🚨 Man Utd prepare Mount bid, Arsenal leading Rice race, Messi explains Inter Miami decision, Bayern snap up free agent, and more

Today's FREE transfer round-up, featuring Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, and more!

Jun 08, 2023

Good morning! Welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing, your essential transfer round-up, completely ad-free and straight to your inbox. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

Lionel Messi signs for Inter Miami and explains Barcelona issue
Man Utd prepare opening offer for Mason Mount
Plus more from Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid

Arsenal

Arsenal are ahead of Bayern Munich in the race to sign Declan Rice, who enjoyed what may end up being the perfect farewell to West Ham last night as they beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.

Speaking after the game, Rice said: “There’s a lot of speculation about my future. Obviously there is interest from other clubs but ultimately I’ve still got two years left at West Ham. We will see. I love this club, I’m the captain.”

Despite recent reports, there hasn’t been any negotiations between Arsenal and Galatasaray for Nuno Tavares. Alex Sandro will remain on the Turkish club’s wish list in case he decides to leave Juventus this summer.

As reported yesterday, the agreement for Reiss Nelson is imminent. The deal, until 2027, was agreed two weeks ago.

Barcelona

Lionel Messi has chosen to move to Inter Miami, and has explained why things didn’t work out with a potential return to Barcelona.

Messi: “I’ve been supporting Barca during the year, I’m a fan. I spoke to Xavi a lot, we discussed and we always had frequent exchanges. I really wanted to return to Barca, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else.

“I heard reports of La Liga giving the green light but the truth is that many, really many things were still missing in order to make my return to Barca happen.

“I’d have loved a farewell like Iniesta, Busquets, Jordi Alba, Xavi... this is why I was very happy to hear the chants with my name by Barca fans at Camp Nou. It was a strange feeling to hear Barca fans calling my name but then... I wasn’t there.

“Money, never been an issue with me. We didn’t even discuss the contract with Barcelona! They sent me a proposal but was never an official, written and signed proposal. We never negotiated my salary. It wasn’t about money otherwise I was going to join Saudi.

“I’m not sure if Barca did everything possible to make it happen, honestly; I just know what Xavi told me. I’m sure that there's people into the club that does NOT want me to return to Barca, considering that negative for the club.

“I’d love to be close to Barcelona. I will live in Barcelona again, it’s already decided. I hope to help the club one day, because it's the club I love. I wanna thank the Barca fans for all their support. And yes, I’d love to be again here... definitely.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s statement: “Jorge Messi told Laporta about Leo’s decision to sign for Inter Miami despite having a proposal from Barca. Both Laporta and Jorge Messi have also set out to work together to promote a great tribute to a player who will always be loved by Barca.”

Franck Kessie’s agent has suggested that news his client has given approval to leave the club is fake, and his position hasn’t changed.

💬 What do you think of Messi’s decision? Is he the man to finally put MLS on the map? Let us know in the comments!

Bayer Leverkusen

Nadiem Amiri won’t sign a new deal at the club and with his current deal expiring in 12 month’s time, the club will look to seal a deal for him to move on this summer.

Bayern Munich

Bayern are set to sign Raphael Guerrero on a free transfer. A verbal agreement has been reached on a three year contract valid until June 2026. Personal terms have been agreed, while his medical and signature will take place next week as he prepares to travel to Munich.

Bayern Munich are hopeful of luring Harry Kane to the club but have two alternatives in mind as well - read the full story here!

Borussia Dortmund

Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid is a done deal. €100m plus add-ons. The England international will sign a six-year deal which was already agreed back in April. Salary will be around €10m/€12m net per season. His medical has already been booked because Los Blancos wanted the deal completed this week.

Borussia Dortmund are advancing on a deal to sign Edson Alvarez. Negotiations will continue this week with Ajax, as the Bellingham saga is finally over and Dortmund want Edson as a replacement in midfield.

Chelsea

Manchester United are preparing to make an opening bid for Mason Mount, but the main issue remains Chelsea’s firm stance on his price tag. Man Utd remain calm as Mount’s keen on making the move to Old Trafford — strategy game on.

