Football
ESPN 2y

LIVE Transfer Talk: Barca eye move for Liverpool star Sadio Mane

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: Barca eye move for Liverpool star Mane

Barcelona's desire to sign an elite forward this summer has led them to Liverpool's Sadio Mane, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Barca's top target was Erling Haaland, but with the Borussia Dortmund striker's move to Manchester City expected to be confirmed this week, they have been forced to look elsewhere.

ESPN have previously revealed that Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski is one player they are keen on. The Poland international striker is out of contract in 2023 but a deal remains difficult on a financial level for the cash-strapped Catalan club.

However, their money worries haven't stopped them from scouring the market, and Mundo Deportivo report that Mane, who is moving into the final 12 months of his deal at Anfield, is a real possibility for the summer.

Mane, 30, is said to be keen to play in Spain and believes a central role in Xavi Hernandez's rejuvenated Barca side could propel him into the running for the Ballon d'Or next season.

The Senegal international is currently focused on ending the season well with Liverpool, who are competing for the Premier League title with Man City and have FA Cup and Champions League finals coming up. But when the campaign is over, the report says talks can resume over Mane's future, with his agents "already aware what the player and Barcelona want" to happen.

The Barca link comes just one day after Bayern Munich were also credited with an interest in Mane, although those reports were brushed off as "not true" by several outlets in Germany.

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

21.29 BST: Angel Di Maria intends to look for another club in Europe if Paris Saint-Germain do not renew his deal.

Speaking to Urbana Play FM, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, the 34-year-old winger said: "My contract ends in June, I don't know if the club wants it to happen. There is an option for one more season; it remains to be seen whether PSG will activate it," Fabrizio Romano quotes the 34-year-old as telling Urbana Play FM. "If not, I'll try to find an opportunity in Europe."

20.56 BST: Clubs across Europe are lining up in a bid to sign Real Oviedo left-back Pierre Cornud, reports Foot Mercato. Werder Bremen, Granada, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse are all keen on securing the 25-year-old, with hopes of taking advantage of him entering the final year of his contract by landing a cut-price deal for his services.

20.23 BST: Bayern Munich are preparing to begin talks with RB Leipzig over a deal for midfielder Konrad Laimer, according to Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg. A concrete offer is expected in the coming days as Julian Nagelsmann looks to make the 24-year-old one of his first signings of next season, with Ryan Gravenberch of Ajax also high on the Bundesliga club's shortlist.

19.50 BST: Aston Villa are preparing to offer Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara a five-year contract, writes Ekrem Konur. Five teams are reported to be interested in securing the signature of the 22-year-old France youth international, who is out of contract this summer, and it looks as though Steven Gerrard's side are ready to make the first proposal after they held talks with his representatives.

19.17 BST: Benfica are looking to complete moves for Mario Gotze and Ricardo Horta, but must first overcome some financial obstacles, according to A Bola.

Gotze, 29, earns around €2.5m a year at PSV Eindhoven, which is a figure that the Lisbon club would like the midfielder to reduce as they look to lower their wage bill. It is reported that while Braga are looking for a transfer fee of around €17m to part with Horta, Benfica are confident that some factors could help negotiate a better deal, with the 27-year-old forward a fan of the Aguias, as well as asking to leave Braga last season.

18.46 BST: Dani Ceballos could be set for a U-turn on his proposed move to Real Betis, reveals Sport.

The 25-year-old midfielder has been strongly linked to Los Verdiblancos in recent weeks, but the latest reveals that Carlo Ancelotti has informed the board that he would like him to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu, which may also include the option of a new deal.

Should Ceballos leave the club, it is expected that the La Liga champions will demand a higher fee than the €12 million previously proposed.

18.11 BST: AC Milan are keen to sign William Saliba in the summer, reports the Mirror. The Serie A club reportedly will enquire whether Arsenal will be willing to allow the defender to leave on loan again in the summer, but they are also interested in landing him on a permanent deal if Mikel Arteta would be prepared to part ways with him. The 21-year-old has been on loan with Marseille this season, featuring 50 times across all competitions.

17.38 BST: Real Madrid have completed the signing of Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer, according to Fabrizio Romano. It is reported that he has agreed a four-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the announcement set to take place at the end of the season. The Chelsea centre-back has been strongly linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge this season, and having failed to agree new terms with Thomas Tuchel's side, it looks as though he has chosen the Spanish capital as his next destination.

