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The summer transfer window is here, 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: Dortmund name big price for Bellingham’s transfer
Borussia Dortmund want a transfer fee of €120 million to let Jude Bellingham move clubs this summer, according to BILD.
Bellingham, 19, contributed to 11 goals from 32 Bundesliga starts last season, with his best performances coming from the centre of midfield, and that has seen him on the radar of several clubs across Europe.
Liverpool, Manchester United, and Real Madrid have all been linked with the England midfielder, but they will need to make a substantial offer to have any chance of signing him.
The former Birmingham player has three years left on his deal and there is no release clause, meaning the club won’t be powerless from stopping the player leaving — as they were with Erling Haaland‘s €60m departure for Manchester City earlier this month.
Dortmund manager Edin Terzic wants to keep Bellingham, who has so far shown no signs of wanting to orchestrate a move away. But that doesn’t mean he would turn down a fresh challenge if it were right for him.
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LIVE BLOG
13.56 BST: Chelsea want to sign Brazilian winger Raphinha from Leeds.
1:44
Steve Nicol explains his one concern about Raphinha’s reported move to Chelsea from Leeds.
13.03 BST: Barcelona have agreed to sell 10% of their LaLiga television rights for €207.5 million to the global investment firm Sixth Street for 25 years, the Catalan club announced on Thursday.
The deal will last for 25 years and ensures Barca will close the financial year, which ends on June 30, with a slight profit rather than losses for the third successive year.
However, sources have played down the idea the cash injection will lead to more activity in the transfer market. They say further commercial deals, player departures and reducing the wage bill are still the immediate concerns.
12.21 BST: Former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has returned to Athletic Club for a third spell as coach, the LaLiga side announced on Thursday.
Valverde, 58, had been out of a job since being dismissed by Barca in January 2020 until newly-elected Athletic president Jon Uriarte chose him to replace departed coach Marcelino.
Valverde spent six years at the club as a player between 1990-96 before first returning as a coach in 2003. He is already Athletic’s longest-serving manager, having previously coached the side in a club-record 306 games between 2003-05, and then again between 2013-17 before leaving to join Barca.
12.05 BST: FC Porto midfielder Vitinha will travel to Paris to complete his €40m transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, according to Record.
Vitinha, 22, will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a contract with PSG until June 2027.
The Portugal international made 47 appearances across all competitions for Porto this past season.
11.44 BST: Sevilla are in talks with Galatasaray to sign Brazilian defender Marcos do Nascimiento Teixeira ‘Marcao’ in a €10m transfer.
Estadio Deportivo reports that the 26-year-old has already agreed personal terms with the LaLiga club and will sign a five-year contract once a deal has been reached.
The former Atletico-PR player will become the Sevilla’s first summer signing and replace compatriot Diego Carlos, who will officially join Aston Villa on July 1 for €30m.
11.09 BST: Barcelona have made a third bid worth more than €40m for Robert Lewandowski but have received no response from Bayern Munich, sources have told ESPN.
Lewandowski, 33, has told Bayern he would like them to listen to offers from other clubs as he moves into the final year of his contract, which expires in 2023.
Barca have made the Poland striker their top target this summer, with coach Xavi Hernandez confirming in May that he was hopeful of signing him.
However, the Catalan club have so far failed to get Bayern to engage in negotiations over a potential transfer.
Sources told ESPN last week that Barca’s opening bid did not reach €40m, but their latest offer, which is their third, is worth over that amount including the fixed fee and add-ons.
10.41 BST: Thiago Silva believes Brazil teammate Neymar should join him at Chelsea this summer.
Uncertainty over Neymar’s future at Paris Saint-Germain has grown in recent weeks, with reports claiming that the French giants are willing to sell him in this transfer window.
Neymar, 30, has emerged as a potential summer target for Chelsea.
“He [Neymar] has to go to Chelsea,” Silva, who played with Neymar at PSG under current Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, told reporters while on holiday in Recife, Brazil. “If it happens, it would be the best possible thing. I hope it does materialise, but I don’t know anything about it.”
Neymar, who joined PSG in a world record €222 million transfer in 2017 from Barcelona, has played five seasons at the club.
10.12 BST: West Ham are leading the race to sign Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma, Diario AS reports.
Newcastle are also monitoring the Netherlands international, who is under contract with Villarreal through June 2026.
Danjuma has attracted the attention of several Premier League clubs since scoring 16 goals and setting up four more in 34 appearances after joining the Spanish outfit from Bournemouth last summer. Villarreal are prepared to let the 25-year-old leave for an initial fee of €36m.
09.24 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on signing Everton forward Richarlison for what is expected to be a club-record fee in the region of £60m, sources have told ESPN.
The Brazil international is set to agree terms on a five-year deal and a formal announcement could be made within the next 48 hours.
The exact fee structure is yet to be finalised but Spurs are likely to pay an initial £50m with as much as £10m in add-ons.
Although the performance-related add-ons were being discussed on Thursday morning, the final agreement is almost certain to surpass the £53.8m Spurs paid to sign Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in 2019.
As part of the agreement, Richarlison’s former club Watford are entitled to receive 10% of any fee over £40m.
08.30 BST: ICYMI last night, Romelu Lukaku has completed his return to Inter Milan on loan from Chelsea.
Lukaku, 29, endured a tough 2021-22 season following his €115m move to Stamford Bridge from Inter last summer, scoring eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances.
The Belgium international returns to Inter, whom he helped secure the Serie A title in 2021 by scoring 24 times and assisting a further 10 in 36 matches in their league campaign.
Sources told ESPN that Chelsea had originally demanded a loan fee of around €20m for Lukaku but eventually accepted a structured deal totalling around €12m including bonuses.
1:51
Steve Nicol says Christian Pulisic will need to leave Chelsea if the club sign Raheem Sterling and Raphinha.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly has moved to the top of Chelsea‘s wanted list as Thomas Tuchel looks to acquire a centre-back this summer, according to the Daily Mirror. The 31-year-old will enter the final year of his contract on Friday, and the Blues are keen to finalise a move quickly to ensure they do not approach the new Premier League season with a shortage in defence. It is reported he would be interested in joining Chelsea, with a fee of around €50m required.
– Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is attracting interest from both Leicester City and Southampton, reports the Guardian. The 19-year-old England under-21 international defender enjoyed an impressive campaign last season on loan at Huddersfield Town, and it is reported that he is prepared to leave Stamford Bridge if he can’t secure first-team minutes.
– Watford midfielder Moussa Sissoko is expected to sign a two-year deal with Ligue 1 side Nantes on Thursday, writes Foot Mercato. The 32-year-old France international made 36 Premier League appearances last season, but after leaving Toulouse in 2013, he looks set to return to France’s top flight amid reports that he passed his medical with Les Canaris on Wednesday.
– Fiorentina are understood to be readying a £7m offer to Leicester City for Dennis Praet, writes Gianluca Di Marzio. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder spent last season on loan in Serie A with Torino, where he made 23 appearances. But after they opted against making his move permanent, the Belgium international could now make a return to Italy’s top flight with the Viola, who are also reported to be close to landing Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic.