The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there's plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Atalanta's Hojlund on Bayern's radar
Bayern Munich have added Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund to their list of options as they look to sign a striker in the summer transfer window, according to Sport Bild.
The Bavarians have shied away from Napoli striker Victor Osimhen due to the 24-year-old's transfer valuation of over €100 million, but remain keen on the Nigeria star.
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Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani is also being looked at, although it is felt that the France international doesn't completely fit the profile of player they are aiming to bring in.
Then there is Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane, who has long been linked with Bayern but would prefer to stay in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old Hojlund is now the latest option, but since the Danish youngster has a contract with Atalanta that runs until 2027, it could also take a big transfer fee to sign him.
Hojlund has recorded seven goals and three assists in 26 Serie A appearances for La Dea this season, having moved from Sturm Graz last summer.
Bayern are not interested in Werder Bremen's Niclas Fullkrug nor Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
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22.17 BST: Manchester United have made contact with Atalanta over a potential move for striker Rasmus Hojlund, according to the Mirror.
The Premier League side have stepped up their approach after Real Madrid extended the contract of Karim Benzema, with belief that interest in Hojlund from the LaLiga champions will now cool.
The 20-year-old is said to be on a six-man shortlist ahead of the transfer window, with manager Erik ten Hag keen to sign a striker, and the latest indicates that they are prepared to challenge recently-linked Bayern Munich to land him.
21.54 BST: Bayern Munich are planning to dismiss loan offers for striker Mathys Tel, reports Sky Sports Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg.
The 17-year-old has mainly featured as a substitute since arriving from Rennes last summer, but it is understood that they will now be looking to play him more regularly in the first team.
Tel has scored four goals from 22 total appearances so far this season, with 21 of those coming from the bench.
21.35 BST: Inter Milan are open to moving on midfielder Marcelo Brozovic in the summer, writes Sport Italia's Rudy Galetti.
It is reported that the club have already begun evaluating potential replacements for the 30-year-old, who they will offload if they receive the right offer, with Sassuolo star Davide Frattesi, 23, on the Nerazzurri's shortlist.
Brozovic is contracted at the San Siro until June 2026.
20.58 BST: Juventus are attentive to the situation of Sporting CP forward Youssef Chermiti, understands Calciomercato.
It is reported that Bianconeri manager Massimiliano Allegri has approved the club's decision to track the 18-year-old Portugal youth international, and they look to be among the first of Europe's top clubs interested in his signature.
Chermiti signed a four-year contract extension in February, penning a new deal that includes a €80million release clause.
20.24 BST: Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi wants to continue his career in Europe, says Fabrizio Romano.
The 35-year-old has been in impressive form this season, making 36 appearances across all competitions for the Eagles, and despite interest in his signature emerging from Argentina Primera Division side River Plate, it is reported that talks are yet to be held with them.
Otamendi is set to become a free agent in June.
19.55 BST: On-loan Manchester United forward Wout Weghorst isn't in Burnley's plans for next season, according to Football Insider.
He is set to return to Turf Moor in the summer after his spell at Old Trafford expires, and with manager Vincent Kompany believing that he doesn't suit the club's system, it is understood that the 30-year-old could make a return to Besiktas, where he enjoyed a successful loan move earlier on in the 2022-23 campaign.
19.12 BST: Wolfsburg remain keen on signing Inter Milan wing-back Robin Gosens, reveals Sky Sports Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg.
The Bundesliga side have been linked with the 28-year-old before, and it looks as though they could return in the summer with an approach to land the Germany international. It is reported that a bid of €18million would be required for the Nerazzurri to agree to part ways with him.
Gosens scored earlier this month in Inter's 1-1 Serie A draw with Salernitana.
18.41 BST: Napoli are interested in Atlanta United star Thiago Almada, though no deal is close, according to MLSsoccer.com's Tom Bogert.
The Serie A leaders are currently 14 points clear of second-place Lazio, and look set to win their first title in 33 years. Almada, an attacking midfielder, has scored four goals and made five assists in six appearances so far this season.
17.50 BST: Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been informed by club president Florentino Perez that they are planning to offer him a one-year extension, reports Relevo.
