Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe's biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Chelsea plot £150m move for Haaland
Chelsea's pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is heating up, with the club prepared to offer Tammy Abraham as part of a deal to bring the Norway striker to Stamford Bridge.
That's according to The Mirror, which writes that the Blues value Abraham at around £50 million, which would see an offer of £100m, plus Abraham, pitched toward Dortmund this week.
The Bundesliga side are believed to consider Chelsea's valuation of Abraham as excessive, and they would be reluctant to let Haaland go after Jadon Sancho is set to complete a £79.3m move to Manchester United earlier this month.
The 23-year-old Abraham scored six goals in the Premier League from 22 appearances last season but was left out of the squad at time after failing to impress coach Thomas Tuchel. While Aston Villa and West Ham are reportedly keen on securing the signature of the striker, Chelsea are expected to hold out until Dortmund make a final decision over the £150m-rated Haaland.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
LIVE BLOG
21.56 BST: Real Sociedad have enquired with Real Madrid over the availability of playmaker Takefusa Kubo, according to AS, and Los Blancos are said to be receptive over sending the 20-year-old Japan international on loan for a third straight season following stints with Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe.
21.19 BST: Paris Saint-Germain are in talks with Istanbul giants Galatasaray over the potential transfer of left-back Layvin Kurzawa, Le Parisien writes. The 28-year-old was expected to leave the French capital on a free transfer last summer, only to sign a four-year contract, and is said to be open to the idea of a move to Turkey.
20.42 BST: Tuttosport reports that Juventus are prepared to part with 23-year-old centre-back Merih Demiral to help balance the books, but only if a transfer fee were to reach €35m or more. The Turkey international is said to be of interest to Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Atalanta.
20.05 BST: Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite has agreed to leave the club this summer, according to Sport, with the Premier League said to be his most likely destination. West Ham United, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion all reportedly are interested in the 30-year-old Denmark international, whose transfer could earn the Blaugrana as much as €15m.
19.46 BST: Arsenal defender William Saliba is set for his third loan spell after Ligue 1 side Marseille signed him for the 2021-22 season, the Premier League club said on Thursday. Read the full story.
┈┈┈┈╭╯╰╰╰╰╰╮┈┈┈
— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) July 15, 2021
┈┈┈┈▕╭▅╮╭▅╮▏┈┈┈
┈▕▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▏┈
╭━╮ 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗮 ╭━╮
┃┳╯ ┈est Olympien ┈ ╰┳┃
┃┣▏ ┈┈ 🔵⚪ ┈┈┈▕┫┃
╰▕▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▏pic.twitter.com/sa2aoj5SIa
19.28 BST: We brought you news earlier in the day of Kieran Trippier being "desperate" to return to the Premier League, with Manchester United holding longstanding interest, and now Mundo Deportivo breaks down Atletico Madrid's plans for life after the England international - should he end up at Old Trafford. Two players fresh off strong Euro 2020 performances, in Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Joakim Maehle of Atalanta, have caught the eye of Los Rojiblancos, while Arsenal's Hector Bellerin is another potential option.
18.51 BST: Fabrizio Romano writes that Willian is expected to leave Arsenal this summer, just one year after crossing London from Chelsea as a free agent, with his agent working to find the 32-year-old winger a new home and the club waiting to finalise his departure.
18.14 BST: Arsenal have submitted a bid of less than €20m for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, Le10 Sport reports, which falls short of the €25m transfer fee the historic French could would like in exchange for the right to sign the highly touted 23-year-old. Enter Tottenham Hotspur, who while have yet to make an offer, are said to be willing to trump the figures offered by their North London rivals.
17.37 BST: After being made available to Borussia Dortmund, Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur, as Chelsea explored deals for Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane, 23-year-old striker Tammy Abraham is of interest to Arsenal, according to the Telegraph. Chelsea are ready to move on from the academy product (and boyhood Arsenal fan), and would accept a transfer fee of £40m to help fund a move for a new forward.
17.00 BST: Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz is set to sign for AC Milan on a two-year loan deal, says Goal.
Diaz, 21, spent last season on loan in Milan but has a contract at the Santiago Bernabeu through to 2025.
The Spain winger joined Real Madrid from Manchester City for €17m back in 2019 but hasn't found his way into the first team. He scored seven goals in 39 games at Milan last season, but no option to sign him permanently will be included in the loan deal.
16.13 BST: AZ Alkmaar midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is on Arsenal's radar, says De Telegraaf.
Koopmeiners, 23, bagged 15 goals and five assists in the Eredivisie last season. Atalanta, AS Roma, Brighton & Hove Albion and Rennes have also been linked with him but Koopmeiners was reportedly a fan of the Gunners when he was younger, so that may give them an advantage.
15.41 BST: Sport Italia says that Fiorentina have an interest in Tottenham midfielder Erik Lamela.
Lamela has a contract until 2022 and has dropped down the pecking order at the club, so is looking to move on.
It may come in useful for the deal mentioned at 13.23 BST -- for Dusan Vlahovic -- and the two clubs may consider a swap.
