Amid all the action at Euro 2020 and the Copa America, the summer transfer window has opened, with Europe’s biggest clubs looking to make a splash in the transfer market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Liverpool leading contenders for Mbappe
Liverpool will be at the front of the queue for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe as speculation continues over the future of the 22-year-old, who has just one year left on his deal at the Parc des Princes.
The Daily Mirror writes that Jurgen Klopp’s side are ready to make their move if the France international’s contract situation remains unresolved. PSG have always maintained that there’s no chance Mbappe will leave the club, even on a free transfer, but his future will be out of their hands next summer — unless he is persuaded to pen an extension.
An impressive 2020-21 campaign saw the striker score 42 goals and provide 10 assists across all competitions. Competition for Mbappe will be intense should be leave PSG as a free agent, and Real Madrid have made no attempt to hide their admiration.
Liverpool’s best hope could be to try and sign Mbappe this summer, when they could offer PSG the chance to recoup some of the €180m fee paid to AS Monaco in 2017.
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14.15 BST: Eduardo Camavinga is open to a move to the Premier League this summer amid interest from Manchester United, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
United are making checks on Camavinga, having been alerted to his potential exit from Rennes during this transfer window. The 18-year-old midfielder has a year left on his contract and if the French side do not cash in, they risk losing him for free next summer.
Sources have told ESPN that United believe they would have to battle Paris Saint-Germain and Real for Camavinga’s signature, although his relatively low valuation of under €50m makes him a more realistic target than West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add a midfielder to his squad but is aware of the club’s need to manage their transfer funds carefully during the rest of the window.
United have already committed €85m to bring in winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and, alongside Camavinga, remain interested in Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane.
Right-backs Kieran Trippier and Max Aarons are also on their radar. According to sources, United will not sign Trippier if his club, Atletico Madrid, demand that his release clause of more than €40m is met.
13.53 BST: Spanish winger Vitolo has signed a two-year contract extension with Atletico Madrid before leaving to join Getafe on loan, the club announced.
Vitolo, 31, made just 10 league appearances for La Liga champions Atletico last season, but his new deal will run until June 2024.
“I had limited playing time last season and although I was comfortable with Atletico, to train during the week and not be able to compete made me take this decision,” he said on Monday. “I wanted to remain in Madrid and Getafe is a club that allows me to do that, to play, to prove myself and earn the confidence of the coach.”
13.45 BST: Inter Milan full-back Achraf Hakimi is flying to Paris to complete his €70m transfer to PSG, undergo a medical and sign a contract until 2026.
…✈️
— achrafhakimi (@AchrafHakimi) July 5, 2021
13.16 BST: Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick has been one of the stars of Euro 2020, with five goals in five games, and will surely attract transfer attention this summer.
Schick, 25, scored 13 times in 36 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen last season and Gazzetta dello Sport says that Tottenham are keen.
Tottenham’s new managing director of football, Fabio Paratici, was reportedly a fan of Schick’s when he was working at Juventus. Now Carlos Vinicius is heading back to Benfica after his loan, Spurs need a backup (and possibly even a replacement) for Harry Kane up front.
Leverkusen are well aware what their striker can do and have placed a valuation of €40m on Schick’s services.
12.35 BST: Paul Pogba‘s Manchester United contract expires in 2022. Will he extend it? Or leave?
The ESPN FC crew break down some of the biggest question marks surround Paul Pogba staying with Manchester United.
12.02 BST: Spanish winger Vitolo has joined Getafe on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, subject to a medical and will be unveiled on Monday.
Vitolo, 31, has scored seven goals in 101 appearances since joining Atletico from Sevilla in the summer of 2017. He made 10 league appearances for La Liga champions Atletico last season. A three-time Europa League winner with Sevilla, Vitolo becomes a free agent next summer.
11.27 BST: Atletico Madrid have Rodrigo De Paul‘s deal wrapped up, according to AS.
The La Liga champions have agreed with Udinese to sign the 27-year-old midfielder for €35m and he will put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Rojiblancos.
The deal will be announced next week after the Copa America in Brazil, where De Paul is competing with Argentina. Since joining Udinese in the summer of 2016 from Valencia, the attacking midfielder has scored 33 goals in 177 games.
Meanwhile, Atletico target Marc Cucurella has clarified that his release clause is set at €18m and not €30m, as has been reported.
Cucurella, 22, is preparing for the Olympic Games with Spain. The talented defender has made 37 league appearances since joining Getafe last season from Barcelona and is on Atletico’s wishlist this summer.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumours that my release clause is €30m, that’s a lie,” he said in Marca. “I want to make it clear that my release clause is 18m and not 30m as has been reported out there… This is not a message to anyone, just wanted to clarify that.”
11.02 BST: Former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell is set to complete a loan move from Club Leon to Rayados Monterrey, according to ESPN Deportes.
Campbell, 29, has already agreed personal term with Javier Aguirre’s side and the deal should be announced in the coming days.
