Transfer Talk: Chelsea, PSG, Atletico all chasing Lautaro
The Gab-O-Meter returns to predict the Chelsea futures of Romelu Lukaku and Christian Pulisic. (2:04)
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!
Clubs across Europe are about to step up the chase to sign Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, according to Tuttomercato, with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are all reported to be interested.
Martinez, 24, was linked with an exit away from San Siro last season, but signed a new deal in October that saw him commit his future until 2026. However, with the Argentina international scoring 21 Serie A goals in 35 appearances, speculation over the striker’s future has not gone away.
And as Simone Inzaghi’s side struggle with their mounting debt and look to raise funds to try to secure the loan return of Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, Martinez could be one of the players available for transfer. Chelsea are open to negotiations over a deal that could see the players swap clubs.
PSG are also looking for another option up front, now that Kylian Mbappe has committed himself to the club, while Atletico need a replacement for Luis Suarez.
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17.15 BST: Monaco have identified Palmeiras midfielder Danilo as a potential replacement for Aurelien Tchouameni, reports L’Equipe.
The 21-year-old star has also been on the radar of Real Madrid, and it looks as though interest in continuing to grow from clubs in Europe. He has made 25 appearances for Palmeiras this season, and was on the bench for the Brazil senior international team during their 1-0 win over Japan on Monday.
16.30 BST: A central midfielder is a priority for Erik ten Hag’s rebuilding programme at Manchester United, sources have told ESPN.
Efforts are still ongoing to persuade Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong to move to Old Trafford, as both Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic will be leaving United this summer.
United also have an interest in West Ham’s Declan Rice, but the London club’s £100m-plus valuation of the England international has prompted them to pursue De Jong, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax.
Sources have also told ESPN that United are monitoring Benfica forward Darwin Nunez, who is also on Liverpool’s radar, but Ten Hag’s immediate priority is to strengthen in midfield.
16.00 BST: Paul Pogba follows Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos to become a free agent but why are there so many high-profile players doing it? ESPN’s James Olley and Tor-Kristian Karlsen investigate.
Research by KPMG suggests that in Europe’s top five leagues, there was a 6% decrease in transfers involving a fee between 2019 and 2021, to a record low of 30%. There has also been an increase from 19% to 22% in the number of free transfers during the same time-frame. It’s perhaps a modest shift at first glance, but the majority of business in lower divisions has largely comprised of such transactions as finances are generally more precarious and clubs survive on loans or signing unattached players.
The change has now come at the top end of the game, with more high-profile free agents than ever before. Last summer’s list was star-studded: Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, David Alaba, Sergio Aguero and Jerome Boateng were among the names moving. This summer is similar: Paul Pogba, Ousmane Dembele, Paulo Dybala, Antonio Rudiger, Alexandre Lacazette, Christian Eriksen, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez are just some of those able to negotiate on their own terms.
It appeared Kylian Mbappe would lead the free transfer surge as he looked destined to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain before performing a dramatic U-turn last month. Mbappe’s new three-year contract to remain in Paris reportedly includes a €100 million signing-on fee and a €50m annual salary, remarkable evidence of the strong negotiating position elite players can have when running down their existing deals. More often that not, however, players in this situation move clubs.
15.14 BST: Fenerbahce have registered an interest in signing Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira, but he has been told he will be given an opportunity to impress new manager Erik ten Hag during the summer tour of Thailand and Australia, sources have told ESPN.
Pereira spent last season on loan at Flamengo but a permanent move to the Brazilian side has all but collapsed.
Ten Hag has indicated to Pereira that he will be part of the first-team squad during preseason and is set to be given opportunities in friendlies against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid.
Sources have told ESPN that the 26-year-old’s future remains up in the air and he hasn’t ruled out a move away from Old Trafford if it represents a better chance of playing regular football.
Fenerbahce are keen to land Pereira, with sources telling ESPN he is intrigued by the possibility of linking up manager Jorge Jesus.
Pereira has a year left on his contract and United will consider bids of around €8m. Benfica are also looking at Pereira at a time when United are targeting their €100m-rated striker, Darwin Nunez.
14.35 BST: Calciomercato claims that Arsenal are the only club keen on Juventus’ Arthur Melo this summer.
Arthur, 25, joined for €72m from Barcelona in 2020 in a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic, who was valued at €60m.
Juve need to get back at least €46m if they are to move the Brazil international on, but are also interested in taking one of Gabriel Magalhaes or Gabriel Martinelli as part of any deal with the Gunners.
13.52 BST: The future of Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is up in the air, with Chelsea now keen to sign him, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Sterling, 27, has a decision to make this summer as his contract expires in 2023 and he is reported to be unhappy about his lack of playing time.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been linked with the England international, but Chelsea are frontrunners now they have a new owner.
However, the report claims Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku and Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski have also been discussed at Stamford Bridge.
