Transfer Talk: Musah eyed by West Ham if Rice joins Arsenal

The summer transfer window isn’t open yet in Europe, but teams are getting ready for it, 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!

TOP STORY: Musah could replace Rice at West Ham

West Ham United are lining up Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah should Declan Rice make the move to Arsenal, according to CBS Sports.

The 20-year-old United States international, who was vital to Valencia’s survival in LaLiga this season, is tipped to depart Spain this summer.

Musah has plenty of admirers from the Premier League, with Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly monitoring him in recent years, and Valencia have reportedly already rejected a €35 million offer from Chelsea in the midst of their relegation battle. But as Hammers captain Rice moves closer to a £100m move to Arsenal, David Moyes has identified the box-to-box midfielder as an ideal replacement for the departing England international.

A move to east London would mark a return to England for Musah, who was part of the Gunners’ Hale End academy for seven years. He even represented the country at youth level before committing international allegiance to the USMNT.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)
– Read on ESPN+: How far are Man United from Man City?

LIVE BLOG

21.36 BST: Brighton & Hove Albion are finalising a deal for Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, according to Fabrizio Romano. Burnley are also pushing to sign the 20-year-old Netherlands youth international, while Manchester United have also approached the Belgian side but have yet to make a formal offer.

21.03 BST: Nottingham Forest have rejected Brentford’s £30m club-record bid for midfielder Brennan Johnson, reports the Telegraph. The Bees have made attempts to sign the 22-year-old Wales international in previous transfer windows, and Thomas Frank’s side is expected to present another offer to their Premier League rivals following this setback. The Forest academy graduate scored ten goals across all competitions last season and has a contract with his boyhood club until 2026.

20.30 BST: Bournemouth have moved closer to signing winger Justin Kluivert from AS Roma, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 24-year-old twice-capped Netherlands international spent last season on loan at Valencia, where he scored six goals in 26 LaLiga appearances. Having no future in José Mourinho’s team, Kluivert is closing in on a permanent move to the Premier League.

19.57 BST: Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané wants to stay at the club next season, according to BILD. The 27-year-old Germany international joined the Bavarian side in the summer of 2020, but has struggled to perform consistently. It is reported that, rather than making a move elsewhere, the former Manchester City star, who is out of contract in 2025, wishes to remain in Munich and fight for his place in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineup for next season.

19.24 BST: Birmingham City midfielder Jobe Bellingham has signed for Sunderland, the Championship side announced on Wednesday — the same day that older brother Jude Bellingham swapped Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid. The 17-year-old England youth international will complete his move to the Stadium of Light once he returns from international duty.

🌟 @BellinghamJude 🌟
🎶 #HeyJude pic.twitter.com/UYU2kT76Ys

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 14, 2023

18.51 BST: Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch is open to leaving the club in search of more playing time. Speaking to De Telegraaf, the 21-year-old Netherlands international said: “I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern Munich. Otherwise at a club where I play 100%. That’s my plan. I don’t want to have another year like the one I’ve just had.”

The former Ajax standout, who made 24 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, had fallen out of favour with Julian Nagelsmann, but his minutes increased following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel. However, Gravenberch has made it clear that if he is not part of the German manager’s plans for next season then he wishes to depart the club this summer.

18.17 BST: Ajax are yet to receive an offer from Borussia Dortmund for midfielder Edson Álvarez, according to Sky Sport Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The 25-year-old Mexico international reportedly wants to join the Bundesliga side, while West Ham are also interested as they look to find a replacement for the seemingly Arsenal-bound Declan Rice.

17.40 ​​BST: Lille and Nice have expressed interest in Nantes attacker Moses Simon, reports L’Equipe. The 27-year-old Nigeria international has one year remaining on his contract and is expected to depart the Canaris this summer for a transfer fee between €4m and €5m.

17.00 BST: NK Kustosija centre-back Mikayil Faye is set to complete a medical ahead of a move to Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 18-year-old Senegal youth international will join for a transfer fee previously reported to be around €5m plus add-ons.

