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: Could captaincy keep Mbappe at PSG?
The contract saga surrounding Kylian Mbappe continues to rumble on as the days on his deal count down.
L’Equipe reports that Paris Saint-Germain are willing to offer Mbappe the club captaincy in an attempt to keep the 23-year-old forward at the Parc des Princes beyond June 30. The development comes as the France international confirmed on Sunday that he was still undecided on his future.
The former AS Monaco player has scored 15 goals and added 10 assists in 26 Ligue 1 appearances this season. Few performances have been better than the two legs of the Champions League round of 16 tie against Real Madrid, though his side capitulated in the closing stages and were knocked out at the Bernabeu.
However, it is Los Blancos themselves who are most heavily linked with Mbappe, eyeing a move to strengthen their forward line for the future. His ability to speak Spanish and talks of a dream move to LaLiga have also added fuel to the fire of a potential move to the Bernabeu.
If Mbappe was to stay, he would take over the captaincy from Marquinhos. The 27-year-old Brazil international has spent nine years in the French capital, and is one of the club’s longest-serving players, but the change of captaincy would be a show of faith in Mbappe and a final attempt to keep him in Paris.
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11.52 BST: Juventus vice-president Pavel Nedved believes Paulo Dybala will have an important role at his next club.
Despite months of negotiations regarding a possible contract extension, Dybala has not signed a new deal with Juventus and will leave this summer when his current contract expires.
“The decision not to renew his contract has nothing to do with Dybala as a player,” Nedved said. “He has always been important and will continue to be at his next club. “We are happy with how Paulo is behaving, as a professional.”
The Argentina international has scored 110 goals in 280 appearances since joining Juve from Palermo in the summer of 2015.
As to who will replace the departed Dybala next season, Nedved said: “Our ideas are clear. We have an optimum player in [Federico] Chiesa, who is injured. We will all think about how to organise our attack later.”
Dybala, 28, is a reported target of Barcelona while Inter Milan are also among the clubs keen to acquire his services.
” I haven’t asked myself that question,” Nedved said. “Actually, I would avoid it!”
11.06 BST: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said Ajax manager Erik ten Hag could be a strong candidate to succeed him.
Ten Hag is also among a handful of names linked to the top job at Manchester United as interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s tenure is set to conclude at the end of the campaign. Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag has held talks over the role at Old Trafford.
Guardiola joined City in 2016 and has a contract until the end of next season. He said in January he might make a decision on his future this summer.
“Could Erik ten Hag be here at City? Definitely. I think he could be the one,” Guardiola said. “For the way he approaches the game, definitely.”
Guardiola worked with Ten Hag at Bundesliga club Bayern Munich for two seasons when Ten Hag was in charge of the second team.
The 52-year-old was appointed by Ajax during the 2017-18 campaign and led them to the Dutch league title in 2019 and 2021, as well as the Champions League semifinals in 2019.
10.19 BST: Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo says he wants to stay at Camp Nou amid interest from Premier League sides Manchester United and Liverpool.
Araujo, 23, is out of contract in 2023 and talks between his agents and the club to renew have so far failed to yield an agreement (see Paper Gossip section).
Sources told ESPN in March that Barca’s first offer was worth around €5m annually and that the club remain confident Araujo will eventually renew his terms.
“We are working on it,” the Uruguay international told reporters after Barca beat Sevilla 1-0 on Sunday to move up to second in LaLiga (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).
“There are [more] meetings this week and I hope it’s resolved soon because I want to stay at this club for many years.”
ESPN reported last month that Liverpool and United remain interested in Araujo, with the money on the table in England almost double Barca’s initial offer.
Araujo has emerged as a key player at Barca under Xavi Hernandez, be that as a right-back, where he played in the 4-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid recently, or in his more familiar role in the middle of the back four. In total, he’s made 34 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring four goals.
09.33 BST: West Ham United manager David Moyes insists the club have no plans to let midfielder Declan Rice leave the club this summer.
Asked about the prospect of a transfer for the Manchester United and Chelsea target after the Hammers had beaten Everton 2-1 on Sunday to put them three points off the Premier League’s top four, Moyes told Sky: “If I had heard something, I wouldn’t tell you.
“But the best thing to say is that ‘no we’ve not’, and let me tell you, he’s not for sale. So, that may shut down any questions about Declan, but we do expect questions on him because he’s doing so well. “Is he irreplaceable? Well, I had to sell Wayne Rooney early when I was at Everton. I thought Wayne was irreplaceable but what happens in football is you move on. That is what happens in football. “Sometimes things like this do happen but we’ve got no intention of letting that happen at this present time here at West Ham.”
08.30 BST: Ralf Rangnick says the Manchester United board must let the next permanent manager rip up the squad in the summer if they want to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool.
United are in the process of interviewing candidates for the job, including Ajax manager Erik ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino. Rangnick says he has already advised the board that the new man needs significant backing in the transfer market while also recommending the club sign more “physical players.”
“Both teams of Manchester City and Liverpool, those two teams have been built together and recruited over a period of five or six years, all of them under the premises of how do the coaches want to play,” Rangnick said. “This is what has to happen. That far, I can go right now. I told the board this is what has to happen.
“Whenever the new head coach is clear, it has to be: ‘How does he want to play and what kind of players do we need for that?’ Then we come back to DNA, speed, physicality, tempo — what do we need? This team does not lack technical players; it can do with more physicality.”
PAPER GOSSIP
– Juventus have joined Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the race to sign Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, reports Calciomercato. The 19-year-old has been a regular in the midfield this season, making 27 Eredivisie appearances so far, but with his deal expiring in 2023, a transfer before then is likely.
– Barcelona are set to begin talks with Ousmane Dembele and Ronald Araujo over new contracts, writes Mundo Deportivo. Dembele was set to leave the club in the summer after failing to agree a new contract, but given his recent form, he could be persuaded to stay. As for Araujo, he has a deal until 2023, but has been linked with a move to the Premier League due to his short contract.
– Real Madrid are set to let a number of players leave in the summer to free up space in their squad, according to Marca. The report suggests that Luka Jovic, Jesus Vallejo, Mariano, Takefusa Kubo, Reinier, Alvaro Odriozola and Brahim Diaz are all available for transfer at the end of the season, with the latter four on loan with other clubs and the other three not starting for Los Blancos.
– Barcelona have held talks with Antonio Rudiger over signing him as a free agent once his contract at Chelsea expires, according to Sport. The Germany international is said to want €7 million a year to join the Blaugrana. A number of clubs have also been linked with the 29-year-old, who could join up with Blues teammate Andreas Christensen, who has also been rumoured to join the Catalan club.
– Everton have decided against signing on-loan winger Anwar El Ghazi in the summer, according to Football Insider. The 26-year-old joined the Toffees from Aston Villa on January’s transfer deadline day, making just two appearances since, with Villa now looking to move him on to another club.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism