The summer transfer window is open! Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Barca plan to get Leizpig’s Olmo
Barcelona have submitted plans for a six-year contract to RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo‘s representatives, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Olmo’s performances at Euro 2024 have further enhanced his reputation, and he is one of the main objectives for Barcelona this summer.
Olmo’s agent has received a written offer from the Catalan club that would see Leipzig receive his full release clause of €60 million, either in one lump sum or in stages.
The release clause is set to change this Saturday, yet with talks having already begun, Barca are hoping that the German club will uphold the figure for a few more weeks until a deal is done.
The structure of the deal would see Barca offer Olmo a lower salary in the first two seasons to meet LaLiga‘s fair play rules, with the figure rising in the third year.
Manchester City and Bayern Munich are also keen on landing the 26-year-old, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid also monitoring the situation.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Newcastle United have made contact with Chelsea over a move for winger Noni Madueke, reports Football Insider. The Blues are looking at different wide options this summer and 22-year-old Madueke is considered a more realistic option than West Ham United‘s Jarrod Bowen, and a safer option than Leeds United‘s Crysencio Summerville. Chelsea are looking to make room for new faces by allowing some of the fringe players to leave, and manager Eddie Howe sees enough in Madueke, signed from PSV in 2023, to open talks.
– Mainz have approached former Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting‘s agent about the 35-year-old rejoining the club, reports Fabrizio Romano. Choupo-Moting is a free agent after leaving Bayern at the end of the 2023-24 season, and he’s now deciding his next move. The striker spent three years at Mainz between 2011 and 2014, scoring 20 goals in 74 games. Now, after registering 19 goals in 88 games, he’s considering a range of options. West Ham United and Inter Milan have also registered their interest in recent months.
– Napoli are in the market for a new striker to replace the outgoing Victor Osimhen, and they’ve been boosted by the news that Romelu Lukaku is keen to join them, reports Florian Plettenberg. The 31-year-old Belgian international is likely to leave Chelsea this summer and is assessing his options, and talks are said to have started between the two clubs. Chelsea are keen to recoup €40m for Lukaku, but Napoli’s ability to meet that fee depends on Osimhen, who is widely tipped to join Paris Saint-Germain.
– Manchester United’s busy summer is set to continue, with the club keen on adding Adrien Rabiot‘s name to an ever-evolving squad. That’s according to L’Equipe who, as well as suggesting United will have to part with €70m to land Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain, believe the Reds are as keen as Rabiot to make the move happen. The 29-year-old France international is a free agent after leaving Juventus, and he’s said to be more keen on a move to the Premier League.
– Aston Villa are plotting to bring another attacking player to Villa Park, and Football Insider reports that manager Unai Emery is considering an audacious bid for Athletic Club‘s Nico Williams. Villa have already added winger Jaden Philogene to the squad, and Emery is keen to bolster further with the trickery and pace of 22-year-old Williams. To do so, the club will need to facilitate the exit of Jhon Durán, and fend off stiff opposition from several big clubs around Europe.
