Transfer Talk: Man Utd, PSG to battle for Abraham’s signature
Janusz Michallik reviews Manchester United’s Champions League hopes after their 1-0 win over Aston Villa. (2:06)
The transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are both watching AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The report says that the two European giants sent scouts to watch Roma’s 1-1 draw on Saturday against AC Milan, in which Abraham opened the scoring. It is reportedly not the first time United’s scouts have been to the Stadio Olimpico to watch the England international this season. Head coach Erik ten Hag is looking for somebody to replace striker Wout Weghorst in the summer, with the Dutchman set to re-join Burnley upon the expiration of his loan deal at Old Trafford.
However, there could be competition from PSG, who are considering a move for Abraham ahead of Hugo Ekitike, who has been on loan at the Parc des Princes from Stade de Reims.
Chelsea also have the option to re-sign Abraham for €80 million, and Roma general manager Tiago Pinto is believed to be insisting that any club looking to sign him will need to meet that valuation. Even if a club does offer that, the Blues will be given first refusal to bring back the striker, who departed Stamford Bridge for €40m in the summer of 2021.
Tottenham Hotspur‘s scouts were also in attendance for Saturday’s match, although it isn’t certain whether that was regarding Abraham.
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13.26 BST: Arsenal are interested in signing Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, says Fabrizio Romano.
Musah, 20, has impressed in LaLiga and has Chelsea and Inter Milan monitoring his progress. The United States international previously played for Arsenal’s youth teams between 2012 and 2019 but moved to Spain for family reasons.
The Gunners are also keen to strengthen their defence amid William Saliba’s injury and some poor performances from Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes, with 22-year-old England international Guehi being considered.
12.13 BST: Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount could yet sign a contract extension, according to Football Insider.
Mount, 24, has a contract until 2024 and the club are expected to make a final push to convince him to sign new terms, otherwise he is set to leave this summer, sources have told ESPN.
Sources said Mount is seeking a wage commensurate with his status as an England international and a senior player at Chelsea with Reece James‘ £250,000-a-week deal thought to be a benchmark in negotiations.
While there are no concrete offers for Mount as yet, Liverpool, Man City and United have all asked to be kept informed of the situation, while Bayern Munich and Juventus have also been linked.
11.52 BST: Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino will leave the club this summer, says The Athletic.
Patino, 19, is highly rated and has done well on loan at Blackpool this season despite relegation, but the Gunners are “receptive to his desire to seek regular first-team football.”
Even though he has a contract until 2025, the midfielder is keen to move on and, like striker Folarin Balogun, doesn’t want another loan move.
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09.55 BST: The “battle” to sign Gabri Veiga is intensifying, Diario AS‘ frontpage story reports on Monday, with Barcelona joining Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the race to sign the Celta Vigo rising star.
Veiga, 20, has become one of LaLiga’s most in-demand young players this season after scoring nine goals for Celta, and an affordable €40m release clause means he’s likely to move on this summer.
According to AS, Madrid are “very interested” and talks have already taken place with Liverpool, United, City and Bayern — with Veiga now being represented by agent Pini Zahavi — while Barca would be keen to push for the midfielder’s signature if their finances allow and they’re not able to negotiate a return for Lionel Messi.
09.12 BST: Juventus chief football officer Francesco Calvo has backed Massimiliano Allegri to continue as coach of the team next season despite the team’s poor run of form.
Juve are third in the standings but have not won in Serie A since April 1 and have lost three of their last four league games.
Allegri, who is in his second spell as Juventus head coach after rejoining the club in July 2021, is facing more pressure after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Bologna.
“Allegri’s confirmation? Saying that Allegri is confirmed at this moment is obvious,” Calvo said. “This is our thinking. Allegri returned to Juventus for a four-year project, we’re not even half done, because we haven’t finished the second season yet.
“For Allegri, the 11 trophies in seven years at Juventus, the two Champions League finals speak for themselves. It is absolutely not up for debate. What’s important for us is that even in a season like this we want to learn, grow and improve. This is a desire that we directors, the coach and the players have.”
08.30 BST: Barcelona are in advanced talks with Lamine Yamal‘s agents for the teenager to sign his first professional contract, Mundo Deportivo reports.
The Spanish forward, who has recently broken into the first XI, turns 16 on July 13 and his youth contract expires at the end of the season. But with Real Madrid reportedly monitoring Yamal’s situation, Barca are speeding up negotiations.
Barca are optimistic that Yamal will continue at the club beyond this summer especially after the player made his league debut last weekend. He became Barca’s youngest league debutant after coming off the bench in Saturday’s 4-0 win against Real Betis.
Janusz Michallik speaks after Erling Haaland equalled the Premier League goal record in Man City’s 2-1 win.
– Chelsea are monitoring the situation of Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, according to Football Insider, who add that a move could be difficult to complete financially despite PSG potentially looking to move on the 31-year-old. In another report, the same outlet suggests that Chelsea have joined multiple Premier League clubs in showing an interest in 19-year-old Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto.
– KVC Westerlo have beaten Manchester City to the signature of Melbourne City left-back Jordan Bos, according to FTBL. With both clubs owned by the City Football Group, Bos was originally going to move from Melbourne to sister club Manchester City, but Belgian side Westerlo have reportedly offered an A-League record fee to land the promising 20-year-old.
– Manchester United are ahead of Chelsea in their efforts to sign Paris Saint-Germain wing-back Achraf Hakimi, claims Football Insider, with Les Parisiens open to offers for the 24-year-old. The Blues are said to be struggling to put together a financial package to sign the Morocco international, while the Red Devils are prepared to meet PSG’s demands of around €60m.
– Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal are all monitoring the situation of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, according to Ekrem Konur. The 22-year-old has impressed for Palace since moving from Chelsea in 2021 and has made three appearances for England.
– Arsenal and Liverpool are taking an interest in the situation of Stade Rennais midfielder Lovro Majer, according to the Daily Mail. The 25-year-old hasn’t been as prominent this season as he has been previously for the Ligue 1 side and reportedly wants to leave.
– Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan all have varying levels of interest in Monza left-back Carlos Augusto, reports Foot Mercato. The 24-year-old is a priority for Juventus, Inter have been observing the Brazilian, while Milan like him but are wary of meeting Monza’s transfer fee demands of at least €20m plus bonuses. There are also teams watching him from abroad in the form of Brighton & Hove Albion and Bayer Leverkusen.