the Daily Briefing - who will be Freund's priority targets for Chelsea? Plus the latest on Xhaka, Skriniar, Maddison, and more

My exclusive transfer round-up, featuring Chelsea closing in on a new sporting director, and the truth about Milan Skriniar's future.

Good morning all and welcome to my latest Daily Briefing! :-)

Today’s top stories:

• What’s on the agenda for Chelsea’s incoming sporting director?

• How close was Granit Xhaka to leaving Arsenal?

• Which clubs are in the race for Milan Skriniar?

Arsenal

Roma manager Jose Mourinho is a big fan, but how close was Granit Xhaka to leaving Arsenal this summer?

What a moment we saw in the Premier League yesterday - Arsenal young talent Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest ever Premier League player. The midfielder is just 15 years, 181 days old. Born in 2007.

Atletico Madrid

There’s been fresh speculation about Antoine Griezmann’s future - click here to find out what’s really going on.

Barcelona

PSG director Luis Campos reveals on Ousmane Dembele: “We didn’t sign Dembele because he’s a winger and we’re playing with another system. I love Dembele, he’s great but we had different plans.”

📰 In other news, Ronald Araujo turned down offers from Premier League clubs before signing a new contract with Barcelona (Sport)

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich’s Oliver Kahn on Julian Nagelsmann: “We're totally convinced of Julian. Of course, he's concerned, everyone is. But we are convinced of Julian. Some players probably believe the Bundesliga can be secondary. That's unacceptable.”

Brighton

Official, confirmed. Roberto de Zerbi has been appointed as new Brighton manager to replace Graham Potter. He’s signed his contract, valid until 2026.

Chelsea

Chelsea are closing in on Christoph Freund as their new director of football - click here to find out more.

Who could Chelsea target under Freund? Here’s what I think should be the priority.

Callum Hudson-Odoi: “Todd Boehly didn’t want to include a buy option and told me: 'Listen, we want you back here. You're still on Chelsea radar. There are a lot of young players he's trying to buy for the next years, it’s main part of the project.”

Inter Milan

What’s the latest on Milan Skriniar’s future amid links with the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham?

Juventus

Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene: “It would be completely crazy to sack Allegri right now. Allegri has a project here at Juventus to be developed in the next four years. We have a long term project here, I’m involved too as a CEO.”

Leicester City

Would James Maddison get into the England squad with a move to a big six club? My thoughts here.

📰 In other news, Brentford manager Thomas Frank has insisted he’s happy where he is, despite being linked with the Leicester City job (Sky Sports)

Manchester United

Are Manchester United really showing an interest in Antoine Griezmann? Click here to find out.

Newcastle

How close did Newcastle come to signing one of Leicester City’s most important players this summer?

PSG

PSG director Luis Campos reveals on Ousmane Dembele: “We didn’t sign Dembele because he’s a winger and we’re playing with another system. I love Dembele, he’s great but we had different plans.”

📰 In other news, PSG have been handed a boost as Real Madrid appear to be cooling their interest in Kylian Mbappe (Marca)

Sheffield United

Sheffield United talent Iliman Ndiaye has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, but the Blades fought to keep him this summer. His contract runs until 2024.

Stuttgart

Dan-Axel Zagadou is closing in on a free transfer to Stuttgart. He’ll have a medical next week. Despite reports, the former Borussia Dortmund defender was never close to joining West Ham.

🔒 (Subscribers Only) What's on Christoph Freund's to-do list at Chelsea? How close did Xhaka really come to leaving Arsenal? Plus updates on Maddison, Skriniar, and more

Who will be Chelsea's top targets under Christoph Freund? Find out in my latest exclusive column.

Chelsea close to hiring Christoph Freund

Since hiring Graham Potter, Todd Boehly and the Chelsea board have been planning to bring in a new director of football as soon as possible. And now, Chelsea are on the verge of reaching an agreement with Christoph Freund.