The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City in battle for Aouar
Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar is attracting plenty of interest from England, with Arsenal joining Liverpool and Manchester City in the race for his signature, according to The Sun.
The 21-year-old is considered one of the hottest properties in Europe and as well as a trio of English clubs queueing up to sign him, he’s also being watched by the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid.
Aouar impressed in action against Manchester City in the Champions League last season and was even described by City boss Pep Guardiola as “incredible.” This season he’s scored three goals in 25 appearances in all competitions and L’Equipe says that Lyon are expecting bids this summer.
Liverpool are supposed to be long-term admirers of the France Under-21 international and are even reported to have started talks with his representatives, though this week’s news that the Premier League league leaders are halting all contract talks and transfer activity could see that contact come to an end.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is also keen, though Arsenal’s small transfer budget could be an issue.
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12.22 BST: Fenerbahce striker Vedat Muriqi has caught the eye of Tottenham, Lazio and Napoli in recent months with 15 goals in all competitions for the Turkish club.
But the Kosovo international won’t be sold for less than €20m, says Fotomac.
11.37 BST: Spanish outlet AS reports that Real Madrid have pushed back their planned move for PSG striker Kylian Mbappe until 2021.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the transfer window will change drastically and Real hope that by delaying their plans for a year they see out the worst of it, while Mbappe’s contract will also be closer to ending, meaning a €200m pricetag could be as low as €140m.
10.50 BST: Brazilian club Botafogo have ruled out a move for Yaya Toure to focus on signing Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Mikel left left Turkish side Trabzonspor days after the former Chelsea midfielder said he did not feel comfortable with top-flight games in the country being played despite the coronavirus pandemic.
10.18 BST: Middlesbrough striker Calum Kavanagh is attracting a lot of attention.
Kavanagh, 16, is the son of ex-Ireland international Graham Kavanagh and has been scouted by Arsenal and Chelsea, Newcastle and Leicester City.
Now The Sun claims that Scottish giants Celtic are also watching him.
09.50 BST: Bayern Munich have signed Thomas Muller up to a new deal.
09.20 BST: Liverpool will be looking to add some depth in the summer and the Borussia Monchengladbach.
First up, to bolster their midfielder, they want Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria, who has also been linked with Manchester United and Tottenham.
Then, as a backup for Roberto Firmino, they’ll target 22-year-old forward Marcus Thuram — the son of France legend Lilian.
08.46 BST: Superdeporte reports that Valencia are considering offering Rodrigo Moreno a contract extension.
With the coronavirus pandemic affecting clubs financially, it’s unlikely that Valencia will get the €60m they were seeking for the Spain international. Rodrigo was twice close to leaving Valencia in recent transfer windows, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona among the clubs that made offers to sign him. However, both deals fell through and Rodrigo, Valencia’s biggest asset, remains at the club.
Valencia were hoping to use Euro 2020, now moved to 2021, as a window to showcase the 29-year-old. However, according to Superdeporte, the club will now focus on extending Rodrigo’s contract beyond his deal which expires in June 2022.
08.00 BST: Arsenal need defensive reinforcements and Athletic Bilbao defender Unai Nunez is reportedly a top target, says La Razon.
Nunez, 23, is available for just €30m due to a release clause in his contract and is highly-rated in Spain.
PAPER TALK (By Nick Judd)
Inter to attempt audacious Messi swap?
The Lauro Martinez to Barcelona story continues to rumble on, but Sport have raised the stakes by reporting quotes from former Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti, who has suggested the club might attempt to take Lionel Messi in the other direction as part of the deal.
Inter are resigned to the fact that they will likely wave goodbye to Argentine striker Martinez, with the Blaugrana having chased him for months and the player seemingly keen to go. However, Moratti has suggested that the club could try and pull off an audacious swoop, or at least try and stall the deal by demanding they sign Messi in return.
“I don’t think [Messi] is a forbidden dream at all. Maybe it wasn’t even before this misfortune [the coronavirus outbreak],” he told Rai. “He is at the end of his contract and it would certainly be attempted to bring him [to Inter].”
It goes without saying that Barca would be unlikely to let him leave, while persuading a player who has spent his whole career at Camp Nou to go would, you imagine, prove tricky.
Inter keen on Aubameyang
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— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) April 7, 2020
A more believable signing for Inter perhaps would be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has reportedly decided to leave Arsenal this summer, according to Gazetta dello Sport.
Aubameyang’s contract only has one more year left to run, which is one reason why Arsenal might decide to sell the striker if contract extension talks continue to falter.
The Gunners are keen to keep their captain and talisman, but so far talks between the two parties have not gone well, with Aubameyang seemingly unimpressed by the club’s transfer plans and seeking a new challenge.
Europe’s top clubs lining up for left-back Hernandez
Marca is reporting that AC Milan could cash in on left-back Theo Hernandez this summer, with a whole host of clubs interested in signing the former Real Madrid player.
Hernandez only moved to the Italian giants last summer, but he has impressed in the 25 games he’s played, scoring six goals in all competitions.
Real Madrid are unable to buy Hernandez back and didn’t insert a sell-on clause when they sold him, and so won’t be able to make any money should Milan decide to sell. All of which has got the Rossoneri thinking about profiting from a player who could help them strengthen in more pressing areas.
Barcelona and Arsenal are both interested in the left-back position, having shown interest in Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, and so could be interested in Hernandez too, while Juventus and Manchester City are both said to be monitoring the situation.
Inter boss Antonio Conte is keen to take advantage. The Nerazzurri have been linked with Aubameyang for several months and with the player himself making overtures about leaving, that could now spark a tangible offer from the Italian capital.
Tap-ins
– The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in signing Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng, who is out of contract in 2021. The 32-year-old could leave the German giants this summer and, if that’s the case, that could spark a bidding war between the London rivals. Boateng is out of favour at Bayern after he was fined for breaking coronavirus quarantine guidelines.
– The list of clubs interested in Valencia attacking prodigy Ferran Torres is growing, with Goal reporting that Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool have all enquired with Valencia about the potential availability of the 20-year-old.