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The transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer 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!
TOP STORY: PSG deem Mbappe ‘non transferable’
Kylian Mbappe will not leave Paris Saint-Germain in the summer with the French giants regarding the forward as “non transferable,” reports Mundo Deportivo.
The 24-year-old France forward will enter the final season of his deal at PSG in the summer, however, the report suggests that Les Parisiens will not let their captain depart, no matter what bid they receive. Whilst the club are keen for restructuring in the summer, they see Mbappe as vital to their future plans.
Despite PSG being confident that they can keep him in the summer, Mbappe has been rumoured to be unhappy at the club, with his latest high-profile spat with the Ligue 1 leaders resulting from the player believing he featured too prominently in their season-ticket promotion.
The Ligue 1 outfit have endured a disappointing season, having crashed out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage, as well as being knocked out of the Coupe de France at the same stage by Marseille in February.
It is reported that in order to ensure continental success next season the club could allow key players such as Lionel Messi and Neymar to leave. Mbappe has been integral to PSG this season, netting 31 goals in all competitions with any replacement unlikely being able to match the goal-scoring prowess of the forward.
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LIVE BLOG
17.36 BST: Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are keeping tabs on West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen, according to Ekrem Konur. The Hammers currently sit outside of the relegation zone on goal difference and could be forced to let their key players depart in the summer if they do not retain their Premier League status. Bowen is under contract with the East London outfit until 2025, however after another impressive season in which the 26-year-old has netted ten goals in all competitions, he could be on the move in the summer.
17.03 BST: AC Milan will not offer a new contract to striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, reports FootMercato. The 41-year-old Sweden international has been plagued by injury in the past year, making only four appearances for the Rossonerithis season. Ibrahimovic’s current contract expires in June, after agreeing a one-year extension last July.
16.30 BST: Reminder, Man United spent €95m to sign Antony from Ajax.
1:28
Burley: Antony just doesn’t do enough for Man United
Craig Burley questions the amount Manchester United paid for Antony after another underwhelming performance vs. Brentford.
15.16 BST: The Daily Mirror says that Arsenal want to sign Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow.
Sow, 26, has a contract that expires in 2024, while Sky Germany has reported that he is keen to leave Germany this summer and is valued at around €15m.
Arsenal are keen to bring in backup for Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Jorginho in midfield, with Mohamed Elneny struggling with injuries in recent years.
Sow is a Switzerland international who played alongside Xhaka in all four games at the 2022 World Cup.
14.17 BST: Carlo Ancelotti has progress is being made on new contracts for Toni Kroos and Luka Modric and he expects both veteran midfielders, and star forward Karim Benzema, to be at Real Madrid next season.
All three players started Madrid’s 4-0 Copa del Rey semifinal win over rivals Barcelona on Wednesday — with Benzema scoring his second hat trick in three days — but their current deals expire this summer.
“There’s progress because they’re talking [with the club],” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Friday. “I think they’ll find a solution.”
Kroos and Modric have faced increased competition for places in the Madrid midfield this season, with youngsters Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni growing in prominence and Dani Ceballos finding his best form.
“I think [Kroos and Modric] will stay,” Ancelotti said. “What they have is unique, and the day they stop something will have to change … We have fantastic youngsters with Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde and Ceballos, but it will be a different era to Modric, Kroos and Casemiro.”
13.29 BST: FC Salzburg would be willing let reported Liverpool target Luka Sucic leave for €20m in the summer, says Salzburger Nachrichten.
Sucic, 20, has done well for the Austrian champions in midfield and has 13 goals and 10 assists from 96 games in total.
The Croatia international is also on the radar of Newcastle United, with Salzburg willing to part with another young player for a significant transfer fee.
12.35 BST: Cope claims Real Madrid are ready to offer midfielder Eduardo Camavinga a new contract.
Camavinga, 20, arrived from Rennes for €31m in August 2021 and has impressed since. His new contract would run until 2029 and hand him an improved salary with a higher release clause of €1 billion.
Premier League clubs have shown interest in the France international but Madrid are looking to secure his future for a long time.
12.00 BST: Should Chelsea have re-hired Frank Lampard as coach?
1:55
Gab & Juls clash over Chelsea’s appointment of Lampard
Gab & Juls disagree about whether bringing back Frank Lampard on a temporary basis makes sense for Chelsea.
11.09 BST: Aston Villa could move for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson if Argentina’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez leaves this summer.
TEAMtalk claims that Henderson, 26, is top of the list for Unai Emery’s side if Martinez departs and could cost around £30m to sign.
Henderson has impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest this season, but picked up an injury which has kept him out for some time. However, there is little chance of a future at Old Trafford after he sensationally slammed United for not fulfilling a promise to make him the first-choice goalkeeper when they brought him into the first-team in 2020.
10.22 BST: Carlo Ancelotti will be considered for a return to Chelsea for a second spell as manager at Stamford Bridge should the Real Madrid coach leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.
