with Real Madrid until June 2025, Diaz has made 35 appearances for the Rossoneri this season.
08.39 BST: Botafogo are interested in signing James Rodriguez, who is a free agent after the Colombia international left Olympiakos when his contract was terminated last week.
“It’s true that we have spoken to his [James’] representatives but until he picks up the phone and calls and says I want to be one of the chosen to wear the Albinegro, that really is the key for me,” Botafogo owner John Textor said. “We are not at that point yet. He hasn’t called me and said he is coming to Botafogo. It’s a great name, we will continue to pay attention to it but there’s nothing happening at the moment.”
Botafogo had tried to lure James to the Brazilian league last summer but the former Everton and Real Madrid playmaker opted to join Olympiakos instead.
Injuries limited James to just 23 appearances for Olympiakos since his arrival at the club in September. There is also reported interest in the 31-year-old from clubs in Turkey.
08.00 BST: AS Roma have sacked chief executive Pietro Berardi, a decision taken days after prosecutors seized documents at the Serie A club as part of a probe into possible financial irregularities in transfer deals.
Roma, who are in third place in the Italian top flight, said in a brief statement that they had “terminated all relations” with Berardi “with immediate effect.” The club did not give a reason.The club did not give a reason.
On April 5, prosecutors seized documents at Roma and Lazio, their city rivals, and fellow Serie A club Salernitana in swoops related to aspects of transfer deals at all three clubs, including the methods used to set transaction prices.
Roma have denied any wrongdoing and said they was “cooperating with the competent authorities and hopes that full clarity will be provided on the matter as soon as possible”.
The investigations follow a probe launched by prosecutors in Turin into alleged false accounting on player transfers that in January led a sports court to dock Juventus, Italy’s most successful football club, 15 points.
2: 18
Ogden: Glazers could hold onto Manchester United for another decade
Mark Ogden reports on the latest developments on the Glazers’ intention to sell Manchester United.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Bayern Munich won’t listen to offers for midfielder Ryan Gravenberch despite interest from Liverpool and Arsenal, writes Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The 20-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League recently but it looks as though new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel intends to make him a part of his plans, with the Allianz Arena hierarchy confident that Gravenberch will become a vital player in the squad.
– Barcelona are confident of landing Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, reports the Times. The 32-year-old is set to be out of contract at the Etihad Stadium in the summer, and is yet to make his final decision. It is reported that the Blaugrana are now optimistic of tempting him to Spotify Camp Nou on a two-year contract.
– Eintracht Frankfurt are set to submit a written offer to Borussia Dortmund to sign on-loan midfielder Ansgar Knauff, reveals Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. Knauff, a Germany under-21 international, has begun to play a more prominent role for the Bundesliga side this season, and it looks as though their intentions are to make him a long-term part of the squad.
– Talks between West Ham and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski are set to commence over a contract extension, says Football Insider. The Poland international, 38, could see his terms extended by a further year, having remained a key player for David Moyes’ side this season. He has secured three clean sheets in his past five Premier League matches.
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