The transfer window for Europe’s biggest clubs is closed, but you can click here to review all the deals. Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world’s media and set correspondents loose to see what’s on the agenda for the summer.
Jump to: Man United move for Eriksen | Arsenal eye Alderweireld
TOP STORY: Chelsea eye ‘next Ibrahimovic’ Isak after Dutch goal blitz
Chelsea are keeping a close eye on Borussia Dortmund striker Alexander Isak, with the young Swede gaining comparisons to compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 19-year-old has seen his first-team chances limited at Dortmund since signing from Stockholm-based AIK in 2017, but he has enjoyed a superb loan spell at Dutch Eredivisie side Willem II, scoring 11 goals in as many games since his arrival in January.
And that run of form has seen the Chelsea hierarchy take notice, with The Mirror claiming the Blues sent scouts to watch the youngster in action against Ajax this weekend.
The west Londoners are keen to freshen up their striking department by signing a hungry young forward, with 31-year-old on-loan Gonzalo Higuain and 32-year-old Olivier Giroud the only senior strikers on the books at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea face competition for Isak, however, with Real Madrid also reportedly monitoring his development.
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10.33 BST: Timo Werner is unlikely to sign a new deal at RB Leipzig, according to the club’s CEO Oliver Mintzlaff.
Werner, 23, has impressed this season with 14 goals but the German striker is keen to move on with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool all interested.
Speaking with Sky Germany, via SportBild, at half-time of Leipzig’s clash with Wolfsburg on Saturday, Mintzlaff said: “We want to extend it [his contract] with him, but he has signalled to us that he would rather not extend.”
10.01 BST: Brescia’s Sandro Tonali is seen as one of the best young midfielders in the game and is sure to attract plenty of attention this summer.
Juventus, of course, are keen but Calciomercato report that Inter Milan are preparing a €35m bid to land him and then send him on loan in Serie A to get some more experience.
09.27 BST: French website Foot Mercato report that Liverpool are “determined” to land the brother of Chelsea star Eden Hazard.
Thorgan Hazard, 26, looks set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer after refusing to sign a new contract, but Liverpool face some tough competition with Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid also on the midfielder’s trail.
09.00 BST: If Arsenal want to boost the £40m transfer kitty they have this summer then they need to sell players and the Daily Express reckons that midfielder Granit Xhaka is first on the list.
Inter Milan are keen and the paper claims: “Inter have been watching Xhaka all season but are only likely to move for him if they miss out on their first two choices Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic and Real Madrid star Toni Kroos.”
PAPER TALK (by James Capps)
Man United to treble Eriksen’s wages
Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen has emerged as one of Manchester United’s prime transfer targets this summer, according to reports in The Mirror.
Denmark captain Eriksen has just 14 months remaining on his contract at Spurs, meaning his transfer fee could tumble if he enters the final year of his deal. That has alerted some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, but United appear set to steal a march on their rivals by offering to treble the 27-year-old’s wages to a whopping £240,000-a-week, compared to the £80,000-a-week he currently picks up in North London.
Eriksen grew up supporting Real Madrid, and there is talk that he would prefer a move to the Bernabeu to play under manager Zinedine Zidane, but with Los Blancos currently prioritizing a move for Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, a move to Old Trafford is becoming increasingly likely.
Despite Eriksen’s precarious contract situation, reports claim it would still take a fee of up to £95 million for Spurs to consider selling their chief playmaker.
Barca, Real chase Japanese teenager
Real Madrid and Barcelona are chasing the signature of highly-rated Japanese teenager Takefusa Kubo, according to reports at Marca.
The 17-year-old was part of Barca’s La Masia academy from 2011-2015, but after the Catalonians were found to have breached FIFA’s international under-18s transfer policy back in 2015, he returned to Japan.
The La Liga champions have monitored Kubo’s progress since, but their rivals in Madrid also have the forward on their radar, with the two Spanish giants set to go head-to-head to sign the Japan under-20 international in the summer when he turns 18 years of age.
The Spanish publication also claims that Paris Saint-Germain have made their interest in the player known to his agent, but the belief amongst PSG and Madrid is that Kubo is favoring a Nou Camp reunion.
Tap Ins
– Arsenal could be set for a shock swoop of 30-year-old centre back Toby Alderweireld, with the Belgian international potentially available from bitter rivals Spurs for a cut-price fee of £25m, according to reports in The Sun.
- The Mirror claims Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskajer is set to offer Real Madrid and Juventus target Paul Pogba the club captaincy at Old Trafford, in an attempt to show the Frenchman how much the club value him. The vacancy is soon to become available, with current skipper Antonio Valencia set to leave the club.
– A new sponsorship agreement between Nike and Paris Saint-Germain could provide a stumbling block to Real Madrid’s attempts to sign forward Kylian Mbappe, according to reports at AS. The new lucrative deal between the two parties will help PSG close the gap on UEFA’s strict Financial Fair Play targets — something that had been previously pressuring them to consider selling Mbappe to Madrid.