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: Barca, Liverpool, Arsenal want Kimmich
Multiple clubs across Europe are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich, according to Marca.
Barcelona are said to view the 28-year-old Germany international as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets, who will leave the Camp Nou as a free agent this summer. The Blaugrana are facing competition from Liverpool and Arsenal, though, with both clubs from England’s topflight also watching him closely.
The Bundesliga side are looking for a transfer fee of at least €60 million to part with Kimmich. The Bavarians are unlikely to feel pressured to lower their demands for the club captain, with his contract not set to expire until the summer of 2025.
Any move from Barca will depend on their financial situation. The club are set to assess the amount they will have available for transfers in the summer, although the LaLiga champions are still looking to offload a number of players to make room for signings that can bolster manager Xavi Hernandez’s squad.
Kimmich arrived at the Allianz Arena from VfB Stuttgart for a €7m transfer fee in 2015, and he has since gone on to make 345 competitive appearances.
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21.34 BST: AC Milan are searching for a successor to Olivier Giroud and West Ham United are open to the possibility of allowing striker Gianluca Scamacca to return to Serie A just one year after joining from Sassuolo, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The Rossoneri are also monitoring the situation of Alvaro Morata of Atletico Madrid and 23-year-old Noah Okafor of FC Salzburg.
20.47 BST: Corriere dello Sport reports that Lazio are resigned to parting with midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer, with just one year remaining on his contract, and will demand a €40m transfer fee. Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus have long been linked with the 28-year-old Serbia international, while Arsenal, Newcastle United and AC Milan are also said to be considering an offer.
20.00 BST: Bayern Munich will not pursue the signing of Ajax midfielder EdsonAlvarez, according to Sky Sport Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The 25-year-old Mexico midfielder is of great interest to Borussia Dortmund, and the Amsterdam club are willing to do business (likely for a transfer fee of €50m), but they’ll face competition from Premier League clubs.
19.13 BST: Manchester United’s interest in Tottenham Hotspur front man Harry Kane has been well documented, but the Times writes that the Red Devils could recruit a second striker this summer, holding an interest in Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta. The 20-year-old Denmark international moved to Serie A for a £15m transfer fee from Sturm Graz just last summer, but 12 months later could be set for a £40m move to Old Trafford to create a fearsome partnership with England captain Kane.
18.26 BST: Amid a growing number of reports that Bayern Munich won’t make Joao Cancelo‘s loan from Manchester City permanent, German outlet Sport1 writes that Real Madrid have emerged as contenders for the 28-year-old Portugal international’s signature. Los Blancos are in the market for a new left-back, with the intention of returning Eduardo Camavinga to midfield, and Cancelo could be a perfect fit in their setup.
17.39 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Liverpool have agreed personal terms with Brighton & Hove AlbionAlexis Mac Allister. The 24-year-old Argentina has been widely expected to leave the South Coast club this summer, and Romano’s report suggests that Mac Allister’s contract includes a release clause, making the agreement between the player and the Anfield hierarchy all the more important.
16.42 BST: Real Madrid are “in the hunt for a No. 9” after their Champions League exit, Diario AS reports in one of its front-page stories on Saturday, with Goncalo Ramos, Dusan Vlahovic and Harry Kane all named as potential targets.
Madrid will look to strengthen their squad for next season after Manchester City’s emphatic 4-0 semifinal second leg win on Wednesday left them without Champions League success this campaign, having been beaten to the LaLiga title by Barcelona.
According to AS, the Spanish giants are looking at a number of centre-forward candidates to compete with Karim Benzema, with Benfica’s Ramos, Juventus’ Vlahovic and Tottenham’s Kane among the potential targets.
The newspaper says Ramos, 21, “wouldn’t be a problem” acting as a back-up to Benzema for now. ESPN reported in February that Madrid were tracking Vlahovic — who scored in Juve’s Europa League defeat to Sevilla this week — while the club have been long term admirers of Kane, whose Spurs contract expires in June 2024.
15.49 BST: Manchester United are confident
Rashford will enter the final year of his contract over the summer and if fresh terms aren’t agreed, the striker could leave Old Trafford for free in 2024. But Ten Hag believes that’s unlikely and is hopeful talks will result in a new long-term contract.
“Marcus wants to stay and we want him to stay, so I think we will find each other,” said Ten Hag.
United have made progress with some contract negotiations and announced a new deal for Luke Shaw in April, before the defender entered the last year of his contract. Ten Hag says he knows why the club have not been able to find an agreement with Rashford, who has scored 29 goals this season, but insists he’s not concerned by the delay.
“Yes, I know [why], but I don’t talk about the process,” he added. “Let the process go.
“Once again, this is not important at the moment for me or Rashy. For him, it is to get more goals this season and he is playing a wonderful season and the team is playing a wonderful season. We have to get into the Champions League and focus on that.”
