LIVE Transfer Talk: PSG eye Arsenal's Odegaard for midfield revamp

The summer transfer window may not be open yet in Europe, but teams are getting ready for it, 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: PSG eye Arsenal’s Odegaard

Paris Saint-Germain are showing an interest in signing Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard, according to the Daily Mail.

The 24-year-old has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, recording 15 goals and eight assists as Arsenal mounted their first title challenge in over a decade.

PSG have taken note of the Norway international’s impressive displays and could make a surprise move to sign him this summer.

Persuading the Gunners’ captain to leave could be a difficult task, though, as he is a key part of Mikel Arteta’s plans at the Emirates Stadium and enjoys life in London.

Arsenal will reportedly have £180 million in transfer funds, plus anything earned from outgoing players for the summer. Those include Granit Xhaka, who is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen, while Kieran Tierney is wanted by Newcastle United. Other players who could leave Arsenal are Thomas Partey and Rob Holding.

Along with Odegaard, PSG are looking at Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, but are facing competition from Chelsea and Aston Villa. PSG’s current offer is to activate the 22-year-old Uruguayan’s €60m release clause but to do so in stages.

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LIVE BLOG

14.43 BST: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti remains Brazil’s first choice to replace Tite, the country’s football confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues said.

Despite receiving a strong interest from Brazil since Tite stepped down after the 2022 World Cup, Ancelotti reiterated his desire to continue as coach of Real Madrid until June 2024 when his contract expires.

“He [Ancelotti] is a coach who has this vision and courage to put new talents to play,” Rodrigues said. “No disrespect to any other coach. Brazil has many coaches that we have great appreciation for, and who are competent, but we have a plan, and plan A is exactly that [Ancelotti].”

14.32 BST: New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino does not want Joao Felix to remain at the club next season, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo.

The 23-year-old joined Chelsea in January on a six-month loan from Atletico, shortly after extending his contract with the LaLiga club to 2027.

Felix has impressed during his spell at Stamford Bridge with four Premier League goals in 16 appearances but Cerezo said he will not continue at Chelsea.

When asked about the player’s future, Cerezo told reporters on Tuesday: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao. The news that we received yesterday is that the new manager doesn’t count on him at Chelsea. We don’t have anything planned, Joao is an Atletico player for now.”

13.44 BST: Karim Benzema is mulling his Real Madrid future after receiving a lucrative offer over a move to Saudi Arabia, a source has told ESPN.

Benzema, 35, was offered a two-year contract worth €400m in January, the source said, the same deal as Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Al Nassr after leaving Manchester United.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner reportedly reached an agreement with Madrid earlier this month to renew his contract for another year. However, the situation has changed in recent weeks and the forward is considering the Saudi offer.

Madrid suffered a disappointing 2022-23 season after failing to compete with Barcelona for the LaLiga title and exiting the Champions League with a heavy defeat to Manchester City in the semifinals.

Benzema has suffered with numerous fitness issues this season and was sidelined for the 2022 World Cup, in which France finished runners-up.

A source told ESPN that Benzema wants to stay at the Bernabeu where he has spent the last eleven years but there is a possibility of him joining his former Madrid teammate Ronaldo in Riyadh.

13.30 BST: What do Chelsea need from their new boss?

12.24 BST: Real Madrid have made an improved offer to keep midfielder Dani Ceballos beyond this summer, according to Marca.

The Spain international’s contract with Los Blancos expires in June and he has already turned down Madrid’s first offer, having scored one goal and set up nine more in 45 games this season.

Ceballos, 26, is a target of Aston Villa among other European clubs. However, the player’s priority is to remain at Madrid and the latest offer presented to him by the club is close to matching his demands.

AC Milan and Villarreal are also closely monitoring Ceballos’ situation but it’s Villa that are keen to make a move. Villa coach Unai Emery is a fan and knows that the player, who spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal before returning to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, can succeed in the Premier League.

11.50 BST: The brother and agent of Edinson Cavani will hold talks with Valencia in the coming days to decide the striker’s future, Superdeporte reports.

Cavani, 36, is under contract with Valencia until June 2024 but has not lived up to expectations since arriving as a free agent in August. He has scored five goals in 24 league appearances.

Los Che are fighting to avoid the drop heading into the final game of the season. The Uruguay international is keen to remain at the club beyond this summer, but Valencia have yet to make a decision on whether or not to keep him.

