LIVE Transfer Talk: PSG eye Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard for midfield revamp

The summer transfer window may not be open yet in Europe, but teams are getting ready for it, 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 eye Arsenal’s Odegaard

Paris Saint-Germain are showing an interest in signing Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin OdegaardDaily Mail.

The 24-year-old has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, recording 15 goals and eight assists as Arsenal mounted their first title challenge in over a decade.

PSG have taken note of the Norway international’s impressive displays and could make a surprise move to sign him this summer.

Persuading the Gunners’ captain to leave could be a difficult task, though, as he is a key part of Mikel Arteta’s plans at the Emirates Stadium and enjoys life in London.

Arsenal will reportedly have £180 million in transfer funds, plus anything earned from outgoing players for the summer. Those include Granit Xhaka, who is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen, while Kieran Tierney is wanted by Newcastle United. Other players who could leave Arsenal are Thomas Partey and Rob Holding.

Along with Odegaard, PSG are looking at Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, but are facing competition from Chelsea and Aston Villa. PSG’s current offer is to activate the 22-year-old Uruguayan’s €60m release clause but to do so in stages.

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LIVE BLOG

21.27 BST: Monaco striker Kevin Volland wants to return to the Bundesliga, according to Sky Sport Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. Wolfsburg are named as one of the sides interested in the 30-year-old, although there are also said to be clubs from the Premier League keeping close tabs on his situation. It is reported that a transfer fee of €7m would be enough for the Ligue 1 side to part ways with him, with Volland making just seven league starts this season.

20.54 BST: Atletico Madrid are set to challenge clubs in the Premier League for the signature of Mallorca winger Lee Kang-In, reports Marca. The 22-year-old has contributed to 11 goals in 35 matches, and despite Los Bermellones wanting to keep him, there is belief that they are almost resigned to parting ways with him this summer. Clubs could acquire him by activating the €17m release clause in his contract, which enters its final two years next month.

20.21 BST: Both Manchester City and Arsenal are interested in Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto, according to Calciomercato. Interest looks to be growing in the 19-year-old Italy international, with clubs in Europe also looking to take advantage of Leeds’ relegation to the Championship, but contracted at Elland Road until the summer of 2027, potential suitors will first make an enquiry to gauge whether a deal is possible.

19.48 BST: Everton are set to make a decision over the future of centre-back Conor Coady by Wednesday, according to Football Insider. The 30-year-old arrived at Goodison Park on loan from Wolves last summer, and the Toffees must now make their decision over the £4.5m permanent option clause by the end of the month.

19.15 BST: Fulham are monitoring Romania youth international and Farul Constanta left-back Andrei Borza, writes the Sun. Scouts from the Premier League club are reported to have been tracking the 17-year-old this season and have made the decision to make an approach worth a £2m transfer fee amid hopes of bringing him to Craven Cottage.

Borza signed professional terms in Romania’s top flight last season, but has quickly caught the attention of sides in Europe, with PSV Eindhoven also believed to be interested in landing him.

18.42 BST: Al Hilal are interested in signing Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko, writes Gazzetta dello Sport. The 37-year-old has already been offered a new contract extension by the Nerazzurri, who are keen for him to remain at the San Siro, but the latest indicates that the Saudi Pro League side are hopeful of tempting him away by proposing a two-year deal that will include a higher salary.

Dzeko, who remains a regular starter for Bosnia-Herzegovina at international level, contributed to 12 goals in 32 matches across the Serie A campaign.

18.09 BST: Discussions between AC Milan and Chelsea over a deal for midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek are ongoing, reports Fabrizio Romano. The Rossoneri reportedly initiated contact with the 27-year-old two weeks ago and are now close to reaching full agreement over personal terms, while there is also optimism from both clubs that the deal can be concluded swiftly.

