the Daily Briefing: Thursday 11th August - Man Utd hold positive Rabiot talks, Chelsea ready to meet Barca demands for De Jong, and more
The latest exclusive transfer news, featuring Adrien Rabiot, Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay, and more.
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Today’s top stories:
Man Utd hold positive talks with Adrien Rabiot
Chelsea ready to pay what’s required for Frenkie de Jong
Why Spurs don’t want to sign Memphis Depay
Manchester United
At the moment the negotiation between Manchester United and Veronique Rabiot is still ongoing. Erik ten Hag had a direct call with Adrien Rabiot on Monday and it was positive, now the two parties are negotiating on the financial and project plan.
Rabiot is interested in a move to the Premier League, but does not want to reduce his salary from the current €7m net per year he makes at Juve - negotiations are underway.
As for the clubs, there is a full agreement between Man Utd and Juventus for a €17m fee plus add-ons. Talks accelerated over the weekend, but United had been considering Rabiot for weeks.
Chelsea
Chelsea are prepared to pay what Barcelona want for Frenkie de Jong once the player will decide, while Manchester United already have an agreement since July with Barca for €75m plus €10m in add-ons.
The decision is now up to the player himself, it will have to be Frenkie who decides and Man United will try to the end knowing that Chelsea can offer UCL football and are ready to make a proposal.
I understand De Jong's position: after so many years in a struggling Barca, the squad is now very strong and there is an opportunity to win important titles right away. Of course, he doesn't deserve to be insulted by a few fans like yesterday; this is not correct.
In terms of outgoings, Christian Pulisic’s situation is still quiet, there are no ongoing negotiations. AC Milan had an interest in Hakim Ziyech but only on their own terms, which is why so far it's a stand-by deal with Chelsea.
Ziyech and Chelsea will be looking for a solution together in the coming weeks because Thomas Tuchel is open to selling him.
📰 In other news, Chelsea are continuing to push to sign Wesley Fofana and could make a third bid for the Leicester City centre-back this week (Times)
Tottenham
Despite some speculation to the contrary, there is no current interest from Spurs in signing Memphis Depay; Tottenham already have many players in that position, from Richarlison to Son, Kulusevski & co. Juventus are very interested and are negotiating a two year deal with Depay.
I believe it is a great opportunity on the transfer market, Depay is a top player - Barcelona are open to terminate their contract to save a salary but Memphis will only accept when they already have an agreement with another top club, as Juventus are leading the race.
I also have an update on the Destiny Udogie deal - he will be flying to London on Monday for his medical with Tottenham, which will take place on Tuesday. The plan is still for him to stay on loan with Udinese until 2023.
Arsenal
I have no confirmation on a negotiation between AC Milan and Arsenal for Albert Sambi Lokonga, as things stand. Lokonga has always been on Paolo Maldini's list for the last 2-3 years but so far no proposals have arrived from AC Milan, who remain in search of a midfielder. We will see what happens in the next few days.
Leeds
Juan Mata is highly regarded on a human and professional level by Leeds but there are no negotiations in progress, as things stand. There were also links with Real Oviedo but even in this case, no agreement. Mata has not yet decided on his next club.
Barcelona
Talks are scheduled to discuss the futures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay. Their preference is to keep one of them and let the other go. Chelsea are discussing Aubameyang, while Depay is wanted by Juventus.
📰 In other news, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen could be allowed to leave Barcelona for free if they cannot be registered by La Liga before the weekend (ESPN)
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Manchester City
Sergio Gomez - here we go! A verbal agreement is now in place with Anderlecht. Fee will be more than €10m, closer to €15m - to be signed soon. Manchester City have booked a medical for the player, who has a good chance of being part of Pep Guardiola’s first-team but who could also be loaned out to Girona.
Kayky is set to leave City today, with an official statement to follow. He’s completed his medical with Pacos de Ferreira and will sign on loan for one year, with no purchase option.
Bernardo Silva responds to questions over his future: “I've been open with Man City and they know what I want. If I stay, I'm very happy and I will always respect this club and give all my best. If not, it's football and we'll just see what happens. I will always be respectful with Man City”.
📰 In other news, Man City plan to sign another left-back before the end of the summer, regardless of what happens with the Sergio Gomez deal (Manchester Evening News)
Inter Milan
Chelsea and Nice are both in the race to sign Cesare Casadei, but there’s no decision yet from Inter as they want to assess what kind of offers come in for the youngster.
Andrea Pinamonti is on the verge of leaving Inter. Full agreement now in place to sell the 23-year-old forward to Sassuolo in a permanent deal for around €20m. Could be done within hours.
Real Madrid
Florentino Perez seems to rule out late transfer business for Real Madrid: “With the squad we have, we do not contemplate any more signings for Real Madrid team this summer.”
Monaco
Done deal, confirmed - Malang Sarr has joined Monaco on loan from Chelsea. The deal includes the option to make the transfer permanent.
PSG
Arnaud Kalimuendo has left Paris Saint-Germain to join Rennes. His medical will take place today after a €25m fee was agreed between the clubs, including a sell-on clause.
Thilo Kehrer could also be on his way out of PSG in the near future, with West Ham and Sevilla both keen on the 25-year-old Germany defender.
Valencia
Valencia are set to finalise a loan move for Barcelona youngster Nico Gonzalez today - all the documents have been signed and a medical is scheduled.
However, the Arthur Melo deal could collapse as there’s still no agreement with Juventus. Bryan Gil is also an option but there is still no green light from Tottenham.
Brentford
Done deal - Mikkel Damsgaard has been officially announced as a new signing for Brentford. The Denmark international joins for €15m from Sampdoria and has signed a five-year contract. Manager Thomas Frank was delighted with the deal, saying: “Mikkel is another classic Brentford signing. He is a young player with big potential to develop further.”
Nottingham Forest
A deal to sign Remo Freuler from Atalanta is edging closer. The player wants the move to Forest, and negotiations are advancing over a €9m deal.
Lille
Ludovic Blas is closing in on a transfer to Lille. The Nantes midfielder has agreed personal terms, having been a top target for Paulo Fonseca. This could be done in the next few days, or next week at the latest.