LIVE Transfer Talk: Ramos on Man Utd’s radar as Kane interest cools
Don Hutchison compares Atalanta forward and Manchester United target Rasmus Hojlund to Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland. (1:32)
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!
Manchester United have been offered to sign Benfica forward Gonçalo Ramos after the Red Devils dropped their interest in Tottenham Hotspur‘s Harry Kane, reports the Sun.
Ramos has had a stellar season at Benfica, netting 27 goals across all competitions last season. However, the report states that the club will not accept any fee less than £80 million to transfer their 21-year-old talisman. Ramos is under contract with Benfica until 2026, meaning the Portuguese giants are under no financial pressure to let him go.
Erik ten Hag was keen to bring Kane to Old Trafford, with the England captain having just 12 months left on his contract, however, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is demanding a £100m fee to sign the 29-year-old, which has seen United’s interest cool.
However, with several clubs in Europe in the market for a striker this summer, Kane could still leave North London. The report reveals that Ramos’ agent, Jorge Mendes, hopes a possible Kane departure could ignite a bidding war between the Red Devils and Spurs for the Portuguese forward’s signature.
United are seemingly reluctant to be dragged into overspending on a forward this summer, having also turned their attention away from Napoli‘s Victor Osimhen.
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09.37 BST: Manchester City are on the brink of completing a deal worth around €40m to sign Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, sources have told ESPN.
Talks between the two clubs have progressed well in recent days with a broad agreement on the fee leading to more detailed conversations about how the payments are structured.
One of the few remaining outstanding issues centres on how much City will pay Chelsea up front. The west London club are under pressure to raise funds through player sales by the end of this month after spending in the region of £600m during the first year of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership of the club only to miss out on European qualification altogether.
09.00 BST: Bayern Munich are in talks with Kyle Walker over a move to the Allianz Arena with Manchester City prepared to offload the Champions League-winning full-back, sources have told ESPN.
Walker, 33, is under contract at the Etihad until the end of next season, but negotiations over an extension to the England defender’s existing deal have yet to progress.
Sources have told ESPN that Walker is prepared to move to the Bundesliga to extend his career at the top level after becoming frustrated by the absence of a firm offer from City to discuss new terms.
The former Sheffield United right-back, who is also the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia, was dropped for the Champions League final win against Inter Milan in Istanbul last week with manager Pep Guardiola opting instead to use Manuel Akanji at full-back.
Don Hutchison and Gab Marcotti discuss Arsenal’s interest in signing Kai Havertz and other potential signings on The Gab & Juls Show.
– Chelsea have agreed personal terms with forward Nicolas Jackson with the Blues keen to negotiate a deal with Villarreal, per the Athletic. The 21-year-old has a release clause of €35m, however, the west London outfit may attempt to negotiate a lower price with the LaLiga club. The report indicates that Chelsea will satisfy the release clause, if required. Jackson netted 13 goals in all competitions last season, with the Senegal international reportedly close to joining AFC Bournemouth in January.
– Bayern Munich are close to a full agreement on personal terms with defender Kim Min-Jae, according to Fabrizio Romano. The tweet suggests that the Bavarian club intend to meet the Napoli defender’s release clause, which is reported to be close to £60m for non-Italian clubs, which would see the 26-year-old sign a deal with the German champions until 2028. Manchester United were heavily linked with the South Korea international, but Romano reveals that they have made no fresh bid.
– Newcastle United are interested in James Maddison but are not willing to meet Leicester City‘s £50m valuation of the midfielder, according to Football Insider. The England international is under contract with the Foxes until next June, however, he will likely depart the club this summer following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League. The report indicates that the Magpies are willing to spend £30m to secure the services of Maddison, with Leicester under pressure to do a deal this summer to ensure he does not walk for free next year.
– Negotiations between defender Josko Gvardiol and Manchester City are progressing well but RB Leipzig will demand a “huge” fee, reports Fabrizio Romano. The Croatia international reportedly has a release clause of €114m, which Leipzig will demand is met. Romano suggest the German outfit are happy to keep the 21-year-old at the club for another season if that clause is not met, despite the progress between Gvardiol and City regarding personal terms.
– Al Hilal are interested in signing Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, according to Foot Mercato. The 31-year-old could be one of several players to depart Stamford Bridge this summer as the Blues look to balance the books following a year of heavy spending. Koulibaly made just 20 starts in all competitions last season, and it has been reported that Internazionale also hold an interest in the Senegal international.