16.17 BST: Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Manchester City academy winger Carlos Borges, sources have told ESPN.

The 19-year-old was named Premier League 2 Player of the Season after finishing as the division’s top goal scorer with 21 goals from 24 appearances as City won the title for a third consecutive season.

Sources have told ESPN that City value Borges at £11m but it is unclear at this stage whether they would be willing to part with such a hot prospect.

15.57 BST: There are conflicting reports in Spain as to how many forwards Real Madrid are looking to recruit this summer, with Cadena COPE claiming that Joselu will be the only arrival, while Marca says the Espanyol striker is a replacement for Mariano Diaz, not Karim Benzema.

Madrid have been left without centre forwards for now, with both Benzema and Mariano departing the Santiago Bernabeu on free transfers this month.

COPE reported on Tuesday that Spain international Joselu, 33 — who scored 16 league goals last season — would be the only incoming forward, with neither PSG’s Kylian Mbappe nor Tottenham’s Harry Kane a possibility.

However according to Marca, Joselu is intended to be Madrid’s back-up forward next season, not the main man, as the club assess the available options to come in as first choice.

15.21 BST: Former Mexico defender Rafa Marquez has renewed his contract as Barcelona Atletic coach until June 2024, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

Barca are happy with Marquez’s work with the reserve team since he took over last summer despite the playoff loss to Real Madrid this past weekend.

Madrid overturned a 4-2 first leg defeat, winning 3-0 at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium on Sunday to keep their hopes of promotion to the Spanish second division alive. However, after guiding Barca into the third tier playoffs, Marquez’s first season back at the club where he previously spent seven years as a player has been deemed a success.

First-team coach Xavi Hernandez recently said that the priority of the second team is to develop players, not win promotion, and that they are in good hands with Marquez.

15.00 BST: Former United States coach Gregg Berhalter is in the running for the vacant managerial posts at Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam and Liga MX giants Club América, sources confirmed to ESPN.

14.24 BST: Brighton have confirmed that former Liverpool midfielder James Milner has signed on a one-year deal.

Milner, 37, leaves Anfield on a free transfer after an eight-year spell in which he won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi said: “I’m very glad to welcome James to Brighton. He’s an excellent addition for us and I’m sure he will help to bring us to an even higher level.”

14.15 BST: Inter Miami have sounded out Jordi Alba‘s interest in joining the club but face competition to sign the Barcelona left-back from Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and clubs in Saudi Arabia, sources have told ESPN.

Alba, 34, has reached an agreement to end his contract with Barca, which was due to expire in 2024, one year early and is looking for a new club this summer.

Sources say Alba has not closed the door on any of the options and will make a decision after this week’s UEFA Nations League finals in the Netherlands, where he is part of the Spain squad that will meet Italy in the semifinal on Thursday.

After Lionel Messi announced he would join Inter Miami last week, and with sources confirming Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets has also held talks with the MLS side, Alba is the latest Europe-based player to be approached by the South Florida team.

13.39 BST: Barcelona have offered new contracts to Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal, two of the hottest prospects to have emerged from the club’s academy in recent years, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Balde, 19, has been one of the revelations of the season in Spain. He emerged as Barca’s first-choice left-back ahead of Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso and was called up by Spain for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The defender’s current deal expires in 2024, so Barca are keen to extend his terms as soon as possible.

Yamal, meanwhile, became the youngest players to feature in LaLiga for the club when he made his debut aged 15 against Real Betis in May. Barca now want to have everything in place for the forward to sign his first professional deal when he turns 16 on July 13.

Both Balde and Yamal are represented by agent Jorge Mendes, who has been in Barcelona this week.

13.07 BST: Barcelona are closing in on the €40m signing of Athletico Paranaense and the Brazil striker Vitor Roque, according to Diario AS.

Deco, who will officially take over from Jordi Cruyff as Barca’s sporting director later this summer, has led the negotiations, striking a deal with Athletico this week.

The €40m fee will be paid in three instalments, per the report, and an agreement with the player, who is said to be desperate to join Barca, will not be a problem. However, Barca cannot yet commit to the operation because of financial restrictions imposed on them by LaLiga.

They are only allowed to spend 40% of what they save or generate. That meant missing out on Lionel Messi to Inter Miami last week, with the forward saying he was unwilling to wait to see if the Catalan club would be able to register his contract with the league.

Roque, 18, is willing to wait, though, as he can carry on playing in Brazil in the meantime before eventually joining Barca as backup to Robert Lewandowski.

After breaking through at Cruzeiro, Roque joined Athletico in 2022 and has already made over 50 appearances for the club, earning him his first cap for Brazil earlier this year.

12.43 BST: Adrien Rabiot is a target for Atletico Madrid — as well as Manchester United — as the midfielder’s contract at Juventus runs down, Diario AS reports.

Rabiot, 28, is due to become a free agent at the end of this month after spending four years in Turin, having arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.

According to AS, while United have the financial edge over Atletico, the Spanish club are hoping to use France teammate Antoine Griezmann to help convince Rabiot.

However, Tuttosport reports that Juventus are optimistic that Rabiot will continue at the club next season.

The France international has been offered a one-year contract extension after scoring eight goals and setting up four more in 32 league appearances.

12.08 BST: Young Barcelona striker Victor Barbera has confirmed he is leaving the club following the expiration of his contract.

Barca were keen to keep Barbera but it has been apparent for months that he was prepared to run down his contract ahead of an expected move to Belgian side Club Brugge.

Barbera, 18, was a regular in the Barca Atletico side that play in the Spanish third division until the Catalan club became aware he would leave this summer.

In 23 appearances for Rafa Marquez’s side, who just missed out on promotion to the second division, he scored eight goals. He also scored seven times in five UEFA Youth League appearances with the U19 team.

11.20 BST: Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, the club announced on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old has put pen to paper on a six-year deal at the Bernabeu and will face the media at his official presentation tomorrow.

Earlier this month, Dortmund confirmed that the LaLiga giants had agreed a initial deal worth €103m to sign the teenager.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side beat competition from Manchester City — and previously Liverpool — to land Bellingham, one of European football’s hottest prospects.

During his three years in Germany, Bellingham became one of the Bundesliga’s best players, making 31 league appearances this season and scoring eight goals, and even captaining the side. He starred for England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting all five of their games.

✊ We are delighted to announce that an agreement has been reached with Birmingham City for the transfer of Jobe Bellingham. #SAFC

— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) June 14, 2023

11.08 BST: Antonio Conte is waiting for the right opportunity to return to coaching after he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in March.

The Italian manager is a reported target of Serie A champions Napoli, who are looking for a new coach after Luciano Spalletti left at the end of the season, and Paris Saint-Germain, who may seek to replace Christophe Galtier this summer.

“The desire to coach is always there and the passion never sets, but I’m not anxious about finding a bench,” Conte said. “If there’s a serious project, I’ll take it into consideration, in Italy or abroad.”

10.35 BST: Once again, in spite of a global financial crisis, soccer clubs around Europe spent an incredible amount of money to sign players in January and this summer may not be any different.

Indeed, clubs spent a record $1.57 billion (£1.27bn) on transfers in the January transfer window, according to FIFA, with the Premier League doing most of the heavy lifting themselves at 57.3% of the total. But with two giants of the game in Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) and Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) now taking their careers outside of Europe, who will step up?

Already there have been some big deals agreed ahead of the various transfer windows opening. Here are grades for all the major summer transfers, with each day listed in order of highest fee.

– Transfer grades: Real Madrid get A+ for Bellingham

09.56 BST: Barcelona are tracking Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena as they wait to find out what decision Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan will make on his future, sources have told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Gundogan, 32, is out of contract at the end of June and has an offer from City to extend his seven-year stay, while Barca have also offered him a deal to join them as a free agent.