17.36 BST: Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez wants to make the switch to Paris Saint-Germain, according to Foot Mercato. While the Bundesliga champions are keen to keep the 27-year-old at the Allianz Arena by handing him a new contract, PSG’s interest has seen him begin to envision his future outside of Germany. With little concern over personal terms, the Parc des Princes hierarchy need to come to an agreement with the Bavarian club over a transfer fee, and could have an advantage with Hernandez set to enter the final year of his contract in June.

17.03 BST: Villarreal are in talks with Dinamo Zagreb over a move for Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, according to Marca. The Yellow Submarine have proposed a transfer fee of €7m to sign the 28-year-old, who they view as a long-term replacement for Geronimo Rulli, but it is said that an offer of €10m would be required to get the deal over the line.

16.30 BST: Napoli’s amazing coach has decided to step away for a year.

16.05 BST: The Athletic claims Arsenal won’t let attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe leave this summer.

Smith Rowe, 22, struggled with injury and made just 14 appearances in 2022-23 as he was reduced to a bit-part role off the bench.

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for the England international, but the Gunners are ready to hold him to his 2026 contract.

15.36 BST: Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard wants to move to Serie A, says Gazzetta dello Sport.

Pavard, 27, wants a new challenge having been at the club since 2019 and has reportedly told Bayern of his desire to leave this summer. The France international right-back has Inter and Milan interested, and the fact his contract expires in 2024 means he should be available for a relatively cheap transfer fee.

14.43 BST: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti remains Brazil’s first choice to replace Tite, the country’s football confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues said.

Despite receiving a strong interest from Brazil since Tite stepped down after the 2022 World Cup, Ancelotti reiterated his desire to continue as coach of Real Madrid until June 2024 when his contract expires.

“He [Ancelotti] is a coach who has this vision and courage to put new talents to play,” Rodrigues said. “No disrespect to any other coach. Brazil has many coaches that we have great appreciation for, and who are competent, but we have a plan, and plan A is exactly that [Ancelotti].”

14.32 BST: New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino does not want Joao Felix to remain at the club next season, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo.

The 23-year-old joined Chelsea in January on a six-month loan from Atletico, shortly after extending his contract with the LaLiga club to 2027.

Felix has impressed during his spell at Stamford Bridge with four Premier League goals in 16 appearances but Cerezo said he will not continue at Chelsea.

When asked about the player’s future, Cerezo told reporters on Tuesday: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao. The news that we received yesterday is that the new manager doesn’t count on him at Chelsea. We don’t have anything planned, Joao is an Atletico player for now.”

13.44 BST: Karim Benzema is mulling his Real Madrid future after receiving a lucrative offer over a move to Saudi Arabia, a source has told ESPN.

Benzema, 35, was offered a two-year contract worth €400m in January, the source said, the same deal as Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Al Nassr after leaving Manchester United.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner reportedly reached an agreement with Madrid earlier this month to renew his contract for another year. However, the situation has changed in recent weeks and the forward is considering the Saudi offer.

Madrid suffered a disappointing 2022-23 season after failing to compete with Barcelona for the LaLiga title and exiting the Champions League with a heavy defeat to Manchester City in the semifinals.

Benzema has suffered with numerous fitness issues this season and was sidelined for the 2022 World Cup, in which France finished runners-up.

A source told ESPN that Benzema wants to stay at the Bernabeu where he has spent the last eleven years but there is a possibility of him joining his former Madrid teammate Ronaldo in Riyadh.

13.30 BST: What do Chelsea need from their new boss?

12.24 BST: Real Madrid have made an improved offer to keep midfielder Dani Ceballos beyond this summer, according to Marca.

The Spain international’s contract with Los Blancos expires in June and he has already turned down Madrid’s first offer, having scored one goal and set up nine more in 45 games this season.

Ceballos, 26, is a target of Aston Villa among other European clubs. However, the player’s priority is to remain at Madrid and the latest offer presented to him by the club is close to matching his demands.

AC Milan and Villarreal are also closely monitoring Ceballos’ situation but it’s Villa that are keen to make a move. Villa coach Unai Emery is a fan and knows that the player, who spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal before returning to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, can succeed in the Premier League.

