LIVE Transfer Talk: Lyon see USMNT's Pulisic as a priority signing

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: Pulisic a priority for Lyon

Lyon have identified Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic as a key priority this summer, according to L’Equipe.

Talks are reported to have been held between the Ligue 1 side and the 24-year-old’s representatives, with Les Gones hopeful of winning the race for his signature ahead of a number of teams in Europe.

Much of the interest in him has come from Serie A where Napoli, AC Milan, and Juventus are all keen to add the USMNT star to their squad. However, Lyon are positioning themselves at the front of the queue for a deal where the Blues are reported to be looking for an offer of €20 million.

Pulisic struggled to establish himself as a regular at Stamford Bridge last season, starting just eight times with one goal in the Premier League. He remains in solid form for the U.S. squad, having scored twice in the USMNT’s Nations League semifinal 3-0 win over Mexico on the way to 2-0 title victory over Canada recently.

The French club is owned by American businessman John Textor, who also has majority stakes in Premier League side Crystal Palace and Brazil’s Botafogo.

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15.03 BST: Manchester City want to sign Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi as a long-term replacement for Kyle Walker, according to Marca.

Walker, 33, has one year left on his contract at City, where he has won 14 trophies in six years. Sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden that Bayern Munich are in talks with the England international.

Off the back of winning the treble, including the club’s first-ever Champions League title, City manager Pep Guardiola wants to rejuvenate his squad and sees Hakimi as the ideal successor to Walker.

The 24-year-old Morocco international has a contract at PSG until 2026, meaning City would have to offer a huge fee for the French champions to even consider a transfer.

14.19 BST: Manchester United are considering other midfield targets because of fears negotiations with Chelsea for Mason Mount are stalling, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

United have had three bids for Mount rejected, the latest on Friday worth around £55m.

Chelsea have indicated they will accept an offer of £58m plus another £7m in add-ons and suggested face-to-face talks in an effort to resolve the situation.

However, United believe their valuation of Mount is fair given the England international only has a year left on his contract and has informed Chelsea of his desire to move to Old Trafford.

Sources have told ESPN that United’s latest offer for Mount remains on the table but enquiries have been about the availability of other targets, including Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus and Taylor Booth at FC Utrecht.

13.34 BST: Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel wants to bring Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to the club this summer, Mundo Deportivo reports.

Tuchel was an admirer of the Netherlands international while he was at Chelsea, and has asked his new club to find a way of recruiting him for next season.

De Jong has resisted any attempts to make him leave Barca in the past, including long-held interest from Manchester United, while Barca coach Xavi Hernandez also considers the 26-year-old to be indispensable.

😱 Everyone wants a photo! The crowd invades the field after a torrential rain in Orlando ☔

Watch The Beautiful Game: Team Ronaldinho vs. Team Roberto Carlos live on beIN SPORTS 📺 pic.twitter.com/ynVEe9fQ97

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) June 24, 2023

13.08 BST: If Lionel Messi is wondering what attention his imminent arrival at Inter Miami CF in MLS will attract from Florida fans, events in Orlando on Friday will give him some idea.

Ronaldinho’s star-studded charity match in Florida ended amid chaotic scenes as a weather-induced early end to the game sparked a mass pitch invasion from fans in the crowd.

– Are you watching, Messi? Legends match in Florida ends in pitch invasion chaos

12.32 BST: Newcastle United could still try to recruit James Maddison despite already being close to signing Sandro Tonali, according to the Daily Mail.

AC Milan midfielder Tonali is on the verge of completing a £55m move to St James’ Park as Newcastle prepare for their first season back in the Champions League in 20 years.

However, they are still keen on bringing in Maddison from Leicester City, who were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Tottenham Hotspur had appeared to become the frontrunners to sign Maddison by virtue of Newcastle move for Tonali, but the Mail reports that both clubs remain in the hunt for the England midfielder.

Maddison only has one year left on his contract, but Leicester are still holding out for a £60m transfer fee for the 26-year-old.

11.46 BST: Liverpool could make a bid for Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga if Fabio Carvalho leaves the club this summer, the Daily Mail reports.

Sources told ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez last month that Liverpool and Manchester United are closely monitoring the 20-year-old with a view to signing him this summer, while he has also been linked with interest from Real Madrid.

With a release clause set at €40m, Premier League clubs see Veiga as a good signing not only for the present but also for the future. Sources told ESPN that Liverpool have commissioned reports on both Veiga’s sporting and personal life.

However, the Mail reports that Liverpool have not yet a bid for the Spain international, and any move could hinge on Carvalho’s proposed loan move to RB Leipzig going through.

11.09 BST: Manchester United’s struggle to agree a fee with Chelsea for Mason Mount has given Bayern Munich hope of signing the England midfielder, according to the Guardian.

Sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson that Chelsea have rejected United’s latest bid for Mount but have offered face-to-face negotiations in an effort to get the deal over the line.

United made a bid of £55m plus add-ons on Friday, which was knocked by Chelsea. It was their third rejected bid after previous offers of £40m and £50m. Chelsea, according to sources, have offered United a deal of £58m plus another £7m in performance-related bonuses.

Mount, 24, is keen to move to Old Trafford after ruling out the prospect of signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge. He has one year left on his deal and Chelsea do not want to lose him for free next summer.

Mount won the Champions League in 2021 and became a regular in the England team under coach Thomas Tuchel, who is now manager at Bayern Munich. The Guardian reports that Chelsea may be willing to accept a lower fee from a foreign club, meaning they would not have to transfer Mount to a direct Premier League rival.

10.27 BST: RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol has agreed personal terms with Manchester City, Fabrizio Romano reports.

Source shave told ESPN’s Rob Dawson that Gvardiol is on a shortlist of centre-backs to possibly replace Aymeric Laporte, who is open to leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer.

One sticking point, however, is RB Leipzig’s valuation of the Croatia defender. The Bundesliga side have already lost Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and Konrad Laimer to Bayern Munich this summer and would prefer to keep Gvardiol for at least one more year.

Sources have told ESPN that RB Leipzig could ask for a transfer fee as high as €100m because Gvardiol, 21, only signed a new deal in September 2022 and is under contract until 2027.

09.43 BST: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has talked up the prospect of Kyogo Furuhashi remaining at the club despite reports linking the Japan striker with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Furuhashi, 28, has scored 54 goals since former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglu brought him to Scotland two years ago from Vissel Kobe in a £4.6m transfer.

Postecoglu has left Celtic to take over at Spurs, with talkSPORT reporting earlier this month that the Australian coach would try to sign Furuhashi again this summer amid uncertainty over the future of Harry Kane.

However, Rodgers — who returned to Celtic for a second stint in charge to replace Postecoglu — is planning for next season with Furuhashi in his squad.

“I’ve seen quite a bit of Kyogo,” Rodgers said in the Sunday Times. “If you look through my history: strikers who can penetrate the last line, who can receive and score goals. Think of [Luis] Suarez — he could run in behind. Danny Graham at Swansea was great for me.

“Then at Liverpool, [Daniel] Sturridge and Suarez could run in behind and penetrate. It was the same with [Jamie] Vardy at Leicester. Kyogo is certainly that. It’s a team who can look after the ball and play at fast speed.

“What I see is a team where there are no real big stars. There are some top players — Kyogo, [Reo] Hatate, Jota, these guys — but the star really is the team. It reminds me very much of my Swansea team, how they are really synchronised in how they work and how they play.

“It was a similar sort of idea coming into Swansea [in 2010], they had a decent foundation that we had to build on. I see Celtic as being very similar to that.”

09.00 BST: Chelsea have completed the signing of Jamaica international striker Dujuan Richards, the Premier League club said on Saturday.

The 17-year-old, currently at the Kingston-based Phoenix All Stars Academy, made his senior international debut in March and won his third cap this month in a friendly against Qatar.

At college level, Richards scored 31 goals and made nine assists playing for Kingston College.

Richards was named in Jamaica’s squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and they play their opening Group A match against the United States on Saturday.

Chelsea Football Club have completed the signing of Jamaica international Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, who will join the club next season following his 18th birthday. ✍️

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 24, 2023

PAPER GOSSIP (Adam Brown)

– Fulham‘s Joao Palhinha has been identified as a potential transfer option by Barcelona, writes Sport. The Blaugrana are on the lookout for a defensive midfielder this summer as they search for a replacement for Inter Miami-bound Sergio Busquets, and it is reported that the club’s hierarchy, including sporting director Deco, believe the 27-year-old is a strong fit for the LaLiga champions.

– As talks with Chelsea over a deal for Mason Mount continue to stall, Manchester United are set to switch their focus to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to The Times. The 21-year-old has been attracting plenty of interest after a successful campaign with the Seagulls, who are willing to move him if they receive an offer in the region of £80m. It is reported that the Red Devils will only sign one midfielder, and that an approach for Caicedo could end their interest in Mount.

– Al Nassr are looking at a potential move for Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, according to Foot Mercato. Talks are said to have already been held with the player’s representatives as the Saudi Pro League side look to provide reinforcements to support Cristiano Ronaldo, and Griezmann is reported to have a release clause in his deal worth €20m. The 32-year-old enjoyed the most productive campaign of his career last season, scoring 15 goals while assisting another 16 in 38 LaLiga matches.

– Borussia Dortmund are set to make their opening offer to Ajax for Mexico international midfielder Edson Alvarez, says Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The 25-year-old has emerged as a key target for BVB this summer, and it is reported that they will propose a €40m offer to acquire Alvarez from the Eredivisie side. He contributed to six goals in 31 league games last season, and has also previously been on the radar of Chelsea.

– Amid growing interest in his signature, Manchester City have offered attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva a new contract, reports The Times. Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, as well as clubs in the Saudi Pro League have all recently been linked with interest in the 28-year-old, and the latest indicates that the Citizens are attempting to ward off interest in him with improved terms at the Etihad Stadium. His current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2025.