17.05 BST: Borussia Dortmund have announced the signing of Germany striker Karim Adeyemi from FC Salzburg in a deal that runs until 2027, the club announced on Tuesday. Dortmund made the announcement hours after Manchester City confirmed that they had agreed terms to sign Erling Haaland from the Bundesliga giants. Read the full story.

16.32 BST: Barcelona's interest in Sevilla defender Jules Kounde isn't going away, as reported by AS.

Kounde, 23, is considered one of the best young defenders in Europe and Sevilla have been holding out for an €80m transfer fee to sign him.

The France international almost moved to Chelsea a year ago, but Barcelona are still keen despite their financial issues. The Camp Nou club have already agreed free transfers for Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie to join this summer, while Milan's Alessio Romagnoli and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly are also targets.

15.47 BST: Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is on the radar of West Ham, says The Guardian.

Watkins, 26, has 10 goals in 32 games this season and has also been linked to Arsenal. The England international is rated at around £50m, which may be a bit much for either club, but West Ham need to sign a central striker in the summer and have made him their No. 1 target.

15.30 BST: Manchester City have announced that they have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland on July 1, 2022.

Haaland, 21, has 85 goals in 88 games for Dortmund and is considered the world's best young player alongside PSG's Kylian Mbappe, who is two years older.

The Norway international has a release clause in his Dortmund contract, which City activated. Reports previously suggested that figure was €75m, but it is now reported to be around €60m.

15.13 BST: Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema is set to sign a one-year contract extension, says The Athletic.

Miedema, 25, had been linked with a move to Champions League holders Barcelona when her contract expires in the summer, after the Gunners lost out to Chelsea for the WSL title.

The Netherlands international has 110 goals in 121 games since moving to club from Bayern in 2017.

15.03 BST: Brazilian defender Marcelo was dropped from the Lyon first team due to continuous farting and laughing in the dressing room, sources have told ESPN.

As ESPN reported in August, the 34-year-old was expelled from the senior squad following Lyon's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Angers.

Marcelo was caught laughing during captain Leo Dubois' speech to rally the troops following the game, which didn't go down well with manager Peter Bosz and sporting director Juninho.

However, according to sources, Marcelo was also disciplined by the club for repeatedly farting among his teammates in the dressing room and laughing in the presence of Juninho and Bosz.

14.34 BST: Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland looks set to sign for Man City.

City boss Pep Guardiola told a news conference: "Everyone knows the situation but I should not talk as I don't like to talk about next season. Dortmund and City have not allowed me to say anything until It's done so I cannot talk, I'm sorry. I would love to talk but I can't. They said don't say anything due to the legal actions. We'll have time to talk about it, it's not that I don't want to."

13.50 BST: Tottenham are set to land West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a free transfer in the summer, according to the Evening Standard.

Johnstone, 29, has not played for the club for a month after telling them he wanted to depart when his contract expires.

The England international needs to restart his career and Tottenham are eyeing him as a backup to 35-year-old Hugo Lloris, while Man United are also keen to find competition for David de Gea as Dean Henderson will likely leave.

However, whether Johnstone will accept being signed as a backup, even if it does get him a move to a top Premier League club, remains to be seen.

13.15 BST: Arsenal are closing on a move for Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey, says Corriere di Bologna.

Hickey, 19, only moved to Italy in September 2020 for around €3m from Hearts but could now move on for €20m. Arsenal have been watching the Scotland international for some time, but could face competition from Napoli.

The report claims the Gunners want a replacement for Nuno Tavares, while Hickey could gel well with fellow countryman Kieran Tierney.

12.48 BST: Manchester United have Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio on their radar, according to A Bola.

Inacio, 20, is rated highly in Portugal and reportedly has a €45m release clause which puts him in reach of many top European clubs.

The Portugal U21 centre-back has seen interest from Newcastle, but Inacio is represented by agent Miguel Pinho, the same as United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, which could tip the balance.

12.12 BST: Barcelona want Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, says AS.

Ruiz, 26, has a contract which expires in 2023 and has yet to agree new terms, with Barcelona ready to swoop.

The Spain international is reportedly valued at €55m but finally-stricken Barca may look to wait another year to land him on a free transfer.

11.43 BST: Arsenal are still keen to sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, says the Daily Mail.

Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are set to leave the Emirates on free transfers in the summer, with Lyon linked with Lacazette and West Ham leading the race for Nketiah.

