The January transfer window may seem like a distant memory, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up, so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Rabiot, Ramsey on way out at Juve?
Juventus midfielders Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey could both leave Turin in the summer, according to Calciomercato.
The Serie A giants are hoping to bring new players in for the middle of the park, with Sassuolo's Manuel Locatelli one favoured option and Manchester United's Paul Pogba -- who spent four successful years in Turin -- also a target.
This means that coach Andrea Pirlo needs to offload midfielders for room in the squad and to free up funds, with the Frenchman and Welshman look the most likely to leave. Part of the reasoning behind Juve wanting to move the duo on could be that they each reportedly earn €7m a season in Turin.
Both have clubs interested in taking them, with Barcelona and Manchester City monitoring 25-year-old Rabiot's situation. The Frenchman is valued by Juventus, but it is reported that they wouldn't turn down a high offer for him.
West Ham United and Crystal Palace are looking at Ramsey, with the Hammers' proposed move becoming more likely if they are able to secure European football for next term. Ramsey has managed 12 league starts so far this season, coming off the bench six times, though has shown he can still be an asset with two goals and four assists.
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LIVE BLOG
21.21 GMT: We are putting a bow on another edition of our live Transfer Talk blog for the day, but fear not, we'll be right back with tomorrow's paper gossip and do the whole live thing again on Saturday. Thanks as always for tuning in!
20.04 GMT: Will Real Betis look to offload the high salary of Nabil Fekir? Much will depend on whether they qualify for European competition next season. According to Estadio Deportivo, the Andalusian side is weighing options of moving on from the 27-year-old France international if they fail to reach either Champions League or Europa League play. While Fekir has been re-linked with Liverpool, as well as Inter Milan and Rennes, teams in China and Russia have also expressed interest.
18.57 GMT: An update on Arsenal frontman Alexandre Lacazette from the latest edition of ESPN FC's Insider Notebook here, with Roma, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid monitoring the uncertainty around the Frenchman's future at the Emirates Stadium.
The striker will enter the final year of his contract at Arsenal this summer and the club face a decision whether to offer him a new deal or listen to offers for the 29-year-old, who would be able to negotiate with foreign clubs from next January if he hasn't signed a contract.
Lacazette is in a strong position, with the player an important figure in the Arsenal dressing room, sources said, and manager Mikel Arteta signaling his intention to offer him a new deal.
18.01 GMT: Brazil clubs Palmeiras and Gremio have both shown interest in LAFC midfielder Eduard Atuesta, according to UOL. The 23-year-old has been influential for the MLS club since arriving initially on loan in 2018 from Independiente Medellin in his home country of Colombia. The story adds that Atuesta, whose contract runs until December 2021, is open to a move to Brazil as it would help raise his profile with the Colombian national team, but his reported fee of $3m is a sticking point for both of the interested clubs.
16.59 GMT: Spanish outlet AS is reporting that Manchester United are ready to plunk down €80m in a bid to lure midfielder Marcos Llorente away from Atletico Madrid. The report says Atletico are aware of the Premier League club's interest in the 26-year-old, but are keen to keep him in Madrid nonetheless.
However, due to the size of the reported fee and the financial impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic for Atleti, AS says the La Liga leaders will have to at least give a move some consideration ahead of the summer.
Llorente has scored nine goals and set up eight more in 28 league appearances for Atleti this season.
16.02 GMT: Barcelona are considering a summer move for Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku, according to Calciomercato.
Lukaku was on target in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Wales (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), taking his tally this season for club and country to 31 goals in 40 appearances.
The 27-year-old has rejuvenated his career since moving to Italy in 2019 and has formed a strike partnership with Lautaro Martinez which is one of Europe's most productive.
Argentina international Martinez has previously been a major target for Barca, but Inter resisted the Spanish club's advances. Now they may have to do the same with Lukaku, who is reportedly on Barca coach Ronald Koeman's list of desired summer signings along with Manchester defender Eric Garcia, Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and Lyon forward Memphis Depay.
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15.16 GMT: RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg's agent has called for the club to open talks over a new contract or let the player move in the summer.
Sweden international Forsberg joined Leipzig Malmo before they were promoted to the Bundesliga, but his sixth season at the club could be his last.
The 29-year-old's contract is due to expire at the end of next season but his agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, has said his client is running out of patience and suggested that money could be tight at the club bankrolled by Austrian energy drink brand Red Bull.
"Emil won't go into his final contract year," Cetinkaya is quoted as saying by Bild. "The risk is too great and nothing we want.
"Emil is among the top scorers at Leipzig. If the club has financial problems and can't provide for Emil's future, we must sit down. Everything must be put on the table." "The club must be honest and say that Emil can leave the club. He joined for €3.5m in the second league."
According to Bild, several Premier League and Serie A clubs are interested in Forsberg, who has appeared in 205 games for Leipzig across all competitions.
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14.20 GMT: Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is out of contract next summer, with no sign of a new deal in the offing. Could the 27-year-old be on the move?
13.49 GMT: Eric Bailly will ask for assurances over playing time before committing his long-term future to Manchester United, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
The club have started negotiations with Bailly's representatives over extending the defender's deal, which is due to expire in 2022. Bailly is keen to stay at Old Trafford but has concerns over how much playing time he will get if United push ahead with plans to sign a new centre-back.
Solskjaer is a fan of the 26-year-old but there are concerns over his availability after suffering a number of injuries since arriving from Villarreal in a £30m move in 2016. He has made 20 or more appearances in just one of his four full seasons at the club and has featured 15 times so far this term.
Bailly was left out of the squad for United's last two games against Milan and Leicester but is expected to feature for the Ivory Coast against Niger on Friday.
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12.36 GMT: Ramon Abila is expected to travel to the U.S. on Saturday to join Minnesota United on loan from Boca Juniors, according to TyC Sports.
The Argentine striker will sign a six-month contract extension with Boca, with his current deal expiring in June 2022, before joining the MLS franchise for free until the end of the year.
Boca have reportedly added a $4m obligation to make the move permanent in the deal with Minnesota United.
Abila, 31, has scored 36 goals in 83 appearances for Boca, 48 as a starter, since arriving at the Buenos Aires outfit in 2018.
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11.59 GMT: Former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has renewed his contract as coach of Real Sociedad's reserve team, ending speculation linking him with a move to take over Borussia Monchengladbach.
Alonso took over Real Sociedad B, known as Sanse, in 2019, and his deal was due to expire in June. They are top of their group in Segunda B, the third tier of Spanish football.
Reports this week had suggested the 39-year-old had agreed to succeed Marco Rose at Gladbach in the Bundesliga this summer.
The 39-year-old, who won two European Championships and a World Cup with Spain between 2008-12, is highly rated as a coaching prospect having played under Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola.
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— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad) March 26, 2021
11.22 GMT: Erling Haaland's transfer fee this summer has been set by Borussia Dortmund, sources have told ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld and Rodrigo Faez, with interested clubs needing €180m in order to land one of the most sought after players in world football
Haaland has been a revelation in Germany, scoring 49 goals in as many matches following his move from FC Salzburg in January 2020. He has scored 32 goals in 31 appearances this season, including 10 in six Champions League matches, and his agent Mino Raiola has said 10 clubs are in a position to sign him.
The striker moved to Dortmund last year amid fierce interest from Manchester United, but the Bundesliga side managed to secure a deal after agreeing to include a release clause in his contract. That clause is not active until the summer of 2022. Clubs can sign Haaland this summer but the €180m Dortmund are asking for represents a premium for losing him before the clause kicks in next year.
Dortmund underlined their stance on their star names last summer when United attempted to negotiate a lower fee for England international Jadon Sancho. The Premier League side attempted to bargain with BVB in order to lower their €120m valuation of the forward, but Dortmund refused to negotiate.
The same hardline tactic is in place this summer for Haaland, sources told ESPN, in a move that is designed to warn Europe's heavyweights off making a bid. United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all have varying levels of interest in the Norway international, but in a transfer market impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Dortmund hope their €180m valuation will keep Haaland at the club for another year.
Haaland stormed off the field last weekend after Dortmund drew 2-2 at relegation-threatened Cologne despite their star striker's double (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), but sources say they will resist attempts from clubs looking to lowball them this summer if Dortmund miss out on the Champions League.
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10.35 GMT: Barcelona have been linked with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Andre Silva. However, Mundo Deportivo says that Barca have denied they are tracking Silva, after German outlet Bild reported that Silva's 21 goals in 24 Bundesliga games this season had put the Portugal international on the Spanish club's radar.
Sources have told ESPN that signing a striker is one of Barca's priorities ahead of next season. The position has been vacant since Luis Suarez left for Atletico Madrid last year. Ousmane Dembele has been playing through the middle recently, with Martin Braithwaite also an option. Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay have all been linked with summer moves to Camp Nou.
