LIVE Transfer Talk: USMNT's Musah nears AC Milan move

The summer transfer window is now open 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: USMNT’s Musah nears Milan move

United States and Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah is close to a move to AC Milan, according to Nicolo Schira.

Musah, 20, is reported to have agreed personal terms with the Rossoneri, having agreed to sign a four-year deal to make the switch from the Estadio Mestalla to San Siro.

Two clubs from the Premier League are believed to have been interested in him, but Musah has made his preference clear of wanting to join the Serie A side. If he completes the move, he’ll join compatriot Christian Pulisic, who signed from Chelsea earlier this month for around €22 million ($25.9m).

Los Che have previously been reported to be looking for a fee in the region of €25m to part ways with Musah, who was a standout performer for the United States at the World Cup in Qatar.

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LIVE BLOG

21.26 BST: Napoli are plotting a move for Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumaré, reports Ekrem Konur. The Foxes are under pressure to move on from several of their stars this summer, following relegation from the Premier League, and the 24-year-old former France youth international is expected to depart the Midlands outfit.

20.53 BST: Manchester City have identified Raphinha as a possible replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who looks increasingly likely to move to Saudi Arabia with Al Ahli, with Barcelona willing to part ways with the Brazil international, according to Foot Mercato. It’s suggested that Raphinha is eager to stay at the Nou Camp, although the Blaugrana will listen to offers for the winger, as the Catalan giants look to raise €60m by the end of August in order to register several players.

20.20 BST: West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell is in discussions with Wolves over a potential move, according to the Daily Mail. The Hammers are said to be open to parting ways with the 33-year-old, as they eye a younger alternative. It is reported that Wolves are hopeful of securing a £2.5m agreement with West Ham for Cresswell, who struggled for consistent minutes last season, starting 10 of the last 19 Premier League games.

19.47 BST: Torino are still keen on AC Milan midfielder Tommaso Pobega, according to Calciomercato. The 24-year-old thrice-capped Italy international featured in just 19 Serie A matches last season, and looks to have fallen further down the pecking order following Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s move to the club.

After Sandro Tonali’s departure for Newcastle United, though, the Italian giants could be reluctant to lose anyone else in their midfield. Pobega has four years remaining on his contract at San Siro, meaning the Rossoneri are under little financial pressure to offload the playmaker.

19.14 BST: Strasbourg are in negotiations with Tottenham for defender Davinson Sanchez, reports Relevo’s Matteo Moretto. The reporting suggests that nothing has yet been agreed by the two clubs, and the French side have also not agreed personal terms, with other clubs also interested in the 27-year-old Colombia international.

18.57 BST: Manchester City have agreed a transfer fee with RB Leipzig that would see centre-back Josko Gvardiol join the Premier League champions, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 21-year-old Croatia international is said to have completed the first part of his medical on Wednesday, and agreed personal terms with City a month ago.

18.41 BST: Tottenham have entered the race for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, reports Football Insider. The report suggests that Chelsea will eye a £40m transfer fee to part ways with the Cobham graduate, who has been identified by the Blues as a player who can depart Stamford Bridge this summer. Alongside Spurs, West Ham are reported to also hold an interest in Gallagher, as the Hammers look to secure a replacement for Declan Rice, following his £100m move to Arsenal.

18.24 BST: Paris Saint-Germain attacker Xavi Simons has joined RB Leipzig on loan for the 2023-24 season, the Bundesliga club announced on Wednesday. The 20-year-old Netherlands international just returned to Parc des Princes, after PSG activated a buy-back clause in Simons’ PSV Eindhoven contract following a 2022-23 season in which he finished as the Eredivisie’s top scorer.

Welcome to Leipzig, Xavi Simons! ✍️✨

The talented attacking midfielder joins us on a season-long loan from @PSG_English 👋 pic.twitter.com/UYUsihnYZS

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) July 19, 2023

18:08 BST: Liverpool are willing to allow midfielder Thiago Alcantara to depart Anfield this summer, according to Football Insider. Because of the 32-year-old’s age and injury concerns, the Merseyside giants will not stand in Thiago’s way if they receive an acceptable bid.

Liverpool are in the midst of a midfield overhaul this summer, following the departure of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner, alongside the imminent exits of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.

17:35 BST: Al Ahli have made a €25m approach for Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin, but the Premier League club are looking for a larger transfer fee, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Magpies are eager to offload the 26-year-old, in order to bring Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes to St. James’ Park, and while the offer from Al Ahli has not met the expectations of the Tyneside club, Romano suggests that negotiations are progressing to “crucial” stages.

17:00 BST: Chelsea are keeping tabs on Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus, reports Ekrem Konur. The 22-year-old Ghana international has been linked with an array of top European clubs this summer, following an impressive 2022-23 campaign in which Kudus netted 18 goals alongside seven assists in all competitions, with Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United all reported to hold an interest. Kudus is under contract with Ajax until 2025, meaning the Dutch outfit can demand a hefty fee for the attacking midfielder.

16.22 BST: Liverpool are interested in signing Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure, says The Athletic.