Chelsea announced former player and coach Frank Lampard as interim manager for the remainder of the season on Thursday having sacked Graham Potter last Sunday. Potter lasted just seven months in charge after replacing Thomas Tuchel last September.
Sources have told ESPN that Chelsea’s owners are considering as many as seven candidates to become the club’s permanent manager, including Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino, and Ancelotti is also in the frame due to uncertainty over his future with the reigning European champions.
Ancelotti, who won a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009-10 during his two-year stint as Chelsea manager, is preparing to face his former club in a Champions League quarterfinal first-leg in Madrid next Wednesday.
Sources close to Ancelotti have told ESPN the four-time Champions League-winning coach accepts he is under pressure at Madrid and that his position would be under threat if he failed to deliver another Champions League title this year having guided the Spanish club to a record 14th European Cup last season.
09.42 BST: Manchester United are ready to bring Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny back to the Premier League, says Calciomercato.
Szczesny, 32, began his career at Arsenal and was a first-team player from 2009-2017 before moving to Italy.
It’s unlikely the Poland international would want to transfer to Old Trafford, but United are looking for a replacement for David de Gea if he doesn’t sign a new contract.
09.14 BST: Arsenal could move for Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu this summer, says the Daily Express.
Kokcu, 22, has 12 goals in all competitions this term and is captain of the Eredivisie leaders but is reportedly ready to make a step up.
The Turkey international has been compared in style to Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric in the past, with Newcastle and Brighton also showing interest from the Premier League.
08.42 BST: Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni is on the radar of Manchester City, says Calciomercato.
Bastoni, 23, is highly rated in Serie A but has a contract which expires in 2024 and Inter are looking to try and extend it.
Tottenham have also shown an interest in the Italy international, but City would have more spending power as they look to bolster their defensive line.
08.00 BST: Lionel Messi is considering a move to Saudi Arabia that would see him join Al Hilal, the city rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr, when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires this summer, a source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.
Having opened talks with Messi and his advisers late last year, senior figures in the bid to take him to the Middle Eastern nation had initially believed they had no more than an outside chance of persuading the former Barcelona forward to follow Ronaldo to Riyadh.
However, a source told ESPN there is now an increasing likelihood of Messi, 35, who fronts the Visit Saudi tourism campaign, moving to the Saudi Pro League, putting the probability as high as “50-50” following talks with the player’s camp in Saudi Arabia last month.
A separate source told ESPN that Messi received an offer from Saudi Arabia last week.
1:11
Burley: Why would Messi want to stay at PSG?
Craig Burley explains why he believes Lionel Messi will be leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Rajan Hothi)
– Lionel Messi and Bernardo Silva are both on Barcelona’s radar for the summer as manager Xavi Hernandez looks for attacking reinforcements to compete in Europe, reports Sport. The report reveals that the LaLiga giants will attempt to sign at least one of the two in the summer as they look to add valuable experience to a young squad. The club have admitted to holding talks with Messi, while Silva could leave Manchester City this summer, although Pep Guardiola’s side will likely demand a hefty fee with the Portugal international under contract at the Etihad until 2025.
– Newcastle United have earmarked Feyenoord forward Santiago Gimenez as a potential signing for the summer, according to Calciomercato. The 21-year-old Mexico star has impressed in his debut Eredivisie season, netting eight goals in his last 10 appearances, and attracting attention from across Europe as a result. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is believed to be in the market for a forward in the summer as he looks to bring a prolific goal scorer to St James’ Park next season, with the Magpies aiming for a Premier League title challenge.
– Arsenal are monitoring the situation of Benfica striker Gonçalo Ramos amid interest from top clubs in Europe, reports Ekrem Konur. Ramos has produced 25 goals across all competitions this season, with the 21-year-old also impressing at the World Cup with Portugal. Konur suggests that Arsenal are not the only side in the market for Ramos, with Manchester United, Newcastle, Real Madrid, PSG and Internazionale all reportedly interested.
– Barcelona and Bayern Munich have joined Manchester United in holding meetings with Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong‘s agent, as per Fabrizio Romano. United are reported to be desperate for a long-term option at right-back, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka‘s future at the club unclear. Romano indicates that cash-strapped Barcelona are uncertain if a deal can be made, with the Catalan giants under pressure to comply with LaLiga‘s Financial Fair Play regulations, while Bayern will decide on loanee Joao Cancelo‘s future in May.
– AC Milan and Rafael Leao have reached a verbal agreement over a new contract, reports Revelo. The 24-year-old has established himself as a key player at San Siro, notching 11 goals alongside 10 assists this season, and despite rumours linking the Portugal international away from Milan, he looks set to stay. The report suggests that Leao will become one of the highest-earners at the club with a salary of €5m per year, while the Italian club will also pay €19m to Sporting CP after the player unilaterally terminated his contract with the club in 2018.
