The summer transfer window is open for some leagues 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: Man United, Chelsea eyeing Brighton’s Caicedo
Chelsea are preparing to open talks with Brighton over a move for midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Blues believe that personal terms won’t be an issue in their approach, with the 21-year-old already keen on making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
Caicedo was on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs in January but stayed at the Amex Stadium and signed a new contract, with a promise that he would be allowed to explore a move away if interest in his signature resurfaced in the summer.
Competition is expected to arrive from Manchester United, with Sky Sports reporting that the club are also interested in the Ecuador international.
Previous reports have indicated that it would take an offer of around £80 million ($101.1m) to persuade manager Roberto De Zerbi to part ways with his star midfielder, who played in 37 of 38 Premier League matches last season.
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LIVE BLOG
12.00 BST: Harry Kane can decide his future this transfer window.
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11.11 BST: ICYMI – United States forward Timothy Weah has arrived in Turin, Juventus said on Wednesday, ahead of the player’s move to the Serie A club from Ligue 1 side Lille.
Juventus shared pictures and a video of the 23-year-old’s arrival at the Turin airport on both their website and social media.
Weah, who joined Lille from Paris Saint-Germain in June 2019, will undergo his medical on Thursday, Italian media reported, before signing a deal reported to be worth €12m for five seasons.
10.45 BST: Angel Di Maria is in advanced talks to rejoin Benfica this summer, but Argentine club Rosario Central dream of him returning home.
Di Maria, 35, will become a free agent on July 1 once his contract with Juventus expires and Benfica have offered the Argentina World Cup winner a one-year contract.
A youth product of Rosario Central, Di Maria played two seasons for the first team before joining Benfica in 2007.
“Di Maria is Central and Central is his home,” Rosario Central president Gonzalo Belloso said. “As president of Central I would love for him to come. The time [for him to return] may not be today, or next year, but we will wait and continue to grow the club so that when he does come, we can enjoy him and he can enjoy Central.”
Di Maria spent three seasons at Benfica before joining Real Madrid for €33m in July 2010.
09.56 BST: Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr are interested in signing Botafogo coach Luis Castro, according to Globo.
Al Nassr, the club captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, are on the market for a manager to cover the vacant position left by Rudi Garcia.
Portuguese coach Castro has been offered a €6m per season net salary and a €2.5m mansion that will be his if he honours his contract with Al Nassr.
Castro, 61, is under contract with the Rio de Janeiro club until the end of the year. The former Vitoria Guimaraes coach temporarily managed Qatari club Al-Duhail SC before taking the reins of Botafogo in March 2022.
Castro met with Botafogo own John Textor last week to discuss his future at the club but no contract renewal offer was made.
09.25 BST: Inter Milan are in talks with Chelsea over another loan deal for Romelu Lukaku which will include an obligation for the Italian club to sign the striker, Sky Italia reports.
The Blues reportedly turned down Inter’s initial loan offer to sign the Belgium international earlier this month. But Inter are now prepared to include a compulsory permanent clause of €30m in the deal.
Lukaku, 30, who left Inter to join Chelsea for €115m in 2021, endured a difficult season back in Milan due to injuries and has returned to Stamford Bridge (where he is under contract until June 2026).
08.47 BST: Bayern Munich are closing in on the signing of Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae, Il Mattino reports.
Kim, 26, joined the Partenopei last summer from Fenerbahce in an €18m transfer. He made 35 league appearances to help Napoli win the Scudetto and was named the best defender in Serie A.
Bayern are set to trigger Kim’s release clause of €60m and consider him to be the ideal replacement for Lucas Hernandez, who is expected to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer on a permanent transfer.
The South Korea international was also a target of Manchester United but has opted to join Bayern. He is expected to join Bayern’s preseason training on July 6 once he completes his military service in his homeland.
08.16 BST: Arsenal have agreed a deal with West Ham for Declan Rice after Manchester City pulled out of the race to sign the midfielder, sources told ESPN.
Arsenal submitted a third offer for Rice worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons that was accepted by West Ham on Wednesday, sources told ESPN. While there remain minor details to finalise, they are said to be a formality at this stage.
City decided not match or better Arsenal’s offer Tuesday, sources said, and they are no longer in the hunt for the England international.
The reigning Premier League champions had a valuation in mind for Rice, 24, and believe Arsenal’s bid has already exceeded it. City had an offer of £80m plus £10m in add-ons rejected on Monday.
08.00 BST: Arsenal have completed the signing of forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea in a deal that ESPN reported last week is worth up to £67.5m.
The Germany international has signed a long term deal with the north London club and becomes Arsenal’s first signing of the transfer window.
“Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
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PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo is being considered as a potential reinforcement by Barcelona, according to Sport. Parejo, 34, has one year left on his contract with the Yellow Submarine and was previously linked with Barcelona. The Blaugrana remain on the lookout for a replacement for Sergio Busquets, who is set to join Inter Miami CF.
- Talks are continuing between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain for defender Lucas Hernandez, reveals Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. PSG are keen to land the 27-year-old, and it is reported that the Bundesliga champions are willing to move him on if they receive an offer of €45m. Hernandez’s last match was for France at the 2022 World Cup against Australia, where he suffered an ACL tear that left him out for the remainder of the campaign.
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Juventus are willing to move on midfielder Paul Pogba this summer, reports Gazzetta dello Sport. After a difficult season saw the 30-year-old play just 172 minutes after joining from Manchester United as a free agent, the report indicates that the Bianconeri are ready to call time on his second spell at the club, and are now looking at Chelsea’s Cesare Casadei as a potential replacement.
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Clubs in Saudi Arabia are keen on signing Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, reports Relevo. Manager Xavi Hernandez is reported to be looking to offload the 26-year-old this summer, but despite interest in his signature from multiple sides, his preference is believed to be to remain at Camp Nou. He has also previously been linked with Chelsea, as well as a potential return to the Serie A.
– Internazionale are keen on Valencia and United States midfielder Yunus Musah, according to Gianluca Di Marzio. The 20-year-old has recently been linked with AC Milan, but Inter could now challenge their rivals for his signature, while Ligue 1 side AS Monaco have also surfaced in the race for him. Musah was a standout performer for both club and country last season.
