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: Arsenal, Spurs, Man United in race for Tielemans
Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans could be available for around £40 million this summer and there’s a top-four battle for his signature, says The Sun.
Tielemans, 24, has a year left on his contract and has yet to agree terms to stay. The Belgium international wants to play Champions League football, which ninth-placed Leicester won’t be able to offer this season, but there are a host of interested clubs.
Arsenal, Tottenham and Man United are all fighting it out for the final spot in next season’s Champions League behind Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, but will also go head-to-head to land Tielemans. One imagines that whoever nails fourth in the Premier League at the end of the season will be top of the queue to land him.
– ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
LIVE BLOG
15.18 BST: MLS side D.C. United are in talks with Gareth Bale’s representatives about a summer move, says the Washington Post.
Bale, 32, will leave Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer and there had been talk he might retire if Wales don’t qualify for the 2022 World Cup in November.
D.C. are reportedly prepared to pay more in wages to land the winger than when they signed Wayne Rooney from Everton in 2018, as they seek a third Designated Player. But talks are only at an earlier stage.
15.02 BST: Meet Man United manager Erik ten Hag, the ‘tactically brilliant’ coach who became a winner at Ajax. Tom Hamilton spoke to the man himself to get the lowdown on his style.
Ten Hag comes to United as a much-admired manager — someone who has worked under Pep Guardiola (at Bayern Munich), has helped nurture some of Europe’s best young players, and has a philosophy influenced as much by the Dutch “Total Football” school of thought as it is by Guardiola’s way of playing, with a dab of Germany’s “Gegenpressing” philosophy.
I last spoke to Ten Hag back in December. Back then he was masterminding a Champions League campaign with Ajax, but was also hinting at his growing hunger to try something different. At the time, he was being linked with all manner of top jobs, and was asked about whether he pays any attention to it.
“Don’t look in Google… I live by the day, and I’m very satisfied at Ajax,” he said. But then he paused; when asked whether he’d eventually be tempted by one of the European giants linked with him, he answered: “It would be great. We will see if it comes, if they want to sign me. I am looking forward for a plan, and I feel comfortable to do a job like this.”
Six months on, he’s landed at Old Trafford, by far the biggest job of his career. But how did he get here?
14.23 BST: Manchester City are reportedly closing on a move for Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
1:36
Gab & Juls discuss reports suggesting that Erling Haaland is edging closer to a move to Manchester City.
13.32 BST: Arsenal have been tracking Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez, but Tuttomercatoweb has a shock for them.
They claim that Martinez wants to sign for Liverpool if he makes a move to England, so that may scupper the Gunners’ interest.
Chelsea have also been linked with the Argentine as they seek a way to get €115m summer signing Romelu Lukaku back into form, but it seems as if Martinez only has eyes for Anfield.
13.05 BST: Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard was pictured in the stands at the Stade Velodrome as Marseille edged Nantes 3-2 in a five-goal Ligue 1 thriller, reportedly to watch Boubacar Kamara, according to the Daily Express.
Kamara, 22, is a free agent in the summer and has attracted interest from a host of top clubs.
Villa are keen to get their name into the mix, while Gerrard has also been spotted at the Wanda Metropolitano last week to watch Atletico Madrid’s Geoffrey Kondogbia in the Champions League draw with Manchester City. He is also reportedly interested in PSV duo Ibrahim Sangare and Noni Madueke.
12.34 BST: Tennis star Serena Williams and Formula One titan Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton’s bid to buy Chelsea, a source told Reuters on Thursday.
Former Liverpool chairman Broughton’s consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and wealthy investors from around the world, who the group says all wish to maintain Chelsea’s top status in world football.
Private equity veterans Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own sport teams including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, are also backing Broughton’s bid.
Williams and Hamilton have pledged an estimated £10m ($13.06m) each to the bid.
11.59 BST: Kicker reports that Bayern Munich stars Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer are in line to get one-year contract extensions.
Muller, 32, and 36-year-old goalkeeper Neuer have been stalwarts at the German champions for years.
Both could sign up for new terms beyond 2024 if they perform well, with no plans to replace them in the first team yet.
11.12 BST: Manchester United have appointed Ajax’s Erik ten Hag as their new manager.
ESPN reported in early April that United were set to finalise the appointment of Ten Hag and the Dutchman has agreed a three-year deal to take over at Old Trafford, with the option of another year.
Ten Hag becomes United’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Former players Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick have also held caretaker positions during that time.