Doucoure, 23, signed from Lens last summer in a deal worth £26m and did well last season, being named the Palace fans’ player of the season.

The Reds are looking to bolster their midfield but Palace would want a transfer fee of around £50m, given that Southampton would want something similar from clubs to sign Romeo Lavia.

15.47 BST: Jordi Alba is close to joining his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami CF, the MLS club’s co-owner Jorge Mas said Tuesday.

Sources told ESPN that the left-back, 34, was in the final stages of talks with the club.

Meanwhile, the club is trying to reach a deal with a fourth former Barca teammate, Grêmio striker Luis Suárez, as he and the Brazilian side haggle over an exit fee.

15.15 BST: Mauricio Pochettino has told ESPN that he believes he is a better manager since being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019.

Spurs improved immeasurably during his tenure, the apotheosis of which was a 2019 Champions League final appearance (a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool), in addition to top-four finishes in four of the five seasons he was in charge.

A stint at Paris Saint-Germain followed, winning the 2021 Coupe de France before sealing a Ligue 1 title in 2021-22, although insufficient progress in the Champions League cost him his job. The Argentine was linked with a number of clubs including Manchester United and a return to Spurs earlier this year — although sources told ESPN he was never formally approached — before he agreed to a two-year deal to move to Stamford Bridge, with the option of a third year.

“I hope [I’m better now],” he said. “Because it is experience, in the way that we learn things. I think we have more intuition, more capacity to read situations. I think with experience we are improving, the coaching staff.

“Man management, I think in everything. Also, tactics, yes, but that is not the most important thing today in football because the knowledge of tactics you can find from the internet. Today, you can learn. It is more about all the areas that are important.”

Pochettino also may have to win over a section of Chelsea supporters who find it difficult to disassociate him from their bitter London rivals, Tottenham.

“I don’t think in the past,” he said in response to that suggestion. “I am looking forward to see the future. Fans need to trust in us. What I want is to build this confidence and this trust, working hard and of course playing well and winning games. If not, it is impossible to build a good relationship if you don’t play well or win.”

14.00 BST: Inter Miami owner David Beckham has been planning to sign Lionel Messi for a while…

13.12 BST: Atletico Madrid are surprised and angry at Joao Felix after the forward said he would “love to play for Barcelona” as he looks to force a move away from the club, sources have told ESPN.

The Portugal international, 23, is back in preseason training with Atletico after spending the second half of last season away in an unsuccessful loan spell at Chelsea.

“Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barca,” Joao Felix told the journalist Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday. “It was always my dream since I was a kid… If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me.”

Sources close to Atletico told ESPN that Felix had “got everything wrong” in terms of the timing and manner of his comments.

The club had not been aware that the player was planning to speak publicly.

12.41 BST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on the move again, according to ESPN’s Julien Laurens.

The 34-year-old Chelsea striker is set to sign for Marseille on a free transfer. The Blues will release him to get his wages off their books and he will sign a three-year deal to head back to Ligue 1, 10 years after leaving St Etienne.

12.25 BST: Tottenham want a centre-back or two and are close to a £3m deal to sign Blackburn’s Ashley Phillips.

The Athletic claims that the highly rated 18-year-old is set to join Ange Postecoglou’s side but is considered a player for the future and that Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven of Wolfsburg are more immediate first-team options.

Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga look set to leave the club, with England U19 international Phillips reportedly heading out to Thailand for the rest of Tottenham’s pre-season tour.

11.36 BST: Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is set to become the latest target for Saudi Arabia as Al Hilal are preparing a €50m offer, according to Record.

Diaz, 26, moved to Liverpool from FC Porto for €45m in 2022 and has 11 goals in 47 games for the club.

Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus is reported to be a fan of the Colombia international, but with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho already closing in on lucrative transfers to Saudi, Liverpool are unlikely to want to let him go.

11.00 BST: Arsenal spent £100m to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

10.22 BST: Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 side FC Lorient.

Mendy, 29, joined City in 2017 from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for a fee of about £52m, but was subject to a police investigation after 13 women made allegations against him and co-accused Louis Saha Matturie.

He was found not guilty at a retrial on Friday of one count of raping a woman and the attempted rape of another woman. In January, Mendy had been found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Mendy last played for City against Tottenham Hotspur in August 2021 and was suspended by the Premier League club later that month when he was arrested. City released him when his contract expired last month.

10.11 BST: Former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Isco has told Marca that he’s “prioritizing going abroad” in his next move.

Isco left Sevilla last December after just four months at the LaLiga club — claiming on Tuesday that his departure was motivated by an altercation with then sporting director Monchi — before a move to Union Berlin broke down on the last day of the January transfer window.

“I’ve played for Valencia, Malaga, Sevilla, Madrid,” Isco told Marca. I’m excited by the experience of playing in another league, learning a language growing personally outside of Spain… I’m not closing the door to anything.”

Isco also revealed that he was approached by Barcelona earlier in his Real Madrid career.

“[Ex-president Josep Maria] Bartomeu called me,” he said. “And with what Bartomeu was paying at that time… But I was happy at Madrid with my teammates… I wasn’t going to leave Madrid for all the gold in the world.”

09.29 BST: July 31 is the latest “deadline” for Kylian Mbappe‘s future to be decided, according to Marca’s frontpage story on Wednesday, with Paris Saint-Germain insisting on the forward either signing a new contract or leaving the club.

Mbappe has returned to training with PSG this week ahead of their pre-season tour of Japan, with the possibility of a move to Real Madrid — with his current deal set to expire next June — no closer to being resolved.

Club president Nasser Al Khelaifi attended Tuesday’s session, meeting individually with PSG’s new signings — but, according to multiple reports, not Mbappe — and delivering a speech to the squad.

The frontpage headline of Diario AS includes a quote from Al Khelaifi saying that “nobody is bigger than the club” and notes that in a group photo, the PSG president and Mbappe are positioned far apart from each other.

09.04 BST: Manchester United are ready to step up their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani over fears Atalanta will not compromise on their valuation of Rasmus Hojlund, sources have told ESPN.

United have turned their attention to signing a centre forward after wrapping up a deal for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Hojlund is a key target but Atalanta want at least €70m — a valuation that United don’t believe is a fair reflection for the 20-year-old who is at the beginning of his career.

The Denmark international scored nine goals in 32 games in Serie A last season and has not yet hit 100 senior appearances since making his debut for Copenhagen during the 2020-21 campaign.

Sources have told ESPN that United will test Atalanta’s resolve with a bid but the club are also working on a potential move for Kolo Muani.

08.30 BST: Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed he expects Romelu Lukaku to leave Chelsea this summer and says the club are targeting a central midfielder but may also look to sign a centre-back following Wesley Fofana‘s serious injury setback.

In his first exclusive interview since becoming Blues boss on July 1, Pochettino sat down with ESPN to discuss the work Chelsea have left to do in the transfer market.

Lukaku was not part of the 29-man squad which travelled to North Carolina on Monday for five pre-season games in the United States starting with a friendly against Wrexham on Wednesday.

Juventus and Inter Milan are interested in signing Lukaku and although he has so far resisted interest from the Middle East to join the Saudi Pro League, Pochettino stated that the striker sees his future elsewhere following talks with the club.

Asked by ESPN if Lukaku was going to leave Chelsea, Pochettino said: “I think it is obvious. I think we can repeat this.

“It is obvious what is going on with him. I think in between the club and the player, they share the same similar ideas and we are working on that to try to fix it and have the best solution for both parties.”

08.15 BST: Brighton have rejected a second offer from Chelsea for midfielder Moises Caicedo worth £70m, sources told ESPN.

Chelsea had an opening offer of £60m rejected last month but returned with an improved figure as head coach Mauricio Pochettino seeks to bolster his midfield options following the departures of Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City and N’Golo Kante to Al Ittihad.

Although their latest proposal has been turned down, Chelsea are expected to continue their pursuit of Calcedo, who is valued by Brighton at £100m.

Caicedo, 21, has joined up with Brighton in the United States for their preseason tour, and the club are in a strong negotiating position given he signed a new contract in March that runs to the end of the 2026-27 season.

08.00 BST: Barcelona have signed midfielder Oriol Romeu from Girona, the club announced on Wednesday, in a deal that sees midfielder Pablo Torre, 20, move in the other direction on a season-long loan.

Romeu, 31, becomes Barca’s fourth arrival of the summer following Ilkay Gundogan, Inigo Martinez and Vitor Roque, although the latter will not join until 2024.

PAPER GOSSIP (Adam Brown)

– Atletico Madrid consider signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti to be a priority option, reports Gazzetta dello Sport. PSG are willing to listen to offers for the 30-year-old but are reportedly looking for a transfer fee of at least €80m before they would agree to let him go. The Italy playmaker is also attracting interest from both Liverpool and Chelsea.

– Bayern Munich are open to moving Joshua Kimmich on this summer, according to Kicker. The 28-year-old, who has been linked with Barcelona, was previously considered to be untouchable by the Allianz Arena hierarchy, but they would now be open to parting ways with him if they received a “lucrative” offer. He made 33 league appearances last season.

– An agreement is getting closer between Newcastle United and Leicester City as talks continue over winger Harvey Barnes, reports CBS journalist Ben Jacobs. It is reported that the two clubs are discussing a fee in excess of £35m, with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe keen to land the Foxes star this summer.

– Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Xavi Simons is set to join RB Leipzig, reports Fabrizio Romano. The 20-year-old, who returned to the Parc des Princes for a €12m buyback clause from PSV Eindhoven this summer, will join the Bundesliga club until the end of the season, though the deal doesn’t include an option that would allow him to join them permanently. He was a standout performer for PSV last season, contributing to 27 goals in 34 Eredivisie games.

– Fulham have issued a hands-off warning to West Ham United regarding defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, writes Football Insider. The Hammers have been looking to negotiate a way to sign him, but after the Cottagers turned down a £45m offer, it looks as though they have no plans to move the 28-year-old Portugal international on, with four years still remaining on his contract.