Transfers LIVE! Haaland, Hakimi to Chelsea; Sancho, Isak latest gossip
The summer transfer window officially opens today but has already firmly kicked into gear across Europe.
While Euro 2020 could see deals for top players delayed by a few weeks, the tournament also offers clubs and fans the chance to scout some exciting talent for next season.
Harry Kane is determined to move this summer, with Man City leading the race amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester United – and City are also chasing Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish. Tottenham, meanwhile, remain in the hunt for a new manager after pulling out of talks with Antonio Conte last week, but Fabio Paratici is poised to arrive as sporting director soon.
Chelsea are keen to sign a striker as well as moving for wing-back Achraf Hakimi, though Kane looks unlikely and they have been knocked back by Romelu Lukaku, but they are stepping up their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund goal machine Erling Haaland, who is said to be interested in a move.
Man United appear to be getting closer to finally bringing Jadon Sancho back to England from Dortmund. Kieran Trippier, Raphael Varane, Cristian Romero and Saul Niguez are also on the wishlist, but Bayern Munich may end up landing the latter… or Chelsea, or maybe Manchester City!
As for Arsenal, it promises to be a big summer with plenty of ins and outs. After missing out on Emi Buendia to Premier League rivals Aston Villa, the Gunners have been linked with Wolves’ Ruben Neves, Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are seemingly trying to sign Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini after already adding Ibrahima Konate to their squad, while Barcelona are eyeing a shock summer swoop for Raheem Sterling.
Keep up to date with today’s latest transfer news, rumours and gossip via Standard Sport’s live blog below!
Live updates
Pearce: West Ham signings must be on the money
Stuart Pearce says West Ham know that they must get their recruitment spot on this summer if they are to continue their progression.
“Our recruitment has got to be right this summer,” Pearce told talkSPORT. “Some of the names they speculate that I read about are so fanciful, and so not on the radar, you wouldn’t believe it.
“But what I would say is that for David to put his name to a player, he’s got to be sure that that player is the right one to fit into our environment.
“It’s a very work-orientated environment at West Ham, our running stats have gone through the roof since David arrived.
“There’s an expectation that everyone pulls their weight. We should be excited by next season, it’ll be tougher.
“All your rivals that have underachieved, their eye is on getting better. If you think what you did this year will be good enough to sustain and improve you, you’ll be sadly mistaken.
“You’ve got to improve year on year just to stay level.”
Thuram to Tottenham?
Tottenham are in advanced negotiations with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram ahead of a possible transfer this summer, according to reports.
RMC Sport report that the French international is a target for the north Londoners, though Spurs face the rather larger task of finding a new manager before transfer targets can be seriously considered.
Southampton target Gunn
Newly promoted Norwich are set to sign goalkeeper Angus Gunn from Southampton for an initial fee of £5million, according to The Athletic.
The goalkeeper, son of Norwich legend Bryan Gunn, has spent time on loan at Carrow Road in the past before joining Saints from Manchester City.
The 25-year-old fell down the pecking order at Southampton and spent last season on loan at Stoke City.
Man United discussing Sancho personal terms
All the big updates are coming today!
According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are in contact with Jadon Sancho’s camp over personal terms.
However, he insists that the club have still yet to lodge an official bid for the England winger with Borussia Dortmund, who are holding out for a fee of €95m.
Romano adds that a “crazy bid” is the only way Chelsea will get Erling Haaland from Dortmund this summer, particularly with Sancho potentially on the way out.
Arsenal eye Isak
Arsenal are monitoring Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak as they look to bolster their attacking options.
The Athletic suggest that the Sweden international, 21, is admired by Gunners technical director Edu.
It is also reported that Isak has a release clause in his current contract at Anoeta worth around £60.2m.
Chelsea match PSG’s Hakimi bid
Not to turn this into an exclusively Chelsea-related transfer blog, but it seems that the Achraf Hakimi story is really building now.
Sky Sports and The Athletic both report that the Blues have matched Paris Saint-Germain’s £56.1m bid for the Inter Milan wing-back.
However, neither Andreas Christensen nor Emerson Palmieri are thought to be part of the offer as things stand, despite Inter holding interest in both players.
Hudson-Odoi wants Chelsea stay despite Bayern interest
Staying on the Chelsea theme for a moment, Standard Sport’s Jack Rosser has the following update on Callum Hudson-Odoi….
Callum Hudson-Odoi is keen to stay at Chelsea and fight for a place under Thomas Tuchel next season, regardless of revived interest in him from Bayern Munich.
Bayern made a public push for the Chelsea winger in January 2019 and again in October 2020, and the German champions are said to be ready to make another attempt this summer.
Sources close to Hudson-Odoi, however, are not expecting him to move this summer and say the 20-year-old is eager to force his way back into Tuchel’s plans.
The England international has three years remaining on his current Chelsea contract.
Hudson-Odoi was an early beneficiary of Tuchel’s appointment at Stamford Bridge in January, playing a run of games at right wing-back.
However, after an encouraging start, he fell out of favour towards the end of the season and did not feature in the Champions League Final win over Manchester City.
Chelsea handed Hakimi encouragement
Inter Milan would be willing to sell Achraf Hakimi to Chelsea – if players were used to sweeten the deal.
Inter are ready to cash in on the right-back, who enjoyed a fine season in Serie A.
Inter want around £75m but – according to Sky Sport Italia – would lower the fee if Chelsea offered Emerson Palmieri or Andreas Christensen as a makeweight.
Wijnaldum on Liverpool exit
Former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum says factors “behind the scenes” made it difficult to extend his contract at Anfield.
The Dutchman is available on a free transfer this summer and is reportedly set to join Paris Saint-Germain after the French side blew Barcelona’s offer out of the water.
Wijnaldum says he will open up about what happened at Liverpool after the Euros.
“There are many supporters who ask me why I didn’t just accept the offer from Liverpool to extend my contract,” he told Dutch publication Voetbal International.
“But of course, it’s not just that. It’s about much more than that. There are things happening behind the scenes that you cannot influence as a player.
“I will explain that after the tournament, because now only Orange counts.
“What I do want to say is that the people at the training complex, the staff of the club and my fellow players would have liked to keep me.
“I did tell them a bit more. After that, they understood my decision completely. That is important to me.”
Napoli make Emerson bid
Emerson Palmieri has been told to leave Chelsea by Italy manager Roberto Mancini – and reports in Italy suggest Napoli have made a bid to sign the left-back.
New Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti worked with Emerson at Roma and Calciomercato.it claim they have offered around £13m for the 26-year-old.
Napoli director of football Cristiano Giuntoli is said to have “asked for a meeting with the negotiating intermediaries” and there could be further developments in the coming days.