14.57 BST: Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has spoke about his decision to leave the club at the end of the season.
Firmino, 31, has won seven trophies for Liverpool since he signed from Hoffenheim in 2015 including the Champions League and a Premier League title.
The Brazil international had the offer of a new contract at Anfield, but has decided to move on after eight years and 109 goals for the club.
“It is time, unfortunately,” Firmino told The Guardian. “The cycle here is ended and I understand it is time to go.
“I am very proud for everything that I have done here with the team, what we achieved together and the beautiful history we made together. I am very proud. Maybe one day I could come back, I don’t know, but it’s time to go.”
Alex Kirkland weighs in on Carlo Ancelotti’s future following a 4-0 defeat in the return leg against Manchester City.
14.04 BST: Carlo Ancelotti has said Real Madrid have assured him he will be in charge next season despite this week’s 4-0 Champions League defeat to Manchester City, calling the last two seasons “unforgettable” and arguing that the team’s transition to a new generation is already underway.
Madrid’s semifinal second-leg loss at the Etihad Stadium means they will end the season without lifting the Champions League or LaLiga, although they did pick up the Copa del Rey this month and won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup earlier in the campaign.
ESPN reported on Friday that Ancelotti’s job was not at risk, and that the coach was set to meet with president Florentino Perez to discuss plans for next season.
“[Perez and I] spoke yesterday,” Ancelotti confirmed in a news conference on Saturday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga game at Valencia. “We had a meeting, and he showed me his support. We talked about Wednesday’s game [against City], we talked about the season we’ve had and the two seasons that we’ve had. We move forward, with the same desire to do things well.”
When asked if the club had guaranteed that he would remain in charge next season, Ancelotti replied: “Yes.”
Ancelotti has been repeatedly linked with taking over as Brazil national team coach — with the president of the Brazilian football federation Ednaldo Rodrigues describing the Italian as their “plan A” and “our favourite” — but on Saturday, the Italian appeared to rule that out.
“I think everyone knows my situation,” he said. “I have a contract until June 30, 2024 and I want to see it out. Everyone knows that.”
Valencia vs. Real Madrid: Stream LIVE Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET
13.16 BST: Chelsea interim boss Frank Lampard has said he was “pushing big” to sign
Haaland has enjoyed a stunning first season in England since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in a €60 million transfer last summer, scoring 52 goals in all competitions including 36 in 33 Premier League games.
City stand on the brink of a Treble-winning season as a result and could clinch their fifth league title in six seasons this weekend with victory over Chelsea at Etihad Stadium. Lampard continues to take charge of Chelsea on a caretaker basis following Graham Potter’s dismissal last month, returning to the scene of his sacking by the club in January 2021 after 18 months in charge.
A year earlier, in the January transfer window of 2020, Haaland moved from FC Salzburg to Dortmund after the German club triggered a €20m release clause. Lampard revealed that he wanted to bring the Norway striker to the Premier League before he went on to impress for the Bundesliga club.
“I don’t know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan of that [signing Haaland],” Lampard told a news conference on Friday. “There are some of those that happen, aren’t there, that people know about or it could have been this way.
“People talk a lot about mistakes or things that could have been in football. Whether he would have come here, I don’t know but I was pushing big and on a few other players at the time. But he was the outstanding one.
“Was it close? He’ll only know the answer to that. What stage did it get to? From our point, I was certainly pushing it. I’m not sure what the appetite was everywhere else in the club to do it. The competition was big to take him because he was an outstanding player and I think there was a buyout clause at the time which was relatively reasonable, maybe, considering the player.
“So all those things. I don’t have enough detail to say how close it was, it’s by the by, really.”
Frank Lampard says he was pushing Chelsea to sign Erling Haaland while he was at Red Bull Salzburg.
12.25 BST: Barcelona coach Xavi
The former Barca midfielder has led the club to their first LaLiga title in four years since returning as manager. That success has led to calls for Xavi to extend his contract, with his existing deal up in 2024, and he said reaching an agreement will be straightforward.
“There are talks and there won’t be any problems, but it’s not a priority right now,” he said. “I have one more year on my deal. I will never be a problem for Barca, that’s for sure, even if I have read reports that there are supposedly discrepancies.
“I would stay here for the rest of my life, but it comes down to results and performances.”
Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad: Stream LIVE, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+
11.33 BST: Brentford manager Thomas Frank has confirmed that striker Ivan Toney will remain at the club despite his eight-month suspension for breaking English Football Association (FA) betting rules.
The FA announced on Wednesday that Toney had been banned from all football-related activities and fined £50,000. The 27-year-old has been charged with a total of 262 breaches between February 2017 and January 2021 when he was a player at Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford.
