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: PSG aim to edge Milan for Sanches
Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on the signing of Porto midfielder Vitinha and could now follow that up by moving for Lille's Renato Sanches, reports Foot Mercato.
AC Milan have been strongly linked with Sanches for months as they aim to bring in somebody to replace Barcelona-bound Franck Kessie, but it seems there is now a possibility the Scudetto winners could miss out on the Portugal international.
Even so, they still have the advantage as they have come to an agreement with the 24-year-old, although they have so far only offered €15m to Lille, well short of the Ligue 1's club reported fee of €30m.
So the financial aspect could play into the hands of PSG, as they have the finances to meet Lille's demands, while Milan are unable to make any large offers until July due to their recent takeover.
PSG could use this short period to overtake Milan, as they are ready to match the asking price set by Lille.
If Luis Campos was able to complete a deal and bring Sanches to the Parc des Princes, it would be seen as a big move for the club.
This is not just because they would have beaten the Serie A champions to sign a player they had held a long-term interest in, but also because midfield is an area PSG are keen to strengthen.
- 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
21.06 BST: Liverpool are reportedly confident about getting the best out of Mohamed Salah over the last 12 months of his contract, even if an exit is imminent after that, according to the Daily Mail.
The club reportedly turned down a £400,000-a-week deal requested by Salah that would double his salary, but apparently feels confident in standing firm. Sources say Liverpool has gone as far as they can in negotiations with Salah and cannot afford to destroy the club's current salary structure.
20.15 BST: New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly knows who he wants to sign first: Frenkie de Jong. That's according to the Daily Mail, which reports Barcelona are asking for a fee of around £69m for the Dutch international.
The new Man United manager sees the acquisition of De Jong as a key step in the transformation he seeks to bring to Old Trafford. De Jong has been at Barca since 2019, scoring eight goals in 98 appearances.
19.07 BST: Manchester United's Dean Henderson is finalizing a loan to Nottingham Forest, reports Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports.
The deal, which is reportedly in the final stages, would see Man United send Henderson to Forest for one-year, but the details that remain are determining what a release clause should look like. Reportedly, the working figure at the moment is £20m.
18.04 BST: Chelsea are interested in Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, reports Gianluca Di Marzio.
With Romelu Lukaku looking set to join Inter, Chelsea are reportedly scouting Sterling as a replacement, and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is said to rate him highly. Sterling's proposed transfer fee is said to be around £35 million.
17.07 BST: Liverpool's new €100m signing, Darwin Nunez almost joined Barcelona for as little as €8m two years ago, but the LaLiga side dropped out of the bidding when Benfica got involved, sources have told ESPN. That doesn't seem to have worked out too well for Barcelona.
ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens have the full details in this week's Insider Notebook.
16.19 BST: England right-back Lucy Bronze says the opportunity to join Barcelona was one that she just couldn't turn down.
15.53 BST: Wolves will demand a £45m fee for Manchester City and Chelsea target Rayan Ait-Nouri if either club makes a move for the left-back this summer, according to The Sun.
Ait-Nouri, 21, could be allowed to leave Molineux, but only if it is for a fee that allows Wolves to spend on replenishing their squad.
Chelsea are in need of defensive reinforcements as Antonio Rudiger has already left for Real Madrid and several other players are set to leave the club this summer, while City have identified left-back as a position in which they need to strengthen (see 12.47 BST).
15.09 BST: Liverpool have made striker Darwin Nunez their club-record signing this summer but, as Jorge Señorans writes, it's been a long road for the Uruguayan:
When the spotlight flashed on his face, his trembling hand finally signing the contract that will make him a Liverpool player until 2028, Darwin Nunez's thoughts will likely have drifted back into his past.
He will have remembered his childhood in El Pirata, a humble working-class neighborhood in Artigas, in Northwestern Uruguay located in an area next to the Cuareim River that's prone to flooding. He will have remembered all the nights he went to bed without dinner and the daily struggles of his mother, who collected bottles she found in the streets to sell so she had enough money to eat. He will think of his father coming home tired after the daily grind at the construction site, hoping to be able to buy boots for his son.
The newest Liverpool striker arrives at Anfield with a story worth telling, one of sacrifice and overcoming obstacles, not to mention that Nunez almost quit football twice.
14.18 BST: Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel would like to replace Romelu Lukaku with Robert Lewandowski, but there are significant obstacles to completing both deals, sources told ESPN's James Olley.
Lukaku is keen on rejoining Inter Milan and endured a disappointing first season back at Stamford Bridge -- with eight goals in 26 Premier League games -- after leaving the Serie A club for €115 million last summer.
Sources told ESPN that talks took place between Lukaku and the club in recent days, during which Chelsea signalled their willingness to allow the Belgian striker to leave the club. However, the Blues want to recoup the vast majority of the club-record fee they paid just a year earlier, while Inter are short on cash and would prefer a loan deal.
Simultaneously, Chelsea are seeking a striker of their own to reshape their attack. Chelsea held an interest in Erling Haaland but were unable to compete with Manchester City due to sanctions blocking transfers imposed by the U.K. government arising from former owner Roman Abramovich's alleged ties with Russia president Vladimir Putin.
Tuchel has long been an admirer of Lewandowski, who has confirmed his intention to leave Bayern Munich, and believes he would thrive in the Premier League despite turning 34 in August. The Poland international has been heavily linked with a €40m move to Barcelona, with reports in Spain this week suggesting he has verbally agreed a deal but a lack of funds is holding things up.
Several rivals are looking to pounce on any uncertainty, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United among the clubs linked with Lewandowski. Sources told ESPN that Tuchel has encouraged Chelsea to enter the running if there is any chance a deal can be done.
13.34 BST: Barcelona remain interested in Leeds United winger Raphinha and will meet with his agent Deco this week to see if a deal is possible this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Raphinha, 25, has been identified as a target by coach Xavi Hernandez but any transfer is dependent on a range of factors, including what happens next with Ousmane Dembele and whether or not Barca can afford to match Leeds' price tag.
The Premier League side reportedly want as much as €60 million. Barca hope to sell off stakes in the club's merchandising arm and television rights in the coming weeks to improve their chances of getting Xavi what he wants.
Chelsea and Liverpool are among the other sides linked with Raphinha and, according to Diario Sport, he would "already have signed for the English side if it was not for Deco," who has put everything else on hold until Barca's position becomes clear.
Another factor playing into the talks is Dembele's future. The Frenchman is out of contract at Camp Nou at the end of June and has not yet made a decision on his next move, with Marca claiming Xavi is still desperate for him to stay after he registered a league-high 13 assists last season.
An offer from Barca does remain on the table, but The Sun reports that Dembele is ready to accept a proposal from Chelsea -- if he is given assurances of a starting spot in Thomas Tuchel's side.
Multiple reports in the Catalan press suggest Dembele's decision will not be linked to a move for Raphinha, but if the winger does leave, it will increase Barca's need to bring in more width this summer.
12.47 BST: Manchester City would walk away from a deal to sign Marc Cucurella if Brighton & Hove Albion hold out on their £50m valuation of the left-back, according to The Athletic.
Cucurella, 23, was named Brighton's player of the year following his first season in the Premier League after helping the club finish ninth, their highest-ever finish in the top flight.
The former Barcelona player was signed for £15.4m from Getafe last summer, and The Athletic reports that Brighton want more than three times that amount to let him leave, especially after already seeing midfielder Yves Bissouma depart for Tottenham Hotspur on Friday.
However, Premier League champions City are not be prepared to go to those lengths to sign him, and believe an agreement for a lower fee can be reached.
12.02 BST: Liverpool have signed 18-year-old right-back Calvin Ramsay from Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen for a fee reported to be £4.5m plus add-ons.
Ramsay recorded nine assists in 33 appearances across all competitions for Aberdeen in the 2021-22 season as they narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish top-flight and reached the final round of qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
"It was a dream come true to play for Aberdeen, and now to be at one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in the world, it's a massive achievement and I'm looking forward to trying to show the fans what I've got," Ramsay told the club's official website.
Ramsay becomes the Merseyside club's third summer signing following the arrivals of winger Fabio Carvalho and forward Darwin Nunez.
Welcome to Liverpool, @calvinramsay03 ✍😁 pic.twitter.com/uyreZRELfK
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 19, 2022
11.31 BST: Barcelona Femeni have completed the signing of Brazilian forward Geyse Ferreira on a free transfer from Madrid CFF, the Catalan club confirmed on Sunday.
Geyse joins on a two-year deal with her contact with Madrid expiring at the end of June. Along with Barca striker Asisat Oshoala, she was the top scorer in the Primera Division, netting 20 times in a team that finished 13th in the table.
The 24-year-old becomes Barca's third signing of the summer following the arrivals of England international Lucy Bronze on a free transfer from Manchester City and Real Sociedad left-back Nuria Rabano. Geyse further strengthens Barca's attack following the loss of Dutch winger Lieke Martens, who joined Paris Saint-Germain this week after running down her contract at Camp Nou.
11.05 BST: Mauricio Pochettino is the top target to take over at Athletic Club if Ricardo Barkala is elected as the club's new president later this month, sources told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.
Barkala has already persuaded former Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes to join his project, which he hopes would persuade Pochettino to accept the job. Planes and Pochettino previously worked together at Espanyol and Tottenham and remain close.
Sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens earlier this week that Pochettino will leave his role as Paris Saint-Germain coach after just 18 months in the job, which removes one hurdle for Barkala.
