The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain – and you can find out when the windows open here – but here are the rumors floating around in the big leagues in Europe and beyond.
TOP STORY: Could Ronaldo really join Messi in Barcelona?
Can you imagine Cristiano Ronaldo is Lionel Messi play with Barcelona? No, neither do we. But these are the latest news from Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
There has been a lot of speculation that Messi will extend his Camp Nou contract beyond 2021, but some interesting rumors are that Juventus are looking to shift Ronaldo’s € 23 million a year from salary and are offering him around. . Including in Barcelona.
Ronaldo considered leaving Juventus for PSG this summer before the coronavirus pandemic forced football to quit, according to France Football, having become disillusioned with life in Turin. But could he now move to a much more controversial place?
“The reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked to PSG is not so much that PSG is thinking of taking him, it is because Jorge Mendes has received instructions to find a team for Ronaldo”, Balague told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We have seen him in the last six months, he was linked to Real Madrid.
“They said there is no possibility, he will not come back. And there has been talk of the MLS because Juventus wants to get rid of that salary. It is drastic. It has been offered to them everywhere, including Barcelona.”
The sight of a 35-year-old Ronaldo teaming up with longtime rival Messi for just one season would be incredible, but the Real Madrid legend is highly unlikely to make it to his former club. Or that Barcelona, in financial difficulties, could afford their salary. But we can dream, right?
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09.26 BST: Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus are on high alert after Lyon sporting director Juninho admits that midfielder Houssem Aouar could leave for a bigger club this summer.
Aouar, 22, is highly regarded and is worth around € 50 million. The French midfielder made it to Lyon’s youth academy before breaking into the first team in 2016.
Juninho told RMC Sport: “Houssem Aouar? When you have great players in the squad, it makes sense that other bigger teams with more economic power come looking for the players. There is a risk of losing important players. If we lose important players. ., I have already spoken with the president, we will have the right to balance the workforce. “
08.59 BST: midfielder Blaise Matuidi he will leave Juventus after three seasons following the mutual termination of his contract, the Serie A champions said Wednesday.
Sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens earlier this week that David Beckham’s Major League Soccer Inter Miami would sign Matuidi, who made 45 appearances for Juventus in all competitions last season, claiming the title for the ninth consecutive season.
Matuidi, who arrived in Turin from the French side of Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, won three Serie A titles with Juventus. 84 appearances from France, the 33-year-old was part of the 2018 World Cup squad that defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final.
Sources told ESPN that Matuidi underwent a salary cut to secure a move to the MLS, where he will reunite at Beckham, after the pair played together for Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, just before the Englishman retired. . Matuidi spoke on the phone with Beckham and Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso, the sources say.
08.27 BST: Isco will not leave Real Madrid this summer even as the club seeks to update the midfield lineup, reports Diario AS.
The return of Martin Odegaard at the Bernabeu – and affirms it Dani Ceballos will also find a place in the squad – has led to speculation about the director’s future.
According to AS, Isco told his father and agent not to listen to any offers this summer.
“He is used to competing with four or five teammates for his seat and always ends up playing,” a source close to the player told the newspaper.
The 28-year-old – who remained on the bench when Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester City – has a contract with the club until 2022 and there is still no talk of a new deal.
08.00 BST: Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said both Neymar is Kylian Mbappe he would stay in Paris next season and that “they will never leave these two”.
The two superstars were instrumental in PSG’s 2-1 victory over Atalanta in the Champions League which saw the French club reach the semi-finals of the competition from 1994-95.
Both players are under contract until June 2022 and PSG will try to persuade them to sign new deals in the autumn and extend their stay in the French capital. Neymar has been a Barcelona goal for a year, while Mbappe is wanted by Real Madrid. However, according to Al-Khelaifi, neither will leave this summer.
“Mbappe and Neymar are among the best players in the world, perhaps in the top five or even in the top three,” Al-Khelaifi told French TV station RMC Sport. “Neymar was the best on the field, he played a great game. We found Neymar in the last three months, he changed a lot of things in the team. I felt something special.”
– Laurens: Chupo-Moting finally puts an end to PSG’s UCL curse
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Alex Kirkland says Manchester United will have a more guaranteed impact from Jadon Sancho than Ousmane Dembele.
PAPER TALK (by Shaun Reynolds)
Grealish is still open to United’s move
Jack Grealish remains open-minded about a potential transfer to Manchester United this summer, but will hold talks with Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow at the end of the month about his future at Villa Park.
This is according to The Mirror, which on Wednesday reported that United will likely step up their efforts to pull Grealish away from Villa if their attempt to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund proves unsuccessful.
The Mirror’s report also claims that Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris slapped a whopping £ 80 million price tag on the club’s skipper. Grealish still has three years left on his Aston Villa contract, which is thought to be worth around £ 65,000 a week, after helping his side survive a last-day relegation battle to stay on their feet.
Tap-in
– Paul pogba‘S Manchester United’s commitment could finally be written in black and white (no Juventus pun intended), with Sky Sports reporting that the midfielder expects the club to open contract talks once the Europa League campaign is over. . Pogba, who still has a year on his contract, was strongly linked to Real Madrid and Juventus last summer. But it looks like the 27-year-old now wants to commit his future to United. Sky’s Dharmesh Sheth says Pogba is happy with United and expects contract talks to open soon.
– The arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at Tottenham Hotspur it means young midfielders Oliver Skipp is Jamie Bowden will be sent on loan next season, Football Insider says. Jose Mourinho was reportedly inundated with inquiries from Championship and League One clubs about the availability of Skipp and Bowden.
– Despite having seen offers of £ 18.5m, £ 22m and £ 30m for the Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White turned down, Leeds United will reportedly make a better offer to the seagulls. Football Insider says Premier League newbies are looking forward to tying fan favorite White to an Elland Road deal after impressing on loan with the Yorkshire club during their winning campaign.
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