Manchester City have identified Bayer Leverkusen standout Florian Wirtz as a central component of their rebuild, while Atlético Madrid are preparing to battle Aston Villa and Newcastle United for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, and Arsenal and Liverpool want Mohamed Amoura. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
- Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz will be on Manchester City's list as they look to sign a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, according to Football Insider, with the 33-year-old being linked with a move away from the Etihad. Even so, Bayern Munich are the frontrunners to sign the 21-year-old Wirtz if he does depart Die Werkself.
- Manchester United and Chelsea are monitoring striker Victor Osimhen ahead of the summer transfer window, reports Nicolo Schira. The Nigeria international is currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, recording 17 goals and five assists in 23 matches across all competitions, and has a €75m release clause.
- Atlético Madrid are plotting a move to sign Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson in the summer but could face competition from Aston Villa and Newcastle United, writes The Sun. This comes amid doubts about whether the 23-year-old Senegal international can guide the west London club back to the top of the league despite his positive displays this season.
- Liverpool are willing to let Alisson Becker leave in the summer transfer window and the goalkeeper would prefer to join an elite European club rather than heading to Saudi Arabia, according to TEAMtalk. This comes despite the 32-year-old's contract running until 2027, with Giorgi Mamardashvili's pending arrival being a contributing factor.
- Chelsea want to sign AFC Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo in the summer, having been impressed by his performances this season, according to Football Insider, which adds that the Blues feel the 25-year-old is ready to make a step up. They are also concerned by the form of Noni Madueke, while Mykhailo Mudryk faces a long-term ban.
- Mohamed Amoura is technically on loan at Wolfsburg from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, with a €14.5m permanent transfer to follow his €3m loan, but Sport Bild reports that there is already interest in the Algeria forward from elsewhere. Arsenal are considering a move for the 24-year-old and Liverpool are in contact with his management, while Eintracht Frankfurt are interested but unlikely to be able to afford a move.
- Arsenal need a striker now, but have to wait until the summer window opens as they won't move for any of the free agents available. When it does, Fabrizio Romano says that their two top targets are Newcastle's Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. Isak, 25, has been in superb form this season but his transfer could cost up to £150m, while Sesko, 21, has been tracked for some time and has a reported £60m release clause in his new contract. The Gunners will face competition for both players from across Europe, while TEAMtalk reports that Isak is very interested in a move to Liverpool.
- Tottenham, Newcastle and Bournemouth are all keen on Feyenoord winger Igor Paixão, reports The Sun, with this coming after the 24-year-old scored the only goal in his side's first-leg UEFA Champions League win over AC Milan. The latter two clubs each had scouts at De Kuip to watch the Brazilian, whose transfer Feyenoord value at £25m.
- Manchester United won't make a €70m move to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres as he wants to join a Champions League team, says The Athletic. Sesko is also of interest to United but the report claims that "a more plausible target" is Ipswich Town's Liam Delap. At 22, he would be allowed to leave for £40m and that fee could drop if Ipswich are relegated at the end of the season. United have also scouted Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy and Brighton's Evan Ferguson in the past.
- Chelsea are keeping a close eye on Caoimhín Kelleher's situation at Liverpool as they look to sign a goalkeeper in the summer, reports Football Insider, who state that the Blues are concerned about Robert Sánchez's performances. The 26-year-old is expected to leave Anfield when Giorgi Mamardashvili arrives in the summer and there could be competition to sign him.
CONFIRMED TRANSFERS
- Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala, 21, has extended his contract through to 2030. Read
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN's resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen looks at interest in Mohamed Amoura.
Amoura has enjoyed a marvellous debut season in the Bundesliga with eight goals and eight assists from 19 matches. His journey to becoming one of the Bundesliga top attackers has been quite unusual for a North African, as he started his career in the domestic Algerian league with ES Setif before spending two years in Switzerland prior to landing in Belgium.
Initially an inverted winger on the left, the 24-year-old has turned out to be a flexible attacker at Wolfsburg, typically roaming freely around and behind a typical No. 9 striker. This tactical tweak gives Amoura the licence to drop into dangerous pockets, create links with the wingers and, perhaps most importantly, pick up rebounds and lay-offs from the more-static frontman. He's made fine use out of this positional freedom by scoring regularly and utilising his creativity to set up his teammates.
With tremendous speed over short distances, brilliant command of his body and an array of technical ability -- dribbles, trickery and disguised passes -- Amoura is a great source of creativity and unpredictability. Exhilarating speed with the ball, quick body jigs and ambidexterity are weapons that often confuse and destabilise his markers.
In addition to his crowd-pleasing attacking moves, Amoura is also efficient in his defensive work. He avidly closes down defenders in Ralph Hasenhüttl's high pressing side and currently records 4.1 recoveries per 90 minutes.
OTHER RUMORS
Julien Laurens questions Pep Guardiola for his inability to pull Manchester City out of their current slide.
- Free agent right-back Sèrge Aurier has held discussions with MLS side San Diego FC about joining the expansion team. (Foot Mercato)
- Newcastle United are ready to compete with the likes of Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion to sign Celtic winger Nicolas Kühn, with the 25-year-old interested in a move to England. (TEAMtalk)
- Palmeiras have reached an agreement in principle to sign centre-back Micael from the Houston Dynamo in what would be a record departure for the MLS club. (GiveMeSport's Tom Bogert)
- Toronto FC are finalising a deal to bring in FC Midtjylland striker Ola Brynhildsen on loan with the option to make the move permanent. (GiveMeSport's Tom Bogert)
- Neymar's dream is to return to play for Barcelona. The Brazil forward, 33, rejoined boyhood club Santos on a six-month deal after terminating his contract with Al Hilal, but plans to return to play in Europe in 2025-26. Neymar won eight trophies with Barcelona, including two LaLiga titles and one Champions League, during his four seasons at the club before joining PSG in the summer 2017 for a world-record fee of €222m. (Cadena Ser)
- Paris Saint-Germain are keen on signing Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, 27, but the Italian club will offer him a new contact to remove his €90m release clause. (Calciomercato)
- Signing Feyenoord defender Dávid Hancko is a priority for Juventus in the summer transfer window but the club want at least €35m. (Calciomercato)
- Crystal Palace are already putting plans in place to sign a replacement for Marc Guéhi. Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Newcastle United all want to sign the England international at around £60m, as his contract expires in 2026. (Football Insider)
- Palace are also aware of interest in 27-year-old forward Jean-Philippe Mateta from Barcelona, but have placed a £40m-£50m value on his transfer. (Football Insider)
- Arsenal want to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli to replace Jorginho, who will leave for Flamengo in the summer. (JuveLive)
- Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal will make another attempt to sign Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella in the summer. (Tuttomercatoweb)
- Other players from Italy of interest to clubs from the SPL include Juventus' Nicolo Fagioli, Napoli's Matteo Politano and Roma's Leandro Paredes, who has also been linked with a move to Boca Juniors. (Tuttomercatoweb)