🚨 De Zerbi Tottenham CONFIRMED, update on Diomande to Liverpool, Arsenal eye Real Madrid star, PSG plot Man Utd raid, World Cup latest, & more
Today's transfer headlines and World Cup qualification latest...
Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing - all your essential football headlines in one place, delivered ad-free and straight to your inbox. Enjoy!
Today’s top stories:
Diomande to Liverpool, Fernandes to PSG, & more!
International round-up
England miss big chances in defeat to Japan
England suffered a disappointing defeat in their final match before Thomas Tuchel picks his squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma scored a well-worked winning goal for Japan at Wembley, finishing well from a slick counter-attack.
England then missed some big chances through Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, and Morgan Rogers as they just couldn’t get a way back into the game.
FT England 0-1 Japan [Pictures from ITV Sport]
Final World Cup places sealed after play-offs
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Italy (4-1 on penalties)
Sweden 3-2 Poland
Czech Republic 2-2 Denmark (3-1 on penalties)
Kosovo 0-1 Turkey
Meanwhile, we now know the final teams to qualify for the World Cup after last night’s play-off results.
In a major shock, Italy are once again set to miss out after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Sweden beat Poland in a thrilling encounter.
Czech Republic and Turkey also won and they’ll join Bosnia and Sweden at the tournament in North America this summer.
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Arsenal
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are among the clubs eyeing up Real Madrid playmaker Arda Guler this summer. (TEAMtalk)
Barcelona
Barcelona can re-sign Jan Virgili from Mallorca for just €18m this summer due to a clause included in the deal. (Mundo Deportivo)
Barcelona are open to listening to offers for Jules Kounde this summer, with top Premier League clubs showing an interest in the French defender. (Mundo Deportivo)
Chelsea
Chelsea are showing an interest in Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, whose asking price could drop to €45m if the club are relegated this season. (Mark Brus, the Daily Briefing)
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are among the clubs eyeing up Real Madrid playmaker Arda Guler this summer. (TEAMtalk)
There is some “tension” around Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea future and Real Madrid could be one to watch in the future. (Fabrizio Romano)
Adam Wharton to Chelsea looks like a transfer the Blues would be increasingly keen on amid doubts over Fernandez’s future, while a few other big names are also on the club’s list. (Simon Phillips)
Marc Cucurella has aimed a major dig at the club’s owners for their transfer policy: “I understand this is part of the club’s policy, and that they want to take this direction — signing young players and looking to the future. But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged. We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more.”
Cucurella was also unhappy about Enzo Maresca’s exit: “These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season…The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell.”
Cucurella’s Chelsea future could be in serious doubt as he’s also being linked as a top target for Atletico Madrid amid his public dig at the Blues. (AS)
Everton
Everton are considering a surprise summer transfer window swoop for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as there’s the growing feeling that he could be allowed to leave. (Football Insider)
Liverpool
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are among the clubs eyeing up Real Madrid playmaker Arda Guler this summer. (TEAMtalk)
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are also interested in a Liverpool player, with Hugo Ekitike working his way up Los Blancos’ list of attacking targets. (TEAMtalk)
Yan Diomande is still being linked with Liverpool but he’ll cost €100m or more, and RB Leipzig are also working on tying the winger down to a new contract. (Philipp Hinze, Sky Germany)
Liverpool are ‘seriously considering’ signing this in-form Tottenham star - full story here!
Manchester City
Has this Manchester City star just dropped a major hint that he’s leaving this summer? Full story here!
Manchester United
Manchester United are showing an interest in Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, whose asking price could drop to €45m if the club are relegated this season. (Mark Brus, the Daily Briefing)
Manchester United could make Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali a priority in midfield on the recommendation of star player Bruno Fernandes. (Daily Mail)
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is a top target for Manchester United, but they could face competition from Real Madrid to sign the England international for around £86m. (Fichajes)
Manchester United are aiming to sell as many as five players this summer, with the hope of adding around £100m to their transfer budget. (Sky Sports)
Newcastle United
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes has named two clubs he’d like to play for in the future - full quotes here!
Newcastle could be set to sign this Leeds star this summer - more info here!
PSG
PSG are preparing a summer move for Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes after becoming aware that he has a release clause in his contract for European clubs. (Fichajes)
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are eyeing a surprise raid on Liverpool, with Hugo Ekitike working his way up Los Blancos’ list of attacking targets. (TEAMtalk)
Real Madrid could be open to loaning out Franco Mastantuono this summer after a difficult debut season for him at the Bernabeu. (OkDiario)
Tottenham
Roberto De Zerbi has officially been confirmed as the new Tottenham manager on a five-year deal, but some Spurs fans aren’t happy - full story here!
De Zerbi’s message to the fans: “I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world. In all my discussions with the Club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it. Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”
Liverpool are ‘seriously considering’ signing this in-form Tottenham star - full story here!