The Costa Rica international, who has scored seven goals in 83 appearances for Leon since joining in 2019, still has contract with the Mexican side until 2023, but Rayados will have an option to sign him once the loan ends.
10.56 BST: Matteo Guendouzi is set to join Marseille and has confirmed his exit from Arsenal on social media.
Thanks to all of those who believed in me during my time here, during the good and the bad moments. I can only wish the best to the club and its fans who deserve so much, trust me ! Good bye Arsenal, I will never forget and will be a gooner forever.
– Matteo Guendouzi (@MatteoGuendouzi) July 5, 2021
10.49 BST: Brazilian side Fortaleza are in negotiations to sign former Arsenal and Bayern striker Lukas Podolski as a free agent, but the 2014 World Cup winner also has an offer from Polish side Gornik Zabrze.
Fortaleza president Marcelo Paz confirmed to ESPN Brasil that negotiations are ongoing, with the Brazilian side ready to offer him a 18-month contract.
Podolski, 36, was heavily linked with a move to Mexican side Queretaro last month but sources close to the negotiations told ESPN Brazil that he would prefer a move to Brazil.
10.13 BST: Lionel Messi is still a free agent. Will he actually leave Barcelona this summer?
The ESPN FC crew debate whether Lionel Messi will consider leaving Barcelona for another club in the near future.
10.02 BST: Southampton striker Danny Ings has turned down a new contract, says The Athletic.
Ings, 28, has netted 46 goals in 100 appearances since joining the club on loan from Liverpool in 2018-19, which was later turned permanent for £20m. His contract expires in 2022 and he wants to keep his options open.
The report states: “Southampton presented a fresh four-year deal that would have made Ings the best-paid player in their history – but the former Liverpool attacker is understood to have rejected it as he targets another chance to join a team competing towards the top of the table, either this summer or next.
“There is no sense of the proposed money being unsatisfactory and previous reports claimed that there was difficulty finding an agreement on the size of a release clause, which indicates this comes down to Ings’s desire to test himself at a higher level rather than any financial motivation.”
09.26 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Lazio are progressing in negotiations to sign midfielder Felipe Anderson from West Ham.
Anderson, 28, spent last season on loan at FC Porto and will move on from London this summer. Talks are ongoing with Lazio.
08.56 BST: AS says that Manchester United will move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde if they can’t get Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.
Kounde, 22, is a younger option than the 28-year-old Varane but would cost around €70m to sign, while Varane may be around €50m even with one year left on his contract.
Tottenham have also been linked with Kounde but can’t offer him Champions League football next season.
08.30 BST: Tottenham Hotspur want captain Harry Kane to stay at the club, their new managing director of football Fabio Paratici said, as speculation about the striker’s future continues.
Kane, who is valued at over £100m, is currently at the European Championship with England, having scored three goals to lead them to the semifinals where they will play Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old has a contract with Spurs until 2024, but British media said he is keen to leave in order to win major trophies and there are no shortage of interested parties.
“Keeping him is not just my goal, it’s our goal as a club,” Paratici, who joined Tottenham last month, told Sky Sports. “I can’t wait to watch him play live … Right now, he’s one of the best strikers in the world. He’s a complete player, really special.
“I haven’t heard from him yet because I don’t want to bother the players who are busy at the Euros, it doesn’t seem fair to me. They’re focused on their own goals with their national teams.”
Rob Dawson discusses Manchester City’s possible record-breaking signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Manchester City have made Fulham’s Antonee Robinson one of their transfer targets, according to the Daily Mirror. Coach Pep Guardiola is interested in bringing the American defender to the Etihad with a transfer fee expected to be in the region of £10m. The 23-year-old made 28 Premier League appearances for Fulham last season.
– Inter Milan have warned Real Madrid off Lautaro Martinez with a transfer valuation of €90m. Le10 Sport says that Carlo Ancelotti’s side were keen on recruiting the Argentina forward this summer, but the Serie A club’s asking price could now see interest cooled. The 23-year-old directly contributed to 26 goals for Inter last season.
– Luke Shaw will be offered a new contract with Manchester United, says Fabrizio Romano. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sees the England left-back as a key part of his long-term plans. The 25-year-old arrived at Old Trafford from Southampton in 2014 and now looks set to extend his stay following an impressive Euro 2020.
– Liverpool have enquired about Inter’s Nicolo Barella, writes Calciomercato. The midfielder has been the subject of interest from a host of European clubs after his performances for Italy at Euro 2020, with Liverpool already in contact with the Serie A club over a potential deal for the 24-year-old. Barella is the latest midfielder linked with Klopp’s side as the club continue to search for a Georginio Wijnaldum replacement.
– AC Milan are interested in a move for Miralem Pjanic, with the Barcelona midfielder likely to be available on a free transfer. Calciomercato says that the Serie A club are monitoring Pjanic’s situation, but are without a large budget after spending €28.5m on Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori. The 31-year-old Pjanic failed to register a goal or assist last season in 29 appearances for the Blaugrana and has also been linked with Tottenham and Man United by the Daily Express.
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