Ten Hag will stay in charge of Ajax until the end of the season before taking over at United. Ajax end their campaign with a trip to Vitesse on May 15.
11.01 BST: Should Man City let USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen leave?
2:12
Kasey Keller explains why he believes that a loan move away from Manchester City could be beneficial to Zack Steffen’s career.
10.22 BST: AS reports that PSG are set to allow Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes to depart.
Di Maria’s contract expires in the summer of 2022 and the 34-year-old won’t get new terms, despite the club having the option of another year, while PSG will be seeking a transfer fee for fellow Argentina internationals Icardi and Paredes.
09.52 BST: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is a target for Real Madrid, according to The Daily Mail.
Bellingham, 18, is one of the best young players in world football and Dortmund have no desire to let him leave for less than €150m.
But Madrid are planning an overhaul of their squad and see the England international has a long-term addition.
09.25 BST: LAFC star Carlos Vela is in the process of finalizing a new Designated Player contract to remain with the Black and Gold “at least through 2023,” sources confirmed to ESPN.
Vela’s current deal is due to expire on June 30, and as such he has been free to sign a pre-contract anywhere in the world since the start of the year. Sources cautioned that Vela hasn’t signed the deal just yet, but now the former Mexico international looks set to remain in Los Angeles through the end of the 2023 campaign, if not beyond.
Vela, 33, has been LAFC’s marquee player since arriving ahead of the club’s inaugural season in 2018. Since then he has scored 63 goals and added 40 assists in 97 league and playoff appearances, leading LAFC to the Supporters’ Shield in 2019 and winning the league’s MVP award that same season. It was during that campaign that he scored a league record 34 goals.
09.00 BST: The Evening Standard reports that Tottenham plan to make Dejan Kulusevski’s loan from Juventus permanent at the end of the season.
Kulusevski, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Monday, is on loan at Spurs until the summer of 2023, but he has made such an impact that boss Antonio Conte wants to complete the transfer as soon as possible.
The Sweden international can be signed by Spurs this summer for a transfer fee off £24.9m, which is in addition to the £8.3m loan fee already paid. However, if Spurs don’t sign the attacker until the summer of 2023, the transfer fee could rise to £29.1m.
Kulusevski has three goals and six assists to his name in 10 Premier League starts since.
1:23
The FC crew debate Man City’s title chances after regaining the Premier League lead with a 3-0 win over Brighton.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
– Bayern Munich have named the transfer fee if Robert Lewandowski is going to leave the Allianz Arena in the summer, reveals Bild. The Bundesliga club are keen to renew his deal, but if the 33-year-old striker hasn’t agreed terms by the end of the season, they will consider moving him on for a transfer fee of €40m. Barcelona have been regularly linked with securing his signature.
– Antonio Conte has made Leeds United‘s Kalvin Phillips a priority target for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, according to The Daily Telegraph. The 26-year-old looks to be at the top of the shortlist of potential Spurs midfield reinforcements, with the north London club expected to allow Conte to overhaul the squad. Phillips has started just 12 games for Leeds in the Premier League this season, having sustained injury problems throughout the campaign, though he has also remained on the radar of Manchester United too.
– Barcelona have made a contract offer to Sergi Roberto, with hopes of extending the defender’s deal at Camp Nou, reveals Sport. The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and after postponing talks in December, manager Xavi Hernandez has this week decided to resume negotiations. It is reported that his representatives met with the Blaugrana on Wednesday, with the player keen to continue his career with them.
– Paul Pogba is open to joining another Premier League club when his contract expires in the summer, according to Sky Sports. The Manchester United midfielder looks almost certain to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, and it is reported that he hasn’t ruled out a potential move to domestic rivals. Juventus have also been in contact with the 29-year-old’s representatives, with the Bianconeri looking to negotiate a deal that includes a lower salary than the £290,000-per-week he earns at Old Trafford.
– Sam Johnstone is reportedly keen to join Tottenham when his contract expires with West Bromwich Albion in the summer, according to Football Insider. The Premier League club have been scouting the England goalkeeper throughout the season, and the 29-year-old is believed to be keen on making the switch to north London to challenge Hugo Lloris for the No. 1 spot.
– Nemanja Matic is open to moving to AS Roma, reveals Calciomercato. Matic revealed on Friday that he will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season, bringing an end to his five-year spell at Old Trafford. Matic, who is under contract at United until 2023, has made 26 appearances across all competitions for the club this season. The Serie A club would like to compromise on Matic’s deal that currently sees him earn a €7m yearly salary, though he is keen to work under Jose Mourinho again for a third time.