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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United, Barca hold De Jong talks

The summer transfer window is approaching, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Man Utd, Barcelona in De Jong talks

Manchester United have held talks with Barcelona over midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to Sky Sports.

While a deal is not close for the Dutchman, he is on a list of midfielders that United are looking at bringing in to help strengthen new manager Erik ten Hag’s squad.

The report comes after Wednesday’s announcement that Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard will be leaving Old Trafford. Nonetheless, there would be significant obstacles to overcome if De Jong’s transfer was to materialise, notably a fee and the will of the player.

Speaking to ESPN Netherlands’ Pascal Kamperman on Tuesday, De Jong said he hoped to stay at Camp Nou, calling Barcelona his “dream club.”

“I’ve never regretted my choice despite the fact that I had hoped for more in terms of prizes than I’ve achieved so far,” de Jong said. “But I have never regretted my choice.

“What I’m saying, there is absolutely nothing of an agreement or anything official … At the moment there is no question of it at all. Not that I know of in any case. Or they must not have told me, but I don’t think so.”

De Jong is a player that Ten Hag rates highly after they worked together at Ajax Amsterdam, winning the 2018-19 Eredivisie title as well as reaching the Champions League semifinal.

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LIVE BLOG

09.44 BST: Joao Moutinho is in talks to sign a new contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club announced.

Moutinho, who made 39 appearances in his fourth season at Wolves last term, becomes a free agent this summer. The 35-year-old midfielder, on international duty with Portugal, says he is calm about his future.

“I’ve always worked in the same way, with or without a contract,” Moutinho said on Wednesday. “We had a good season at the club, I’m focused on what I have to do with the national team, which is to do my best to contribute to the success of the team. With time, things will be resolved. I’m just focused on winning these games.”

Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Wolves boss Bruno Lage is interested in bringing Moutinho’s international teammate Joao Palhinha to the club. Palhinha, 26, played alongside Moutinho at Euro 2020, and helped Sporting CP end their long wait for a league title in the 2020-21 season.

The move could be a precursor to the departure from Molineux of Ruben Neves, who has been linked with interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.

08.52 BST: Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard will both leave Manchester United when their contracts expires at the end of June, the club have confirmed.

Pogba will depart Old Trafford on a free transfer for the second time after joining Juventus in 2012.

“I feel privileged to have played for this club,” Pogba said in a statement on his social media accounts. “Many beautiful moments and memories but most importantly an unconditional support from the fans. Thank you Manchester United.”

Pogba returned to the club in 2016 for a then-world-record fee of £89.3m from Juventus and won three trophies in his debut campaign. However, he has failed to find consistency throughout his return to United and faced criticism during his final season.

Sources have told ESPN that Pogba is considering a return to Juventus after turning down interest from Premier League champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN that Lingard could return to West Ham United after he impressed during his loan spell in the 2020-21 campaign. The England international will end his 21-year spell at Old Trafford this summer after winning three major trophies which included in the winning goal in the 2016 FA Cup final.

– O’Hanlon, Ogden: Evaluating Pogba’s Man United career (E+)

08.00 BST: Gareth Bale has thanked Real Madrid for helping him “create moments that will live forever” in an open letter confirming that he is leaving the club after nine years in Spain.

Bale, 32 — who has featured in just seven Madrid games, starting four of them, in an injury-disrupted final season — is out of contract this summer and departs having won five Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles at the Bernabeu.

The Wales international is on international duty for their upcoming matches this month, including a World Cup qualifying playoff final against Ukraine on Sunday (stream LIVE at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.) Sources close to Bale have told ESPN that no decisions will be taken on his future plans until after those games have been played.

“I write this message to say thank you to all my teammates, past and present, my managers, the backroom staff and to the fans that supported me,” Bale wrote in a letter published on social media on Wednesday. “I arrived here nine years ago as a young man who wanted to realise my dream of playing for Real Madrid.

“To wear the pristine white kit, to wear the crest on my chest, to play at the Santiago Bernabeu, to win titles and to be part of what it’s so famous for, to win the Champions League. I can now look back, reflect and say with honesty that this dream became a reality and much, much more.

“To be a part of this club’s history and to achieve what we achieved while I was a Real Madrid player, has been an incredible experience and one I will never forget. I also want to thank president Florentino Perez, [managing director] Jose Angel Sanchez, and the board for giving me the opportunity to play for this club.

“Together we were able to create some moments that will live forever in the history of this club and football. It has been an honour. Thank you! HALA MADRID!”

Meanwhile, Madrid also confirmed Isco’s exit after nine years at the club.

“Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude and affection to Isco, in which he has defended our badge and managed to become the legend of our club,” the club said in a statement.

PAPER GOSSIP

  • Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah wants to stay in the Premier League if he leaves Anfield as a free agent in the summer of 2023, reports The Athletic. There is one year left on the Egyptian’s contract, and as of yet his representatives and the club have been unable to reach an agreement on a renewal. He is committed to staying with Liverpool for the 2022-23 season, but will leave when his contract ends unless he receives a significantly improved offer.

  • Real Madrid could be priced out of a move for Aurelien Tchouameni with Paris Saint-Germain willing to offer AS Monaco €100 million for the midfielder, according to Marca. Tchouameni wants to leave Ligue 1 and join Los Blancos but with PSG offering such a large fee, Monaco are unwilling to accept anything below that. Madrid are keen to sign the midfielder but feel such a large fee could impact the club’s stability.

  • Newcastle United have reached an agreement with Stade de Reims to sign 19-year-old Hugo Ekitike for €36m with €10m in easily attainable bonuses, reports Foot Mercato. There are still small details to be agreed, but it is expected that the striker will soon be packing his bags to move to the Premier League after an impressive breakthrough campaign in Ligue 1.

  • With Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s contract expiring at the end of June, AS Roma are trying to keep the Armenian but face competition from Internazionale, according to Sky Sports Italia. Roma have offered him €3.5m-per-year with bonuses that could take his earnings up to a potential €4.1m, while Inter have offered a two-year contract worth €4.5m-per-year. They can also give the former Manchester United man the chance to play Champions League football.

– Amid Mkhitaryan’s contract saga, Roma are looking for players who can play in the wide attacking areas and have settled on Bodo/Glimt’s Ola Solbakken, Valencia‘s Goncalo Guedes and Colon‘s Facundo Farias, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport. While this doesn’t mean all three will be joining Jose Mourinho’s squad, it is expected that either one or two of them will.

Sourced from Man United

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