Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Crystal Palace for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
- Manchester United have been informed that it will cost them £40 million to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer, according to the Daily Mirror. The French forward, 27, has attracted the attention of United's hierarchy by following his breakout 2023-24 season with another 15 goals this campaign. Talks are already underway between the two clubs, although it is thought that United coach Ruben Amorim first needs to generate funds before a move for Mateta can be made. The likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho have all been linked with transfers away from Old Trafford in recent weeks.
- Man United are one of several Premier League sides tracking Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham, the Daily Mail has revealed. The England under-21 international, the younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude, has "many top-flight admirers" heading into the summer transfer window, and could well be on the move if Sunderland failed to gain promotion. Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and Sunderland's Chris Rigg are also players who United are considering from the Championship.
- Chelsea are monitoring the situation of Dávid Hancko at Feyenoord amid reported interest from Tottenham and Juventus, according to TEAMtalk. The centre-back was the subject of strong Serie A interest in January and is said to be "enticed" by the prospect of moving to Juve. However, Hancko is yet to make a final decision on where he will play his club football next season. Feyenoord will seek a fee in excess of €50m for the 27-year-old's transfer this summer.
- Several Saudi Arabian clubs are interested in a move for Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rüdiger, reports Relevo, which adds that the Saudi government supports the idea of bringing him in. The 32-year-old also likes the idea of going there, but only when he decides to leave Los Blancos himself. Relevo also claims that Al Hilal are ready to offer €100m to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha, but Sport says that his club are preparing to offer him a new deal.
- Chelsea and Barcelona have shown a concrete interest in signing AC Milan winger Rafael Leão, with agent Jorge Mendes having worked on a possible exit for months, according to Calciomercato. Following questions about the 25-year-old's performances, he came off the bench to assist Christian Pulisic's deciding goal in a 3-2 win against Lecce this weekend.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN's Sam Tighe explores why Manchester United would be keen on Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
It's not just the goals that mark Mateta out as a top striker -- it's everything else that accompanies them, too.
He's 6-foot-4, strongly built, has decent speed to get in behind the defence, but most impressively of all he holds the ball up and links play brilliantly. Crystal Palace's creative midfielders, such as Eberechi Eze and Ismaïla Sarr, absolutely love playing off him, as he distracts and occupies centre-backs before laying the ball to them.
What we're describing here is the modern target man: A hustling, bustling handful for defenders who can also run the channels, work in tandem with midfielders and chip in with his share of goals, too. Mateta has 12 from 25 league starts this term, which puts him on track to at least match last season's tally of 16. These are good numbers.
He's exactly the kind of player Manchester United used to sign: A Premier League-proven, peak age (27) striker who needs no time to bed in and adapt. It's been almost eight years since the club signed a No. 9 from inside the league (Romelu Lukaku in 2017), despite that strategy bringing them an assortment of brilliant players over the years, like Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.
Mateta isn't on a par with any of those names, but he is the kind of dependable forward United look badly in need of right now.
OTHER RUMORS
Stevie Nicol details why Manchester City and Pep Guardiola might be better off separating next year.
- Real Madrid are planning for life without veteran Luka Modric and are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez this summer for around €80m. (Caught Offside)
- Barcelona have opened talks about extending the contract of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. (Nicolo Schira)
- Manchester United have an option to extend Kobbie Mainoo's contract by a year and keep the midfielder until 2028. (Sun)
- Fulham want a fee of £40m to let 27-year-old left-back Antonee Robinson leave. Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with the USMNT international. (Football Insider)
- Arsenal have scouted Bologna forward Santiago Castro, 20, and have been impressed by his performances. (Football Transfers)
- Tottenham are set to make €40m move for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, 25. (Caught Offside)
- Juventus and Newcastle are ready to swap midfielders Douglas Luiz and Sandro Tonali this summer. (Calciomercato)
- Inter Milan are keen for forward Marcus Thuram, 27, to sign a new contract and up his €85m release clause. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
- Chelsea are interested in a €25m move for Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha, who has also received attention from West Ham United, Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United. (Ekrem Konur)
- Barcelona are interested in Rayo Vallecano right-back Andrei Ratiu but the club's sporting director David Cobeno told them that his €25m release clause would have to be paid. (Radio MARCA)
- Espanyol want to trigger their option to make Alex Kral's loan from Union Berlin permanent, but they still need to reach an agreement on the midfielder's salary with negotiations to continue in the coming weeks. (Matteo Moretto)
- Real Betis want to permanently sign centre-back Natan for €8m when his loan from Napoli ends. (Matteo Moretto)
- West Ham United have established contact with representatives of Roma striker Tammy Abraham. The 27-year-old is on-loan at AC Milan but is also wanted by Wolves and Everton. (Calciomercato)
- Eintracht Frankfurt are interested in signing TSG Hoffenheim midfielder Anton Stach. The former Mainz star is under contract at Hoffenheim until 2027 but could be available for around €20m once the transfer market reopens. (Florian Plettenberg)