Toney, who has scored 20 Premier League goals for the Bees this season, has a contract with the club until June 2025. He is not eligible to play again until January 2024.
On Friday, Frank told a news conference: “His future is with Brentford, there’s no doubt about that. “It’s an ongoing talk with all of our players when they hit that mark of around two years left. “Ivan is in the bracket of players we want to keep. He is a top player and that is something we need to consider.”
Julien Laurens reacts to Brentford striker Ivan Toney’s eight-month football ban for breaking betting rules.
10.41 BST: Luis Enrique and Arne Slot are the two front-runners to be Tottenham Hotspur’s next permanent manager, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique has already held initial talks with Spurs, and the 53-year-old is reportedly in the middle of a fresh round of discussions with the London club.
Feyenoord boss Slot, 44, has just led the club to the Eredivisie title, and the Dutch coach has revealed his desire to work in the Premier League in the future.
“I think when it comes to the next step, it won’t be in Holland,” he said. “If the next step is in Holland I’ll have failed completely in the last few years. The next step is to go abroad. I’ve always said the Premier League is the best league in the world. Italy have three teams in European finals. But the Premier League is the biggest league.”
Arne Slot reacts to questions about his future at Feyenoord and whether a job in the Premier League interests him.
09.47 BST: Italy’s Football Asssociation (FIGC) said on Friday Juventus
The new sports trial, which could cost further sporting penalties, including more points deductions, adds to a separate one the club are already facing, for which a new ruling is expected on Monday.
As part of the ongoing case, centred on the club’s transfer dealings, Juventus were given a 15-point penalty in January which was later scrapped by Italy’s top sports body ordering football authorities to hold a new hearing.
With three games left to play this season, Juve are second in Serie A with 69 points, behind champions Napoli. Any points deduction could push Juve, Italy’s most successful club, out of the qualifying spots for lucrative European competitions. On Thursday, Sevilla beat Juventus in the semifinals of the Europa League.
As part of the new sport trial ordered against Juve, which also involves former and current club’s executives including former chairman Andrea Agnelli, FIGC prosecutors allege that they agreed to pay players back most of their COVID-19 related wage cuts without properly accounting for it.
Juventus, who earlier said they had “correctly applied the relevant international accounting standards,” on Friday declined to make further comments.
09.00 BST: Phil Jones will leave Manchester United this summer after 12 years at Old Trafford, the club announced on Friday.
Jones has not played for United for over a year, and the club have decided not to trigger a one-year option in his contract that would have kept him at Old Trafford until 2024.
The 31-year-old defender will not be on United’s retained list, due to be published by the Premier League in June and will be free to find another club ahead of next season, although he is yet to decide whether or not to continue his playing career.
Jones made five appearances last season but missed the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign through injury. He was restricted to just eight appearances during the 2019-20 season and he has not been regularly available for United since April 2019.
He leaves having played 229 games for the club, scoring six goals.
The defender, capped 27 times by England, was part of United’s title-winning team in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson and also collected winners’ medals in the 2016 FA Cup and 2017 Europa League.
Letter to the fans. pic.twitter.com/fmNV1eR9np
— Phil Jones (@PhilJones4) May 19, 2023
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Real Madrid won’t include attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz as part of any deal to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, writes Fabrizio Romano. The 23-year-old has been in impressive form while on loan at AC Milan the past two seasons, but despite interest from BVB, the LaLiga side are instead preparing an offer in excess of €100m to land the 19-year-old England international. The Rossoneri have previously been credited with interest in keeping Diaz on a permanent basis.
– Brighton & Hove Albion are resigned to losing midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, according to Football Insider. Liverpool are reported to be front-runners for the signature of the 24-year-old Argentina international, although Jurgen Klopp’s side could also need to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United to secure his signature. It is said that a release clause in his contract will become active in the summer, and while the valuation of that is currently undisclosed, that could hand a significant advantage to sides looking to tempt him away from the Amex Stadium.
– Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada is prioritising a move to AC Milan, writes Calciomercato. It is reported that the 26-year-old Japan international sees the San Siro as his ideal destination when his contract expires in the summer, but he could also receive offers from both Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.
– Talks are set to be held by Bayern Munich as they consider the future of wing-back Joao Cancelo, reports Sky Sport Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. Cancelo, 28, has found improved form of late for manager Thomas Tuchel’s side, where he has registered two assists in his past four league games, but it is said that the Bundesliga champions will still be looking to part ways with the Portugal international at the end of the campaign.
– Hoffenheim have no plans to make the loan signing of midfielder Thomas Delaney permanent, according to Foot Mercato. The 31-year-old Denmark international returned to the Bundesliga from Sevilla in January, but unable to play himself into manager Pellegrino Matarazzo’s plans, he is set to return to Spain in the summer.
