the Daily Briefing - did Liverpool really bid for Valverde? Which Premier League club was close to signing Kudus? Plus updates on Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd + more
My exclusive Daily Briefing, featuring Graham Potter's impact at Chelsea and the latest on their search for a new sporting director.
Good morning guys and welcome to my Daily Briefing - enjoy! :-)
Today’s top stories:
AC Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: “I will be back soon. I'm not gonna retire, I'm coming back and I won't give up.” He extended his contract until June and he will return from injury in 2023.
Ajax
Mohammed Kudus is catching the eye in the Champions League with this stunning goal against Liverpool to follow up another brilliant solo effort against Rangers last week.
Is Kudus the next top talent who could leave Ajax for big money? Which Premier League club came close to signing him in the summer? Click here to read my exclusive column and find out all you need to know.
Arsenal
How are Arsenal progressing in talks over a new contract for Bukayo Saka, and who else is in line for new deals? Click here for my latest exclusive update.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo on Antoine Griezmann: “We have not met with Barcelona nor do we intend to do so. Griezmann story is pretty clear. At the moment we are at the same point, nothing has changed with FCB on Griezmann - same as beginning of the season.”
Barcelona
Here we go - Gavi has signed a new contract. Full agreement now 100% completed with Barcelona. It’s done and sealed after breakthrough reported last week. He’s earned a pay rise, with his new deal valid until June 2026, plus a release clause of €1billion.
Chelsea
What kind of impact is Graham Potter having at Chelsea? And which players could benefit most from his arrival? It’s all here in my exclusive column.
How did Chelsea end up pipping Manchester City to the signing of Marc Cucurella? Click here for my deep dive into this story.
Red Bull Salzburg’s Christoph Freund is emerging as a candidate for the sporting director job at Chelsea, but who is he and why is he so highly regarded? Find out more in my exclusive column.
Todd Boehly: “Tuchel is extremely talented and had great success, our vision for the club was finding a manager that wanted to collaborate with us. But we weren’t sure Thomas saw our vision the same way we saw it, we didn’t have a shared vision.”
Reports around Tiemoue Bakayoko leaving Chelsea for Olympiacos and then to Nottingham Forest are wide of the mark, as I understand it.
📰 In other news, N’Golo Kante is attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and the Bundesliga as he nears the end of his Chelsea contract (Bild)
Liverpool
Did Liverpool really make a late bid for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde? Click here to find out what I’ve been told.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola answers how he reacted to the news that Manchester City were signing Erling Haaland this summer in typical Pep style…
Manchester United
What’s the latest with new contracts for Marcus Rashford and four other Manchester United players? Click here for my exclusive update.
Olympiacos
Pajtim Kasami is in talks over a potential return to Olympiacos on a free transfer. He’s a free agent after recently leaving Basel.
PSG
No decision is imminent on Lionel Messi - he is focused on PSG and then the World Cup with Argentina. For all the talk of a return to Barcelona or a new contract with PSG, the player will not proceed before 2023.
📰 In other news, Kylian Mbappe’s new PSG contract - announced in May as running until 2025 - is actually a two-year deal with the option of a third year (L’Equipe)
Rayo Vallecano
It’s finally a done deal - Raul de Tomas has signed as a new Rayo Vallecano player from Espanyol after lengthy negotiations. This important signing has finally been agreed and completed.
Real Madrid
Ancelotti on Kylian Mbappe: “Kylian contract? Again with this? [laughs] We are delighted with our players… we’re very happy with Vinicius and Rodrygo. We are not thinking about anyone else. Asensio has chances to play tomorrow, he’s training very well.”
Who is Christoph Freund - the latest candidate for Chelsea sporting director?
Red Bull Salzburg’s Christoph Freund is emerging as a candidate for Chelsea for the new sporting director role. Talks have been positive, but other candidates remain in the frame. A final decision is expected in the next few weeks, as Todd Boehly wants a new director as soon as possible.
Freund was already approached for a role at RB Leipzig, staying into RB group - but he's always been really happy at Salzburg. Many of Salzburg stars have joined the clubs thanks to Freund, including Benjamin Sesko and Erling Haaland (who was already "famous" at Molde, of course).
He's great with identifying talents and has a vision for the future, this is why he's one of the most attractive candidates for Chelsea.
Graham Potter having a positive impact at Chelsea
This evening we’ll finally get to see Graham Potter take charge of his first game as Chelsea manager as they take on Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League.
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