The January transfer window may seem like a distant memory, but that doesn’t mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Dortmund eye Isak return if Haaland leaves
Borussia Dortmund could consider bringing back Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad if key man Erling Haaland opts to leave in the summer, with Sky Sports Germany reporting there is a buyback clause in the Sweden international’s deal.
Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc touched upon Isak ahead of Saturday’s match vs. Arminia Bielefeld, saying Dortmund are monitoring the player’s situation. Isak played for the club from 2017-2019, including a year-long loan with Willem II, before moving on to La Real.
“We think he made the right step going to Real Sociedad,” Zorc told a media conference. “In the beginning, he impressed as a substitute and scored goals. He has become a regular starter this season and scored a lot of goals in the past weeks. Of course, we are following all that.”
While he didn’t reveal if there is a buyback clause, the discussion of Isak’s return could be connected with the repeated rumours of Haaland’s departure.
“It is clear that Erling Haaland can’t and won’t pick just any club after his time at Dortmund,” he added. “I can’t even pick out 10 possible clubs. So, there is no dissent. It was a normal statement he [agent Mino Raiola] has to give from time to time. We are happy to have Erling here with us and that he has scored in the last games and proven his value for us. I can only say that we will continue to plan with him and I don’t think he is uncomfortable here in Dortmund.”
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19.51 GMT: Juventus may have made up their minds about making Weston McKennie’s loan from Schalke 04 permanent, but Tuttosport writes that the reimagining of their midfield won’t end there, with Manuel Locatelli of Sassuolo, Lyon’s Houssem Aouar and Bayern Munich’s Corentin Tolisso identified as candidates to join the United States international in the Bianconeri engine room.
19.04 GMT: Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic has nine goals in 22 Serie A appearances so far this season, and Corriere dello Sport reports that the Serbia international is drawing interest from the Premier League and the Bundesliga, after AS Roma made a bid to sign the 21-year-old last summer.
18.17 GMT: Not that this should come as much of a surprise considering United States midfielder Weston McKennie has made 29 appearances since joining Juventus on loan from Schalke 04 in the summer, but the Bianconeri have decided to make his move permanent, according to Tuttosport, which adds that the terms of his loan include a clause that obligates his purchase at €18.5m upon the meeting of certain conditions.
17.30 GMT: Arsenal winger Willian has not impressed since arriving at the club for free in the summer from Chelsea. But he has revealed why he made the move.
“It was difficult to make that decision, it wasn’t easy. Because, as you said, the rivalry between the two clubs is very big. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Chelsea for Arsenal. It was well thought out, a thoughtful decision, talking to my wife and even the agent many times,” Willian told UOL journalist Mauro Cezar.
“And one of the things that made me decide to go to Arsenal was really the various conversations I had with Mikel Arteta, with Edu too. They convinced me to go there that it’d be a really cool project, that it’d be really good for me to be able to go there. That I’d be a very important player in the squad. That they wanted to change the philosophy of the club, to make it possible for Arsenal to fight again in the Premier League, to play in the Champions League again.
“So there were several conversations I had, several conversations that ended up pleasing me, so that’s why I ended up making this decision. But it really wasn’t easy to make that decision, it had to be well thought out.”
16.32 GMT: Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho might be running out of time if results don’t improve.
1:54
Ale Moreno examines Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Tottenham after his first 50 Premier League games in charge.
15.41 GMT: Ronald Koeman has said Lionel Messi needs more help from his teammates as Barcelona fight to stay in the La Liga title race.
Messi, 33, has scored 18 times in the league this season, which equates to around 34% of Barca’s goals in the Spanish top flight. Antoine Griezmann, with six, is Barca’s second top scorer, while Ansu Fati, injured since November, is third with four goals.
Barca travel to Sevilla on Saturday with the chance to temporarily move within two points of leaders Atletico Madrid, although they will have played two more games, and level with Real Madrid. Sevilla, meanwhile, can leapfrog Barca into third with a win and will still have a game in hand on Koeman’s side.
“It’s not just up to the senior players to step forward,” Koeman said in a news conference on Friday having previously called on the veterans to take more responsibility. “To give an example, Leo has scored 18 goals. The rest of the attackers, together, have more or less the same amount. He also needs help.
“The responsibility has to be shared around. Yes, the older players must help the younger players in the squad, but in general it’s up to the whole team to step forward.”
