Transfer Talk: Chelsea mull move for Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane

The transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer 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: Chelsea mull move for Bayern’s Sadio Mane

Chelsea are considering an offer for Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane, according to Football Insider.

The Premier League side are said to be keen for an experienced forward this summer while complying with financial fair play regulations. Mane, 31, looks to be one of the names on the Blues’ short list if they can tempt him away from the Allianz Arena.

The Senegal international was suspended earlier this month following an altercation with Bayern teammate Leroy Sane, and it is said that the Bundesliga champions could be willing to part ways with Mane if they can recoup the majority of the £35 million transfer fee they paid Liverpool for his signature last summer.

Mane, who has suffered a downturn in form since the turn of the year, scored his first Bundesliga goal of 2023 during the 5-1 victory over Mainz on Saturday.

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LIVE BLOG

15.51 BST: Chelsea could make moves for not one but two Brentford players this summer, according to football.london.

Frank Lampard’s side lost 2-0 to the Bees on Wednesday night, with David Raya keeping a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge. The goalkeeper is one of the principal names on the list of summer targets for Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was considered as a potential signing last summer, only for Chelsea to opt to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang instead. However, the 27-year-old could be back in their sights when the transfer window re-opens.

14.49 BST: Rafael Leao is not interested in potential moves to Real Madrid or Chelsea and is instead focused on renewing his AC Milan contract, Gazzetta Dello Sport reports.

Leao, 23, is out of contract at the end of next season, and has been linked with many of Europe’s top clubs after helping the Rossoneri win the Serie A title last term and reach the semifinals of this season’s Champions League.

One complication in the negotiations is the amount of compensation due to the Portugal international’s boyhood club, Sporting CP, but Gazzetta reports that all sides are optimistic that a deal can be agreed.

13.58 BST: As Mauricio Pochettino moves closer to becoming Chelsea’s new permanent manager, is he really the right man to club the club around?

13.10 BST: New York City FC’s on-loan striker Valentin “Taty” Castellanos is available for €15m ($16.6m) this summer, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

Castellanos is on loan at LaLiga’s Girona and scored four times in their stunning 4-2 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).

Sources have told ESPN that the 24-year-old will be allowed to leave permanently if his valuation is met.

Castellanos has scored 11 goals in LaLiga this season and in 2021 hit 19 goals for New York City FC to win MLS’ Golden Boot award. He added three more goals in the playoffs that year to help NYCFC lift their first MLS Cup title.

12.23 BST: FC Cincinnati forward Brenner has finalized a transfer to Italian Serie A side Udinese, both clubs announced on Wednesday.

While terms of the deal weren’t announced, sources tell ESPN that the transfer fee is $10 million, plus undisclosed incentives and a sell-on percentage.

Cincinnati said only that the deal was for a “club-record, multi-million-dollar transfer fee.”

Brenner’s former club Sao Paulo was due 20% of the net profit of any future transfer, but since Cincinnati is taking a loss on the original $13m transfer fee it paid Sao Paulo back in 2021, no additional fee from that aspect of the transfer will be paid back to the Brazilian club.

Sao Paulo will get a solidarity payment of at most $400,000 since Brenner came up through their youth system.

11.35 BST: Barcelona forward Raphinha‘s future could be key to the club finding a way to facilitate Lionel Messi‘s return, AS reports.

Brazil international Raphinha has scored nine goals and registered 10 assists since arriving from Leeds United last summer, and the club’s public position is that he is not available for transfer.

However, with clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle interested in bringing the 26-year-old back to the Premier League and willing to pay a similar transfer fee to the €60m Barca paid last year, the LaLiga leaders could be tempted to let him go.

That would make space both within the squad and on the wage bill to bring back Messi, two years after he left on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain.

10.47 BST: Luka Modric will continue next season at Real Madrid, according to Diario AS.

Modric, 37, is due to become a free agent this summer when his latest one-year contract expires. The Croatia midfielder recently met with Florentino Perez to express his desire to continue playing for Los Blancos next season, much to the delight of the Real Madrid president.

