🚨 Hojlund prefers Man Utd over PSG, Chelsea and Man City in winger battle, Fulham close in on Premier League striker after Marco Silva boost, and more
Today's transfer round-up, featuring Man Utd, Chelsea, Fulham and more!
Good morning and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing, thanks for reading and enjoy today’s transfer news round-up!
Today’s top stories:
Al Ettifaq
Al Ettifaq have reached an agreement in principle to sign Moussa Dembele as a free agent. Dembele is now really close to joining the Saudi league after leaving Lyon at the end of his contract.
Al Ettifaq are set to sign Jack Hendry on a permanent deal from Club Brugge. He’ll join Steven Gerrard’s team after his medical this week.
Al Fateh
Saudi side Al Fateh are set to sign Jason Denayer — an agreement is in place, and the deal will be completed soon.
Al Hilal
Al Hilal and Fulham are on the verge of reaching an agreement for Aleksandar Mitrovic! Final details are being sorted. The player agreed terms days ago, he wants the move and clubs are now close after two bids rejected.
Al Hilal are closing in on another big name - exclusive details here.
Al Nassr
Official, confirmed: Alex Telles joins Al Nassr on a permanent transfer from Manchester United.
Al Sadd
Gonzalo Plata has joined Al Sadd on a €12m plus €3m deal from Valladolid, done deal and documents signed.
Almeria
Almeria have opened talks to sign Ibrahima Kone as new striker, he’s a strong option on the list. Almeria want Kone as their replacement for El Bilal Toure — with Everton pushing to make it happen as revealed earlier, in race with Atalanta.
Arsenal
Arsenal asked about Mohammed Kudus recently - more details here.
Atalanta
Atalanta are already looking for a replacement for Rasmus Hojlund - more here.
Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele’s release clause changes in August - full details here.
Bayern Munich
Leon Goretzka: “I have NO intention to leave Bayern. I love the club, I love the city and I love the fans.”
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are closing in on the signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer in a permanent transfer, with an agreement on the verge of being reached between the clubs. The deal will cost €19m. Man United decided not to proceed with Sabitzer talks.
Chelsea
Elye Wahi to Chelsea could advance soon, but there’s competition - more on that here.
Mohammed Kudus and Michael Olise are on Chelsea’s radar - full details here.
Levi Colwill is not for sale and set to stay at Chelsea as expected. Mauricio Pochettino said: “We don't need to make a statement. Colwill is our player and he’s going to continue with us. I am so happy with Levi, he can become one of the greatest centre-backs in England.”
💬 Who should be Chelsea’s next priority in the transfer market?
Crystal Palace
I’ve been asked about Eberechi Eze’s future - full info here.
Everton
Official, confirmed: Arnaut Danjuma has joined Everton on loan from Villarreal. He’ll wear the number 10 shirt.
Everton are still pushing to sign El Bilal Toure while Atalanta are on it too. Both clubs are in the race, fighting to sign Almeria striker. Negotiations will continue next week to get it done.
Fulham
Marco Silva has rejected a huge €40m two year deal proposal from Saudi side Al Ahli. The Portuguese coach has decided to stay at Fulham, showing his commitment once again despite two big Saudi proposals.
Raul Jimenez to Fulham, here we go! It’s all agreed between the two clubs, just waiting to exchange and sign all the documents this week. The fee will be around £5.5m fixed, personal terms to be sealed on Monday then medical.
Lazio are now in advanced talks to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea as negotiations are progressing well, though there is also interest from Fulham. Marco Silva staying at Craven Cottage could help them and contacts are now expected to resume.
Galatasaray
Mauro Icardi to Galatasaray, completed three weeks ago and now sealed. He joins for €10m on a contract until 2026.
Wilfried Zaha has joined Galatasaray after rejecting a number of other top clubs - more details here.
Genoa
Mateo Retegui to Genoa, here we go! An agreement is in place with the Italian national team striker who joins from Tigre. Retegui will undergo the first part of his medical on Monday and then sign in Genova on Tuesday. Wolves tried to sign him as well, but FFP issues made it impossible.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim closing in on the Attila Szalai deal, after long negotiations deal now in place; verbal agreement reached. Medical booked early next week, as called by Kicker today. Fenerbahce will receive a fee of around €12m.
Lazio
Lazio are now in advanced talks to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea as negotiations are progressing well, though there is also interest from Fulham. Marco Silva staying at Craven Cottage could help them.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito: “I can tell you that Cuadrado wanted to join us — same as Bonucci. I am not just chasing names… otherwise, I’d get Lo Celso and Leandro Paredes. There are choices that must be made - and I must accept others’ decisions too.”
Liverpool
Al Ittihad’s president is in London to seal the Fabinho deal with Liverpool. Talks are at the final stages but there are still some details to sort between clubs. The documents not ready yet, but Liverpool want to check it as soon as possible. The Saudi club hope for the deal to be done next week to avoid any last minute hijack.
Manchester City
Manchester City could replace Riyad Mahrez with this Premier League attacker - more info here.
Manchester United
Rasmus Hojlund still favours Manchester United despite approaches from another club - more details here.
The expectation remains for Fred to leave Manchester United this summer. There should be more to follow on this story next week.
Marseille
Ismaila Sarr to Olympique Marseille — here we go! A verbal agreement is in place with Watford after contacts revealed yesterday. Sarr has immediately accepted OM as destination. A contract has been agreed until June 2028. OM are now waiting for the final green light to book medical tests in 24-48h.
Newcastle United
Official, confirmed: Harvey Barnes has joined Newcastle in a £38m deal from Leicester City, signing a contract until June 2028.
Allan Saint-Maximin to Al Ahli, here we go! A verbal agreement has been reached for the winger to leave Newcastle. First part of medical tests passed too. All parties waiting to check documents before getting deal done/sealed. Contract until 2026 to be signed soon.
💬 How good a signing is Harvey Barnes? Is their squad good enough for the top four again?
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest are insisting on Dean Henderson as negotiations are ongoing with Manchester United after a loan bid was sent earlier this week. A medical has also been booked for Anthony Elanga after a permanent deal was agreed on Friday.
Porto
Barcelona and Porto are in contact to complete the Nico Gonzalez deal in the next 24-48 hours. Negotiations are ongoing on the buy back clause. It will be a permanent transfer, the clubs are at work to get it signed and sealed.
PSG
Luis Enrique: “Some departures need to be made. We also need new signings. We will use these matches on tour to see how we feel with the impact of the squad.”
PSG could be one to watch in this striker battle - full details here.
Real Betis
Talented 2003 centre back Chadi Riad will join Betis from Barcelona. It will be a permanent deal, and Barcelona will receive a €2.5m fee. Barca will also have a buy-back clause and sell-on clause.
Sassuolo
Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali: “We received €8m bid for Rogerio from Spartak Moscow but we decided not to negotiate with Russian clubs. Rogerio remains on the market as we could lose him on free transfer in 2024 but we don’t want to make deals with Russian clubs.”
West Ham
West Ham are working to get the Carlos Borges deal done and sealed this week for a fee of around £14m, as revealed last week. The deal is at the final stages. Man City would keep buy back clause into the contract.
For all the very latest transfer news, read caughtoffside.com
Caceido and olise
🎶 Harvey ... BARNES
In the U.S.A.
BARNES ... in the U.S.A. 🎶