The 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: Man United keep tabs on Lautaro Martinez
Manchester United have identified Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez as a potential summer signing, with the Serie A side willing to let him leave, according to Football Insider.
Inter’s decision comes as they aim to raise funds to aid their crippling finances, with the 25-year-old available for approximately £70 million and keen to play in the Premier League.
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If United are unable to sign Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane, they could turn to the Argentina international as they look to strengthen up front.
While Kane remains the priority, Spurs’ demands of £100m to sign their all-time top goal scorer may put off any suitors.
Martinez has recorded 21 goals and eight assists in 47 matches across all competitions this season, with Real Madrid and Arsenal also reportedly interested in signing him. However, Erik ten Hag apparently sees him as the perfect forward for his high-intensity system at Old Trafford.
A World Cup winner, Martinez has played a key role in getting Inter to the Champions League semifinals, notably providing a goal and assist in the second leg of the quarterfinals victory over Benfica.
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20.29 BST: Bayern Munich’s Head of Sport, Hasan Salihamidzic, held discussions with defender Benjamin Pavard on Monday regarding a new deal, reports Christian Falk of SportBild.
Bayern want to extend the 27-year-old’s contract, which is currently set to expire in 2024, but there is also interest from Barcelona and Chelsea given Pavard’s experience and versatility along the back line, having played centre-back and right-back for club and country depending on the situation.
The decision about Pavard’s future is yet to be made, but Bayern are keen to retain the France international, who’s made 39 appearances in all competitions this season.
19.41 BST: Eintracht Frankfurt have held initial talks about the possibility of signing up-and-coming Paris Saint-Germain centre-back El Chadaille Bitshiabu, reports Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany, though a deal would be complicated to complete.
PSG want to extend the 17-year-old’s contract past its current expiration in 2024, though it might require a transfer fee of at least €20m for Bitshiabu to be allowed to leave.
Bitshiabu is one of PSG’s top young prospects, but it’s a notoriously difficult club to break through into given their habit of signing superstars to fill every position. The young left-footed defender has made just 11 appearances in all competitions (10 in Ligue 11), totalling 437 minutes with the first team.
18.59 BST: Schalke 04 are likely to lose on-loan midfielder Alex Kral to Union Berlin in the summer, according to Sky Sports Deutschland.
The Slovakia international, who made one loan appearance for West Ham during the 2021-22 season, is currently in the Bundesliga on a season-long agreement from Spartak Moscow and he’s been a fixture in the team, making 25 league appearance as the base of the Schalke midfield. Yet his play is attracting interest from bigger clubs in Germany including high-flying Union, who are in third place with four games remaining.
The 24-year-old was in Berlin for talks in May but a decision hasn’t been made yet, per Sky, though Schalke are making alternative plans should Kral opt for a move to the capital, with Paderborn’s Ron Schallenberg at the top of their short-list if they need to pivot.
18.02 BST: While their plans for next season are still being drawn up, reports in Italy suggest that Juventus will make Arkadiusz Milik’s loan from Olympique de Marseille permanent for €7m in the summer, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Milik’s versatility up front — he can play as a centre-forward, second striker or target man in front of goal — since joining on an €800,000 loan has reportedly impressed the Bianconeri enough to make a transfer likely for the 29-year-old, even if Juventus are waiting to see where they place in Serie A and the Europa League before confirming. The Poland international has nine goals in all competitions this season and has proven to be a useful foil around the box for a Juve side that’s currently third with six games remaining.
17.17 BST: AC Milan have made signing a forward one of their priorities for the transfer window and are looking at Montpellier’s Elye Wahi, according to Calciomercato. There is even a meeting scheduled between the Italian giants and 20-year-old’s agents in the coming days, with Montpellier likely to want €25 to €30m and competition expected to come from Ligue 11 and the Bundesliga.
Wahi has been one of the breakout stars in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 13 goals and notching four assists in 29 league appearances.
16.30 BST: What could Lionel Messi bring to MLS?
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15.36 BST: Sky Germany says Ajax value the transfer of defender Jurrien Timber at €50m.
Timber, 21, reportedly wants to join a top club and has had Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Liverpool linked with him of late.
Ajax want to keep the Netherlands international but would let him depart for a decent fee.
14.47 BST: 90min reports that Manchester City would want a £75m transfer fee from clubs looking to sign midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Silva, 28, has attracted interest from Barcelona and PSG after making it clear to City that he wants to move on for a new challenge.
The Portugal international has shown himself to be one of the best players in the Premier League this season and he has a contract until 2025, meaning City can demand a high fee to let him go.
14.20 BST: Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has flourished since Unai Emery’s appointment in October and has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
Watkins, 27, has 11 goals in his last 15 games, with an England recall expected in the coming months. The striker joined Villa from Brentford for £28m in September 2020 and has a contract until 2025.
However, Fabrizio Romano claims there are no transfer talks with Bayern as the German side have other options, while The Athletic says that Villa have opened negotiations over a new contract.
13.39 BST: Agent Jorge Mendes will arrive in Barcelona on Tuesday to meet with Ansu Fati and discuss the forward’s future, per Mundo Deportivo.
Fati, 20, has remained injury free this season but has struggled to carve a place in the Barca side on a regular basis. He played 30 times in LaLiga, but 19 of those appearances have come as a substitute.
Speaking recently, the player’s father, Bori, spoke of his frustration at seeing his son’s game time cut down after Barca handed him the No.10 shirt following Lionel Messi‘s departure in 2021.
Mendes will now meet with his client to talk about the next step in his career. The Spain international has always said he wants to stay and fight for his place at Barca, but he continued to be linked with an array of Premier League sides.
Mendes, the report adds, will watch Barca’s game against Osasuna on Tuesday and is also likely to take advantage of his visit to the city to discuss some of the other players he represents.
Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde both work with Mendes and are in line for new deals. Yamal, who at 15 became Barca’s youngest-ever debutant in LaLiga at the weekend, is set to sign his first professional deal with the club this summer, while Balde, 19, is due new terms to reflect his new role as the team’s starting left-back.
13.11 BST: Barcelona forward Ilias Akhomach‘s move to Leeds United could collapse after the Premier League side sacked director of football Victor Orta on Tuesday, sources have told ESPN’s Moises Llorens.
ESPN reported in February that Leeds led the race for Spain youth international Ilias, with Orta playing a key role in convincing him to leave Barca for the English side.
However, with Orta’s dismissal, sources say the transfer is in jeopardy and Italian sides Atalanta and AC Milan are now best-placed to sign Ilias as a free agent when his Barca contract expires in June.
Ilias, 19, came through Barca’s academy and made his first-team debut under Xavi Hernandez last season. However, his minutes have even dried up with the reserve team in recent months due to the stalemate over his contract situation.
Orta left Leeds as part of a shake-up at Elland Road as they look to stave off relegation from the Premier League with just four games to go.
Sources have told ESPN that coach Javi Gracia will replaced by Sam Allardyce, with only goal difference keeping Leeds out of the bottom three ahead of games against Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham and Tottenham.
12.30 BST: Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man for Chelsea?
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11.40 BST: Leeds United are set to appoint Sam Allardyce to replace Javi Gracia as manager with four Premier League games remaining in a desperate bid to avoid relegation, sources have told ESPN.
Sources said Gracia, who replaced Jesse Marsch on Feb. 21, was dismissed on Sunday following a five-match winless run, culminating in a 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The run also included a 5-1 loss to Crystal Palace and a 6-1 drubbing at home to Liverpool. The club are 17th in the Premier League table, level on points with Nottingham Forest who occupy the league’s final relegation spot.
Following the defeat on Saturday, the club’s Supporters Advisory Board issued a statement of no confidence in manager Gracia, placing “on record its lack of faith in the current management team at the club.”
11.06 BST: Manchester United would have to cede control of transfers to Ineos’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe if the Glazer family accept his bid for a majority stake in the club, says the Daily Telegraph.
The report claims “Ratcliffe is focused on immediate player dealings,” while rival Qatari bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is looking for wider control of club issues.
Having announced losses of £115.5m for last season in September, United will reportedly be looking to move on a host of players this summer, including the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Antony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred and Donny van de Beek.
10.32 BST: Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil is confident Takefusa Kubo will continue at the club next season.
Kubo, 21, joined the Basque outfit from Real Madrid last summer and signed a five-year contract. The Japan forward has been a regular in Alguacil’s squad, scoring seven goals and setting up seven more in 38 appearances across all competitions.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his former player for solid performances this season and did not close the door to Kubo’s return.
