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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: Mbappe could leave PSG for €150m as contract talks stall
Paris Saint-Germain could consider letting star striker Kylian Mbappe go for €150 million this summer, with progress stalling over his contract renewal, reports Le Parisien,
Mbappe, 22, joined PSG from Monaco in a deal worth €180m in 2017 as one of the top young prospects in football but, after narrowly missing out on the Champions League title last season, it looks as though the forward’s time in Ligue 1 could be coming to an end as sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens there has been no breakthrough in contract negotiations.
PSG’s hierarchy are keen to avoid losing Mbappe on a free transfer in 2022 and could sanction his exit this summer, with Liverpool and Real Madrid leading the elite clubs in Europe for his signature.
The 2018 World Cup winner told RTL after France’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Bosnia-Herzegovina: “If it [contract talks] had progressed, I would have come to talk about it already. Of course, I will talk about it when I have made up my mind.”
A frustrated Mbappe also claimed he is growing tired of criticism and pressure from the media, believing he is treated differently to other stars in the France national team.
“Of course it [criticism from the media] gets tiring, especially when you play for a club in your country and you give everything for your national team,” he said. “After a while it gets tiring. It’s different for players who play abroad and only come back here for the national team. I’m there all the time, they speak about me a lot more. It’s a different context [to other players], but I knew it would be like that when I signed for Paris. We’ll see.”
– UEFA WC qualifiers on ESPN+: Stream games, replays (U.S. only)
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
LIVE BLOG
09.44 BST: Liverpool are facing a conundrum over the future of Mohamed Salah this summer, sources told ESPN’s James Olley. There is a growing sense within the Liverpool squad that Salah is eyeing a new challenge elsewhere, and intermediaries who have worked closely with the club previously have privately expressed the belief a transfer may be possible.
The situation will be influenced in part by how Liverpool finish the season, needing to stop an alarming slump in the Premier League yet chasing a third Champions League final appearance in four years.
Sources added the Reds are relaxed about the situation, given the 28-year-old’s contract has two years left to run, and there has been no obvious deterioration in the forward’s form or commitment to the club with Salah the joint leading scorer with Tottenham’s Harry Kane in the Premier League this season with 17 goals.
Liverpool may look to defer the decision over Salah’s future for another year but he would then have 12 months left on his deal and would command a much smaller fee than he would this summer. A new Liverpool contract may be the best outcome for all parties, allowing the club to protect their star man, giving Salah the “love” he craves and his potential suitors another year to replenish their transfer funds.
09.30 BST: ICYMI – Erling Haaland‘s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, and agent Mino Raiola held talks with Barcelona and Real Madrid on Thursday over a possible transfer for the superstar Borussia Dortmund forward.
Alf-Inge Haaland and Raiola flew into Barcelona on Thursday morning for a 2½-hour meeting with new Barca president Joan Laporta and the club’s incoming director of football Mateu Alemany.
Sources told ESPN that the meeting was a first step to explore the viability of a deal, with talks in their very early stages. The pair then flew to Madrid, arriving at the city’s Barajas Airport on Thursday afternoon and holding discussions with Real Madrid which went on into the evening.
Sources told ESPN that the meeting with Madrid was “friendly” and “like those we often hold regarding players.”
Raiola and Haaland wanted to know more about Real Madrid’s intentions and summer plans, while Florentino Perez wanted to hear first-hand details of the player’s situation.
Sources said that, if Madrid decided to move for the Norwegian, they felt they would have the edge over Barca given their relationship with Borussia Dortmund and more favourable financial situation.
08.48 BST: Enzo Zidane, the son of Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, is on trial with MLS side Inter Miami CF, sources have told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.
One source indicated that Zidane has been training with Miami throughout preseason, but cautioned that it’s still unclear if the 26-year-old will be offered a contract.
Zidane was last on the books of Spanish second-tier side UD Almeria, where he made four league appearances during the 2019-20 campaign. He was released in October.
Zidane previously rose through the ranks of Real Madrid’s academy, but his only first team appearance with Los Blancos was in 2016 in a Copa del Rey match. After leaving Real Madrid at the conclusion of that season, the midfielder went to play for the likes of Alaves and Rayo Majadahonda in Spain, as well as Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and Portuguese side Aves. He’s made a total of 147 professional league and cup appearances, scoring 12 goals.
08.30 BST: Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is on loan at Atletico Madrid from Arsenal, has declared his wish to sign for Boca Juniors as soon as possible to be closer to his family following the death of his mother.
Torreira was granted compassionate leave and travelled home after his mother passed away from COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old, who is under contract with Arsenal until June 2023, told ESPN F90: “I always said it. I am dying to play there [Boca]. I will always say it, not only now because I am going through this moment, if it is not now it will be in June or if not, later. The night my mother died, they called me and one of the first people I told was my agent. I told him that I don’t want to play in Europe anymore and I want to come to Boca.
“If my agent is watching the interview, he will kill me, because he says it will get complicated. Now after the interview he will send me a message. It all depends on how the clubs can negotiate; my decision does not involve money. If I want to continue making money I stay in Europe … I still have one-and-a-half months left and I hope I can end the season with Atletico lifting La Liga.”
1:33
Gab Marcotti explains why he believes it will be difficult for a club to match Borussia Dortmund’s valuation.
PAPER GOSSIP
– The Manchester Evening News claims that Brighton defender Ben White is open to the idea of moving to Manchester United in the summer. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been tracking the 23-year-old, along with Villarreal‘s Pau Torres, while Brighton are expected to be seeking in excess of £35m for White’s contract.
– Arsenal are targeting RB Leipzig‘s versatile Christopher Nkunku, with the French midfielder a key target for Mikel Arteta in the summer. That’s according to The Mirror, which reports that the North London club are ready to reignite their interest in the 23-year-old whom they were previously linked with in 2018.
– Arteta is expected to be in the market for a right-back this summer with reports that Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ready to leave the club, according to The Telegraph. The 23-year-old has played in midfield as well as cover at right-back for Hector Bellerin, who is also reported to be leaving in the summer. Maitland-Niles has been unable to nail down a place in the first team since making his debut in 2014 in the Champions League against Galatasaray and is currently on loan at West Bromwich Albion.
– Aston Villa have are trying to put off would-be suitors as Premier League giants continue to monitor Jack Grealish‘s situation. The Mirror claims the English midfielder’s contract is valued at £100m if he is to leave Villa Park in the summer. The 25-year-old has been linked with Manchester United yet again, but it is also reported that Manchester City are keen to add Grealish to their ranks.
– Manchester United and Chelsea are set to go head to head for the signature of Lucas Vazquez with the versatile Real Madrid star at a stalemate in contract negotiations. ABC is reporting that the 29-year-old winger/right-back would need to take a 10% pay cut if he wants to stay part of Zinedine Zidane’s plans at the Bernabeu beyond his contract expiry this summer.