11.50 BST: The brother and agent of Edinson Cavani will hold talks with Valencia in the coming days to decide the striker’s future, Superdeporte reports.

Cavani, 36, is under contract with Valencia until June 2024 but has not lived up to expectations since arriving as a free agent in August. He has scored five goals in 24 league appearances.

Los Che are fighting to avoid the drop heading into the final game of the season. The Uruguay international is keen to remain at the club beyond this summer, but Valencia have yet to make a decision on whether or not to keep him.

11.21 BST: Atletico Madrid are closely monitoring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler, according to Superdeporte.

Soler, who joined the French giants in a €20m transfer from Valencia CF last summer, has not been a starter for PSG and doesn’t appear to have a role in the future plans of the club.

The Spain international has scored three goals and set up three more in 25 league appearances for the French champions. Under contract with PSG until June 2027, Soler is expected to be placed on the transfer list this summer.

11.00 BST: Juventus are leading the race to sign Christian Pulisic, sources have told ESPN, with Chelsea prepared to offload the United States forward for a £20m fee this summer.

Although Chelsea have now confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach at Stamford Bridge on a two-year contract, sources have said that the arrival of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss will not signal a U-turn on the club’s decision to listen to offers for Pulisic.

Pulisic, a £58m signing from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, has 12 months remaining on his contract at Chelsea and with the club needing to reduce the size of their squad and wage bill after spending £585m on new players since Clearlake Capital bought out former owner Roman Abramovich a year ago, sources have said that Pulisic is high on the list of potential departures.

A number of clubs have been approached about the prospect of signing Pulisic, with sources telling ESPN that Manchester United, Newcastle, Napoli, AC Milan and Galatasaray have all been made aware of the player’s likely fee and salary, which sees him earn £13m per year at Chelsea.

But Italian club Juve have emerged as the front-runners, despite their reluctance to match Pulisic’s Stamford Bridge pay deal.

10.35 BST: Everton are monitoring Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto, according to TNT.

Yuri Alberto, 22, is in his second season at Corinthians and has scored 16 goals in 53 games since joining from Zenit St. Petersburg.

Under contract until December 2027, the Brazilian has attracted the attention of Everton. However the Toffees, who finished 17th in the Premier League this season, have yet to make an official offer.

10.12 BST: Valencia left-back Toni Lato says he will announce his future in the coming weeks.

Lato, 25, has turned down a contract extension with Valencia, with his deal ending in June. The Spaniard was a target of Olympiacos in the January transfer window and, after he fractured a rib during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Espanyol, he tweeted: “In the coming weeks I will give an update on my future.”

09.44 BST: Real Madrid are in advanced talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to Diario AS.

Bellingham, 19, is under contract with Dortmund until June 2025 and has turned down a contract extension, while Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also interested in signing him.

The highly coveted midfielder, named Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2022-23, is Madrid’s top summer target. Los Blancos have been in talks to sign the England international in recent months, but the two clubs have yet to reach a financial agreement. Madrid are only prepared to pay €100m, plus add-ons, while the German outfit want at least €150m.

09.00 BST: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season.

United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the last game of the league season on Sunday. The Old Trafford club, which won the League Cup in February, has the chance to add to their silverware when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

“We are in the right direction, but we are not there where we have to be, there’s still a long way to go, there’s potential in this team and individual players,” Ten Hag told reporters. “We showed during the season we made progress, that’s a compliment to the players and the coaches, we worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.

“The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do.”

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Real Madrid are looking at Alphonso Davies, with his future at Bayern Munich uncertain, reports AS. Although a move this summer is unlikely, Madrid could try to sign the Canada international in 2024, when he would have one year left on his contract. Manchester City also have an interest in the 22-year-old left-back.

– Lionel Messi wants to make a decision on his future in the coming days as the 35-year-old prepares to leave PSG as a free agent, reports Fabrizio Romano, who adds that this doesn’t necessarily mean his next move will be announced in that time. Marca suggests that the forward will join Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, who are offering a two-year deal worth over €300m per season.