11.21 BST: Atletico Madrid are closely monitoring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler, according to Superdeporte.

Soler, who joined the French giants in a €20m transfer from Valencia CF last summer, has not been a starter for PSG and doesn’t appear to have a role in the future plans of the club.

The Spain international has scored three goals and set up three more in 25 league appearances for the French champions. Under contract with PSG until June 2027, Soler is expected to be placed on the transfer list this summer.

11.00 BST: Juventus are leading the race to sign Christian Pulisic, sources have told ESPN, with Chelsea prepared to offload the United States forward for a £20m fee this summer.

Although Chelsea have now confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach at Stamford Bridge on a two-year contract, sources have said that the arrival of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss will not signal a U-turn on the club’s decision to listen to offers for Pulisic.

Pulisic, a £58m signing from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, has 12 months remaining on his contract at Chelsea and with the club needing to reduce the size of their squad and wage bill after spending £585m on new players since Clearlake Capital bought out former owner Roman Abramovich a year ago, sources have said that Pulisic is high on the list of potential departures.

A number of clubs have been approached about the prospect of signing Pulisic, with sources telling ESPN that Manchester United, Newcastle, Napoli, AC Milan and Galatasaray have all been made aware of the player’s likely fee and salary, which sees him earn £13m per year at Chelsea.

But Italian club Juve have emerged as the front-runners, despite their reluctance to match Pulisic’s Stamford Bridge pay deal.

10.35 BST: Everton are monitoring Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto, according to TNT.

Yuri Alberto, 22, is in his second season at Corinthians and has scored 16 goals in 53 games since joining from Zenit St. Petersburg.

Under contract until December 2027, the Brazilian has attracted the attention of Everton. However the Toffees, who finished 17th in the Premier League this season, have yet to make an official offer.

10.12 BST: Valencia left-back Toni Lato says he will announce his future in the coming weeks.

Lato, 25, has turned down a contract extension with Valencia, with his deal ending in June. The Spaniard was a target of Olympiacos in the January transfer window and, after he fractured a rib during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Espanyol, he tweeted: “In the coming weeks I will give an update on my future.”

09.44 BST: Real Madrid are in advanced talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to Diario AS.

Bellingham, 19, is under contract with Dortmund until June 2025 and has turned down a contract extension, while Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also interested in signing him.

The highly coveted midfielder, named Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2022-23, is Madrid’s top summer target. Los Blancos have been in talks to sign the England international in recent months, but the two clubs have yet to reach a financial agreement. Madrid are only prepared to pay €100m, plus add-ons, while the German outfit want at least €150m.

09.00 BST: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season.

United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the last game of the league season on Sunday. The Old Trafford club, which won the League Cup in February, has the chance to add to their silverware when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

“We are in the right direction, but we are not there where we have to be, there’s still a long way to go, there’s potential in this team and individual players,” Ten Hag told reporters. “We showed during the season we made progress, that’s a compliment to the players and the coaches, we worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.

“The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do.”

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Real Madrid are looking at Alphonso Davies, with his future at Bayern Munich uncertain, reports AS. Although a move this summer is unlikely, Madrid could try to sign the Canada international in 2024, when he would have one year left on his contract. Manchester City also have an interest in the 22-year-old left-back.

– Lionel Messi wants to make a decision on his future in the coming days as the 35-year-old prepares to leave PSG as a free agent, reports Fabrizio Romano, who adds that this doesn’t necessarily mean his next move will be announced in that time. Marca suggests that the forward will join Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, who are offering a two-year deal worth over €300m per season.

– Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken with West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice about a move to Germany, according to Sky Sports Deutschland, which adds that Bayern have made an offer of €95m amid competition from Arsenal. In another report from Sky Sports Deutschland, it is stated that Bayern are looking at signing Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro as a free agent, although a final decision will be made after a new sporting director is hired.

– Manchester City are ready to permanently offload Joao Cancelo after Bayern Munich declined the €70m option to sign the full-back after his loan, reports Fabrizio Romano. Arsenal have been linked with the 29-year-old, while Barcelona have held a genuine interest since January.

– AS reports that Real Madrid are considering Espanyol‘s Joselu as a reserve striker behind Karim Benzema. With Mariano Diaz expected to leave Madrid, the club are considering a frontman before moving for Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland in 2024. At age 33, Joselu has a gross salary of €3m per season and a relegation clause in his Espanyol contract.