The 37-year-old is set to be out of contract at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, and despite some delays in moving forward with a deal for the Croatia international, the latest reveals that he is set to receive an offer in the coming weeks that will keep him at the club until 2024.
Modric has remained a key player for Carlo Ancelotti's side this season, having made 42 appearances across all competitions.
17.05 BST: Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad are interested in Wolves winger Adama Traore, writes Foot Mercato.
It is understood that they are keen to strengthen their side this summer as they look to compete against Al Nassr, who are also looking to add reinforcements to support Cristiano Ronaldo.
Traore, 27, could be available on a free transfer in June, with currently no movement on a potential new contract at Molineux.
16.08 BST: Javier Tebas said LaLiga won't change its financial fair play rules to allow Barcelona to sign Lionel Messi but did open the door to the forward returning to the Catalan club.
The LaLiga president has previously said it will be "practically impossible" for Barca to make any signings this summer because they will be in excess of their league-imposed spending limit after this season.
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Tebas warned Barca as recently as March that they must either cut from the wage bill or raise in transfer fees as much as €200 million to even consider being able to bring in new players.
However, although he won't change the regulations, he did change his tone slightly on Wednesday as he claimed Barca have the "capacity" to make the necessary savings to be able to afford Messi.
"As of today, no, but there is a lot of time left," Tebas said in a news conference when asked whether Barca could re-sign Messi. "We are waiting for their [financial fair play] viability plan [for next season].
"I hope they can make the necessary moves to make space for Messi to come in, but of course we are not going to change any rules for Messi to sign. Barca can make moves; they sell players.
"That's what we hope happens because I am a fan of Messi and I would like Messi to play in our league. But we won't change any rules. It is complicated, but I think they have the capacity to do it."
Messi, 35, is out of contract with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and has not yet agreed an extension with the Ligue 1 club, which he joined from Barca in 2021.
There is also interest in the Argentina international from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, while Inter Miami CF have also positioned themselves in the race should he become a free agent in the summer.
15.19 BST: Jude Bellingham: You love him, I love him, everyone loves him. Other than that one time when Gio Reyna said that he wouldn't want Bellingham to date his sister, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has as close to a universally positive approval rating as just about any athlete in the world.
So assumed is Bellingham's current greatness -- and even greater future greatness -- that it has almost obscured what the 19-year-old actually is. He's a midfielder, sure, but what kind of midfielder?
Is he a Kevin De Bruyne-type: a "midfielder" who does all the things that a No. 10 did in the past but just from a slightly different starting position? Is he more along the lines of his idol, Steven Gerrard: a havoc-wrecker whose impressive physical range is best employed with other midfielders who cover all the spaces he leaves behind?
Is he more from the Marco Verratti, Thiago, and Joshua Kimmich mold: a modern midfield cheat code who wins the ball at a world-class rate but also contributes as much as anyone in possession, too? Or can he sit in front of the back four and bring some sudden solidity and strength to a midfield that previously fell apart whenever it lost the ball a la, say, Casemiro?
The promise of Bellingham is that he could be all of the above -- at the same time.
But the bigger question, which needs to be answered in the summer transfer window, is: where should be play next season?
- O'Hanlon: Why Jude Bellingham has earned the hype and where he should go next (ESPN+)
14.31 BST: Barcelona are finalising the offer they expect to soon present to Lionel Messi, Mundo Deportivo reports.
Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer and the Argentina captain is considering a return to the Camp Nou two years after leaving.
With Barca restricted because of financial fair play rules, the Catalan club will first present the offer to LaLiga to get the go ahead before sending it to Messi's father and agent, Jorge Messi.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas recently warned Barca that they must either cut from the wage bill or raise in transfer fees as much as €200m to even consider being able to bring in new players.
Barca are looking to offer Messi, 35, a one- or two-year contract.
Messi, who has not agreed a contract extension with PSG, is also a reported target of Inter Miami CF. There is also interest in the Argentina captain from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
13.44 BST: An €80m signing from Southampton in 2018, centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been a transformative player for Liverpool, helping the club to win the Champions League and Premier League titles and finishing second behind Lionel Messi in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2019.
However, this season his form has dipped and, while the whole team has had its ups and downs, it's been especially noticeable in such an influential player. Though it's premature to suggest that Liverpool should be looking to replace the Netherlands international in the first XI, he turns 32 in July and has a contract that expires in two years, which suggests they could bring in a younger centre-back this summer to spend a season as his understudy.
Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate for €40m from RB Leipzig in 2021 with an eye on the future, but there's no ready-made replacement out there for Van Dijk. His combination of pace, experience, leadership, ability on the ball, aerial dominance, charisma and uncompromising defending is almost impossible to reproduce.
So, in taking a look at some possible candidates who could be his long-term successor at Anfield, I've considered players who have some of the same skillsets and reasonably similar stats, along with others who still have things to work on or would need to adapt to a different system. Many are not easy to sign, given the fees involved, but even if Liverpool end up disappointed (as they were with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham), these players would be worth pursuing.
- Karlsen: Who could be Van Dijk's long-term replacement at Liverpool?
13.06 BST: Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino believes fans should enjoy coveted midfielder Gabri Veiga's last games for the club before he leaves this summer.
Veiga, 20, has attracted the attention of numerous clubs after scoring nine goals and setting up four more in 31 appearances since gaining promotion to the first team last summer, with sources telling ESPN's Rodrigo Faez and Rob Dawson that Liverpool and Manchester United are closely monitoring him..
"What I can tell you is that clubs from England, Italy and France have contacted us directly for Gabri," Mourino said (https://twitter.com/ellarguero/status/1648933263132459009?s=20). "He will make the decision and we don't know who he has spoken to."
Asked if Veiga's €40m release clause is negotiable, Mourino insisted: "There's nothing to negotiate. We've said it all along. We don't want to lose him. There's nothing to do unless that [release clause] is met."
Asked if Celta fans should enjoy Veiga before he leaves this summer, Mourino said: "Exactly."
12.22 BST: Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has said striker Harry Kane can achieve his ambitions and win trophies at the club.
Kane, 29, has achieved a number of individual honours -- he became Spurs' all-time record scorer earlier this season and continues to chase down Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goal record -- but he is yet to win a single trophy since making his Spurs debut in 2011.
"He can absolutely win a trophy at Spurs, but being a legend is also important," Levy said in an interview with the Cambridge Union debating society.
"The fact that he's the top scorer for Tottenham Hotspur, he's making history. I hope one day there is a statue of Harry Kane outside our stadium."
Sources have told ESPN that Kane, who has little over a year left on his contract, will discuss his future with the club at the end of the season, while Spurs are not keen on parting ways with the striker.
Spurs will again finish without silverware this season after being knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League. The club are also without a permanent manager following the departure of Antonio Conte last month.
It has been 15 years since Spurs won a trophy when they lifted the 2008 League Cup under Juande Ramos.
11.36 BST: Olivier Giroud has signed a one-year contract extension with AC Milan, the club announced.
The France international put pen to paper shortly after scoring the crucial goal in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Napoli to help AC Milan reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time in 16 years. Giroud's previous deal was due to expire this summer.
"AC Milan is proud to announce that Olivier Giroud has renewed his contract with the Club. Olivier, at AC Milan since the summer of 2021, has become an important linchpin in the Rossoneri forward line, making 76 appearances and scoring 27 goals," a club statement said.
Giroud, 36, said: "I'm proud of everything I've done so far at the club. But I still want more!"
🗣 "Proud of what I've done until now but I want even more"@_OlivierGiroud_'s thoughts after signing the new deal.
— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 19, 2023
🗣 "Fiero di quanto fatto fino ad oggi, ma voglio ancora di più"
Le parole di Olivier dopo il rinnovo.#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/LoXYlhtkBF
10.49 BST: Ilkay Gundogan said contract talks are ongoing with Manchester City, but he is not yet close to announcing where he will play next season.
The Germany international's contract is up in June and sources told ESPN's Sam Marsdan and Moises Llorens that the midfielder has been in negotiations with both City and Barcelona. Barca's interest is reliant on them reducing their wage bill but the club remain interested in the 32-year-old midfielder.
Gundogan has been at City since 2016 and has been an instrumental figure in their remarkable story of success under Pep Guardiola. But this could yet be his final season in Manchester with Gundogan admitting on Tuesday that he is still holding talks over where he plays next term.
"There are talks, there are talks in the background," Gundogan said ahead of Wednesday's match at Bayern Munich. "That's normal with a couple of months left. There's nothing decided yet, not from my side, not from the club's side -- the talks, they continue. If there's a decision at one point then you guys [in the media] will be the first ones to know."
- Hamilton: City withstand fiery Bayern to set up Madrid rematch
10.04 BST: Barcelona B winger Ilias Akhomach is in advanced talks to sign for Leeds United on a permanent transfer, Mundo Deportivo reports.
The Spaniard is set to leave Barca this summer as a free agent. His priority was to remain at Barca but no agreement was reached and the player is considering other alternatives.
AC Milan and Sevilla have also shown an interest in Ilias but it's Leeds that are favourites to land the 19-year-old, who has made 27 appearances in all competitions for Barca's reserves
The opportunity to work under Leeds' Spanish coach Javi Gracia appears to have convinced Ilias to move to Elland Road.
Gab Marcotti and Don Hutchison discuss Virgil van Dijk's future after the defender was found wanting on multiple occasions vs. Arsenal.
09.17 BST: Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has urged the club's owners to "stop" with the "indecision" and put a new strategy in place after they were knocked out of the Champions League by holders Real Madrid on Tuesday.
The Premier League club were beaten 2-0 by Madrid at Stamford Bridge to complete a 4-0 aggregate defeat as Rodrygo scored two goals on the night. The result means Chelsea will end their first campaign under the ownership of the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Capital consortium without a trophy.
The owners have already sacked managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this season, and Silva said the lack of stability has played a part in Chelsea's struggles.
"I think the first step has been made, an incorrect step, but it has been made," Silva told reporters. "We can't be blaming the managers if we don't take responsibility. It's a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.
"Change of ownership, new players arriving -- we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn't fit the size of the squad.
"A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad, but on the other hand, there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something -- that's tough.
"Some can't make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place, otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes."
08.30 BST: Former Wales forward Hal Robson-Kanu has offered to come out of retirement and play for Wrexham, the fifth-tier club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, with his salary donated to charity.
Robson-Kanu, now 33, was capped 46 times by Wales and scored a famous goal in a 3-1 win over Belgium in the 2016 European Championship quarterfinals.
"I'll come out of retirement and come and play for @Wrexham_afc next season. I'll also give my salary to the charity of the fans choosing," Robson-Kanu wrote in reply to an Instagram post by Reynolds after the Yeovil match. There was no immediate response to the offer.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Foot Mercato reports that Marseille is the latest club hoping to sign Folarin Balogun, following the striker's impressive loan from Arsenal to Stade de Reims. AS Monaco, Lille and AC Milan are also interested in the 21-year-old.
- Newcastle United and Manchester United are both showing major interest in Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio, according to Football Insider. There is expected to be plenty of competition to sign the 21-year-old, whose agents have been in Italy, Spain and England to discuss a prospective summer move, with any deal set to be worth around £45m.
- Liverpool will allow Fabio Carvalho to leave in the summer, according to Football Insider, which adds that this could be a permanent move despite the Reds' preference for the 20-year-old attacking midfielder to head out on loan. Football Insider also says that Wolverhampton Wanderers are preparing to bring in a club-record amount for Matheus Nunes, with Liverpool and Manchester United likely to battle to sign the 24-year-old. Newcastle United and Barcelona have also been linked with the Portuguese midfielder.
- Juventus are among the big-name European clubs looking at Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco, according to Calciomercato. The 18-year-old has made five appearances for Boca's first team, having impressed in the youth ranks for both club and country.
- Daniel Caligiuri and Augsburg have decided that the 35-year-old will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, as reported by Florian Plettenberg. The midfielder would like to continue playing in the Bundesliga, having spent his entire career in Germany.