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: Chelsea’s Jorginho key to Juve’s overhaul
Juventus have made Chelsea midfielder Jorginho a top priority for this summer, according to Tuttosport.
Massimiliano Allegri is looking to establish a winning mentality in Turin and is planning an overhaul in midfield with hopes of landing a number of Italy internationals.
After Inter Milan secured the league last season, Juventus have found themselves in fourth and five points behind leaders AC Milan having played one more game than the three teams above them.
That has seen Juventus assessing a number of options as they prepare to rebuild a side that looks set to be without Paulo Dybala as the final months tick down on his contract. Jorginho will have just one year left on his deal at Stamford Bridge in the summer, and the Allianz Stadium hierarchy are planning to take advantage of that with a proposal that looks to tempt him to Turin.
The 30-year-old played a key part of Chelsea’s success in the Champions League last season as well as securing the European Championship with Italy, earning him a nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
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15.15 BST: Amad Diallo will return to Manchester United at the end of the season with Rangers opting against looking to extend the loan or make the move permanent.
Diallo, 19, joined Rangers on loan in January but has made just six appearances in all competitions. Football Insider reports that the forward has failed to impress Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
14.04 BST: Calciomercato reports that AC Milan will be looking to sign two strikers in the summer, whether or not Zlatan Ibrahimovic decides to retire.
Liverpool striker Divock Origi, who is out of contract in the summer, will be the first signing, barring any late hitches.
Milan also want to sign a younger striker with experience to complement Origi, who celebrates his 27th birthday later this month.
The Milan hierarchy have yet to identify their No. 1 target. Gianluca Scamacca of Sassuolo has been linked but the quoted transfer fee of €40m will be too much. Nice forward Amine Gouiri, a target for Borussia Dortmund, has been discussed but is unlikely to be headed for Milan.
13.19 BST: Erling Haaland has dismissed interest from Manchester United when considering his next move over fears they could not match his ambitions on the pitch, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
United are looking for a striker this summer and indicated to Haaland and his representatives earlier this season they would be willing to match any financial offer he received from another club. However, sources told ESPN that intermediaries reported back that the striker would base his decision only on a club’s “sporting project” and not where he could earn the most money.
Manchester City and Real Madrid lead the race to sign the Norwegian if he chooses to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Both clubs are regulars in the latter rounds of the Champions League while United have reached the quarterfinals only twice since 2011. United are not guaranteed to qualify for the competition next season, sitting seventh in the Premier League table, three points adrift of the top four.
12.30 BST: Liverpool defender Joe Gomez will be one of Aston Villa’s key transfer targets this summer.
The Sunday Mirror reports that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is planning to overhaul the squad ahead of his first full season at the helm, and that could see up to eight players depart. Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz, Anwar El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore, Trezeguet, Morgan Sanson and Leon Bailey are all said to have their futures in doubt.
Gomez, 24, has fallen down the pecking order at Liverpool and Gerrard sees him as the perfect addition in the centre of defence. Yves Bissouma of Brighton is wanted for his midfield, while a new striker will also be sought.
11.48 BST: Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will battle it out for Leicester City midfielder James Maddison this summer, reports the Sun on Sunday.
Maddison, 25, is finally returning to top form after an injury-hit 12 months. Leicester could opt to cash in on the England international, with a transfer fee of £60m mooted, and use the funds to strengthen the squad overall.
The North London rivals are said to be long-term admirers of Maddison, though Spurs would have other transfer priorities before the Foxes star.
11.01 BST: Neymar will stay at Paris Saint-Germain next season despite concerns of the club’s hierarchy, reports L’Equipe.
The Brazil international has now cost PSG close to €500m in transfer fees, wages and bonuses and there are said to be question-marks over his motivation.
However, the 30-year-old answered those concerns by scoring a hat trick as PSG routed Clermont Foot 6-1 on Saturday.
The report says that there is no club who could realistically afford to sign the player, bar perhaps Newcastle United, so he will not be leaving. He has another three years on his contract.
10.18 BST: Calciomercato reports that Juventus will look to move on Adrien Rabiot in the summer, despite his improved form in recent months.
Rabiot, 27, has been at Juve for three years but has had a poor season. Even though he has played better of late, that will not be enough for coach Massimiliano Allegri, who wants to refresh his midfield.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, who is out of contract in the summer, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Lazio are top of Juve’s wanted list.
Rabiot has one year remaining on his deal at Juve but the club have failed to get an acceptable transfer fee for him in recent windows.
09.30 BST: Dani Alves is out of contract at Barcelona at the end of the season, but hopes the club will give him one more year to help him secure his place in Brazil’s 2022 World Cup squad.
“No one has said anything to me [about staying],” he said. “Now it’s not about the youngsters showing they’re good, it’s about the older players proving they can still play at Barca and aren’t out of fashion.”
Alves, who turns 39 next month, returned to Barca as a free agent in November and has proved to be a positive influence in the changing room.
He also said the club have sought his opinion on Ajax winger Antony, who he played alongside at Sao Paulo.
“I am not pushing [to sign Antony] but I have spoken about him [with the club],” he said. “If they ask me, I speak about players from my point of view. I have played with him, seen him grow and then move to Ajax, where he’s shown how great he could be.”
PAPER GOSSIP
– Negotiations between AC Milan and Real Madrid are continuing over the signature of Marco Asensio, writes Calciomercato. The LaLiga club are prepared to open talks over the 26-year-old winger if they receive a transfer offer of €25 million to €30 million, with the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy looking to move on a number of players during the summer to fund a deal for Kylian Mbappe.
- Aston Villa want to acquire PSV Eindhoven and England youth international Noni Madueke, reveals Ekrem Konur. The Eredivisie club are looking for a fee in the region of €30m for his services, with the 20-year-old being a key part of Roger Schmidt’s side this season, scoring nine times from 31 appearances.
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Teams in the Premier League and Europe are tracking Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 19-year-old is on loan at Huddersfield Town where he has become a key player this season, and despite recent reports that Thomas Tuchel was preparing to make him part of the Blues first team next season, it is expected that Chelsea will receive a number of proposals for Colwill when the transfer market opens.
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Jesse Lingard has teams in Serie A monitoring him, reports the Sunday Mirror. AS Roma, AC Milan and Juventus are all keeping tabs on the 29-year-old midfielder who will be out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer. Lingard has struggled for regular minutes this season at Manchester United, starting just three games across all competitions.
– Cagliari are preparing to trigger the clause in Raoul Bellanova‘s loan deal to make his move permanent, reports Nicolo Schira. The right-back can be signed from Bordeaux for a fee of €1m, and he now looks set to extend his stay in Serie A after impressing this season.