13.29 BST: Manchester City have announced the signing of defender Laia Aleixandri from Atletico Madrid on a three-year deal.
Aleixandri is the second player to join City from Atletico Madrid after the Manchester side also signed Deyna Castellanos last week.
The 21-year-old joins City after spending her entire career so far in Spain. She made just under 50 appearances for Atletico Madrid during her five years there.
“I am very happy to be here and to be a part of this amazing club — I am very excited for what is to come,” she said in a statement. “Manchester City is a very big club with top players and staff, and I believe this is the best move for me to make. This is a team who likes to play with the ball and with an offensive style, and that suits me personally.
“My dream here is to win a lot of titles and to improve as a player with the help of my new teammates.”
13.18 BST: Tottenham striker Harry Kane had been keen to leave the club last summer, but now they have Champions League football it appears he’s willing to stay.
The Daily Mail reports that Kane is optimistic about winning trophies at Tottenham, though talks over a new contract have not yet started, with his current terms expiring in 2024.
12.45 BST: Radamel Falcao will remain at Rayo Vallecano for a further season, the club’s sporting director David Cobeno confirmed.
Falcao, 36, joined from Galatasaray as a free agent last summer on a one-year contract, but injuries limited the Colombia forward to just 25 games, where he scored six goals, as Rayo finished 12th in LaLiga.
“He will continue next season and it will become official in the next few days,” Cobeno said of Falcao. “He had an option in his contract that has been executed and he will continue with us for another year. He had very good moments during the season.
“He gave us goals, experience and has added a lot in the locker room because he is a reference player for everyone. We are delighted to have him at Rayo and we hope he can do better this season. He is a player that makes a difference.”
12.05 BST: Barcelona will up their offer to keep Gavi at the club as they look to end speculation about the midfielder’s Camp Nou future, sources have told ESPN.
Barca will make “a big financial effort,” one club source said, to come to an agreement with Gavi’s agent, former midfielder Ivan de la Pena. They have drawn up a contract that will run until 2027 and include a €1 billion release clause.
The two parties are looking for a date to sit down and close the issue once and for all. Sources on both sides of the talks are optimistic an extension will be agreed soon, with the player’s deal due to expire in summer 2023.
11.34 BST: Manchester United have tabled a first bid of €60m plus €20m in add-ons for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to Marca, although sources have told ESPN that negotiations are not that advanced.
Marca reports that while new United coach Erik ten Hag works on convincing De Jong to make the move to Old Trafford, the Premier League side are trying to agree a fee with Barcelona.
Barca need to raise money this summer and sources have told ESPN they are open to offers for De Jong, who has always maintained his preference is to remain at Camp Nou. One source says Barca want €85m in transfer fee for the Netherlands international.
However, sources insist there have been no advances in recent days. United’s interest has not progressed to an official bid, while De Jong has not yet opened the door to a move away from Barca, who he joined from Ajax in 2019.
11.00 BST: Will Liverpool or Man United land Benfica striker Darwin Nunez?
Mark Ogden provides a transfer update for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez.
10.32 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta met with agent Jorge Mendes at a restaurant in the Catalan city on Wednesday with the futures of “several players” discussed. Laporta didn’t make any comment as he left at around midnight, but Mendes confirmed the meeting served to touch base on a number of issues.
Mendes represents Barca players Ansu Fati, Nico Gonzalez, Alejandro Balde, Francisco Trincao and Adama Traore, who is due to return to Wolverhampton Wanderers when his loan ends this month. He revealed he has offers for Nico, who made 36 first-team appearances this past season, but that Barcelona don’t want to let the midfielder leave.
Barca, meanwhile, have been linked with Angel Di Maria, Ruben Neves and even Bernardo Silva this summer, all players who work with Mendes and could have been discussed on Wednesday.
Mendes also has close links with Valencia owner Peter Lim, which led to some reports following the meeting that a trio of Los Che players — Carlos Soler, Jose Luis Gaya and Goncalo Guedes — also featured in conversations.
10.24 BST: Liverpool have confirmed Divock Origi‘s departure on a free transfer.
The Belgium international striker is reportedly set to join AC Milan.
10.05 BST: Real Madrid will consider letting winger Take Kubo leave this summer if the right offer comes along, according to AS.
Kubo, 21, scored two goals and set up three more in 31 appearances across all competitions while on loan at Mallorca last season, but the Japan international has played the last four years on loan at different LaLiga clubs.
The former FC Tokyo star will return to Madrid next month to begin preseason training knowing that he will have to find another club to join either on loan or permanently as he occupies a non-European spot. Currently, Madrid’s three non European-spots are taken up by Brazilian trio Vinicius Jr., Eder Militao and Rodrygo.
Kubo is under contract with Madrid until June 2024, but Los Blancos are reportedly open to offers for the first time since he arrived to the Bernabeu stadium in the summer of 2019.
