The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Barca want €45m for right-back Semedo
Barcelona have slapped a €45 million price tag on their Portuguese right-back Nelson Semedo, according to Sport.
The Catalans were keen to keep hold of the defender last summer but are reluctant to enter talks about an extension to his deal, insisting they have other priorities. Semedo’s contract is due to run out in 2022 and Barca are keen to avoid a repeat of last summer, when the player tried to force an exit amid interest from Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Manchester City.
Semedo wants a bigger role at the club but Barca have stalled talks, all of which have got agent Jorge Mendes primed and ready to find his client a new club.
Juve and Manchester City are both said to still be interested, and both might consider a swap deal to ease the fee. Inter Milan and Tottenham are also said to be keen, according to the report.
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09.58 BST: Lazio forward Joaquin Correa is being tracked by Liverpool as a backup for Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, according to reports in Italy.
Correa, 25, can operate anywhere across the front three and has scored eight goals and provided four assists this season. He would apparently cost around €25m in the current market, despite having a €90m release clause in his contract.
As is the way with transfers, Lazio have reportedly already identified Dortmund’s Mario Gotze and Monaco’s Keita Balde Diao as replacements for Correa.
09.00 BST: ICYMI – Chelsea are closely monitoring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s contract situation at Arsenal with a view to making a move this summer, sources have told ESPN.
The Blues will be in the market for a striker and identified Lyon forward Moussa Dembele as their preferred target some time ago, with R.B Leipzig’s Timo Werner also on their shortlist.
However, Aubameyang is emerging as a serious alternative as talks continue to stall over a fresh deal at Emirates Stadium.
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Inter target David to replace Martinez
Lautaro Martinez is expected to leave Inter Milan when the transfer window reopens and his move to Barcelona goes ahead as expected, but the Nerazzurri are hoping to replace him with Jonathan David.
That’s the rumour according to Mundo Deportivo, which believes the 20-year-old Canadian is the man Antonio Conte wants to lead Inter’s new-look attack next season.
David plays for Gent in Belgium, for whom he has scored 18 goals and registered eight assists in the Belgian league this season.
Quick, powerful and versatile considering, David would cost somewhere between €15m-25m, his price now potentially cheaper than it perhaps might have been before the coronavirus outbreak.
Inter are believed to have made contact with Gent.
Leonardo turns attentions to Pellegrini
PSG sporting director Leonardo has often found joy in transfers from Serie A — think Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, for example — and Footmercato are reporting that PSG want Lorenzo Pellegrini from AS Roma.
Pellegrini has been a long-term target for the French giants, and Leonardo is reported to be in regular contact with the 23-year-old Italy international.
Pellegrini’s contract ends in 2022 and he has a release clause of €30m, a sum which could change depending on where Roma finish in the Serie A table if and when the season resumes. The Giallorossi are currently fifth.
He has played 18 times in the league this season, and in four of the six Europa League matches, scoring three goals and adding 12 assists in all competitions.
— Good news for all clubs monitoring Harry Kane who don’t have the words ‘Manchester’ and United’ in their name, for it would appear the Red Devils are ruling themselves out of a mega £200m capture this summer, says the Daily Mail. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has ruled out any huge spending when the transfer window opens and instead, he believes the coronavirus will have a huge impact on transfer fees. He insisted the figures that have been suggested for both Kane and Jadon Sancho are wildly unrealistic.
— Calciomercato is reporting that Paris Saint-Germain have submitted an offer to Manchester United for midfielder Paul Pogba, and have even offered Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler in exchange for the Frenchman’s services. This would seem unlikely given Di Maria didn’t appear to enjoy his first stint in Manchester, but nevertheless the Italian outlet is suggesting that PSG are keen to sign the 27-year-old World Cup winner because they see him as the missing link when it comes to winning the Champions League.