Athletic's members will vote in a new president on June 24, with Barkala one of three candidates running in the election. Jon Uriarte is the favourite. The third candidate is Inaki Arechabaleta, who reports suggest will look to bring in Marcelo Bielsa as coach if he is elected.
Former Athletic coach Marcelino left the club at the end of the season after leading them to eighth place in LaLiga, missing out on Europe on the final day of the campaign. He cited the uncertainty regarding his future due to the upcoming election as the reason for his departure.
10.24 BST: Barcelona and Spain forward Candela Andujar has announced the shock decision to retire from football at the age of 22 following two years on loan at Valencia.
Andujar made the announcement on social media this weekend, but she did not reveal why she was stepping away from the game or what she will do next.
"It is with peace of mind that today I communicate my decision to leave football, making it clear that any rumours [about my future] have been false," Andujar wrote in her post. "Thanks to everyone that believed in me and helped me grow. I have learned a lot from teammates, coaches, fitness staff and doctors throughout these 15 years, but I have decided the moment for change has arrived.
"Now a new chapter starts, so goodbye football."
Andujar made over 30 appearances for Barca's all-conquering first team before joining Valencia on loan, where she earned international recognition for her performances last year.
Having played regularly for Spain's youth teams, she was called up to the senior side in September 2021, making her debut in a 10-0 win against the Faroe Islands in a World Cup qualifier.
09.41 BST: AS Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo admits that it is "pleasing" to be linked with Serie A giants AC Milan and Juventus.
Zaniolo, 22, helped Roma to win the first-ever Europa League Conference final last month, and his performances for Jose Mourinho's side have caught the attention of plenty of clubs.
However, the Italy international, who has two years to run on his contract at the Stadio Olimpico, says the interest merely gives him motivation to improve.
"It is pleasing to be the subject of interest from big clubs as, if they think about you, it means you're good," Zaniolo told Sportweek. "I train with even more motivation, as I want to prove it's right that I've been linked with these top clubs."
09.00 BST: Let's start off today's live blog with a quick recap of Saturday's biggest pieces of confirmed transfer news:
Arsenal announced that striker Eddie Nketiah had signed a new long-term contract. The 23-year-old will wear the No. 14 shirt which has been previously worn by Theo Walcott, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thierry Henry. Nketiah, whose previous deal was due to expire this summer, has been with Arsenal for eight years and has scored 23 goals in 92 first-team appearances.
Meanwhile, former Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas left French club AS Monaco as a free agent after three-and-a-half years at the Ligue 1 club. The 35-year-old is yet to announce has future plans.
In the women's game, England defender Lucy Bronze has joined Barcelona on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City. Bronze, the FIFA Best Women's Player of the Year for 2020, signed a two-year contract. She has Champions League winning pedigree having won the competition three times in a row with Lyon.
And NWSL club OL Reign announced the signing of Olympic gold medal winner Jordyn Huitema from Paris Saint-German on a one-year deal. Huitema, 21, has a contract that includes an option to extend her deal through the 2024 NWSL season.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
- Borussia Dortmund are hoping to sign Hoffenheim left-back David Raum, reports Sky Sports Deutschland, which adds that the Germany international can imagine himself with the Ruhr club. However, other teams with greater financial power have shown interest and numerous Premier League clubs are looking at him, with Manchester United the most notable of those.
- Having already arranged deals for the aforementioned Franck Kessie and also Chelsea's Andreas Christensen, Barcelona have a list of five names they will aim to sign if their finances allow, as revealed by Marca. Those players include Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, Leeds United's Raphinha, Sevilla's Jules Kounde, as well as Chelsea duo Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta. The LaLiga second-place finishers were handed a bit of good news on Thursday when the club's board members voted to approve the sale of future merchandising and TV rights with some of the funds earmarked for transfer business in the summer.
- Bayer Leverkusen have demanded that Tottenham Hotspur pay £34m if they are to sign Ecuador centre-back Piero Hincapie, according to The Sun. Having already brought in Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma, left centre-back is one of the areas Antonio Conte still wants to fill, and attention has turned to the 20-year-old after Alessandro Bastoni pledged his future to Internazionale.
- Manchester City are aiming to ensure the future of their midfield base after Fernandinho's departure, and Fabrizio Romano has suggested they will discuss a new contract with Rodri by the end of the year, with his deal expiring in 2024. They will also soon hold direct talks with Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips ahead of a possible move this summer.
- Francesco Acerbi wants to leave Lazio and they are willing to let him go, reports Calciomercato, adding that Inter and AC Milan are both interested in the centre-back. The former will be looking for an experienced head to come in if Andrea Ranocchia joins Monza, while Milan are facing issues in their efforts to bring in Lille's Sven Botman so could turn to the Italy international instead.