The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Tottenham to go after Coutinho?
According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur could enter the race to sign Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho this summer.
The Brazilian is on loan at Bayern Munich but has been unable to make the desired impact in Germany, and now he’s being offered out to Premier League clubs as he eyes a return to English football.
Barcelona were reportedly in talks with Chelsea over a potential loan deal for Coutinho, but with the Spanish giants wanting to include a clause that would eventually lead to a permanent deal, the Blues’ interest has cooled off. Because of this, Tottenham could be back in the mix, though Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian might have something to say about it.
Joorabchian told Sky Sports: “The fact I’m an Arsenal supporter is not a secret. I don’t have any preference where the players go. I don’t try to push someone to one club or another. Everything is a possibility. After the Champions League game he [Coutinho] played in England we had a long chat about it [moving to England].
“The Premier League is something that he has always enjoyed playing in, and loved playing in, and would probably love to come back and play in. The question is what are going to be the financial conditions of all the clubs, including Barcelona and all the Premier League clubs at the end of this pandemic.”
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10.25 BST: How could Christian Pulisic be impacted by Chelsea’s summer plans?
09.51 BST: Barcelona are chasing swap deal for Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo involving Nelson Semedo, says The Daily Telegraph.
City only signed Cancelo in the summer in a €30m swap deal with Danilo going to Juventus.
But now Barca want the Portugal international and are willing to offer his fellow countryman as bait.
09.26 BST: Corriere dello Sport says that Napoli want Sevilla defender Diego Carlos to replace Kalidou Koulibaly.
Koulibaly has been linked with a €100m move to almost every top club in Europe, while Carlos was recently tied to Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid as he has a €70m release clause.
08.39 BST: Manchester United are exploring their options as they look to resolve Odion Ighalo‘s future at the club, sources have told ESPN.
United have a loan agreement with Shanghai Shenhua to keep the Nigeria striker at Old Trafford until May 30 but that is unlikely to cover the end of the campaign after the coronavirus pandemic caused football to shut down.
The club are keen to have Ighalo available for remaining games in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League and have not ruled out signing the former Watford man permanently, but there is an acceptance Shanghai hold the cards in any negotiations.
Ighalo has already impressed during his short time at the club, scoring four goals in eight appearances.
08.00 BST: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has denied reports linking him with a move to Italian side Inter Milan, branding a story suggesting the contrary a lie.
In a post made on his Instagram account on Thursday, Messi also said that a story suggesting he posted former teammate Ronaldinho’s $1.6 million bail this week is made up.
Messi attempted to put an end to the recent rumours he might leave Barcelona by posting a screenshot of a story saying he could move to Inter and insisting it was untrue.
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Mario Gotze has confirmed plans to change his agent, with sources telling ESPN that talks with German giants Borussia Dortmund over a new contract have stalled.
The 27-year-old, who scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final win over Argentina, has been with Dortmund since 2016 when he made his return from Bayern Munich. Available on a free transfer this summer, the forward has now announced his intention to make a change in his career by moving to agent Reza Fazeli of International Soccer Management (ISM).
“Today I would like to announce that after intensive consideration, I have decided to make a change in the planning of my career,” Gotze told Bild. “I have consciously taken my time over this step. It is an important decision for my sporting future and I am very much looking forward to working with Reza Fazeli and his agency International Soccer Management (ISM), whose professional competence has absolutely convinced me.
“What the sporting future will bring will only become apparent when a little normality has returned to the world.”
Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks to find out where this turn of events could lead the once highly rated Gotze, with Liverpool and AC Milan already being linked.
Juventus want Castrovilli
Juventus are interested in trying to sign Fiorentina star Gaetano Castrovilli, Tuttosport reports.
Before the coronavirus outbreak halted Serie A, Juve weren’t dominating as usual, but they’re certainly still keeping their finger on the pulse in the transfer window.
The 23-year-old has been attracting a great deal of attention as of late, and while Juve could offer Rolando Mandragora to Fiorentina in return, the logistics of that deal with Mandragora plying his trade at Udinese could prove to be a stumbling block.
Either way, this is one potential deal Juventus aren’t going to forget about in a hurry.
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Tap-ins
– According to Sky Germany, Kai Havertz is interested in a move to Bayern Munich. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has enjoyed a strong campaign with the Bundesliga club, but the negotiation period is set to be a tough one with Leverkusen wanting at least €100m from Bayern for the deal to go through.
– Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is on the verge of agreeing to a new deal with the club, Gazzetta dello Sport reports. The 25-year-old had been the source of speculation from around Europe, especially in the Premier League, with Tottenham looking at him as a possible successor to Hugo Lloris. Now, however, it appears as if he’s committing his future to Italian football.