Transfer Talk: Arsenal jump past Chelsea in race to sign Caicedo

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: Arsenal move ahead of Chelsea in race to land Caicedo

Arsenal are favourites to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer, despite interest from rivals Chelsea, reports Football Insider.

The Ecuador international has enjoyed an impressive season on the south coast and has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs in the process. Arsenal were strongly linked with a £70 million deal to sign the 21-year-old in January; however, a move never materialised and Caicedo proceeded to sign a new contract with Brighton that runs until 2027.

Despite the new deal, the report reveals that Brighton are resigned to losing their star midfielder, although they will still demand a hefty fee of between £70m-£80m to part ways with Caicedo. While Chelsea are also believed to be interested, the Blues’ heavy spending over the last year means they are unlikely to sign the midfielder as they look to cut costs this summer.

The lure of Champions League football has put Arsenal in the driving seat to secure the signature of Caicedo, following Chelsea‘s lacklustre season where they will be without any European football next season. And, alongside Caicedo, Arsenal have been linked with West Ham’s £100m-rated star Declan Rice.

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21.49 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, but The Daily Mail are reporting that the valuation of a deal could prove to be an issue. Spurs feel that £20m is enough considering the Spaniard is entering the final year of his contract, while the Bees are asking for £40m. Chelsea also admire Raya, but he would prefer to join Spurs with Hugo Lloris considering an offer from Al Hilal.

21.30 BST: Aston Villa are monitoring the situation of Manchester United’s Anthony Martial and Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan at Internazionale, according to Ekrem Konur. There have been reported doubts about the future of both forwards at their current clubs.

21.10 BST: Napoli have made contact with Santos regarding 20-year-old forward Marcos Leonardo, reports Calciomercato, who add that Roma hold a greater interest. Lazio have also come forward in recent days, with the Brazilian having scored a brace in his nation’s 3-2 defeat against Italy in the U20 World Cup. He has a release clause of €100m, but there could be the possibility to negotiate a deal.

20.55 BST: Brentford will be keeping an eye on Coventry City’s play-off final against Luton Town, as they are hoping to sign striker Viktor Gyokeres, reports The Daily Mail, with the 24-year-old’s valuation around £25m. Even with Everton, West Ham United and Leeds United showing an interest in the Sweden international, the Bees currently have the most conviction to agree on a deal.

20.15 BST: RB Leipzig will not make Abdou Diallo’s loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain permanent, reports Kicker, who add that the defender is seen as reliable but too injury prone. The 27-year-old has only managed eight Bundesliga appearances so far this season.

19.44 BST: West Ham United are among the clubs looking at signing right-back Bryan Reynolds from Roma, reports Tom Bogert, with the American impressing on loan at Westerlo, who have already seen an offer rejected. Championship clubs have also expressed an interest in the 21-year-old USMNT international.

18.56 BST: Adding to the conversation about Nottingham Forest’s goalkeeper plans, Calciomercato have suggested that the Premier League club have requested to discover more about the situation of Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. It is certain that either the 25-year-old or Alessio Cragno will not be at Monza next season.

18.19 BST: Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers scouts are all monitoring Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra, according to Ekrem Konur. Crystal Palace, Leicester City, West Ham United and Manchester United have also been linked with the 19-year-old.

17.24 BST: Manchester City are set to reach an agreement with full-back Rico Lewis for a new long-term deal, according to Fabrizio Romano. Talks with the 18-year-old are said to have been advanced for months, with the final details now being settled.

16.20 BST: Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, says Sport.

Neves, 26, is set to leave the Premier League side and head to Camp Nou. The report claims Barca are ready to let winger Ansu Fati move to Wolves, but they would require a €30m fee and Portugal international Neves included in the transfer.

Neves’ agent Jorge Mendes has struck an agreement, though Ansu Fati is apparently less keen on the idea of heading to England, so nothing is sealed yet.

15.41 BST: Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi could leave the club this summer, with Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal and Tottenham keen, according to The Daily Mail.

Guehi, 22, has impressed at Palace and the England international is valued at around £50m.

That transfer fee may prove to be too high but his contract doesn’t expire until 2026, so Palace hold all the cards.

15.05 BST: Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has said Lionel Messi‘s possible return to the Catalan club this summer mostly depends on the Argentina forward’s intentions.

Messi is out of contract with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with sources telling ESPN he will part ways with the French club when his deal expires.

There is interest in Messi from clubs in the Saudi Arabia and the United States, but Barca remain hopeful of bringing him back despite the longstanding financial problems that caused his exit in 2021.

“It’s up in the air,” Xavi said in a news conference on Monday when asked for an update on Barca’s chances of signing Messi. “It depends on many things. There is not much more I can say. Leo is a spectacular footballer. He is a friend. From there, it depends on many things, but above all on his intentions and what he wants.”

14.35 BST: Manchester City will let USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen leave in the summer, after his loan spell at Middlesbrough ends, says The Sun.

Steffen, 28, joined City from MLS side Columbus Crew in 2019 but has played backup to Ederson and spent time on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf and Boro.

The goalkeeper has attracted interest from Germany, with a permanent exit most likely ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

14.03 BST: The Athletic says that Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus is set to leave the club in the summer.

Kudus, 22, has scored 18 goals in 41 games this season and his contract with the club expires in 2025.

The Ghana international could move on — with Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United all tracking him — if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

13.39 BST: Manchester United owners the Glazer family are considering delaying a decision about whether to sell the club until after the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.

INEOS, led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim have lodged bids to buy United with merchant bank Raine Group.

The Glazers are also considering offers of minority investment from a number of U.S.-based investment groups.

The club’s American owners announced in November that they were looking into “strategic alternatives,” including a full sale or accepting outside investment.

Staff were told in March to expect “clarity” on the ownership situation by the end of the campaign at the latest but sources have told ESPN that there are now concerns the Glazers are delaying a decision until after the end of the season.

12.30 BST: Casemiro has been a great signing for Man United.

11.33 BST: Manchester United will target Barcelona duo Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong this summer as they look to strengthen following their likely return to the Champions League, according to El Pais.

United need just one point from their last two games to book their place back in Europe’s premier competition in Erik ten Hag’s first season as coach.

Once qualification to the Champions League is guaranteed, United will turn their attention to the summer transfer window, with reportedly as much as €500m to be made available for signings.

Ten Hag, the report claims, will make a renewed attempt to sign Dutch midfielder De Jong, who turned down the chance to join United last summer to remain at Barca, where he has just celebrated his first LaLiga title with the club.

However, with Champions League football to offer, Ten Hag will have another go at bringing in the former Ajax man, while also making a move for Araujo.

The Uruguay defender has been one of the stars of Barca’s season but his new contract, signing in 2022, has still not been registered with LaLiga because the Catalan club are in excess of their league-imposed spending limit.

10.49 BST: Signing Lionel Messi this summer will increase Barcelona’s annual revenue by as much as €230m, according to Sport.

The Catalan newspaper claims it has seen an internal report which predicts bringing Messi back to Barca will effectively pay for itself.

Barca estimate they will bring in an additional €150m from sponsors if Messi re-joins when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of June.

In addition, they also hope to raise an extra €80m in ticketing, even though they will be playing at the 50,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Montjuic next season as Spotify Camp Nou undergoes a revamp.

Messi, 35, is expected to leave PSG this summer, with Barca competing with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the United States for his signing.

Barca’s main hurdle is affording any prospective deal as they are currently hamstrung by LaLiga’s financial regulations when it comes to registering new contracts and making any signings this summer. However, the internal economic study on the possible effects of bringing Messi back lead to optimism at the club.

10.14 BST: He has been linked with Liverpool, but Chelsea are targeting Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, says Record.

Ugarte, 22, has impressed in Portugal and his aggressive style has caught the eye of scouts from Stamford Bridge.

The Uruguay international reportedly has a €60m release clause in his contract, with Sporting ready to let him go for the right transfer fee.

09.29 BST: Nottingham Forest are safe, which is a relief to them given their lucrative transfer window spending.

Ahead of next season, the Daily Telegraph reports that they want to seal a permanent deal for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Henderson, 26, has been on loan at the club but suffered an injury that kept him out of action for the second half of the season and Forest signed Keylor Navas on loan from Paris Saint-Germain to replace him.

The England international’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain, with David De Gea still No. 1.

08.37 BST: Udinese sporting director Pierpaolo Marino has denied reports that his club has received an offer from Napoli for Beto.

Beto, 25, is under contract with Udinese until June 2026. The Portuguese striker has scored 10 goals in 31 league appearances for Udinese and has attracted the attention of the Serie A champions.

“We haven’t received any offer for Beto,” Marino said. However, he confirmed that Beto could leave this summer if his €25m release clause is met.

08.00 BST: Chelsea have made Dusan Vlahovic their No. 1 target for the summer, and have placed an €80m offer to sign the Juventus striker, sources told ESPN.

Vlahovic, 23, is under contract with Juve until June 2026. But the club will only consider placing the Serbia forward on the transfer list for a larger fee comes along, Sky Italia reports.

Since joining Juve from Fiorentina in January 2022 in an €70m transfer, Vlahovic has not lived up to expectations and could leave the club this summer. Bayern Munich are among the clubs that have expressed interest in signing Vlahovic, with Juve expecting to receive an offer from the German giants in the coming weeks.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Rajan Hothi)

– AC Milan are hopeful of landing midfielder Daichi Kamada this summer, per Calciomercato. The Eintracht Frankfurt playmaker will depart the Bundesliga outfit on a free transfer at the end of the season and, despite being linked with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, Milan look to lead the race for the 26-year-old. The Japan international has netted 16 goals, alongside six assists, across all competitions this season, becoming one of the most sought-after free agents in the process.

– Ansu Fati wants to stay at Barcelona, however, the Spanish giants are not opposed to parting ways with the winger, according to Mundo Deportivo. The 20-year-old has featured 48 times in all competitions this season, scoring seven times. It is believed the club will have to offload a number of players in the summer as they look to trim their wage bill to ensure they comply with LaLiga‘s Financial Fair Play regulations, with Fati potentially being sacrificed. Wolves have been linked with the forward, although it is not known whether he is convinced by the potential switch.

– Aston Villa and Wolves lead the race for Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra, report the Sun. The 19-year-old has impressed in Ligue 1 this season and has reportedly garnered interest from the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs. The report suggests that Villa and Wolves currently head the chase to sign Diarra, however, Strasbourg will demand a sizeable fee for the youngster.

– Forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay are expected to depart Everton in the summer, per the Sun. The pair have struggled for the relegation-threatened Toffees, netting a combined three goals with injuries in particular, proving a problem for Calvert-Lewin, who has made just 16 Premier League appearances this season. The report indicates that Tom Cannon, who impressed on loan at Championship side Preston in the second half of the season, could become the lead striker at the club if the pair were to leave Goodison Park in the summer.

– Brighton have joined Manchester United in the race for midfielder Davide Frattesi, according to Football Insider. The 23-year-old featured in every Serie A fixture for Sassuolo this season, netting seven goals, leading to interest from the Premier League. With Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister set to depart Brighton in the summer, manager Roberto De Zerbi is in the market for midfield reinforcements, and the report suggests the south coast club will challenge Manchester United for the signature of Frattesi.