LIVE Transfer Talk: Kim picks Bayern over Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea

The summer transfer window is open for some leagues in Europe 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: Kim Min-Jae picks Bayern over Man United, Liverpool

Napoli centre-back Kim Min-Jae has decided that he wants to join Bayern Munich this summer, according to a report by Foot Mercato.

The 26-year-old played a key role in lifting Napoli to the Scudetto in a historic year, which has resulted in interest from across Europe, including from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain.

In addition to Kim’s performances, Europe’s top clubs also had an eye on him due to a release clause in his Napoli contract that means the South Korea international will soon be available for around €47m.

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Despite the interest from the Premier League and beyond, it seems his next destination will be in the Bundesliga. Bayern reportedly convinced Kim and Napoli by meeting the release clause and offering the defender a long-term contract with a net salary of €10m-per-season, per the report, with his agents also receiving a large commission.

The other clubs interested in Kim have already been made aware of his decision and will need to look to other defenders as they prepare for the 2023-24 campaign.

LIVE BLOG

21.52 BST: Lyon are looking to strengthen the centre of their midfield, and have identified Geoffrey Kondogbia of Atletico Madrid as the man to do it, according to RMC Sport. The 30-year-old with five caps for France has just a year remaining on his contract in the Spanish capital, where he played just 1,388 minutes last season.

20.39 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is Juventus’ No. 1 priority in midfield should Adrien Rabiot leave the club on a free transfer this summer. Lazio reportedly will ask for a €30m transfer fee for the 28-year-old Serbia international with a year remaining on his contract, but the Bianconeri could look to drive that number down by including 24-year-old left-back Luca Pellegrini (who spent last season on loan with Maurizio Sarri’s side) or 21-year-old midfielder Nicolo Rovella as potential makeweights in any deal.

20.02 BST: Talks between Barcelona and Athletico Paranaense over the transfer of forward Vitor Roque are progressing well, sources have told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens. Barca are in the market for a backup striker to Robert Lewandowski and have turned their attention to Roque, with new sporting director Deco leading the negotiations.

19.26 BST: Inter Miami are closing in on the signing of another of Lionel Messi’s ex-Barcelona teammates, amid news that Sergio Busquets is expected to join the South Florida MLS club, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that Jordi Alba will sign a Targeted Allocation Money deal that will cap his salary at $1.65m or less annually. The 34-year-old left-back is a free agent, with his Camp Nou contract expiring at the end of the month.

18.13 BST: Borussia Dortmund are keen to increase their transfer budget this summer by finding new homes for four players, according to BILD: Nico Shulz, Thorgan Hazard, Thomas Meunier and Giovanni Reyna. The 20-year-old U.S. attacker has been hampered by injuries in his young career, featuring for just 1,014 minutes last season, and the Black and Yellow would be willing to entertain his exit for a €20m transfer fee.

17.00 BST: Man United are looking to sign a new striker this window.

16.03 BST: Barcelona are ready to swap midfielder Franck Kessie for Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic, says Sport.

Kessie, 26, arrived on a free transfer from AC Milan last summer but the club are ready to move him on to acquire Croatia midfielder Brozovic, 30.

Barca coach Xavi has spoken on his desire to find a midfielder to replace Sergio Busquets and Brozovic is evidently on his radar.

15.12 BST: Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves could move to Al Hilal for €55m, according to Relevo.

Neves, 26, was of interest to Barcelona last summer and has emerged as an option once again following Sergio Busquets‘ announcement that he will leave the Catalan club when his contract expires in the summer.

However, with no agreement reached, the Portugal international is tempted by a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.

14.50 BST: European clubs should not be afraid of a player exodus to Saudi Arabia, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Sunday, suggesting the country was making a mistake investing in stars at the end of their careers.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have been paid record-high contracts to join Saudi Arabian clubs this year, and similar offers were made to Lionel Messi and Luka Modric. They have combined to win every Ballon d’Or awarded since 2008, and all are at least 35.

More players are expected to follow after four top Saudi Arabian clubs were effectively nationalized this month when taken into majority ownership by the Public Investment Fund sovereign wealth operation chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Ceferin was asked by Dutch broadcaster NOS if he was afraid of a player exodus, and answered emphatically: “No, no, no. I think that it’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football. Why is that a problem for them? Because they should invest in academies, they should bring coaches, and they should develop their own players.

“The system of buying the players that almost ended their career is not the system that develops football. It was a similar mistake in China when they all brought players who are at the end of their career.”

14.25 BST: Liverpool are ready to make a move to sign Bayern midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, says Bild.

Gravenberch, 21, is unhappy with life in Munich after featuring in 33 games since arriving from Ajax for €18m in the summer.