15.09 GMT: The Daily Mirror says Monaco are monitoring Alexandre Lacazette‘s situation at Arsenal.
Lacazette, 29, has 18 months remaining on his contract and could leave for free in 2022. His friend and strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed a new contract recently but that doesn’t look on the cards for the Frenchman and Atletico Madrid have been linked with him for some time.
Lacazette has scored 10 goals in 29 games this season and has never managed more than the 19 he scored in 2018-19.
14.37 GMT: PSG have been fined €700,000 for failing to pay some of the invoices owed to their suppliers.
The DIRECCTE, a government organisation in charge of ensuring companies pay suppliers, has found them guilty of unpaid invoices dating back to 2018.
They were owed for services given to the club by some of their usual suppliers who had enough of not being paid and asked the DIRECCTE to intervene.
PSG have been ordered to immediately pay the fine as well as the outstanding invoices. The French champions have planned to lose around €200m this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
14.12 GMT: Manchester United are keen to wait until Edinson Cavani has recovered from injury before making a decision about his future, sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Rob Dawson.
United are happy with Cavani’s impact since arriving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, and would need to pay the striker close to €2m if the club decide against keeping him for a second season. Both sides have the option to terminate the deal in the summer but a penalty fee will apply if United, who also have Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood as options in attack, are the ones to pull the plug.
Cavani is wanted by Boca Juniors, but sources have told ESPN he is happy at Old Trafford and is open to staying for a second season because he is keen to stay in Europe for as long as possible before finishing his career in South America.
13.31 GMT: ICYMI – This is why manager Thierry Henry has left Montreal.
0:52
CF Montreal president Kevin Gilmore shares the “difficult” news regarding Thierry Henry’s decision to leave the club.
12.45 GMT: AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer has been tracked by a host of European clubs and reportedly has a €50m buyout clause in his contract.
Bennacer, 23, has been in fine form this season but Calciomercato reports that Milan are worried that a club will trigger the Algeria international’s move in the summer.
12.03 GMT: Manchester United have been linked with a move for a new striker but club legend Dwight Yorke has told ESPN that Marcus Rashford can rival Kylian Mbappe as one of the best players in the world within the next two years.
“Absolutely. [Rashford] is certainly in the bracket of Mbappe. The likes of [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are a different level, but Marcus is certainly one for the future in terms of being one of the best players in the world, if he keeps working hard and developing his football.
“We haven’t seen the best of Rashford yet. I think that if we give him another couple of years and let him learn the ins and outs of the game a little bit more, he will only get better. I consider that he is still in that educational part, so he has another couple of years before he develops into the complete player.
“Marcus is being Marcus, and you just see a young man who loves playing football and has unbelievable ability. He has an eye for goal and all the other attributes you look for in a striker: He’s quick, he can go past people, he can create, he can score. He does all of that. We just need to allow him to enjoy it and produce that consistency. He is still in the development stage and people should just allow him to express himself so that, eventually, we’ll see an even better Rashford.”
11.05 GMT: Manchester City will continue their search for a new striker even if Sergio Aguero extends his stay at the Etihad Stadium, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Aguero’s contract is up in the summer and Juventus are among the clubs interested in signing the 32-year-old on a free transfer. The Argentina international’s preference is to stay at City, where he is the all-time leading scorer with 256 goals and has won four Premier League titles, but the club have been cautious while he works his way back into the first team following a year ravaged by injury and illness.
It is understood Aguero’s future is not linked to City’s summer transfer plans and adding a new striker to Pep Guardiola’s squad remains an option, regardless of whether or not the 32-year-old leaves.
10.20 GMT: Manchester City signed Ruben Dias from Benfica for €68m last summer and he’s been a real hit.
1:09
Don Hutchison says Ruben Dias has solidified Man City’s defence and strengthened their UCL title chances.
10.00 GMT: Manchester United have announced that goalkeeper Mary Earps has signed a new contract, which will keep her at the club until June 2023, with the option to extend for a further year. The 27-year-old joined the club in July 2019, and has made 35 appearances in all competitions.
Earps said: “I’m delighted to extend my stay here; we’ve grown so much as a team in the last couple of years and that’s something I’m really looking forward to continuing. I always want to be in an environment that will challenge me, I have a hunger to learn and improve, and the staff here are brilliant in giving me the best opportunity to do that. This team is capable of big things; I want to be playing Champions League football and to be competing for trophies and I know that ambition is shared across the squad. There is nowhere else I would want to be playing my football.”
