Transfer rumours: Al Hilal submit a £259m bid for Kylian Mbappe
Manchester United could be given the green light to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this summer as the Italian club are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Almeria striker El Bilal Toure as his replacement. The Red Devils are chasing new signings as they look to compete with Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea in the higher echelons of the Premier League.
United have been pursuing Hojlund all summer as boss Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his squad after snapping up Mason Mount and Andre Onana. Meanwhile, Arsenal have a dilemma on their hands as Inter Milan are said to be preparing a £35million bid for the 22-year-old.
Chelsea have been intent on offloading players this summer after their squad swelled following transfer splurges by Todd Boehly during the last two windows. And Conor Gallagher could be the latest player to leave, with West Ham reportedly interested. The Blues are still looking for new faces, however, and have put forward a £39m offer for Crystal Palace ace Michael Olise.
The likes of Tottenham and Newcastle are also working hard behind the scenes to bolster their squads as the start of the new campaign draws closer. So follow the latest transfer news with Express Sport below...
Romeo Lavia reportedly looked 'disinterested' tonight for Southampton in their 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.
It comes after the Saints rejected a £37m bid from Liverpool for the Belgian. More below.
At St Mary\u2019s tonight and Romeo Lavia looked decidedly uninterested during the first half. Head down, often walking around, showed glimpses of his class, but looked like a player wanting a move away. Taken off at half time #SouthamptonFC#SaintsFC
Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga is in talks to sign for Besiktas on a season-long loan deal, according to our man Charlie Gordon.
The Express Sport reporter says the 24-year-old centre-back is set to move on and pursue regular game time for the upcoming season, although Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is keen to include a permanent transfer clause that would see Tanganga leave north London for good.
Besiktas had also looked at Arsenal's Rob Holding earlier in the window and are also in talks to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Liverpool.
Tanganga started Tottenham's 3-2 defeat to West Ham in Perth but looks set to leave the club in the summer transfer window.
Brentford have taken 17-year-old Ramsgate defender Louie Procopi on trial for eight weeks.
The Bees have been impressed with the youngster's performances in pre-season for the Rams, who have become a hotbed for nurturing Non-League talent in recent years.
Express Sport revealed in January 2022 that Spurs had taken Ramsgate forward Joshua Ajayi (now with Erith and Belvedere) on trial, although he never signed with the north London club.
Crystal Palace also landed teenage defender Jacob Mensah (now with Torquay United) from the Rams back in 2019.
Brentford have taken Ramsgate teenage talent Louie Procopi on trial for eight weeks (Image: Ramsgate FC)
Bayer Leverkusen chief Simon Rolfes has told Tottenham defensive target Edmond Tapsoba is not for sale this summer.
The revelation comes after Leverkusen sold one of their top talents in Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa and now they are keen to avoid losing other key players ahead of the new season.
Spurs have held talks for the Burkina Faso centre-back but now they could be forced to explore other targets.
When asked about a sale, Taspoba said: "No, not under normal circumstances! It is clear that at some point there are always limits. But Edmond is a very important player.
"He is one of the top players of our team, without question. He still has a long contract. Therefore, there is no reason for us to think about handing him over.”
Liverpool have had their opening offer of £37million for Romeo Lavia turned down by Southampton, according to The Athletic. The Saints, who were relegated to the Championship in May, are holding out for £50m. Personal terms for the 19-year-old are not an issue.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has maintained 'regular exchanges' with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, according to football.london. Qatar Sports Investments, who are chaired by Al-Khelaifi, are reportedly keen to invest in Spurs. Levy and Al-Khelaifi are also said to have spoken about Harry Kane, who could leave north London this summer.
Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has appeared to bid farewell to the club after saying he was "done" in a social media post. The Ivorian, who has been with the Red Devils since 2016, has been linked with a move to Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr.
The out of favour defender posted a picture to Instagram that showed him standing outside the training ground with a packed bag and captioned it “done” next to a tick emoji.
The long list of illustrious clubs keeping tabs on developments around Kylian Mbappe include Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, according to L'Equipe.
And Barcelona have scheduled a phone call with Paris Saint-Germain to kick-start negotiations for the ace. Such a move would send shockwaves through European football, with the French striker expected to join Barca's bitter rivals, Real Madrid, in 12 months' time.
Kylian Mbappe doesn’t want to quit Paris Saint-Germain to sign Saudi Pro League despite Al-Hilal, according to Relevo. Al-Hilal have reportedly put forward an offer of £259million in exchange for Mbappe, who has just one year remaining on his current contract in France.
Mbappe could even opt to sit on the bench for PSG rather than making the move to the Middle East. He has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid next summer, while the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have also been tipped to make a move.
