LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United start talks for Fiorentina's Amrabat

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: United keeping tabs on Amrabat

Manchester United are closely monitoring Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to Florian Plettenberg.

There has been plenty of discussion around the 26-year-old’s future as his contract with La Viola ends in the summer of 2024, and that talk intensified after his impressive contributions to Morocco‘s historic World Cup campaign.

The Red Devils are now looking at Amrabat, who helped Fiorentina reach the Conference League and Coppa Italia finals this season, after already strengthening their midfield with the addition of Mason Mount from Chelsea.

Negotiations are not advanced at this stage, but Plettenberg said that talks have taken place and Man United remain interested.

This could become a hot topic for the Red Devils later in this window, likely due to the club largely focusing on bringing a goalkeeper to Old Trafford following David de Gea‘s departure after the culmination of his contract, while also looking for a striker.

Amrabat is also reported to be on the list of players Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are monitoring, but there has been nothing concrete at this stage.

Like United, the Bavarians also have priorities elsewhere, and their search for a striker has been widely reported, with Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane the main player being discussed at this time, while Eintracht Frankfurt‘s Randal Kolo Muani has also been linked.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

LIVE BLOG

15.29 BST: Christian Pulisic is closing in on a move from Chelsea to AC Milan with the United States forward due to undergo a medical at the Italian club within the next 24 hours, sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden.

The 24-year-old, who joined Chelsea in a £57.6m ($74.3m) transfer from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019, has been told he has no future at Stamford Bridge by new manager Mauricio Pochettino after suffering a number of injuries during his last two seasons at the club.

Premier League rivals Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal all declined the chance to sign Pulisic this summer having been approached about his availability in recent months, but Milan have now beaten competition from Juventus, Lyon and Galatasaray to sign the player after moving closer to Chelsea’s £20m valuation over the weekend.

Sources have told ESPN that a deal between Chelsea and Milan is close to being completed after the Premier League team gave the green light for Pulisic to undergo a medical.

Chelsea had initially wanted to raise close to £50m by offloading Pulisic, who scored 26 goals in 145 appearances for the club since arriving from Dortmund four years ago. But the lack of interest from within the Premier League had left the player with options in Italy, France and Turkey, prompting Chelsea to reduce their valuation of the forward.

14.47 BST: Arsenal’s pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is in the closing stages, according to Sky Sports.

West Ham are wating for the Gunners’ lawyers to approve the final wording of the contracts before they can be signed, sealing the England international’s transfer.

Sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson last month that Arsenal’s third bid of £100m plus £5m in add-ons was accepted by West Ham, leading to Premier League champions Manchester City to pull out of the race.

The North London club have agreed personal terms with Rice, who is still on a postseason break but is expected to join up with the club’s preseason training camp in Germany later this week.

– O’Hanlon: Why Arsenal are betting big on Havertz, Rice for next season (E+)

14.04 BST: Marca names four key dates that could decide the future of Kylian Mbappe in one of their front-page stories on Tuesday morning, claiming that the saga should be concluded one way or the other this month.

The first is Monday July 17, when Mbappe is due to return to training with Paris Saint-Germain after his summer holidays.

The next is July 22, when PSG are due to embark on a pre-season tour of Japan, followed by July 25, when the French champions will play a friendly in Osaka.

The most important date, according to the newspaper, is July 31, which is the deadline PSG have set for Mbappe to either agree a contract renewal or confirm his departure this summer.

13.25 BST: Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres is set to complete his transfer to Aston Villa later today. Marca reports.

The Spain international travelled to Birmingham on Tuesday and will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with Villa after Villarreal accepted a transfer fee of €33m, plus €5m in add-ons.

Torres, 26, had one year left to run on his contract at his boyhood club Villarreal and turned down a contract extension.

At Villa, Torres will be reunited with former Villarreal coach Unai Emery.

12.51 BST: Tottenham have completed the signing of winger Manor Solomon on a free transfer.

The 23-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Fulham, has agreed a five-year deal with the Premier League side.