Modric has a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian club but he told Perez that his priority is to remain at the Bernabeu.

Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has made 480 appearances for the club. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has scored six goals and set up six more in 44 games across all competitions this season.

10.02 BST: New interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason has said he feels he is “ready” to take the job on a permanent basis following Cristian Stellini’s sacking.

Mason, 31, replaced Stellini as interim coach on Monday, hours after the Italian was sacked following Spurs’ 6-1 humiliation against Newcastle on Sunday. This is Mason’s second spell as temporary boss of Spurs, previously stepping into the role April 2021.

The club have been without a permanent manager since Antonio Conte’s departure on March 26, however Mason said he is ready to takeover should the club’s board be interested in that option.

“Obviously I’m ready and if that situation happens it obviously means I have done a good job,” Mason told a news conference on Wednesday. “But that is obviously in the future of four five six weeks’ time, the immediate thought is the game on Thursday and the game on Sunday.

“We have big weeks before anyone in here can start to think of that situation.

“I have been coaching six years, which I think is a long time … You have to be ready and I am ready. I don’t doubt that. It’s just business. We’ve got a really, really big game Thursday and another one on Sunday. The focus on my behalf and the group is just to prepare for that.”

09.18 BST: Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu will join Atletico Madrid as a free agent this summer, Mundo Deportivo reports.

The 26-year-old has not renewed his contract with Leicester, which expires in June. Despite interest from Newcastle United and Liverpool in the winter transfer window, Soyuncu decided to see out his contract with Leicester and reach a preliminary agreement with Atletico.

The Turkey international, a long-term target of Atletico, has agreed a four-year contract with the Rojiblancos.

08.30 BST: Erik ten Hag has talked up Harry Kane‘s qualities ahead of Manchester United’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening but has refused to get involved in talk that the England striker could move to Old Trafford in the summer.

United are looking for a striker ahead of the transfer window and Kane is nearing the final year of his contract at Spurs.

“I am preparing my team for a game against Spurs,” Ten Hag told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “He is one of the players that we have to face from Spurs, so I don’t think about anything else.

“The number of goals, and also his key actions [that] come to a goal, final passes as well, he is just a great player, great personality as well.”

Sources have told ESPN that signing a top-level striker is United’s priority this summer, although there is some reluctance at Old Trafford to enter into negotiations with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

“I think we need to strengthen the team and more positions, also the depth in the squad,” Ten Hag said. “But don’t think about that in this moment.”

PAPER GOSSIP

– Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata has emerged as a potential target for AC Milan, writes Gazzetta dello Sport. The Rossoneri are keen to land a striker in the summer amid uncertainty over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Morata’s previous experience in Serie A makes him a strong option. The 30-year-old has scored 11 goals in 31 LaLiga appearances this season.

– Villarreal are keen to sign midfielder Dani Parejo to a new contract, reports Relevo. The 34-year-old is set to become a free agent in the summer, and the LaLiga side are determined to keep him. He has played a key role for the Yellow Submarine this season, having made 30 appearances in the league.

– Premier League clubs are set to join the race for Lens centre-back Kevin Danso, reveals Fabrizio Romano. The 24-year-old has captured the attention of teams across Europe with his performances in Ligue 1 as well as with the Austria national team this season, and talks have already taken place over a potential move to England’s top flight. He has also been linked with Serie A and LaLiga.

– Fulham are considering offering winger Willian a new contract, writes UOL. The Craven Cottage hierarchy have already begun discussions over a two-year extension. He has been in promising form since returning to the Premier League after a spell with Corinthians, having contributed to six goals in 22 league matches for Marco Silva’s side.

– The representatives of Arsenal‘s Reiss Nelson have offered him to AC Milan, says Calciomercato. The 23-year-old is out of contract at the Emirates Stadium in the summer and despite ongoing talks over a new deal, he is considering a move. The Rossoneri would be willing to make the English winger one of their non-EU players if they can acquire him on a free transfer.