Silva, 25, is the latest name to be added to the list of potential targets. He's previously played in Spain, scoring nine league goals for Sevilla in 2018-19, and is represented by Jorge Mendes, who also handles several players already at Barca, including Ansu Fati and Francisco Trincao.
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09.41 GMT: Portuguese club Benfica has denied in a statement it is in talks to sign veteran forward Diego Costa.
Mundo Deportivo has reported that the former Atletico Madrid and Chelsea star had reached a preliminary agreement to join Benfica this summer as a free agent.
A club statement said: "Sport Lisboa and Benfica deny that any negotiations are underway to hire striker Diego Costa. The Club reiterates that, until the end of the season, the focus of its professional football structure is solely on winning the remaining 10 league games and the Portuguese Cup final."
The Brazil-born Costa terminated his contract with Atletico in December by mutual consent after the player requested to leave the club for personal reasons. Injuries limited Costa in his second spell at Atletico, where he scored 12 league goals over three years.
Costa, 32, was reportedly offered to several Brazilian clubs, including Sao Paulo and Palmeiras during the January transfer window.
08.48 GMT: West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek is "not going anywhere," according to Hammers first-team coach Stuart Pearce.
Soucek has been one of West Ham's star performers this season, helping David Moyes' side to fifth place in the Premier League with nine games remaining, keeping them in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League. The 26-year-old joined the London club in a £13.5m transfer from Slavia Prague in the summer, following an initial loan spell last term, and he has nine Premier League goals this season.
Pearce told talkSPORT when asked if there was a chance the Czech Republic international would leave this summer: "No, he's happy here and he's not going anywhere, that's for sure. He's been brilliant here, I've got to say. Dave brought him into the club in January of last and since then he's just been brilliant.
"He's got a wonderful attitude to work, on his days off he comes in to work, he's just really an absolute pleasure to work with. "As a man he is top quality. He and [Vladimir] Coufal the two Czech boys, they've both been brilliant. And Tomas can be a handful, too. England will face Czech Republic in the [Euro 2020] group stages and his ability in both boxes if very, very good."
08.00 GMT: Manchester United remain committed to handing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new contract, and the Norwegian's future does not depend on lifting a trophy this season, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
United are yet to win any silverware under Solskjaer and saw another chance missed when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester City before the international break. After drawing Spanish side Granada in the quarterfinals, they are still in the hunt for the Europa League, but sources have told ESPN that Solskjaer does not have to win the competition to earn a new deal.
The 48-year-old signed a three-year contract when he became permanent manager in March 2019 and will enter the final year in the summer. United chiefs believe they have already seen enough progress, both on and off the field, to warrant offering Solskjaer a new deal. Both sides are relaxed about the situation, although the club are conscious that allowing Solskjaer to get too far into his final year could cause an unwanted distraction.
PAPER GOSSIP by Danny Lewis
- Barcelona might need to offload 30-year-old midfielder Miralem Pjanic before they can bring in Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum, reports Sport. The Netherlands international's contract at Anfield runs out at the end of the season, but while he will be available on a free transfer, Barcelona need to open up spaces in the squad and make more wage money available.
- Lyon forward Memphis Depay was discrete about his future when speaking to ESPN Netherlands, stating: "I can't tell you anything, because I don't know it myself. As soon as I know it, we will see. But I'm in a strange situation. I've never been in the situation of being a free agent or in the situation where I can extend my contract. It's new for me, because I don't know where I'm going to." The 27-year-old's contract with Lyon comes to an end in the summer of 2021, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, among others, interested in bringing him in.
- AS Roma are considering a summer move for Nice forward Amine Gouiri, reports Calciomercato. The 21-year-old Frenchman was targeted by Juventus last summer, but he moved to Ligue 1 and has done enough to gain attention from the Italian capital.
- Centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos' loan deal from Arsenal to Stuttgart ends after this season. However, kicker has suggested that the 23-year-old Greece international can see himself staying with the German outfit for another year.
- Ivory Coast international Franck Kessie has held discussions with AC Milan regarding a possible contract extension, with his current deal coming to an end in 2022, reports Sky Sports Italia. There will be more work to do, though, as the club have not yet met the 24-year-old midfielder's demands.
- Maximilian Philipp is on loan from Dynamo Moscow at Wolfsburg, who have an option to sign the 27-year-old midfielder for €11m. Kicker has stated that the Bundesliga outfit will decide whether to take up this option regarding the German in April.