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: Man United eye shock move for Mount
New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is keen to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, after the England international's contract talks stalled following the club's sale to new ownership, claims The Sun.
Liverpool and Manchester City are said to have also made discreet enquiries about the 23-year-old.
Mount's contract has two years left at Stamford Bridge and, after the protracted takeover of the club by a consortium led by LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly, he may be offered a new one.
Ten Hag reportedly first saw Mount when the teenager was on loan with Vitesse Arnheim in the Netherlands and would love to add him to his United rebuild.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
LIVE BLOG
21.59 BST: AC Milan are set to offer Rafael Leao an improved contract in order to ensure they keep the Portugal international, reports Calciomercato, with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City linked with the forward. The first offer was worth €4.5m a season with bonuses, while the player and his representatives reportedly want €6.5m annually plus bonuses.
21.26 BST: Villarreal have announced that goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo will leave the club after nine years. His 258 appearances mean no No. 1 has ever played more matches for the Yellow Submarine than he has, with Diego Lopez's 230 games being the closest anybody has come to matching that number.
More than a goalkeeper. A Villarreal legend.
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) June 1, 2022
Thank you @SergioAsenjo1 💛.
20.53 BST: Wolverhampton Wanderers are closing in on a move for Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha, reports the Sun, which adds that the Lisbon club would seek a transfer fee in the region of £20m. The Portugal international had initially been holding out for a move to Manchester United, but with the Red Devils not calling, he has now accepted a move to Wolves and the deal is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
20.20 BST: St. Louis City SC, the expansion team that will join MLS in 2023, have confirmed the signing of Arminia Bielefeld defender Joakim Nilsson on a contract that will run through the 2026 campaign. The Sweden international will join in July and initially play for the club's reserve team ahead of their inaugural campaign in MLS.
IT'S OFFICIAL! ✍️
— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) June 1, 2022
We have signed the Swedish national and @arminia center back Joakim Nilsson to a @MLS contract. #stlCITYsc x #TheFutureIsNow
🔗 https://t.co/5I8SVdWbey pic.twitter.com/xXTifY6aOD
19.47 BST: After confirming their Premier League status for another season, Leeds United are hopeful they will be able to keep Kalvin Phillips for at least another 12 months despite interest from Manchester City, reports the Sun. City are looking for somebody to provide Rodri with competition in the defensive midfield role after the departure of Fernandinho and Phillips is seen as the most likely option, as moves for West Ham United's Declan Rice and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong have been ruled out.
19.14 BST: Torino will move to sign Dnipro striker Artem Dovbyk if their talismanic front man Andrea Belotti leaves once his contract runs out at the end of June, reports Tuttosport. The Serie A side will watch Dovbyk when Ukraine face Scotland, and again if they win to play Wales for a place in the World Cup, with the 24-year-old having already stated that he wants to make the move and a transfer fee of €12m mooted.
18.41 BST: Lazio are showing interest in signing Celta Vigo midfielder Denis Suarez, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Celta are hoping to receive a transfer fee of €10m to sanction the deal, while Lazio want to bring that figure down a bit and are offering the 28-year-old a raise on his €2m annual wages on a five-year contract.
18.08 BST: VfB Stuttgart front man Sasa Kalajdzic is one of the candidates Borussia Dortmund are looking at as they aim to replace Manchester City-bound Erling Haaland, according to Sky Sport Germany. However, they are unlikely to make it a double move to include left-back Borna Sosa, as it would be too expensive for them to bring in both, while Dortmund already have two attacking full-backs in Raphael Guerreiro and Nico Schulz.
17.35 BST: After signing Marcin Bulka on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last season, Nice have confirmed that they have exercised their option to make the deal permanent. The 22-year-old goalkeeper's finest moment of last season came against his now-former club, when he helped Nice progress past PSG through a penalty shootout on their way to the final of the Coupe de France.
✅ @marcin_bulka is staying at Nicehttps://t.co/6XMoNNN7hG
— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) June 1, 2022
17.02 BST: Manchester United have announced that Jesse Lingard will leave the club as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of June. The 29-year-old attacker has made 232 appearances for the Red Devils and scored 35 goals, and has been linked with various clubs including West Ham United and Newcastle United.
Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours, @JesseLingard 🙏#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 1, 2022
16.21 BST: Chelsea have begun talks with Sevilla over the transfer of centre-back Jules Kounde, according to Sport. With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both departing the west London club for Spain, and captain Cesar Azpilicueta potentially doing the same, the Blues are eager to complete a deal for the 23-year-old France international as soon as possible. The Catalan publication suggests that should Chelsea complete the move for Kounde, it will require a transfer fee of between €50m and €60m.
15.40 BST: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is on the radar of Real Madrid, but they won't move for him until 2023, says Bild.
Bellingham, 18, who is one of the top young players in world football, and scored six goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions for Dortmund this season.
Manchester United and Liverpool have been linked with the ex-Birmingham midfielder as well.
14.59 BST: Evaluating Paul Pogba's Man United career: A flop, or not his fault? What is Pogba's legacy at United? How is he remembered at the club? And how well did he perform when he was actually on the field? Mark Ogden and Ryan O'Hanlon are here to sort through the noise and give you some answers.
Pogba's six seasons at Manchester United were among the most polarizing in recent memory. A large and loud subsection of the commentariat have held Pogba up as a symbol for everything that's wrong with the once-great club. Meanwhile, others see one of the most talented soccer players in the world, a domineering midfielder who's flourished everywhere else he's been, simply unable to overcome all the dysfunction around him.
Ultimately, Pogba was supposed to be a transformative signing for United -- a world-record transfer that proved that the best players in the world still wanted to play at Old Trafford and who showed that the club would be challenging for major titles once again. Instead, with Pogba at the club, United never seriously challenged for the Premier League and reached the Champions League quarter finals just once.
14.30 BST: Chicago Fire and the U.S. U20's goalkeeping phenom Gabriel Slonina has been linked with the Champions League winners.
13.49 BST: Aston Villa have already signed Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho, but The Athletic says the club want three more new arrivals.
The report claims: "The club are looking for another left-sided defender, a midfielder and a new striker, with free agent Luis Suarez still under consideration."
Suarez, 35, will leave Atletico Madrid on a free transfer this summer and could be tempted to join his former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard, who is now manager at Villa.
13.05 BST: ICYMI - Barcelona will seek approval from the club's members for a cash injection of up to €700m to help overhaul the squad this summer, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
The Catalan club announced on Tuesday that they will hold an extraordinary assembly on June 16 for members to vote on the potential sales of Barca Licensing & Merchandising [BLM] and future television rights.
Barca say they want "authorisation for the acquisition by one or more investors of a minority stake in the social capital of the BLM business (up to 49.9%)."
They are also asking for members to allow them to sell "up to 25% of income for the exploitation of television rights corresponding to [LaLiga] to one or more investors."
Members will be provided with more information on June 3 and then, 13 days later, will be able to vote electronically on whether to grant the club permission to sell off the assets.
Sources have told ESPN the sale of a stake in BLM could bring in around €200m, while the club's television rights could bring in as much as €500m depending on the final terms and lengths of the potential deals.
12.45 BST: Liverpool are suddenly being linked with a lot of players...
The Daily Mail claims Watford's Joao Pedro could be a possible replacement for Sadio Mane.
Pedro, 20, still has three years left on his contract, after joining the club in January of 2020, but Watford were relegated this season and he could move on.
12.03 BST: Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United when his contract expires at the end of June, the club announced on Wednesday.
The France international will depart Old Trafford on a free transfer for the second time after joining Juventus in 2012.
A club statement read: "The club can announce that Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United at the end of June, upon the expiry of his contract. The Frenchman has enjoyed a long association with United, having joined the club's Academy from Le Havre at the age of just 16.
"Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Paul on his successful career, and thank him for his contributions to Manchester United. We wish him all the best for the next steps on a remarkable journey."
Pogba returned to the club in 2016 for a then-world-record fee of £89.3m from Juventus and won three trophies in his debut campaign. However, he has failed to find consistency throughout his return to United and faced criticism during his final season.
He has been linked with Juve, PSG and Real Madrid.
11.30 BST: Robert Lewandowski is keen to move from Bayern Munich this summer.
10.52 BST: Liverpool are eyeing Rennes forward Martin Terrier as a replacement for Sadio Mane, says The Daily Mirror.
Terrier, 25, joined the club in 2020 for around €12m from Lyon, having come through the youth academy at Lille.
He had 21 goals and seven assists in 37 appearances this season, and his versatility across the forward line and diligence in pressing could make him a perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Mane reportedly wants to leave Anfield in a €30m move to join Bayern Munich this summer.
10.18 BST: Gareth Bale has said his goodbyes to Real Madrid.
It has been an honour. Thank you! #HALAMADRID @RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/T7FL2LNRrD
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 1, 2022
10.11 BST: Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil says he wants to finish his career at Fenerbahce.
Ozil, 33, left the Gunners on a free transfer and joined Fenerbahce in January 2021. But he was suspended by the club in March and doubt has been cast over his future, despite his contract running until 2024.
"Recently, I have had to make a statement regarding the allegations made about my career," he wrote on Twitter. "I had completed my career goal by signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with Fenerbahce, my childhood love, without even getting paid for the first six months.
"I repeat with emphasis: I will not end my career in a team other than Fenerbahce. For the duration of my contract, my only goal is to wear our Cubuklu jersey. This decision is very clear and final.
"As per the requirements of professional life, if our management takes a decision about me, I will only respect this attitude. I will work hard and always keep myself ready.
"As I always say, the main thing is Fenerbahce. With my love and respect to the great Fenerbahce fans."
09.32 BST: Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd is closing on a move to West Ham, says The Guardian.
Aguerd, 26, impressed in helping Rennes finishing fourth in Ligue 1 and qualify for the Champions League.
The report claims "David Moyes wants to add a left-sided centre-back" and the Morocco international could move in a €35m deal.
09.15 BST: ICYMI - Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Ivan Perisic on a free transfer, the club announced on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old has signed a two-year contract at the Premier League club after his deal with Inter Milan expired.
"I'm really excited to start with my new sports family, it's going to be my home," Perisic told the club's official website. "When I got the contact from the coach and sporting director [Fabio Paratici] I told them that I really wanted to come here, and to the Premier League since 2009 when I started playing professionally in Belgium. This is the moment and I can't wait.
"It's a privilege work with a coach like this, we did well at Inter - we won the league after ten or 11 years. It was really a perfect year. I'm really happy to see him again, he lives football. Every minute, every hour, every day. Even when he's sleeping, he's thinking about football. I like his character and I know we're going to do a great job here.
"I was watching the last two, three games. After beating Arsenal it was obvious that Tottenham would be in the Champions League and it's also good for me because I want to play the best games."
08.30 BST: Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini is set to sign a deal with LAFC this week, following his exit from Juventus, a source has confirmed to ESPN.
The 37-year-old defender, who is third on Juventus' all-time appearances list behind Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon, announced earlier this month that he would be moving on from the Turin giants at the end of the season.
Chiellini joined Juve in 2004 from Livorno, going on to win nine league titles and five Italian Cups during his time in Turin.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku's representatives have met with Inter Milan to discuss a possible return to San Siro, reports Sky Sports Italia, though they would have to open negotiations with the Blues' new ownership. It is expected that only a loan move would be possible financially, while any transfer would reportedly need to be completed by July to take advantage of tax breaks.
- Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is eyeing a summer move with Barcelona his favoured destination, according Diario Sport. The centre-back has one year left on his contract and his wish is to leave in a mutually beneficial transfer due to his long-standing relationship with the Serie A club, rather than leaving as a free agent in 2023. Barcelona are aware of they are Koulibaly's No. 1 choice, but they have not yet made a move as they are waiting to see what Napoli do. While Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus have all made an effort to start talks, Camp Nou is the Senegal international's favoured option.
- Juventus are in a strong position to sign Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, with Paris Saint-Germain pulling out of a potential deal and Manchester City being a no-go, according to Calciomercato. With Pogba's contract running out at the end of this month, Juventus are set to offer a contract of at least three years on €8m-per-season plus bonuses. It would put the Frenchman alongside Matthijs de Ligt as their biggest earner.
- Lazio want to sign Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek if either Sergej Milinkovic-Savic or Luis Alberto depart, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport. The Serie A outfit would offer the Englishman €4m-per-year, while Chelsea are expected to want a transfer fee of at least €20m. Despite this making any move difficult for Lazio, they will prioritise him if either of their midfielders leaves.
- It seems increasingly likely that Nayef Aguerd will join West Ham United, and Foot Mercato has suggested that Stade Rennais see Lyon centre-back Jason Denayer as his replacement. Belgium international Denayer is edging closer to the exit door at Lyon with his contract ending on June 30, and while there is expected to be competition from English clubs who would be able to offer more lucrative financial packages, Rennes are hoping they will be able to persuade Denayer to stay in France.