09.37 GMT: Last summer, Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo showed how thrifty he could be when it came to recruiting on a budget when he signed midfielder Danilo Pereira, midfielder Rafinha, and wing-back Alessandro Florenzi.
He faces a similar challenge this summer to strengthen new manager Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad with little funds available as football recovers from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens that at present, Leonardo is targeting out of contract players for next season including Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Lyon striker Memphis Depay, Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, or Elseid Hysaj, the Napoli right-back, as well as hoping to reach an agreement with Everton for Moise Kean who is on loan. PSG want to keep Kean and could push for another loan deal with a permanent option.
08.46 GMT: Hector Bellerin could leave Arsenal this summer as part of an agreement with manager Mikel Arteta, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.
The 25-year-old wanted to quit the Gunners at the end of last season when Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona emerged as serious options, but stayed following heart-to-heart talks with Arteta, whom he has a close relationship with from their playing days at the club.
ESPN can reveal that in discussions last year Arteta asked Bellerin to give the club one more season and in return, they would consider a sale this summer. PSG and Barcelona were keen on exploring a deal for Bellerin — although the Ligue 1 club have privately played down reports they made a £30m offer — but the defender stayed in north London, committing himself at fellow Spaniard Arteta’s request for one more season.
Sources have confirmed there are no open conversations between Bellerin and the club regarding his future, but there is a sense from both sides that with two years left on his contract, this summer represents the right time to move on after a decade at the Emirates.
Bellerin has not been short of suitors in the past, but a potential destination now appears unclear. PSG are not expected to be in the running given they signed Alessandro Florenzi on loan from Roma and are planning to take up an option to make the deal permanent for €9m.
08.00 GMT: RB Leipzig are already making their transfer plans for the summer, which could see some major changes to the squad, Bild reports.
With defender Dayot Upamecano already bound for Bayern Munich this summer, players such as captain Marcel Sabitzer, defender Ibrahima Konate and goalkeeper Peter Gulasci could also leave the Bundesliga side at the end of the season.
Leipzig are reportedly hoping to use those transfers to introduce new faces into the squad. They have already signed Dinamo Zagreb defender Josko Gvardiol and are rapidly closing in on Strasbourg’s Mohamed Simakan. In Ajax attacker Brian Brobbey, 19, and Juventus defender Radu Dragusin, 19, they have identified two more talents who might soon head to the Zentralstadion.
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0:58
ESPN FC’s Don Hutchison on how Joao Felix’s potential is hampered at Atletico Madrid.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Rennes trying keep Camavinga
Stade Rennes are doing everything in their power to persuade Eduardo Camavinga to renew his contract, with the club’s sporting director saying they’re working toward a “solution” with the midfielder.
The Frenchman’s contract comes to an end in the summer of 2022, and he will leave for free if an extension is not agreed before that point.
He may be 18 years old, but Camavinga has already made his debut for the France national team and has a host of admirers across Europe, including Real Madrid.
“We will see what will happen by the end of the season,” club sporting director Florian Maurice said, as quoted by Sport. “We are continuing discussions with his agents to find a solution, before discussing the possibility of seeing him leave for free in 2022. I think he is very respectful of the club that formed him. I think that we will not come to this situation there.”
European giants look at Toronto youngster
European powers, including Manchester United, have been looking at Toronto FC starlet Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, reports Goal.
The 16-year-old winger made his debut for the Major League Soccer side towards the end of last season and has seemingly caught the eye.
United are not alone in their interest in the Canadian, as Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Porto are all reportedly keen on him.
Having surpassed Alphonso Davies as the youngest player on the Canada national team, it looks as though Marshall-Rutty could be following the Bayern Munich star to one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Tap-ins
– Miralem Pjanic has failed to impress at Barcelona and it seems manager Ronald Koeman may be moving on from the Bosnia international playmarker, according to Spanish outlet Sport. The 30-year-old has had his chances, taking part in 27 games this term, but Riqui Puig and Ilaix Moriba are now ahead of him in the pecking order.
– Former Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid defender Juanfran has left Brazilian side Sao Paulo, according to ESPN Brasil. The Spaniard played two seasons at Sao Paulo but his contract has expired and is free to leave.