The transfer window for Europe’s biggest clubs is closed, but click here for all the deals, and keep track of who has joined the big boys. Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world’s media and set correspondents loose to see what’s on the agenda for the summer.
TOP STORY: Man United to turn to Dybala if Lukaku leaves?
Could Paulo Dybala be on his way to Manchester United? He certainly could if Romelu Lukaku exits this summer.
That’s according to The Sun, which reports that United are lining up a bid for the Argentinian who emerged as one of European football’s hottest targets in recent seasons.
Lukaku has struggled to establish himself at Old Trafford since arriving from Everton, and the 25-year-old Dybala has been singled out by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a player who can help United close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
But will Juventus sell Dybala? Flash £120 million and that might be enough, says The Sun.
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08.55 GMT: PSG midfielder Marco Verratti has spoken to Le Parisien about his contract extension talks. Mainly to say he won’t be speaking about them.
“These are things that I do not speak about,” he said. “I know that my agent [Mino Raiola] and the club are in contact from time to time. However, nothing is signed yet. I am still under contract for a number of years [until 2021]. I have no problem signing a new contract here. I will be 27 soon, and if I sign, that will be another four, or five, years. I could finish my career here, if the club wants that to happen. Whatever happens, I will always be grateful to PSG.”
08.00 GMT: The Daily Telegraph claim that Manchester City may have to have to break the world record transfer fee of £75m for a defender if they sign Leicester City and England left-back Ben Chilwell this summer.
Sources have told ESPN FC that City are keen on the 22-year-old but it seems they will have to part with a hefty fee.
PAPER TALK (by Richard Edwards)
Man City to clean up on Sancho
The Sun also reports that Manchester City will coin it in if Jadon Sancho leaves Borussia Dortmund for big money this summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side could make £15m if Sancho leaves for £100m, which might ease the pain for a club that let him go for comparative peanuts in 2017.
Sancho refused to sign on the dotted line at City but the club inserted a cheeky little 15 percent sell-on clause in the expectation that Sancho would develop at a rapid pace in the Bundesliga. They also have the chance to match any price that the likes of Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain come up with.
The player was on the receiving end as Spurs demolished the German giants 4-0 over two legs in the Champions League round of 16, but his performances in the Bundesliga have won him a host of admirers across the continent.
It’s just the latest piece of negotiating genius from City, who also inserted a “United clause” in its recent deal involving Brahim Diaz with Real Madrid. That clause would see them enjoy 40 percent of the profits of any deal that sees the player move to Old Trafford from the Bernabeu.
Molde growing on Solskjaer’s contract in Norway
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is yet to be confirmed as the new Manchester United boss, but it looks increasingly unlikely that he’ll return to Molde.
That’s according to the Fotballklubben podcast (via FourFourTwo), with the Norwegian suggesting that his contract with his previous club had expired.
“I’m not sure how it works,” he said. “I think the contract is expired and that I’m now under contract with Manchester United. I think we need a new contract there [at Molde].”
After transforming the fortunes of his former club, though, chances are that he won’t be returning to Molde any time soon. According to Press Association Sport, Solskjaer has signed a deal with United until the end of the season, despite signing a three-year deal to extend his second spell with Molde just weeks before he returned for his second coming at Old Trafford.
It has been a case of so far, so good in the northwest for Solskjaer. And the chances of him returning to Molde look remote.
Tap-ins
– Tiemoue Bakayoko is still in the dark over his future at Chelsea — and AC Milan. That’s according to France Football (via the Daily Mail), with the former Monaco star saying: “When I think of my future, it is a total blur. I cannot empty my head.”
– Meanwhile, at Leicester, Brendan Rodgers is bracing himself for a triple raid on Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell and James Maddison. The Mirror reports that Rodgers, newly arrived from Celtic, is prepared for the interest in his three prize assets. But he has no plans to let any of them leave any time soon.