Solomon has been a free agent since his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk was suspended when FIFA amended Annex 7 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The regulation change allowed foreign nationals employed in either country to unilaterally suspend their contracts if they wished to leave the region.

FIFA recently announced that Annex 7 would be extended through to the summer of 2024, allowing Solomon, who still had five months left to run on his Shakhtar contract, to move to a new club.

Last month, Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin told ESPN’s James Olley that the club had threatened to sue Tottenham if they tried to sign Solomon on a free transfer.

Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, @ManorSolomon! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/PuJZKY0lQC

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 11, 2023

12.37 BST: New signing Arda Guler won’t be leaving Real Madrid on loan this season, Cadena SER reports, despite interest in the player from a host of teams including Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad and Ajax.

Those four clubs were all keen on Guler, 18, last season before Madrid made their move to land the attacking midfielder from Fenerbahce this month.

Guler has said that he does not want to spend time on loan away from the Bernabeu, preferring to fight for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s first team plans.

12.01 BST: Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis does not expect in-demand Victor Osimhen to leave the club this summer.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have monitored the Nigeria forward after his impressive season in which he scored 26 goals in 32 league games to help Napoli win the Serie A title.

“Will Osimhen wear this jersey? Absolutely yes,” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis told Sky. “If a more than indecent offer should arrive, then we’ll deal with it.”

Osimhen, 24, has a contract with Napoli until June 2025. Napoli are in talks to extend that deal and will increase his wages while also adding a hefty release clause.

11.25 BST: Chelsea right-back Reece James wants to remain at the club and wear the captain’s armband, according to the England international’s father.

Earlier this summer AS reported that James, 23, was one of Real Madrid’s summer transfer targets. However, his father Nigel insists a move to the Bernabeu is not on the cards.

“Reece is a top player so I’m sure most clubs would want to sign him but right now I don’t see anything changing,” Nigel James told “The Beautiful Game” podcast. He is a Chelsea player and unless Chelsea wants to sell him, it’s like anything.

“If a club does not want to work with you anymore and for some reason they want to get rid of you then you go. If they want you … he’s been there since six years of age, his ambition is to wear the armband and captain the side and it broke his heart the season we have had just gone.”

New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is yet to appoint a new club captain following the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta.

🚨Exclusive: Nigel James admits that his son Reece James wants to become the Chelsea captain🚨

“His ambition is to wear the armband and captain the side. Last season broke his heart💔”

Full podcast – https://t.co/gE38L6Q8Im pic.twitter.com/1b3o4bxtjf

— The Beautiful Game Podcast (@Podcast_TBG) July 10, 2023

10.52 BST: Wolves are close to re-signing full-back Matt Doherty, TEAMtalk reports, after he struggled to make an impact at Atletico Madrid last season.

Doherty, 31, left Tottenham for Atletico on a free transfer last January but barely featured for Diego Simeone’s team, making just two substitute appearances in LaLiga.

The Republic of Ireland international has been in conversations with a number of clubs but is prioritising a return to Molineux, where he thrived for a decade before leaving in 2020.

10.15 BST: Union Berlin have announced the signing of Chelsea forward David Datro Fofana on a season-long loan.

Chelsea signed Fofana, 20, on a six-year contract from Norwegian club Molde in January for a reported fee of £10.93m.

Since then he has made just three Premier League appearances for the Blues, including one start, after contributing 15 goals and five assists in 24 matches for Molde in the first half of the 2022-23 season.

#BienvenueDavid 🤙🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/cMtGm6zIIX

— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) July 11, 2023

09.48 BST: Al Nassr coach Luis Castro says FC Porto attacking midfielder Otavio is among the many players that his club are looking at in this transfer window.

Otavio is under contract with Porto until June 2025. The 28-year-old has been strongly linked with the Saudi Pro League club, where his fellow Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo plays.

“Is Otavio [deal] is on the table? There are many players, it’s not just Otavio,” Castro said. “If I have to talk about one, I have to talk about all the others. I won’t do it; I’ll just say that there are many players with possibilities to fill several positions that Al Nassr needs at the moment.”

09.11 BST: Barcelona winger Alex Collado will join Real Betis this summer as a free agent, Mundo Deportivo reports.

Collado, who made 15 league appearances while on loan at Elche last season, had one year left on his contract with Barca but has reached an agreement to terminate his contract.

The 24-year-old Spaniard will put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Betis. Barca will keep a percentage of a future transfer.

08.36 BST: Ashley Young is set to undergo a medical at Everton after agreeing a deal to move to Goodison Park as a free agent, BBC Sport reports.

Young, 37, spent nine seasons at Manchester United and won the Serie A title at Inter Milan before returning to former club Aston Villa in 2021.

His contract at Villa Park has now expired after making 57 appearances in two seasons, and he has spoken to Premier League clubs over a free transfer this summer.

Newly promoted Luton Town also held talks with the former England international, but he is now set to become Sean Dyche’s first signing as Everton manager.

08.00 BST: Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou said he wants Harry Kane to stay at the club, but admitted he has not received “any assurances” about the player’s future amid reports of interest from Bayern Munich in the striker.

Sources have told ESPN’s Mark Ogden that Kane, who is entering the final year of his Tottenham contract, has been told that he is unavailable for transfer this summer and there are no plans by the club to offload their record scorer. The Daily Telegraph reports that Spurs have offered the England captain a new deal worth up to £400,000 a week to stay at the club,

Postecoglou, speaking Monday in his first news conference since being appointed as manager of the north London club, said: “I don’t think it’s my role to sit there and treat people in a manner because of their circumstances. I treat everyone the same.

“Harry is already an important figure in the history of this football club. He’s one of the premier players in the world. I want him here and I want to make this club successful. I’m certain he wants that as well.”

Kane is expected back at the club for preseason training on Wednesday and Postecoglou said he is keen to speak to the forward.

“It’s not going to be a conversation where we come out with some kind of understanding,” Postecoglou said. “I just want to introduce myself and I want to know what he wants to happen to make this football club successful then we’ll go out there on the training ground and make it happen.

“I haven’t had any assurances and I wouldn’t expect any. With these type of situations you’re never dealing with certainties. I can only go with what I know right now. Harry is part of the squad and looking forward to being back and part of the players.”

PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)

– Borussia Monchengladbach are considering a move for FC Cincinnati and United States striker Brandon Vazquez, reports Florian Plettenberg, who adds that talks are ongoing but difficult. Any deal would be worth around €8 million to €10 million, with Gladbach director of sport Roland Virkus having watched the 24-year-old for a long time now.

– Liverpool and Newcastle United are both looking at Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport, with the Bianconeri waiting for proposals and wanting at least €50m for the 25-year-old. However, the Reds will make a move only if Mohamed Salah leaves, while the Magpies are prioritising Leicester City‘s Harvey Barnes. Newcastle would then look at Chiesa if Allan Saint-Maximin departs the club.

– Napoli are keen to bring in AZ Alkmaar winger Jesper Karlsson after holding a long-term interest in the 24-year-old, according to Sky Sports Italia, which adds that a move would become even more likely if Hirving Lozano or any other winger left. Lazio are also interested but haven’t had serious discussions with the Eredivisie club.

– Tottenham still consider Bayer Leverkusen‘s Edmond Tapsoba as their top centre-back option but haven’t yet made an official offer for the 24-year-old, according to Fabrizio Romano. The transfer specialist adds that talks will continue for both him and Wolfsburg‘s Mickey van de Ven.

– Fulham and West Ham United are both looking at Manchester City‘s Taylor Harwood-Bellis, reports The Daily Mail, with the centre-back fresh from captaining England to victory in the U21 Euros. Having spent last season on loan at Burnley, the 21-year-old has one year left on his contract and City want around £15m for him.

– Alex Collado will leave Barcelona to join Real Betis on a four-year contract with the option for another year, reports Mundo Deportivo. The 24-year-old winger’s arrival will not yet be made official because Betis are waiting announce other signings, including Hector Bellerin, Marc Roca and Marc Bartra.