15.38 BST: Serie A side Venezia have reached an agreement to sign FC Dallas midfielder Tanner Tessmann.
Tessmann, 19, appeared in 28 matches for FC Dallas since making his debut in 2020.
"Ever since I came to the academy at 14 years old, FC Dallas was developing me, honing my skills and making me a better young man. I knew an opportunity like this would be possible and it was always in the back of my mind, only because FC Dallas was there," said Tessmann. "I'm excited for this new experience. It's going to be a good journey. This is not a goodbye. It's an 'I'll see you soon'."
15.01 BST: Philadelphia Union have handed goalkeeper Andre Blake a contract extension through 2024, with a club option for 2025, the club announced on Thursday.
Blake, 30, won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2020 and helped Union to their first ever trophy when they claimed the Supporters' Shield.
"Andre was the backbone of the best defense in MLS last season and has been a key piece of our club's success the past few seasons. His high level of play has allowed us to give young defenders such as Mark McKenzie, Kai Wagner, and Olivier Mbaizo opportunities to prove themselves at the MLS level," said Union sporting director Ernst Tanner.
14.42 BST: Gianluigi Donnarumma didn't join PSG just to sit on the bench, did he?
14.13 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Roma winger Justin Kluivert is close to joining Nice.
Kluivert, 22, has returned from a year-long loan spell at RB Leipzig and is now set to depart on loan again -- this time, with an option to make the deal permanent.
Negotiations are reportedly in the final stages.
13.57 BST: Football Insider says that Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti wants to sign full-back Thierry Small from Everton, but new Brexit rules over the registration of English players in Spain may complicate matters.
Small, 16, became the club's youngest-ever player when he made his debut in January under former Everton boss Ancelotti, but wants to move on after a stalemate in contract talks.
Aston Villa, Arsenal and Man United have all tracked the youngster but it remains to be seen if Madrid will come calling.
13.23 BST: Tottenham's efforts to find a striker have been ongoing for years and now they might have a bigger issue if Harry Kane departs.
Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic, 21, is on their shortlist, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Evidently Tottenham made a €40m offer to sign the Serbia international, who netted 21 times from 40 games in Serie A last season, but it was rejected.
Tottenham have been told €60m is what it will take to land the striker.
12.45 BST: The Athletic says that "Crystal Palace are close to completing the permanent signing of highly rated Chelsea defender Marc Guehi on a five-year contract."
Guehi, 21, spent last season on loan at Swansea and has been tracked by Southampton, Brentford, Norwich, West Ham, Newcastle, Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen.
Palace are reportedly set to pay £20m to sign him.
12.24 BST: Netherlands legend Arjen Robben has announced his retirement from professional football for a second time.
Robben, 37, decided to come out of retirement last June to play for boyhood club FC Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie last season. However, the winger's campaign was hampered with injuries and he only made seven appearances in all competitions and scored two goals.
Robben announced his decision on Instagram and wrote: "I have decided to quit as active player. A very hard choice to make. I want to thank everybody for all the warm support. Greetings, Arjen."
12.11 BST: Arsenal are closing on the signing of midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Lokonga, 21, will join from Anderlecht for around €18m and Het Nieuwsblad says an announcement is close.
11.40 BST: U.S. youth international Taylor Booth is in talks with Bayern Munich about a new contract and could be loaned out to a club in either Austria or Portugal, sources have told ESPN.
Booth, 20, already has experience in the Austrian Bundesliga having spent the back half of the 2020-21 season on loan with St. Polten. The midfielder scored three goals in 17 league and playoff appearances, but it wasn't enough to prevent the club's relegation to the second tier.
A move to Portugal would be more attractive given that in terms of procuring an English work permit, the Portuguese top flight is considered a "Band 2" league while Austria's Bundesliga is "Band 4". Booth's younger brother Zach is on the books of Leicester City.
Taylor joined Bayern's youth setup from Real Salt Lake's academy in 2019 and holds an Italian passport. His contract expires in June of 2022.
10.45 BST: Real Madrid's president has been in hot water over some historic comments about his players.
10.11 BST: Nice have confirmed the signing of Netherlands forward Calvin Stengs from AZ Alkmaar.
The 22-year-old missed out on Frank de Boer's squad for Euro 2020 but is moving to Ligue 1 for a new start for a fee of around €10m.
10.01 BST: Tottenham's Harry Kane is still of interest but Man City are looking at Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski as a possible alternative, says the Daily Mail.
Sources told ESPN that City saw a £100m bid rejected by Tottenham for Kane in June, but are not overly confident of being able to land the England striker.
As a result, the 32-year-old Lewandowski could be considered as he has two years left on his contract and may want a new challenge.
09.24 BST: La Repubblica reports that Liverpool are preparing a €70m bid for Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.
Barella, 24, won many fans with his performances for Italy in winning Euro 2020 and has been linked with Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich in the past.
The midfielder is reportedly keen to stay with Inter but the club's financial situation may force them into letting him go if a transfer fee of €70m is offered.