Barca are also keen on Baena and sources say the Catalan club would be open to bringing in both players if their financial situation allows after Xavi Hernandez made signing creative midfielders a priority this summer.

After missing out on Lionel Messi, who announced a move to Inter Miami last week, Barca coach Xavi said his side lack a “Santi Cazorla-type player in the final third” to help them unlock defences.

09.19 BST: AC Milan have held talks with Villarreal striker Samuel Chukwueze‘s agent, according to Sky Sports.

The Rossoneri are among the clubs keen to sign the Nigeria international. Chukwueze is open to joining Milan this summer, but they have yet to reach an agreement with Villarreal for his transfer.

Chukwueze, 24, has not signed a contract extension with Villarreal, with his current deal ending in June 2024. He has an €80m release clause, and is also a target of Premier League clubs.

08.37 BST: Real Madrid are ready to bid for Kylian Mbappe this summer rather than waiting to sign him as a free agent when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next season, sources have told ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez.

Mbappe’s future is uncertain once again after the France captain released a statement via AFP on Tuesday to confirm he would not exercise his option to extend his deal by another year, meaning his contract will be up in June 2024.

“The board has been informed since July 15, 2022 of my decision not to extend beyond 2024, and the letter sent was only meant to confirm what I already told them,” Mbappe said.

Sources have told ESPN that PSG would be willing to listen to offers of around €150 million ($161.5 million) for Mbappe this summer to avoid losing him for free a year later.

Mbappe also dismissed the links to Madrid as “lies” in response to a report from Le Parisien.

“LIES…At the same time, the bigger it is, the more it passes,” he posted on Twitter. “I’ve already said that I’m going to continue next season at PSG where I am very happy.”

08.00 BST: Jurgen Klopp is a “very important reason” why Alexis Mac Allister chose to sign for Liverpool, the World Cup-winning midfielder told ESPN Argentina.

Mac Allister, 24, was a transfer target for Chelsea and Manchester United but joined the Reds on a permanent transfer from Brighton last week having spoken with Liverpool manager Klopp.

“I had the opportunity to speak with him [Klopp],” Mac Allister said. “It was one of the most important reasons why I took the decision so early in the transfer window. I saw his desire to have me and his desire to continue to win titles for the club, so for me it was very important.

“We spoke about football, his vision and his wish that the club continues to grow and wins championships.”

PAPER GOSSIP (by Abbie Ingham)

– Bayern Munich are shifting their priority to finding a striker this summer with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani topping the list, according to Sky Sport Deutschland. The 24-year-old scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists in 32 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt, but it is reported that the German club are not planning to offer the France international an extended deal with a larger salary, with his contract expiring in 2027.

– The future of Sergio Ramos will be decided soon, according to Rudy Galetti. The 37-year-old defender is a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month and has been previously linked to both Al Ahli and Al Nassr. The central defender is reportedly tempted by a move to the Saudi Pro League, with an offer of €30m per season and a meeting with league officials reportedly taking place in the coming days.

– Juan Cuadrado has put contract renewal talks with Juventus on hold, reports Calciomercato. The Bianconeri have reportedly offered the 35-year-old midfielder a new deal which includes a significant salary decrease from €4.5m to €2m, plus bonuses, a month. The Colombia international, who has spent eight years in Turin, will make a decision regarding his future after completing his national team commitments.

– New England Revolution’s Noel Buck is reportedly on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur and other English sides, according to Athletic. The 18-year-old midfielder is expected to finish the MLS season, but could reach an agreement for January following his breakout 2023 season. Buck, who has played for the U.S. Under-19 side, has a UK passport and is also being monitored by England, who plan to invite him to a youth national team camp later this month.

– Internazionale have reached an agreement with Stefan de Vrij for a new deal until June 2025, reports Sky Sport Italia. The 31-year-old defender will sign a new two-year contract with the Nerazzurri on Friday. The Netherlands international has made 203 appearances for the Serie A side so far, with nine goals and seven assists.