The Netherlands international wants a more prominent role and Liverpool are in the process of rebuilding their midfield, so could be willing to offer him an escape route.

13.39 BST: Midfielder Thomas Partey could leave Arsenal this summer, says Fabrizio Romano.

Partey, 30, has two years left on his contract but the club are willing to let him depart to raise funds to land their priority midfield target: West Ham’s Declan Rice.

Romano adds that the Gunners also have an interest in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. The 19-year-old impressed last season and Saints are open to offers after they were relegated from the Premier League.

Chelsea and Man United have been tracking the Belgian and Man City have a clause to re-sign him for £40m in 2024.

12.45 BST: Alessia Russo has her pick of clubs when she leaves Man United.

12.11 BST: Sky Germany says that Arsenal are closing on an €80m move to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea.

Havertz, 24, scored nine goals in 47 games last season, having moved to a central striking role after he joined from Bayer Leverkusen as a midfielder in 2020.

Chelsea paid around €80m to land him then, so they are looking to recoup that fee and Arsenal are keen to wrap up a deal quickly.

Bayern have also shown interest but could lose out, while Chelsea have already agreed a €60m-plus deal for RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku.

11.30 BST: The Guardian says Chelsea would add a player in their bid to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton. And that player is midfielder Conor Gallagher.

Caicedo, 21, was the subject of interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in January but Brighton’s demands for a transfer fee of over £80m scuppered any move.

Arsenal have now dropped their interest in signing the Ecuador international in favour of West Ham’s Declan Rice, while Brighton could be keen on a deal with the Blues that sees Gallagher arrive as a replacement.

10.26 BST: Chelsea are looking to raise some money and are ready to offload Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy to Saudi Pro League clubs, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Aubameyang and Ziyech have caught the eye of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr, while Karim Benzema‘s Al Ittihad (who are closing on the capture of N’Golo Kante) are also interested in Aubameyang.

Newly promoted Al-Ahli are keen to sign Senegal goalkeeper Mendy, though Tottenham are reported to be in the running as well.

09.53 BST: Newcastle United are interested in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram, according to Football Insider.

Thuram, 22, has been on the radar of Liverpool after a fine season in Ligue 1 and could cost around €40m to sign.

The France international had two goals and eight assists in 48 appearances in all competitions last season and Newcastle are keen to add him to their squad.

09.22 BST: Julian Nagelsmann will not become the next Paris Saint-Germain manager after talks between the two parties broke down, sources have told ESPN.

The French champions have now turned attentions away from Nagelsmann, sources have told ESPN, narrowing their shortlist to four candidates: Luis Enrique, Sergio Conceicao, Marcelo Gallardo and Thiago Motta.

Porto manager Conceicao has been contacted by the club, while former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique has has some strong support from club officials in Doha.

PSG are also interested former players Gallardo, who now coaches Argentine side River Plate, and Motta, who is in charge at Serie A side Bologna.

09.00 BST: Brentford B have signed Romeo Beckham on a permanent transfer after the forward spent the second half of last season in England on loan, the Premier League club said on Saturday.

Beckham, who began training with the team in October last year and joined them in January on a six-month loan from Inter Miami, has signed a one-year contract with an extension option for an additional year.

The 20-year-old was part of the squad that in May lifted the Premier League Cup, a competition run by the Premier League for under-21 sides.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Chelsea will submit an official offer worth €35m for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson next week, reports Fabrizio Romano. That figure matches the 21-year-old’s release clause, with instalments and payment terms being discussed before a medical is scheduled. Jackson is set on joining Chelsea despite three other clubs attempting to bring in the Senegal international.

– Arsenal are confident that Chelsea’s need to offload players means they will be able to sign forward Kai Havertz for £60m, despite the Blues asking for £70m, as reported by The Guardian. The Gunners remain favourites to sign the 24-year-old despite competition from Bayern Munich, who have seen moves for Tottenham Hotspur‘s Harry Kane and Napoli‘s Victor Osimhen come to nothing so far.

– Amid a stalemate over David De Gea‘s Manchester United contract, the Daily Star has reported that the Red Devils are readying a £45m offer for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Toffees’ financial situation means they could be willing to accept a deal as Sean Dyche aims to rebuild after securing Everton’s Premier League safety on the final day of the season.

– Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella is among the players Newcastle United are looking at this summer as they plan for life in the Champions League, according to The Mirror. Mauricio Pochettino is willing to let the 24-year-old leave just a year after he joined for £60m, although any deal now would likely be worth half that figure.

– Olympique Lyonnais could lose some of their most talented players this summer, Foot Mercato reports, offering the example that Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs keeping an eye on 23-year-old midfielder Maxence Caqueret. In addition, Ekrem Konur reports that Real Madrid are planning to check on 19-year-old forward Rayan Cherki.