Transfer Talk: Man City eye PSG’s Hakimi if Walker goes

The summer transfer window is now open in Europe, 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: PSG’s Hakimi on Man City’s radar

Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi has been identified by Manchester City as a possible replacement for Kyle Walker, according to Football Insider.

Walker has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich this summer, with sources telling ESPN last month that the Bundesliga champs were keen on signing the England international.

The 33-year-old struggled for consistent starts under Pep Guardiola last season, which culminated in the full-back being named as a substitute in the team’s Champions League final triumph over Internazionale, adding to the rumours of a potential exit.

Whilst Walker has not yet departed the Etihad, the report suggests that the treble winners have wasted no time in earmarking potential replacements. The report states that the 24-year-old would be keen on the move but PSG would demand a hefty fee for the Morocco international.

Alongside Hakimi, the report also states that Bayern’s B is being monitored by City, who could propose a swap deal if Walker does head to the Allianz Arena.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

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21.16 BST: Wolves are set to make a third bid to sign Bristol City’s Alex Scott, reports the Telegraph.

Head coach Julen Lopetegui is keen to sign the England U-20 international, but after a £20m bid was rejected, Wolves will have to submit a transfer fee closer to £25m. Scott, who turns 20 next month, has two years left on his contract at Bristol and has been dubbed the “Guernsey Grealish” for his attacking style in midfield.

Connelly: What are the transfer needs for Europe’s biggest clubs?Ilkay Gundogan and brought in Mateo Kovacic while Arsenal have let go Granit Xhaka and brought in Kai Havertz and Declan Rice. How much more work do the big clubs have to do in this summer transfer window?

19.03 BST: Liverpool and Chelsea target Moises Caicedo is set to join Brighton squad for preseason, as neither Reds or Blues are matching the midfielder’s valuation, says the Daily Mail.

The 21-year-old has stated that he “couldn’t say no” to Chelsea, who have not submitted a transfer bid that is close to Brighton’s £100m ask. For new Blues’ boss Pochettino, a midfield revamp will be critical after the transfers of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante.

Caicedo was one of Brighton’s best players last season, and helped them to a sixth-place finish, the best in the club’s history.

18.00 BST: Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle are in the race to sign Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen, according to the Sun.

The 27-year-old Denmark international is on the list of targets of Spurs’ coach Ange Postecoglou, who is keen on a defender who can play out from the back. Palace are reported to be asking for a transfer fee of £50m, which would in turn help Eagles boss Roy Hodgson to make new signings at Selhurst Park this summer.

16.13 BST: It took longer than most fans would have liked, but midfielder Declan Rice

Rice has become the second-most expensive signing by a British club (behind Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez at £106.8m) in the process, as well as the seventh-most expensive signing in football history. Indeed, before add-ons are taken into account, Rice is now one of the two most expensive central midfielders ever, which earns him a place in the all-time XI when assembled on a position-by-position basis.

The XI has a combined transfer value of £1.139 billion and is presented in a 4-2-3-1 formation consisting of a goalkeeper, a traditional back four, two central midfielders, two wide forwards and an attacking midfielder playing behind an out-and-out centre-forward.

– Rice joins soccer’s all-time most expensive XI with Arsenal transfer

15.31 BST: Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is a target for West Ham United this summer, the Daily Telegraph reports.

England international Maguire remains club captain at Old Trafford, but he fell down the pecking order last season as manager Erik ten Hag preferred Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane as his first-choice pairing at centre-back.

The 30-year-old still believes that he can win back his place in the team, but the chance of more guaranteed playing time elsewhere could be too good to turn down with a European Championship to come at the end of the season.

14.53 BST: On Sunday, the eyes of the world will be on Inter Miami CF’s DRV PNK stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as Lionel Messi is introduced as the most anticipated new arrival in MLS history. Miami have spent weeks planning the presentation of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, after three years of negotiations saw them beat Barcelona and Saudi Arabian clubs to land the world’s most famous — and for many, greatest ever — footballer.

Now the world’s media has descended on South Florida to cover what the club is dramatically calling “The Unveil.” It’s the first step in a new era for MLS, and a chance for both Inter Miami and the league to reach a potential vast new fan base among Messi obsessives in Argentina and around the world.

Messi’s Miami unveiling is just the latest example of a club looking to turn a new signing into a must-see news event. From Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid in 2009, to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, and more recently, Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad, an attention-grabbing player presentation is an opportunity for clubs to sell themselves, and their vision for the future, to a global audience.

– Kirkland: How clubs present their superstar signings to fans

14.28 BST: Liverpool have not included Fabinho in their travelling party for their preseason training camp in Germany after receiving an offer of £40m from Saudi club Al Ittihad for the midfielder, Sky Sports reports.

Fabinho, 29, has been given permission to undergo a medical and move ahead with completing a move to the club that has already signed Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante this summer.

Liverpool signed Fabinho from Monaco five years ago, and he helped them win the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Caarabao Cup and UEFA Super Cup. However, injuries and loss of form for the Brazilian led to Liverpool signing more midfielders, making him surplus to requirements at Anfield.

Another Liverpool midfielder who could be on his way to the Saudi Pro League is club captain Jordan Henderson. Fabrizio Romano reports that the 33-year-old has agreed a three-year contract with Al Ettifaq, who are managed by former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, but there is still no agreement between the clubs over a fee.

– Saudi transfer tracker: Done deals, players linked

13.51 BST: Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei is wanted on loan by Leicester City, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Casadei arrived at Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan last summer, signing a six-year contract after joining for a fee of £17m. However, with so many other signings made by the club, the 20-year-old was loaned out to Reading, where he made 15 appearances as the club were relegated from the Championship.