Asked about Ancelotti’s comments, Alguacil said of Kubo: “I see him as a txuri-urdin [Real Sociedad]. He has shown more than enough his commitment to this jersey.”
09.44 BST: AC Milan have rekindled their interest in Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Calciomercato.
The Rossoneri failed to reach an agreement with Roma to sign Zaniolo in the January transfer window, with the midfielder joining Galatasaray in a permanent transfer for an initial €16.5m.
Milan are now considering exercising Zaniolo’s €35m release clause at the end of the season. However, it will all depend on whether or not the Rossoneri can qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Zaniolo, 23, is under contract with Galatasaray until June 2027 and has scored three goals in seven league appearances for the Turkish giants.
09.15 BST: Crystal Palace caretaker manager Roy Hodgson has warned the club that they should prepare for other clubs to make approaches for midfielder Michael Olise.
Olise, 21, registered his ninth Premier League assist of the season in Saturday’s 4-3 win over West Ham.
The France U21 international has been linked with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and when asked if he is worried of bids coming in, Hodgson said: “If I was [club chairman] Steve Parish I would be.
“But I’m Roy Hodgson for the next few weeks and I wish them all well. I don’t have any conversations regarding contracts and what the club wants to do. If ever they need an opinion from me I know they’ll ask for it but I certainly won’t be proferring it.”
08.42 BST: Arsenal’s recent success in the Premier League could provide the blueprint for Chelsea’s bid to rebuild after a disappointing season, interim manager Frank Lampard said.
Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat by Brentford last week left them 12th in the standings, stumbling towards their worst campaign since the 1993-94 season — when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle — despite their huge outlay under Todd Boehly who took over the club last summer.
On Tuesday, Chelsea face an Arsenal side that finished outside the top four for six straight seasons between 2016-2022, but now find themselves locked in an intense title race after significant improvement under manager Mikel Arteta.
“There is a long process in terms of getting to where you want to get to. I remember going up against Mikel in that early stage,” Lampard told reporters ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium.
“Sometimes they played five at the back, sometimes four; now they have a clear identity. There has been a lot of work through the team, Mikel, alignment and good recruitment. Do we have the possibility to do that? Yes. Will it take time and good decisions? Absolutely, yes. But you can get there.
“The manager was being questioned, the players and owners were and that process can take two or three years. They are a great example of that done well.”
08.00 BST: Sevilla will exercise the €12m option to sign Rennes defender Loic Bade permanently, according to Estadio Deportivo.
Bade, 23, has made 19 appearances since joining Sevilla on loan in the January transfer window and has convinced the club executives.
The French centre-back spent the first half of the season on loan at Nottingham Forest. Bade is under contract with Stade Rennais until June 2026.
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PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to hold talks with West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice as soon as the season ends, according to the Mirror. Arteta is increasingly confident that he can bring the 24-year-old to the Emirates as Rice’s contract runs until 2024, though includes the option for another year.
– Al Ahli will try to persuade Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric to join them in the summer by making the 37-year-old a colossal financial offer, according to Foot Mercato. The Saudi Arabian league is trying to bring more big names, having already seen Cristiano Ronaldo join Al Nassr.
– Talks between Bayern Munich and the representatives of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani have started, according to Florian Plettenberg, who adds that €100m plus bonuses will be required to sign the French star. In another tweet, Plettenberg states that Manchester United are pushing harder to land the 24-year-old at this stage, although Kolo Muani still hasn’t made a decision on his future.
– Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are waiting to see how much Southampton will want for midfielder James Ward-Prowse if the Saints are relegated, according to the Daily Mail, which adds that both clubs are also interested in Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison. In addition, Spurs are monitoring Nottingham Forest‘s Morgan Gibbs-White and loanee Dean Henderson, alongside Brentford‘s David Raya, Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ Max Kilman and Lyon‘s Castello Lukeba.
– Eintracht Frankfurt have made their first offer to permanently sign winger Ansgar Knauff from Borussia Dortmund, reports Florian Plettenberg. With the 21-year-old currently on loan at the club, BVB are demanding a fee of €7m while Frankfurt are looking to pay a lower figure, although talks are positive and Knauff wants the move to happen.