With the European season now complete, the rumor mill has been sent into overdrive as clubs consider their move ahead of a busy transfer window. Check out the latest gossip below, and all the official deals here.
Top story: Atletico beat De Paul to Liverpool
Atletico Madrid are so confident adding Rodrigo de Paul to their midfield that they are setting up a medical for the Argentine, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Atlético Madrid are already planning medicals for Rodrigo de Paul - deal almost done for €35m to Udinese, just final details to be completed then it’s gonna be signed. Saúl received many approaches and he’s expected to leave Atlético in the next weeks. ⚪️🔴 #Atléti
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 15, 2021
De Paul, 27, has been linked with various clubs including Liverpool and Juventus ahead of the summer transfer window, when Atleti are in constant talks with the Udinese talisman.
While Liverpool will be looking for a midfielder after Georginio Wijnaldum joins Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract, it looks like they are set to miss out on de Paul. Atleti have tied up with Udinese for around €35m, with only a few final details needed before Diego Simeone can be part of the squad.
De Paul has made 36 Serie A appearances for Udinese in this period, scoring a total of nine goals and contributing a further 10 assists.
It is not all incoming for the champions of La Liga, however, Saul Niguez is on his way out of the club, for which he has made over 300 appearances. There have been several top clubs interested in the 26-year-old, who signed a massive nine-year contract in 2017, and is expected to leave Wanda Metropolitano in the coming weeks.
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14.42 BST: Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Argentina's Lionel Messi were friends in Barcelona, but things are different when countries are involved.
14.10 BST: The Guardian says Stuttgart striker Nicolas González is closing in on a £25m move to Brighton.
The 23-year-old Gonzalez has also been the subject of a similar bid from Italian side Fiorentina while he has been linked with Leeds and Tottenham, but the Argentine forward is keen to move to England.
He scored six goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances last season and is playing for Argentina in Brazil's Copa America this summer.
13.36 BST: Reports keep surfacing about Aymeric Laporte's future at Manchester City, with Mundo Deportivo the latest suggesting the defender is looking to move to Barcelona.
Laporte has fallen out of favor with Pep Guardiola in England, with Ruben Dias and John Stones often being preferred over him in the middle of the last four. Mundo Deportivo claims Laporte is unhappy with City and does not understand why he was used so little by Guardiola.
A source close to the player told the Catalan newspaper: "It's a complicated situation: he wants to feel important, but it looks like he's always going to be ahead of someone at City."
The report said there would be interest in the Athletic Bilbao centre-back before returning to Spain, with Barca being the most likely destination. However, the Catalan club's financial situation makes a deal difficult for the time being.
Another defender linked with Barca is Matthias Ginter of Borussia Mönchengladbach, who is worth around €30m. Diario AS, citing reports in Italy, says that Blaugrana could go for them if they manage to move on Samuel Umtiti.
13.13 BST: Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has introduced himself to Barcelona, according to Dario Sport.
The 24-year-old van de Beek joined Manchester United last year from Ajax for an initial £35m. However, the Netherlands international has had a tough few minutes arriving at Old Trafford and is open to a change of scenery this summer.
Meanwhile, Barca are looking for a new midfielder after missing out on Georginio Wijnaldum last week at Paris Saint-Germain.
Therefore, Van de Beek's representatives have put two and two together and have approached Barca about a possible season-long loan to Spain.
Barca, who have also been linked as midfield options along with Napoli's Fabian Ruiz, Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini and Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino, have yet to respond to the offer, but are said to be looking to "differentiate" the player. Looking for "Profile".
12.50 BST: This kind of impact can have on a player like Cristiano Ronaldo...
Ronaldo's removal of two bottles of Coca-Cola at the Euro 2020 news conference slashed the US beverage giant's market value by $4 billion.
While sitting down to speak to the media in Budapest on Monday ahead of his national team's Group F opener against Hungary, the Portugal captain was upset when he saw two bottles of carbonated soft drinks in front of him.
Ronaldo, a supporter of a healthy diet, took the glass bottles out of the camera frame and instead grabbed a bottle of water and said in Portuguese: "Water!"
The stock price of Coca-Cola fell 1.6% to $55.22 shortly after Ronaldo's action. The market cap rose from $242 billion to $238 billion - a decline of $4 billion.
11.43 BST: Arsenal have scored a surprise goal off Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, says The Sun.
Ramsdale, 23, was called into the England squad for Euro 2020 following a hip injury from Dean Henderson, but the former Bournemouth stopper has been valued at around £20m by his club.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a major goalkeeper issue to solve this summer, number 1 Bernd Leno is reportedly eager to return to Germany and no reliable backup after Matt Ryan is back on loan from Brighton .
11.11 BST: Alvaro Morata has some problems for Spain, but he has extended his loan contract from Atletico Madrid for another season at Juventus.