However, after a summer in which he helped Italy reach the final of the Under-20 World Cup, Casadei is now wanted by new Leicester boss Enzo Maresca to help them make an immediate return to the Premier League following last season’s relegation.

13.13 BST: The transfer window across Europe’s top leagues is in full swing and already there have been some huge moves made. But while the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool have spent over €100m to sign world-class players already, there have been a few bargain deals too.

Here, ESPN’s Tor-Kristian Karlsen looks at six of the best value-for-money transfers so far, as well as six players clubs could pick up for a minimal fee.

– Best value transfers: Mac Allister, Kovacic, Guler and more

12:27 BST: Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of midfielder Vicky Losada. The 32-year-old, who has won 65 caps for Spain, will join the Women’s Super League side subject to obtaining a visa.

Losada came through Barcelona’s youth system and spent 12 years in the club’s senior set-up over two spells in which she won six league titles and a Champions League crown. She has also won cup competitions at both Arsenal and Manchester City during her previous stints in English football.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Vicky Losada, subject to a successful visa application and necessary regulatory processes. ✍ #BHAFC

— Brighton & Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen) July 16, 2023

11.48 BST: PSV Eindhoven have confirmed that young attacking midfielder Xavi Simons

Simons, 20, spent nine years in Barcelona’s La Masia academy as a child before joining PSG in 2020. After making just a handful of appearances in Ligue 1, he joined PSV last summer.

Simons thrived in the Netherlands, earning his first caps for the national team after scoring 19 goals in 34 Eredivisie appearances last term as PSV finished second in the league, won the Dutch Cup and reached the knockout phase of the Europa League.

However, he is now set to return to Paris and compete for a first-team place under new coach Luis Enrique.

11.02 BST: Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness is confident that England captain Harry Kane

Hoeness, Bayern’s former president who recently returned for a consulting role, told journalists at the team’s training camp on Saturday that the striker has already decided to join the Bavarian powerhouse and that negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy are ongoing.

Hoeness said supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen have regularly spoken with Kane and his representatives.

“Up to now it was the case that Harry has clearly signalled in all the talks that his mind is made up. And if that remains the case, then we’ll get him,” Hoeness said. “Then Tottenham will have to give way.”

ESPN reported earlier this week that Kane was keen to join Bayern this summer as the Bundesliga champions consider submitting a third bid for the player. Spurs have offered a new contract but Kane, 29, is not willing to extend his deal with the Premier League club, sources added.

Hoeness said Tottenham would not be able to turn down €80m or €90m for the player, who just has a year left on his Tottenham contract, and that Kane wants to play in European competitions.

– How Kane handled ‘Hot Ones’ spicy wings test

10.25 BST: We’re only two weeks into the transfer window, and according to some estimates, there have already been 450-plus deals involving teams from Europe’s Big Five leagues, with associated fees totaling up to about €2 billion. It hasn’t felt like that, though, has it?

One of the two biggest moves, Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, was all but confirmed before the season ended, while the other, Declan Rice to Arsenal, has only just happened but also feels like it was completed a month ago. Beyond those two deals, nothing groundbreaking has happened quite yet. A lot has happened, though.

Twenty-one players have moved for a transfer fee of at least €30m. Ten years ago — in an especially lively window that saw Gareth Bale join Real Madrid, Neymar join Barcelona, Edinson Cavani join Paris Saint-Germain, Mesut Ozil join Arsenal, Fernandinho join Manchester City, and the pair of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez join AS Monaco — only 16 players moved for that much money over the course of the entire summer.

With 450-something players changing teams for billions of dollars across just 14 days, some trends have already begun to develop. Plenty is still likely to change in the next month and a half, but here’s what we can learn from all the activity we’ve seen so far.

– O’Hanlon: What trends of the transfer window reveal about the market (E+)

09.42 BST: Wales captain

The announcement came shortly after Nice confirmed that Ramsey had left the French club by mutual agreement.

The 32-year-old midfielder and former Arsenal player had arrived in Nice last August on a free transfer and made 34 appearances, scoring once.

Ramsey made his first-team debut at the age of 16 for Cardiff in 2007, having progressed through the ranks of the club’s youth academy. He then made a move to Arsenal just a year later.

09.00 BST: Inter Miami CF has confirmed the signing of Argentine superstar

Messi, who officially joins Miami after leaving French champions Paris Saint-Germain following two seasons at the club, has signed a contract through the end of the 2025 MLS season.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas, who said it took three years of negotiations to bring the 36-year-old to the club, has stated that Messi will earn “between £50m and $60m per year.”

Sources told ESPN that terms of the deal include an option for part-ownership of Inter Miami, but it would not be subsidized by the league as it was for David Beckham in 2007. When Beckham — now a co-owner of Inter Miami — moved to the LA Galaxy, he was given the option to purchase an MLS team for a discounted price of $25 million.

ESPN also confirmed that a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass streaming service was part of negotiations.

Miami confirmed that Messi will first be available for selection in a July 21 Leagues Cup match against Mexican side Cruz Azul.

– GOAT at the grocery store: Messi spotted at Publix in Miami

PAPER GOSSIP (by Rajan Hothi)

– Atletico Madrid’s Joao FelixBarcelona but the finances at the Catalan club make a deal for the forward unlikely this summer, reports AS. The Portugal international will likely depart Atleti this summer due to falling out with manager Diego Simeone last season, which saw him go to Chelsea on loan. The report suggests that whilst PSG is Felix’s most probable destination this transfer window, the 23-year-old would prefer a move to Barça.