Medical tests were completed in London for N’Golo Kante, and his two year deal to Al Ittihad - with an option for a further season - is imminent. AFP and Saudi state media sources have also confirmed agreement in principle.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Evan N’Dicka has left the Bundesliga outfit as a free agent. Roma have offered the player a five year deal and are waiting on his decision.

Inter Miami

Lionel Messi has finally made his decision official - he will join MLS side Inter Miami on a free transfer. There was no late effort from Al-Hilal to improve their bid to him as the decision had already been made.

Messi has spoken about his decision, explaining why he turned down the chance to move to Saudi Arabia and why a return to Barcelona didn’t work out.

Messi: “If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money.

“I really wanted to return to Barca, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else.

“I heard reports of La Liga giving the green light but the truth is that many, really many things were still missing in order to make my return to Barca happen.

“I received bids from other European clubs but I didn't even considered those proposals because my only idea was to join Barcelona in Europe. With Barca deal collapsing, I wanted to try something different now in Miami.

“Busquets to Inter Miami? This was a lie, saying I was going to same club as Jordi Alba and Busi. No, we never agreed to join the same club. I made my decision to join Miami and I don’t know what they are going to do.”

Inter Miami are also considering a move for Angel Di Maria as a free agent. They are informed on the conditions of the deal. Europe remains Di Maria’s priority, and his former club Benfica are on it. Meanwhile, Inter Miami are still insisting to sign Sergio Busquets.

Juventus

Mauricio Scanavino has been speaking to Sky Sports Italia regarding the future of coach, Massimiliano Allegri. “We can confirm that Massimiliano Allegri has never been under discussion, his job was never at risk. We are sharing our long-term plan with Allegri, our relationship is strong.”

Leeds United

With plenty of interest from the continent and with Leeds having been relegated to the Championship, Junior Firpo will move on from Elland Road this summer. The player is believed to want a new experience after his short time in Yorkshire.

Liverpool

Alexis Mac Allister has finally completed his move to Liverpool for just £35m. Medical tests were completed with the permission of Brighton and the Reds have now triggered his release clause.

Lyon

Houssem Aouar has confirmed he’s leaving Lyon as a free agent, and he will move to Roma. Contracts have already been signed on a five-year deal.

Official: Moussa Dembele is also leaving Lyon as a free agent, confirmed. He’s set for a new chapter this summer as many clubs are keen on signing him.

Manchester United

Kim Min-jae has been of interest to Manchester United since last October and with Harry Maguire expected to move on, the South Korean remains a priority target.

His release clause is only valid in July, and with Newcastle also keeping an eye on developments, the Red Devils are being sensible by scouring the French market in particular for ‘plan B’ defensive options.

Axel Disasi wants a move to Manchester United, but he’s their plan B option. For now there’s still nothing concrete in terms of an agreement between Man Utd and AS Monaco — Kim Min-jae remains United’s top target in defence.

Sheikh Jassim has submitted a fifth bid to buy Man United but it will be his last. The bid is another improvement but if nothing has been decided by Friday, his group will withdraw from the process.

💬 Man Utd fans - is Kim Min-jae the centre-back that you’d like to see at Old Trafford?

PSG

There’s a new round of talks scheduled at the Ligue Un giants to discuss the possibilities of signing Marcus Thuram. After Marco Asensio and Milan Škriniar, he could become the third free transfer this summer.

Real Madrid

Roma

Tammy Abraham had successful knee surgery yesterday to reconstruct his ACL. Abraham is expected to be out of action until at least November/early December.

West Ham

West Ham have won the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina! What a great night for their fans and for Declan Rice who captains his team to a European trophy.

This was probably the best final step possible for Declan after so many fantastic years at the club… now he’s ready to make his move. Arsenal are ahead of Bayern in the race. But for now it’s just time to enjoy this tremendous success.

For all the very latest transfer news, read caughtoffside.com

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