The Gunners will replace one of them with Calvert-Lewin, who has three goals in 14 games during an injury-hit season.

The 25-year-old has a total of 56 goals in 187 games for Everton and could move on for around £40m this summer.

11.03 BST: Arsenal will be able to bring in better players over the summer if they can land a spot in the Champions League next season.

10.21 BST: Barcelona and Aston Villa are in talks to make Philippe Coutinho's loan move to the Premier League side permanent in the summer, various sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Villa have an option to sign Coutinho for €40m at the end of the season but are not willing to invest so much money in the Brazilian. However, with coach Steven Gerrard keen to keep Coutinho, the English club are trying to negotiate a reduced a fee of around €20m with Barca, who are ready to take a huge hit on their €160m record signing.

Coutinho, 29, accepted a wage cut to join Villa in January due to his desire to play regular football again having fallen down the pecking order under Barca coach Xavi Hernandez.

At Villa Park under his former Liverpool teammate Gerrard, he has scored four goals and supplied three assists in 15 Premier League appearances.

09.18 BST: Premier League-bound Fulham has extended the contract of United States defender Tim Ream through the 2022-23 season, the club announced on Monday.

The 34-year-old from St. Louis joined the Cottagers for the 2015-16 season and has been with them through promotions from the second-tier League Championship in 2017-18, 2019-20 and this season, and relegations from the Premier League in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Fulham won the League Championship this season and was promoted along with Bournemouth. The Cottagers also said Monday that they had renewed the contract of 30-year-old midfielder Neeskens Kebano through 2022-23

08.43 BST: Valencia will exercise the €4m option to sign Spanish forward Hugo Duro, according to COPE.

Duro, 22, is currently on a season-long loan at Valencia from Getafe. Valencia have an option to sign Duro and will do so in view of the impressive campaign the player has had with Los Che.

He has scored 10 goals and set up four more in 36 appearances across all competitions. Duro is expected to sign a contract with Valencia until June 2026.

- LaLiga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S.)

08.00 BST: Premier League-bound Fulham has extended the contract of United States defender Tim Ream through the 2022-23 season, the club announced on Monday.

The 34-year-old from St. Louis joined the Cottagers for the 2015-16 season and has been with them through promotions from the second-tier Championship in 2017-18, 2019-20 and this season, and relegations from the Premier League in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Ream started all 46 league matches this season plus one in the FA Cup. He has one goal in 46 international appearances, the last coming in a 0-0 draw in a World Cup qualifying match at El Salvador on Sept. 2, 2021.

Fulham won the Championship this season and was promoted along with Bournemouth. The Cottagers also said Monday that they had renewed the contract of 30-year-old midfielder Neeskens Kebano through 2022-23.

- Championship playoffs on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S.)

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown) 

- Manchester United and Chelsea are the two latest clubs to join the race for the signature of Villarreal's Pau Torres in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Spanish defender has been high on the radar of a number of clubs this season, with teams in leagues across Europe keen to sign him for €60m. And despite being linked with Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent months, it now looks as though the two sides from the Premier League are ready to begin their pursuit.

- Arsenal remain keen on a move for Youri Tielemans, with Leicester City expected to face a fight to keep hold of him in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. Three top clubs are interested in securing his signature, and they could take advantage of his contract situation as he enters the final year of his deal. The Foxes are said to be looking for a fee of around £40m to part ways with the Belgium international.

- Barcelona are keen on acquiring Celta Vigo's Javier Galan in the summer, according to Sport. The 27-year-old wing-back is being considered as a potential replacement for Jordi Alba, and could be signed for his release clause of €18m. The report goes on to say that Sevilla, as well as a number of Premier League clubs, are also keeping tabs on him.

- Paris Saint-Germain star Edouard Michut wants to leave the club in the summer, writes Calciomercato. Despite making four appearances in Ligue 1 this season, the 19-year-old midfielder wants to leave the club permanently to avoid being sent out on loan. PSG would like him to stay at the Parc des Princes, but he may need to be promised more minutes in order for him to be convinced of his future at the club.

- Aston Villa are close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona worth £20m for Philippe Coutinho, reports Mundo Deportivo. The 29-year-old midfielder is currently on loan at Villa Park, and having impressed for Steven Gerrard's side, it is reported that the club are already in negotiations with the Blaugrana as they look to make his stay in the Premier League permanent.

^ Back to Top ^