Marcus Rashford‘s Manchester United career is over and he wants to move to Barcelona, while Manchester City are targeting two players from Juventus in their rebuild. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.
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TOP STORIES
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– Ange: ‘You’ll have to put up with me a bit longer’
TRENDING RUMORS
– Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who is on loan at Aston Villa, wants to join Barcelona in the summer, according to talkSPORT. The 27-year-old has three goals and six assists from 15 games for Villa across all competitions this season, but as long as Ruben Amorim remains manager of Man United, he has no future at the club. Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in the England international, but Rashford’s desire is to move to Barcelona and he is hoping to impress them with his form during the rest of the season.
– Manchester City are looking to sign two players from Juventus, according to Tuttosport. Goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, 27, and full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 25, are the players in question, but deals could cost City over €100m. Cambiaso has been linked with City before and his transfer is reported to be worth around €70m, while Di Gregorio could replace Ederson in goal at a cost of around €30m, as Juve have to pay Monza €15m to make his loan permanent first.
– Bayern Munich believe they have the “advantage” in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, reports Bild’s Christian Falk. Multiple meetings are said to have been held between the Bundesliga club and Wirtz’s representatives, with the 21-year-old at the top of their shortlist for the summer. It is reported that the contest for his signature remains open, with Manchester City interested, while Wirtz could also be tempted by a switch to Real Madrid. Though any club would need to pay around €120m.
– Liverpool and Manchester United are among the sides tracking Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, reports the Daily Mail. It is believed that the 21-year-old will leave the Ligue 1 club this season, with multiple clubs in Europe eyeing a move for him. Cherki, who has previously been linked with Chelsea, scored to put Lyon ahead in extra time before Manchester United’s comeback 5-4 Europa League win on Thursday.
– Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz could leave the club in the summer, reports Gazzetta dello Sport. The Bianconeri are reported to be concerned over the 26-year-old’s current form and would be willing to offer him to Newcastle United as part of a player-exchange deal including Italy international midfielder Sandro Tonali. Luiz has struggled to garner regular game time since arriving in Turin last summer, having made just three league starts.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden explores why Marcus Rashford might not get his dream move.
Barça were interested in Rashford in January but the costs involved and their financial limitations made a deal impossible in the end. Long-term, they still want to add depth to their attack. Robert Lewandowski is 37 this year and, other than Ferran Torres, there are no real alternatives to Lamine Yamal or Raphinha on the wings. Rashford, as someone who can play left or as the No.9, would therefore tick a number of boxes. For those reasons, it’s something Barça would look into if it was presented to them and the price was right.
However, money remains a problem. Things were looking up in January when LaLiga approved the €100m sale of VIP seats at Spotify Camp Nou, which is still being redeveloped, but that deal has since been taken out of the projected earnings Barça sent to the league for next season. As a result, there is once again uncertainty surrounding how much, if anything, will be available to invest in the squad this summer.
Meanwhile, sources have suggested to ESPN in recent weeks that Barça will not prioritise signing an attacker. Full-back depth, another midfielder and maybe even a centre-back, if one leaves, are all higher up their list of immediate needs. If Rashford really wants to secure a move to the Catalan club, he may have to be prepared to wait until the end of the summer and, even then, ready to make a big sacrifice on his salary.
OTHER RUMORS
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Are Liverpool gambling giving Virgil van Dijk a new contract?
Julien Laurens and Nedum Onuoha react to the Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk signing a new contract to remain at Anfield until 2027.
– If it was ever a serious option, Barcelona now have zero interest in bringing Neymar back to the club amid his latest injury. Neymar, 34, left Al Hilal to head back to boyhood club Santos last year, but his latest return from injury lasted just 35 minutes as he left the pitch in tears. Barcelona are now fully focused on signing a right-back and a midfielder, and won’t move for the Brazil winger. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan looks set to complete a move to Aston Villa over Arsenal and the Gunners won’t seek to sign a replacement target as they have other areas to rebuild first. (The Athletic)
– Arsenal are interested in signing Brentford defender Nathan Collins, 23, who leads the Premier League in blocks this season (48). But only as a backup for Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. (TBR)
– Liverpool have made Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike their top target for the summer as he has 21 goals and eight assists in all competitions. (Caught Offside)
– Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Chelsea considered the possibility of signing Virgil van Dijk as a free agent this summer before the defender extended his contract at Anfield. (Daily Mail)
– Barcelona are no longer interested in signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, despite his €58m release clause. (Marca)
– Everton and Inter Milan are keen to sign Genoa striker Albert Gudmundsson, who is on loan at Fiorentina this season. The 27-year-old Iceland international has scored six goals in 20 Serie A matches this season, and he has previously been linked with Manchester United. (TEAMtalk)
– Juventus want to keep Chelsea defender Renato Veiga at the club next season once his loan expires. But rather than a permanent move, Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is reported to be considering a second loan offer for him due to the Premier League side’s €50m valuation. (Calciomercato)
– Nottingham Forest plan to hold contract talks with winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has just one more season to run on his deal and has attracted interest from Tottenham. (Football insider)
– Tottenham, Inter Milan and Dortmund are tracking 17-year-old sensation Gibril Sima, who plays for Gambian side Dutch Lions and has drawn comparisons in playing style with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. (Football Insider)
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