Transfer Talk: Man City turn to Barcelona's De Jong

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: Man City eye Barcelona’s De Jong

Manchester City are interested in a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong following the end of their pursuit of West Ham United‘s Declan Rice, according to The Sun.

De Jong, 26, has been tipped to leave Camp Nou for some time, turning down an €85 million ($89.7m) move to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United a year ago, but his departure may now be necessary for the LaLiga champions as they look to slash their huge wage bill amid continuing financial issues.

The Netherlands midfielder, who earns a reported €465,000-a-week, is keen to stay at the club. However, the Catalan club would let him go for a fee of over €100m and City boss Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the player and made an unsuccessful attempt to sign him in 2019.

Rice, 24, is nearing a move to Arsenal after the Gunners agreed a deal worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons on Wednesday, sources told ESPN. While there remain minor details to finalise, they are said to be a formality at this stage.

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LIVE BLOG

21.12 BST: How will Dominik Szoboszlai fit into Liverpool’s midfield? The ESPN FC TV crew breaks it down.

20.25 BST: Borussia Dortmund are closing in on the signing of Wolfsburg midfielder Felix Nmecha, Ruhr Nachrichten writes. The 22-year-old once-capped Germany international is seen as the replacement for Jude Bellingham, who left the Westfalenstadion for Real Madrid earlier in the summer.

19.38 BST: An unnamed club in Saudi Arabia have offered Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon a €30m contract, Corriere dello Sport reports. The former Italy and Juventus legend will weigh up the offer, seeing out the final year of his contract at boyhood club Parma, or retiring.

18.51 BST: Roma manager Jose Mourinho has reached out to Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood to discuss joining the Serie A side on loan in 2023-24, according to the Sun. The 21-year-old has been suspended from matches and training since he was charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour in January 2022 — charges that which subsequently dropped in February 2023 – but has a contract at Old Trafford that runs through 2024-25.

18.04 BST: Inter Miami have already announced that Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are coming to the club, and Jordi Alba has been expected to join them for some time. According to Sport, there is another legend of LaLiga who is close to making the move to South Beach: Sergio Ramos.

The former Real Madrid captain’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain expired at the end of June, and while he’s been linked with a return to boyhood club Sevilla, the Catalan publication suggests that he’s keen on a move to MLS with David Beckham’s project in Miami.

17.17 BST: Liverpool have signed midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, the Premier League club announced on Sunday. The 22-year-old Hungary captain arrives at Anfield after sources told ESPN the club triggered the €70m buyout clause in his contract. Read the full story.

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16.30 BST: Man United are spending £55m to land Mason Mount from Chelsea.

15.47 BST: Barcelona look set to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Fenerbahce midfielder Arda Guler, says Mundo Deportivo.

Guler, 18, is considered one of the top young players in Europe and has a release clause of €17.5m, which has seen Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Liverpool all take an interest.

However, sources told ESPN that doubts have emerged over Guler’s prospective transfer because the commission requested to complete the deal would make the fee “significantly” more than €17.5m, which also includes a 20% cut of any future transfer fee for Fenerbahce.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona sporting director Deco has travelled to Turkey in an attempt to get the move over the line.

15.03 BST: AC Milan are ready to rival Barcelona to sign Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda, says Sport.

Fresneda, 18, broke into the first team last season but is available for €20m this summer following Valladolid’s relegation from LaLiga.

Barcelona is reported to be the player’s first choice but Milan will have €70m to spend after the exit of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United, so will be in a stronger financial position than the Spanish side.

14.44 BST: Newcastle are looking to sign Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, says Bild.

Lindstrom, 23, has 12 goals and nine assists from 56 games for the club and the Denmark international’s transfer is valued at around €30m.

14.20 BST: Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta is set to move to Atletico Madrid until 2025.

Azpilicueta, 33, has been allowed to leave for free, despite having a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The Spain full-back will sign a new two-year deal with Atletico next week.

13.55 BST: Man United goalkeeper David de Gea has a lucrative offer to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, says The Sun.

Dea Gea, 32, is now a free agent but is still in talks over a new contract at Old Trafford. Manager Erik ten Hag has said publicly he wants the Spaniard to stay, although the club have been keen to reduce his weekly wage of around £375,000-a-week.

United had the option to extend De Gea’s deal by a year until 2024 but decided against triggering the clause.

A move to Al Nassr would see the goalkeeper reunited with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

13.17 BST: The Daily Star reports that Borussia Dortmund made a loan bid to re-sign winger Jadon Sancho from Man United.

Sancho, 23, moved to United from Dortmund for €85m in 2021 but hasn’t had much of an impact. The England international could leave and Dortmund are keen to bring him back to the club without paying a transfer fee.

However, United are only willing to sanction a permanent exit and are looking for at least €50m.

12.44 BST: Fulham are ready to make a move for USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah, says The Sun.

Musah, 20, looks set to leave Valencia this summer and has been linked with a host of clubs including AC Milan and Arsenal.

Fulham are looking to pull off a coup at around €25m, with Valencia ready to let him go to whoever offers the highest transfer fee.

12.00 BST: Tottenham’s Harry Kane holds the keys to his future.

11.04 BST: Lyon forward Bradley Barcola is on the radar of PSG and Manchester City, according to RMC Sport.

Barcola, 20, bagged five goals and nine assists from his 26 Ligue 1 games last season and particularly impressed in the second half of the campaign.

Excellent for France at the ongoing U21 Euros, he is versatile enough to be able to play across the forward line and could be signed for under €30m.

10.50 BST: Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all want to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, says Calciomercato

Vlahovic, 23, moved to Turin for an initial fee of €70m from Fiorentina in 2022 but has struggled and netted only 14 goals in 42 appearances last season.

Still, the Serbia international has caught the eye of the Premier League trio and Juve are ready to sanction his exit if they get €70m in return.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have also been linked with Vlahovic in the past.

10.19 BST: Liverpool are ready to step up efforts to sign Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Thuram, 22, was left out of Nice’s new kit launch recently as speculation over a move this summer intensifies. A bid of around €60m will reportedly land the France U21 international, but Newcastle are also keeping a close eye on things.

Liverpool have already activated a €70m release clause in the contract of RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, sources have told ESPN.

Szoboszlai, 22, is expected to travel to Liverpool this weekend for a medical, having already agreed personal terms. He will become Liverpool’s second summer signing after Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister arrived for an initial £35m.

Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is also a possible target if the move for Thuram doesn’t work out.

09.46 BST: Manchester United have reportedly made a €35m bid to sign Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund, says Corriere dello Sport.

Hojlund, 20, scored nine goals in 32 games last season and the Denmark international has been likened to Man City star Erling Haaland in style.

Atalanta rejected the bid, with hopes of getting around €50m.

09.00 BST: United States international Christian Pulisic has an agreement in principle on a long-term deal to leave Chelsea and move to Serie A giants AC Milan; however, the clubs have yet to agree on a transfer fee, a source in Italy with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.

Pulisic, 24, is willing to take a substantial pay cut to make the transfer work, the source added, with only minor details still to be worked out before a full agreement on personal terms can be reached.

There remain negotiations on the fee, with Chelsea wanting €25 million ($27.3m) while Milan is thinking more in the €15m-€18m range, the source said.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Abbie Ingham)

– RB Leipzig‘s Dominik Szoboszlai has completed his medical ahead of his move to Liverpool, reports The Athletic. The 22-year-old midfielder, who scored six goals and provided eight assists in 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, will move to Liverpool after sources told ESPN that player’s release clause of €70m was activated. The two clubs were already in contact over a deal for Fabio Carvalho, who has joined the Bundesliga side on a season-long loan.

– Manchester United are set to look at other goalkeeper options after deeming a move for Internazionale‘s Andre Onana too expensive, according to the Mirror. With Mason Mount‘s £55m deal reportedly accounting for almost half of the club’s transfer budget, United are aware that other big-money moves could run against Financial Fair Play restrictions. United’s keeper shortlist to replace David de Gea includes pursuit of Feyenoord‘s Justin Bijlow and Eintracht Frankfurt‘s Kevin Trapp. The Eredivisie side will likely part with Bijlow, 25, for around £20m, whilst the Bundesliga club would accept close to £10m for 32-year-old Trapp.

– West Ham are looking to beat AC Milan in the race to sign South American wonderkid Dario Osorio, reports the Sun. The 19-year-old winger, who plays for Universidad de Chile, has already reportedly declined a transfer to a Brazilian club in an effort to move to Europe. The Hammers are readying a £7.5m offer for the Chile international, whilst the Rossoneri also keen on a sign-and-loan move for the teenager.

– Arsenal are finalising a deal for Ajax‘s Jurrien Timber, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 22-year-old defender is expected to undergo a medical in north London shortly, with negotiations for the Netherlands international’s move to the Emirates reaching their final stages. Sources told ESPN last month that Arsenal offered a fee in the region of £30m but that Ajax wanted £50m.

– Al Nassr have approached Sevilla to sign goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, according to Foot Mercato. The 32-year-old could be set to leave Spain this summer if the LaLiga club receive a good offer. However, it is reported that the Morocco international is not interested in relocating to Saudi Arabia and would need to be convinced to make the move. The Saudi side are looking to offload current No. 1 David Ospina to make room to sign more foreign players this summer.