08.47 BST: Atletico Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier is desperate to return to the Premier League this summer, says the Daily Telegraph.
Trippier, 30, impressed for England at Euro 2020 and Manchester United are interested.
However, Atletico are asking for at least €40m from clubs to sign the former Tottenham and Man City defender, which United are not willing to pay.
08.30 BST: Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have opened talks over a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Griezmann, 30, left Atletico for Barca in 2019 for a fee of €120m but the Catalan club are open to letting him leave this summer.
Sources close to Griezmann, who's previously insisted he would like to see out his contract at Camp Nou until 2024, say he would also be willing to return to Atletico if Barca no longer want him.
After Lionel Messi, Griezmann was the biggest earner at the club last summer and his departure would create the most room on the wage bill. Losing Griezmann's salary and replacing it with Saul's would help Barca reduce their outgoings.
08.13 BST: Gianluigi Donnarumma has completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, signing a five-year deal, the Ligue 1 club announced on Wednesday.
The Italy goalkeeper was seen leaving his team's hotel in Rome the day after the 1-0 Group A win over Wales at Euro 2020 to undergo a medical ahead of a move to Mauricio Pochettino's side
Donnarumma, 22, was named Player of the Tournament as his two saves in the penalty shootout win over England in the final helped the Azzurri win the Euros for the first time since 1968.
"I am very happy to be part of this great club that is Paris Saint-Germain,"Donnarumma said. "I feel ready to take on this new challenge, and continue to grow here. With Paris, I want to win as much as possible and give joy to the supporters."
08.00 BST: Lionel Messi and Barcelona have reached an agreement for the forward to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Sources added that Messi has accepted a significant wage reduction to prolong his stay.
Messi was a free agent after his contract at Barca expired, and he had courted interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City since first revealing a desire to end his 20-year relationship with Barca last summer. The 34-year-old's previous contract, which was worth over €500 million ($594m) over four years, expired at the stroke of midnight on June 30.
However, with the return of Joan Laporta as president in March, Messi grew more open to staying at Camp Nou. An official announcement is expected in the coming days.
Laporta had hoped to finalise an agreement before Messi's previous terms expired. Barca's financial problems made that impossible, though, with their gross debt over €1 billion. Cutbacks have been essential, in terms of transferring players out, reducing the wage bill and getting Messi to accept a lower salary.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has warned Barca they will not be allowed to register Messi's new deal if they are unable to reduce spending to comply with the league's Financial Fair Play rules. Barca's spending limit has been reduced from over €600m to €347m since the coronavirus pandemic, with further reductions expected to be imposed for the upcoming season.
Therefore, to register Messi's new deal, in addition to new signings Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal, Barca need to continue reducing the wage bill and moving players on. With that in mind, sources at the club refuse to rule out the departure of Antoine Griezmann, a €120m signing in 2019.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- AC Milan are set to offer Franck Kessie a new contract amid interest from the Premier League, says Fabrizio Romano. The midfielder has been linked with a number of clubs, including Arsenal and Juventus, but it is believed that Milan see the Ivory Coast defensive midfielder as a key part of the squad, with director Paolo Maldini stating, "He is part of our future."
- Paulo Dybala's representatives will meet with Juventus as they look to resolve the forward's contract situation. Calciomercato writes that Massimiliano Allegri sees the Argentine international as a key part of the project for next season. And despite suggestions that a new contract for Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Dybala in the dark, reports now say that the 27-year-old could be set to stay in Turin as the club prepare an attempt to regain the title from Internazionale.
- Liverpool have turned down the opportunity to sign Ozan Kabak from Schalke 04 for a fee of €10m. Goal says that the German club are desperate to offload the centre-back as they prepare for life in the second division. Kabak spent last season on loan at Liverpool, and despite some strong performances, Jurgen Klopp's side went on to sign centre-back Ibrahima Konate for €41.5m from RB Leipzig.
- AC Milan have turned down a €40m approach from Paris Saint-Germain for left-back Theo Hernandez. That's according to Tuttosport, which says that Milan do not want to part ways with the defender this summer. The Frenchman scored eight and assisted seven goals in 42 appearances last season for Milan across all competitions.
- Sassuolo are keen on recruiting Liverpool's Marko Grujic this summer, writes Gianluca Di Marzio. The Italian club are reported to have already been in touch with the Premier League side over the transfer of the midfielder as a replacement for Manuel Locatelli. Grujic signed for Liverpool from Red Star Belgrade in 2016 but has been unable to nail down a place in the first team. The Serbia midfielder spent last season on loan at FC Porto.
- The Telegraph reports that Newcastle United are close to agreeing to a deal for Arsenal's Joe Willock. Manager Mikel Arteta claimed that the midfielder was a part of his plans for next season, but reports say that the 21-year-old would be keen to make a return to Tyneside after a successful loan spell last season. Chelsea's Conor Callagher is also rumoured to be on Steve Bruce's radar. The 21-year-old midfielder spent last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, starting 28 times in the Premier League.