Kylian Mbappe reportedly doesn’t want to quit Paris Saint-Germain to sign for Saudi club Al-Hilal (Image: GETTY)
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag appears to be having his pursuit of Harry Kane blocked by the Glazer family.
According to Sky Sports, the Glazers are taking funds out of United to pay back the money they borrowed when they originally purchased the club. The money coming out has had a knock-on effect when it comes to Financial Fair Play regulations. And the Red Devils wouldn’t be able to afford to pay Kane’s transfer fee or wages.
But if the Glazer family sold up and United were taken over by a new backer, the club would be able to sanction a deal for the Premier League’s second highest goalscorer in history.
Manchester City plan to keep Kyle Walker at the Etihad Stadium this summer. The player didn’t make it into the Citizens’ starting line-up for their Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in June and has been linked with a move away from Manchester this summer.
“We hope Kyle Walker stays with us,” explained City boss Pep Guardiola. “I heard comments from [Thomas] Tuchel about Kyle. I will say the same. What I can say he is a very important player for us. The clubs are in touch, we will fight for him.”
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has been tipped to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer (Image: GETTY)
Chelsea have rejected a £40million bid from West Ham for Conor Gallagher, according to the BBC. Gallagher has been linked with a whole host of clubs this summer as the Blues look to cash in on some of their assets after splurging on an array of new faces throughout the last year.
Gallagher is currently in the USA on Chelsea’s pre-season tour. And it appears the current bid is not high enough to tempt Blues chiefs into selling.
Tottenham hero Teddy Sheringham has told England captain Harry Kane to snub any contract from Spurs this summer. Kane has just one year remaining on his current deal and has been linked with a move away from north London.
“I think the worst thing that Harry Kane could do would be to sign a new contract this summer,” Sheringham told Lord Ping. “He could be in a situation where things don’t go to plan with Ange [Postecoglou] and then he’s in a cycle where he has to wait for a new manager to come in.
“If he goes into the season without a new deal, he can watch how everything unfolds. Harry Kane will still be completely focused on scoring goals for Tottenham and doing his best for the club. The dream scenario would be for him to perform well next season and be convinced that his future remains at the club.”
Liverpool have made a breakthrough in their attempts to sign Romeo Lavia after they reportedly agreed personal terms with the player to seal a summer transfer.
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Lavia had grown a 'little annoyed' that Liverpool were taking so long with their approach. But he's now said to have 'agreed on personal terms' with the Reds and Liverpool will launch their first bid soon.
Liverpool are reportedly aiming to offer around £35m for the midfielder, which is £15m short of what Southampton have previously been asking for. No formal approach has been made by Liverpool as of yet for the Belgian midfielder and he's been a part of their pre-season schedule this summer.
Liverpool are chasing Southampton ace Romeo Lavia this summer (Image: GETTY)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed the club have progressed in transfer negotiations for a new striker - but kept the identity of the player in question under wraps. The head coach did not explicitly name the target nearing a deal as he admitted he wished he already had them through the door.
Atalanta star Rasmus Hojlund is Ten Hag's top objective this summer, but Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus and Eintracht Frankfurt's Kolo Randal Muani are also on his shortlist in a bid to address United's lack of goals.
“Progress, yes,” Ten Hag said on Monday night as he addressed media in San Diego. “You know how it works - when we have him, we will tell you directly. What I can say is we're do everything that's in our power to get it done. For me, as soon as possible and the earlier the better, because we have to integrate him in the team, the way of play. In an ideal situation, he would already be here, but you don't always get ideal situations as a manager and you have to deal with the situation.”
Chelsea have put forward an offer of £39million for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, according to RMC Sport, as they attempt to beat Manchester City to his signature. And that offer is said to be £4m more than Olise’s release clause.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan of the 21-year-old, with the player reportedly keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have reportedly put forward an offer of £39million for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal have a Folarin Balogun dilemma on their hands as Inter Milan are preparing a £35million bid for the Gunners striker, according to the Daily Mail.
Balogun impressed during a loan spell with Stade Reims last season and could provide Mikel Arteta with a valuable option in front of goal should Gabriel Jesus suffer any injury issues this season. But Arsenal could be tempted to cash in on the 22-year-old, even though they currently value him at £50m.
Manchester United have been given a green light to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta as the Serie A team have reached an agreement in principle to sign Almeria striker El Bilal Toure, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Toure, 21, is likely to be Hojlund’s replacement, with the Red Devils keen to take Denmark international to Old Trafford this summer.
Good morning and welcome to today’s transfer blog. There will be plenty of transfer news throughout the day so stick around for all the latest updates.
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy