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: Inter’s Barella on Man City’s list
Manchester City could look to Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella if they lose Bernardo Silva this summer, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
The £50 million-rated star is also wanted by Liverpool and Newcastle United, but City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to strengthen his midfield following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona, as well as Silva’s potential exit before the start of the new season.
City are reportedly negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain over the possible departure of Silva for a fee of around €100m. Should the 28-year-old midfielder complete his move to the French capital, then City were sufficiently impressed by Barella’s quality and attitude in the Champions League final to believe he could be the ideal replacement.
Inter, though, are reluctant for Barella to leave, and have already rejected a bid from Newcastle this summer. Along with Newcastle, Liverpool have been tracking 26-year-old Barella for some time, and the two clubs fear that City’s interest might now drive up his fee.
Inter could even ask for as much as the £105m fee Arsenal paid West Ham United to sign Declan Rice, due to Barella still under contract for three years and being such a key and talismanic player.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)
– Read on ESPN+: Explaining the language of the transfer window
LIVE BLOG
09.12 BST: Manchester United are keeping their options open with Jonny Evans and are refusing to rule out the possibility of signing the veteran defender permanently, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Evans has signed a short-term deal at Old Trafford to allow him to feature in the club’s preseason matches. He made his first United appearance for eight years in the 1-0 win over Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old has not been picked to travel to New York with Erik ten Hag’s senior squad but will instead join a group of young players for the game against Wrexham in San Diego.
Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag has been impressed with Evans after joining training sessions at Carrington and remains open-minded about whether there is a place for the centre-back in his squad for next season.
Evans is looking for a new club after leaving Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
08.30 BST: ICYMI — Inter Miami continued to compile their version of “Barca West,” signing defender Jordi Alba on Thursday to reunite with former teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.
The club’s recent overhaul comes as it is about to emerge from the All-Star break for a venture into the new Leagues Cup and a home match against Mexico’s Cruz Azul on Friday. Messi is expected to make his Inter Miami debut in that match.
Alba played 11 seasons at Barcelona, helping the legendary Spanish club to six LaLiga titles. He also played for Valencia. The attacking left-back had 37 goals with 107 assists in 605 matches across all competitions. The 34-year-old has made 93 international appearances for Spain and was part of the squad which won Euro 2012 and this year’s UEFA Nations League.
The trio of former Barcelona players will reunite with Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who just moved into the head coach role for the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami is 5-14-3 (18 points) during the MLS season and are 12 points below the playoff line with 12 regular-season games remaining.
PAPER GOSSIP (Nick Judd)
– West Ham are stepping up their plans to bring James Ward-Prowse from Southampton, according to the Guardian. Hammers boss David Moyes is keen to reinvest some of the money from Rice’s aforementioned departure to Arsenal to add two midfielders with Premier League experience. Moyes is particularly interested in Ward-Prowse’s set piece capabilities, and the 28-year-old could be available for around a £45m fee. Moyes is also interested in Fulham‘s Joao Paulinha and AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana.
- Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has rejected a move to Inter Milan because he’s disappointed with the Italian club’s proposed net salary, according to the Daily Record. They believe the Spaniard is looking to secure a net wage of £8.7m, which far exceeds the Italian club’s offer of £4.3m, and which could even price him out of many clubs’ budgets. De Gea’s preference is believed to be a return to LaLiga after an absence of 12 seasons following his move from Atletico Madrid to United. Inter, meanwhile, have instead turned their attention to Shakhtar Donetsk‘s Anatoliy Trubin and Bayern Munich‘s Yann Sommer.
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Al Ahli are looking to sign Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, according to the Daily Mail. The Saudi Arabian club have already signed Roberto Firmino from Liverpool and Edouard Mendy from Chelsea and are close to sealing moves for Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City and Allan Saint Maximin from Newcastle United. Partey, 30, is with Arsenal for the club’s preseason tour in the United States, but the Ghanaian player is open to a move.
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Newcastle are keen on Southampton full-back Tino Livramento, according to the Sun. The 20-year-old can play at both right and left-back and though he missed last season because of an ACL injury, Magpies boss Eddie Howe believes Livramento can provide good cover for his defence. However, Newcastle are said to be working within tight FFP constraints, and so they might have to find a creative way to afford any move for the defender.
– Juventus are keen to tempt Franck Kessie away from Barcelona and are prepared to use Federico Chiesa in the deal, according to Corriere della Sera. The Italian side are looking to replace Paul Pogba, who is expected to sign with a team in Saudi Arabia. However, Juve aren’t prepared to pay a fee for 26-year-old Kessie, and so could also look for a loan option. However, Barcelona might instead go for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and use Kessie, alongside Ferran Torres, to seal a deal with Atleti.