✍️ OFFICIAL | @AlvaroMorata extends his stay at Juventus until 2022! ⚪️⚫️#MoreMorata #ForzaJuve
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 15, 2021
10.50 BST: Manchester United are ready to offer Paul Pogba to Juventus in exchange for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, says Gazzetta dello Sport.
Both players' contracts expire in 2022 and both are reported to be keen to move on from their respective clubs. The Italian newspaper claims United are willing to offer Ronaldo £17m-a-year in wages -- a £10m-a-year drop from his current status.
Former clubs Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid are also monitoring Ronaldo's situation, alongside Inter Miami in MLS, and Juventus reportedly want to land Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus to replace him.
United would likely get some cash as part of the swap, given Pogba is 28 and Ronaldo is 36, but the report doesn't detail what that could be.
10.35 BST: Watford have signed Danny Rose on a free transfer after he left Tottenham. The left-back has penned a two-year contract
.✍ Danny Rose has agreed a move to Vicarage Road, we're delighted to confirm.
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) June 16, 2021
Welcome back to Watford, Danny! 🐝@_AFEX
09.45 BST: Deals that previously cost more than €100m, such as the transfer of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho to Man United, could be done for dramatically less money this summer, and a move to pick up some good players The market is there if you know where to look.
Here are our top summer transfer goals for 2021. Which players are on the shortlist across Europe? Who is still available on free transfer? Who else can bargain because their contract expires?
Including:
- Achraf Hakimi, RB, Inter Milan, €60m
- Bernardo Silva, AM, Manchester City, €70m
- Rafael Varane, CB, Real Madrid, €70m
09.12 BST: Arsenal have made a £12.9m bid for midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga rejected by Anderlecht, sources have told ESPN's James Ole.
The Gunners have been told a £17.2m fee would be enough to land the 21-year-old and talks are on as they look into a better second offer.
Manager Mikel Arteta is keen to strengthen his midfield options this summer, with Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard now in Real Madrid, Granit Xaka in talks to join Roma and several other transfers including Matteo Guandouzzi and Lucas Torreira. are available for.
Sambi Lokonga, who has two years left on his contract, is expected to leave Anderlecht this summer, with other clubs also vying for his signature at Arsenal.
08.30 BST: Achraf Hakimi will leave Inter Milan this summer, while Lautaro Martinez is likely to remain, according to his agent.
Hakimi, 22, is a target of several European clubs after an impressive campaign with Inter Milan. The Moroccan international right-back scored seven goals and set up 11 more in a total of 45 appearances for the Serie A champions.
"Of the two [Hakimi and Lautaro] only one will leave Inter [this summer]," his agent Alejandro Camano told Sky Italia. "Inter have told us they have to sell a player and they have picked. Hakimi is the only player who can leave several European clubs."
Hakimi joined Inter on a permanent transfer from Real Madrid for €40m in September and is under contract with the Nerazzurri until June 2025. Chelsea and PSG have both reportedly made bids to sign him, but Inter want around €80m.
However, Lautaro's future is still to be discussed, with Barcelona eager to sign him. The 23-year-old is competing with Argentina in Copa America and has yet to sign a new contract with Inter, whose current deal expires in June 2023.
"About Lautaro I think Inter are in a strong position because they consider him a champion, a goal scorer. That's why they want him to stay," Camano said. “But the rules of the world are book balance and if they let the looters go it will be for no small fee.
"We have to work out the situation (contract extension) of Lautaro, but nothing is clear. What were the normal prices after the COVID things changed two years ago. We will have to wait and see what the player wants because his opinion is important I think he can become one of the best players in Europe and in the world."
Paper Gossip (by Danny Lewis)
- According to Football Insider, Liverpool have approached FC Salzburg striker Patson Daka and the 22-year-old is keen to join him. Several other Premier League clubs are associated with the Zambia international, and it has been said that a deal would cost around €20m for a man who scored 34 goals in all competitions in this period.
- Lille winger Jonathan Bamba has been linked with various clubs ahead of the summer window, and Le10 Sport has suggested an MLS side is also making a move. The club is not named, although it is said that they have made an offer of €15m, but the 25-year-old is said to have aspirations outside MLS.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who sealed Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary on Tuesday, has agreed personal terms with AS Roma, according to Football Insider. It is suggested he will join Jose Mourinho's side for three years, with the two clubs negotiating a fee and structure for a deal.
- Gazzetta dello Sport expand Lazio's list of winger goals, as they look for someone who can tie up with Ciro Immobile. It is suggested they are looking at Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini, Atalanta's Josip Ilicic, AS Monaco's Steven Jovetic, Benfica's Nuno Tavares, SC Freiburg's Vincenzo Grifo and Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt.
- AC Milan are looking to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajadzik, according to Calciomerkato, the Austrian having scored 16 Bundesliga goals in this period. It is also suggested that they have already met his agents.
According to the Mail, Ashley Young is set to return to Aston Villa 10 years after leaving him to join Manchester United. The Englishman is due to leave the international this summer and has also been linked with Watford and Burnley.