09.53 BST: Liverpool have firmly rejected a second offer from Bayern Munich for Sadio Mane, with sources telling ESPN the Premier League runners-up are bemused by the approach.
Bayern’s initial approach for Mane, who is into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, was rejected and a second bid, which saw the figures on offer increased to a total of £30m, has also been knocked back. The second offer was of £23.5m upfront and the bonuses increased by £2.5m to £6.5m.
A source told ESPN in order for the transfer fee to reach that figure Bayern would have to win the Champions League three years in a row and Mane would have to win the Ballon d’Or three times.
09.23 BST: Barcelona have held talks with Las Palmas about signing teenage midfielder Alberto Moleiro, sources have told ESPN.
Barca have enquired about the cost of a transfer, with a view to doing a deal this summer but leaving Moleiro on loan at his current club until 2023.
The structure of the deal discussed is similar to the one which saw Pedri make the move to Camp Nou in 2019. Barca allowed the Spain international to spend another season at Las Palmas before he officially made the move to Catalonia in 2020.
Moleiro, 18, is already a regular in a Las Palmas side that just missed out on promotion to LaLiga this season, losing to Tenerife in the playoffs. An attacking midfielder who has also played wide at times, he scored three goals and set up one more in 37 appearances.
09.04 BST: Manchester United are prepared to rival Liverpool for the signing of Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, sources have told ESPN.
United are looking for a young forward this summer and 22-year-old Nunez is high up on their list of players.
Liverpool have also registered their interest and sources have told ESPN that United would not be put off even if it meant going head-to-head with the Anfield side.
Nunez, according to sources, is keen for regular Champions League football which would put Liverpool ahead in the race but United believe there is a chance he could be convinced to move to Old Trafford.
Sources have told ESPN that an issue for both United and Liverpool is Benfica’s valuation.
08.30 BST: Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Lyon on a free transfer after leaving Arsenal, the Ligue 1 club have announced.
The striker has ended his five-year spell at the Emirates after his contract expired and has penned a three-year deal at Lyon.
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LE GÉNÉRAL @LacazetteAlex EST DE RETOUR !#GénéralLacazette 🫡🔴🔵 #LACAZETTE2025 #MadeInOL https://t.co/KUZEISNMiI
Lacazette’s future had been the centre of speculation for months and the announcement that he is leaving won’t come as a surprise. Lacazette said in April that he was in talks with several clubs as the end of his contract neared and hinted that he wanted to join a side who are competing in the Champions League. Arsenal finished fifth last season, outside the Champions League places. Lyon finished in eighth place in Ligue 1.
Lacazette joined Arsenal from Lyon in 2017 and made 206 appearances across all competitions, scoring 71 goals. He was Arsenal’s top scorer during the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons and is in the club’s all-time top 10 Premier League scorers.
Shaka Hislop offers hope to the Premier League teams aiming to prevent Manchester City from dominating.
– Sevilla have added U.S. men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams to their shortlist as they look to reinforce their midfield options this summer, according to AS. It’s reported that the LaLiga club are looking for a replacement for Fernando Reges who can also make an impact at both ends of the pitch. Adams, 23, made 37 appearances for RB Leipzig last season.
– Paris Saint-Germain are considering making a move for Inter defender Milan Skriniar, writes Le Parisien. The Ligue 1 side are now looking to add reinforcements to their defence after successfully securing a new deal for Kylian Mbappe, and Skriniar is wanted. The 27-year-old continued to impress last season after shining in Inter’s title winning campaign in 2020-21, and featured 35 times in the league for the Nerazzurri in 2021-22.
– Southampton are moving quickly to find a replacement for Fraser Forster after he joined Tottenham Hotspur, and have identified Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, reports the Daily Mail. The 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, and could be allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium on a permanent basis for a fee in the region of £10m.
– Wolves could hold out for £70m if they are to part ways with Ruben Neves, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Portugal international has attracted plenty of interest since the season ended, and could be open to leaving Molineux in search of a new challenge. He was a standout performer for Bruno Lage’s side last season, but their high valuation for the 25-year-old midfielder may make a transfer difficult.
– Inter have made a €5m-per-season offer to Paulo Dybala, reveals Calciomercato. The 28-year-old forward’s representatives met with the club on Wednesday, with the player available on a free transfer from Juventus. But it’s reported that there is still some way to go before an agreement can be reached, with the Argentina international looking for around £7m-per-season. Dybala scored 10 goals from 29 appearances for the Bianconeri last season, though he will leave the club on June 30 having been unable to agree to a new deal in Turin.
– Sources have told ESPN Mexico that Club America are looking to sign Jurgen Damm on a six-month contract. The Mexico winger has been without a club since February, when Atlanta United bought out his contract after falling out of favour with head coach Gonzalo Pineda. He made 24 appearances in two seasons with Atlanta, recording four assists and no goals. Club America see Damm as a gamble due to his months of inactivity, but there will be clauses for an extension if he plays well.