Transfer rumors, news: Man United to replace Onana with Santos?

Manchester United are looking at Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kauã Santos, while Chelsea are leading the race to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.

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TOP STORIES

– Liverpool captain Van Dijk signs contract extension
– Amorim: Onana to return for Man United vs. Lyon
– Maresca defends Chelsea style amid fan discontent

TRENDING RUMORS

– Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kauã Santos could replace Manchester United’s André Onana in the summer, according to Bild. Santos, 23, has been tipped to succeed Ederson and Alisson as the future No. 1 for Brazil and showcased his talent with an incredible performance at Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League clash last week. United may move on from Onana and his current deputy Altay Bayindir, with a host of goalkeepers including Burnley’s James Trafford, Espanyol’s Joan García, Parma’s Zion Suzuki, FC Porto’s Diogo Costa, Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen and AC Milan’s Mike Maignan linked with a transfer to Old Trafford already. However, a deal for Santos could cost them around €60 million.

– Chelsea are “red hot favorites” to sign Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap this summer ahead of a host of Premier League rivals, the Daily Mirror has revealed. The 22-year-old is also wanted by Manchester United, Everton, and West Ham United, but Chelsea hold a key trump card that could see them win the race for his signature. Club manager Enzo Maresca previously worked with Delap at Manchester City’s academy, a link which may ultimately decide where the England Under-21 international chooses to play next season. Delap has a £30m release clause in his contract that becomes valid this summer if Ipswich are relegated.

– Tottenham could rival Arsenal for Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman this summer, reports TEAMtalk. The France international has largely been used as a substitute this season by Vincent Kompany and now looks set to leave the Bavarians after an eight-year stay. Arsenal are long-term admirers of Coman, although Spurs could enter the race to sign him once Timo Werner leaves the club. Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, who has a £100m valuation following a breakout Premier League campaign, is also on their winger shortlist.

– It has been reported for a while that Juventus are interested in Manchester United forward Rasmus Højlund, but Calciomercato claims that the club could offer Dusan Vlahovic in return. Højlund, 21, could move back to Serie A just two years after signing for £64m from Atalanta, having scored only 13 goals in the Premier League, and Vlahovic would be an able replacement. Both clubs value their strikers at around £60m, so it could work for both parties.

– RB Leipzig are willing to let striker Benjamin Sesko leave the club this summer, but only for €95m, says Bild. Sesko, 21, has seen interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal as he has scored 11 goals in 28 Bundesliga games this season, and penned a new contract last year to remove a €65m release clause. The Slovenia international signed from FC Salzburg for €24m in 2023, so Leipzig are looking to make a major profit on the deal.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Dale Johnson explores why Chelsea are looking to solve their striker issues with Liam Delap.

Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are the most recent strikers signed to solve Chelsea’s goal-scoring issues, both arriving in the summer of 2023. While Jackson, signed from Villarreal for £32m, has proved useful with 23 goals in 61 Premier League games, it’s not gone so well for the injury-hit Nkunku, who arrived for £52m on the back of two prolific Bundesliga seasons with RB Leipzig, but has netted only six times in the Premier League in the last two campaigns.

So the search for a solution goes on and the answer might be Ipswich Town striker Delap. The former Manchester City striker has an attractive £30m release clause, which becomes active when Ipswich’s all-but-certain relegation is confirmed. The England under-21 international has earned much praise for his performances in a team which has struggled all season, with 14 goal contributions — the same as Jackson; Nkunku has just five — made up of 12 goals and two assists.

Chelsea would sign Delap to compliment Jackson, rather than replace him, with Nkunku likely to move on this summer. Delap is more an out-and-out No. 9 striker, a powerhouse who could lead the line in a more commanding way than Jackson.

Delap’s goals-per-game ratio is slightly better than Jackson’s (0.4 vs 0.3), while he gets fewer chances per game (0.6 vs. 1.0) and has a better shots-on-target percentage (49.9% vs. 44.4%). Delap is also outperforming his xG (12 goals from xG of 9.02), while Jackson is under-performing (nine goals from xG of 12.16).

While Delap’s numbers might be slightly better than Jackson’s, he vastly out-performs Nkunku, who has 0.1 goals per game, from 0.5 chances and shots on target of 48%. Like Jackson, Nkunku also underperforms on xG, with three goals from an xG of 4.83.

But Delap has a long way to go to get his numbers up to the top performing forwards this season. For instance, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has 45 goal involvements this season, with Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak on 27, and Man City’s Erling Haaland on 24. No Chelsea striker even gets close, and that might be why they miss out on the Champions League for next season. It’s something they are desperate to change.

OTHER RUMORS

– Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo is a summer target for Saudi club Al Nassr. The 23-year-old is said to be a “dream” option for them, who would be willing to pay a club-record transfer fee to sign him. The Ecuador international’s transfer cost Chelsea an initial £100m when he joined the West London club in 2023, and given the six years left on his contract, the Blues would be unwilling to let him go for anything less. (Telegraph)

.- Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio, 23, could be on the move in the summer and, of course, Manchester United and Ruben Amorim are keen. (A Bola)

– Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who might become available for a fee of around €40m. (Caught Offside)

– Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr are pushing ahead with plans to renew Cristiano Ronaldo‘s contract. The 40-year-old is expected to sign the deal “soon” on similar financial terms to what he is on now — which sees him earn an estimated £173m per year. (Ben Jacobs)

– Real Madrid are monitoring Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García. The 23-year-old has attracted the attention of several European clubs, including Arsenal, following an impressive debut season in LaLiga and has a release clause set at €25m that could increase a further €5m in the last two weeks before the end of the transfer window. (Diario AS)

– Portugal international forward Joao Felix is on loan at AC Milan from Chelsea this season, but wants to return to Benfica this summer to rebuild his career. (Record)

– Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has been linked with Real Madrid, but he won’t be leaving Anfield in the near future. (Daily Mail)

– Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are all considering a move for Manchester City winger Jack Grealish in the summer. (GMS)

– Tottenham don’t want to let left-back Destiny Udogie, 22, leave this summer amid interest from Manchester City. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Werder Bremen’s Felix Agu has a release clause of €8m-€10m in his contract that has alerted the attention of West Ham United, Fulham and a few teams in Serie A. The left-back has impressed of late in the Bundesliga, where he’s played 17 times to date this season. (Sky Germany)

– A host of foreign clubs are monitoring Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić ahead of a potential summer move. The Serbia international, who was previously on the books at Manchester United, has a £20m release clause in his contract. (Nicolo Schira)

– Clubs from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are keen to sign AC Milan striker Luka Jovic on a free transfer this summer. (Nicolo Schira)