Al Hilal are looking to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Manchester City are lining up a move for Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.
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TOP STORIES
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TRENDING RUMORS
- Saudi giants Al Hilal are looking to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for around €40m before the start of the Club World Cup on June 15, says Footmercato. Osimhen, 26, is set to leave the Serie A champions after spending the last year on loan at Galatasaray and has been linked with every top club in Europe, including Man United, Chelsea and Juventus. However, the Nigeria international could sign a lucrative three-year contract worth €120m to move to Al Hilal, the club that previously had Neymar on the books before he moved to Santos.
- A move for Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki is being prepared by Manchester City, reports the Telegraph. City are reportedly the latest side to join the race for the 21-year-old, who is expected to leave the Groupama Stadium this summer. Clubs in Europe are believed to be confident that a release clause in Cherki's contract allows him to be signed for around €30m, with Liverpool and Chelsea also previously linked.
- Napoli are set to reignite their interest in Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, says Calciomercato. It is reported that the Serie A side are now prioritizing adding a winger amid belief that they are close to completing the signing of Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and there is hope that the Red Devils would accept an offer worth less than the €60m they demanded for the 20-year-old in January. Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in is also seen as a potential alternative.
- A meeting between Barcelona sporting director Deco and the representatives of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford took place Wednesday regarding a potential transfer, reports Diario Sport. It is said that the Blaugrana are now prioritizing an approach for the 27-year-old over Liverpool's Luis Díaz as a more suitable deal for their current financial situation, and they are hopeful of agreeing a loan with the Red Devils that would include an option to become permanent next summer. Rashford is keen to make the switch to the Camp Nou, but it is yet to be seen whether the Old Trafford hierarchy will allow him to leave on loan again or stand firm with their recent demands of a £40 million offer for him to be offloaded in the next transfer window.
- Newcastle are considering a move for West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, according to Football Insider. The Hammers are reportedly willing to part ways with the 24-year-old this summer to help remain aligned with profit and sustainability rules, and it is believed that the Magpies could compete against Al Nassr in the race to secure his signature. Kudus has directly contributed to eight goals in 32 Premier League matches this season, and recent reports indicate that an offer in the region of €84 million would be accepted.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN's Julien Laurens on what the future holds for Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki.
Cherki will leave Lyon in the summer, but good luck trying to guess which team he will join. Sources have told ESPN that he is wanted by many top clubs -- especially in England, but also in Germany. He had a release clause of €25 million in January, but that is not valid anymore. Now, Lyon will want closer to €40m, even though he only has one year left on his contract.
City are the latest club to join the queue to recruit the Lyon prodigy, who has just completed his best-ever season (12 goals and 20 assists in 44 games in all competitions) at 21 years old. He showed a lot of consistency and maturity this season, and is clearly ready to make the step up to a bigger club and better league.
City are yet to contact Lyon and it's unclear where they would play him (as a No. 10 or out wide); Chelsea have long been admirers and contacted his entourage last summer but never made an offer; Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes likes his profile but is busy trying to finalize a deal to sign Florian Wirtz; while Manchester United are keen and he would be perfect as an No. 10 in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation ... but Cherki wants to play Champions League football.
Meanwhile, Dortmund and Fulham tried to do a deal for him last summer, but the player turned them both down. Dortmund will come back for him, but Bayer Leverkusen have also contacted the Cherki camp and see him as a perfect replacement if Wirtz leaves for Liverpool. So he certainly has lots of options.
OTHER RUMORS
The "ESPN FC" crew discusses why Lamine Yamal has the right mentality to not let his new salary go to his head and continue starring for Barcelona.
- Barcelona are looking to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong to a new contract extension before June 30. (Diario Sport)
- Atletico Madrid are targeting a move to sign Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez to partner with Julian Alvarez. (El Chiringuito)
- An approach for Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has been made by Brentford, who are in "pole position" for the 26-year-old. (Sky Sports)
- Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, will depart Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr on a free transfer and join a club before June 15 to play in the Club World Cup. (Telegraph)
- Liverpool manager Arne Slot will dismiss interest in winger Cody Gakpo from Bayern Munich unless an offer of £75m arrives. (Mirror)
- Real Madrid are interested in signing VfB Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller after a recommendation from legendary Toni Kroos. (Marca)
- Barcelona will sign a new goalkeeper this summer, regardless of whether Wojciech Szczesny stays and signs his one-year contract extension. Sources have told ESPN that Joan Garcia from Espanyol is a priority target as the long-term replacement for Marc-André ter Stegen. (Relevo)
- Bundesliga clubs are tracking Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, with Bayer Leverkusen seeing the 23-year-old as a potential replacement for Victor Boniface. He scored 17 goals in 33 Ligue 1 matches last season. (Florian Plettenberg)
- Sporting CP have yet to receive any transfer offers to sign star striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to the club's vice-president Francisco Salgado Zenha, despite reports that Arsenal have made a €70m offer to land the Sweden international. (Record)
- Real Madrid will have to activate the €50m release clause in Alvaro Carreras' Benfica contract if they want to sign the Spanish left-back. (Record).
- Multiple clubs are considering a move for Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson. The 34-year-old former Liverpool star is set to make a final decision on his future this month, with teams in both the Premier League and Serie A looking at him. (Fabrizio Romano)
- Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane is a free agent next month and has been linked with a host of clubs, but now Tottenham have joined the race. (Sky Sports)
- Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson, 33, is also out of contract this summer and has Everton and Leeds United interested in signing him. (Sun)
- Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate says he is happy at the club, but there has been "no real progress" in talks over a new deal. (Independent)
- Feyenoord striker Zepiqueno Redmond, 18, is set to move to Aston Villa on a free transfer (Sky Sports)
- FC Porto are accelerating efforts to complete the signing of midfielder Gabri Veiga from Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup. (Record)
- Real Sociedad will only allow Take Kubo to leave the club this summer if his €60m release clause is met. Kubo, 23, has a contract with the Basque outfit until June 2029 but is reportedly considering his future. (Diario Vasco).
- Marseille have made West Ham United centre-back Nayef Aguerd, 29, their priority target this summer but face competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid. (Footmercato)
- Total agreement has been reached between Internazionale and Marseille regarding a €25m deal for winger Luis Henrique, who has agreed a five-year contract at the San Siro. (Fabrizio Romano)
- An exit for Tottenham Hotspur center-back Cristian Romero could be "inevitable" this summer. (Daily Mail)
- Napoli are keen on signing Lille and Canada international striker Jonathan David on a free transfer. (Nicolo Schira)
- Real Betis and Bayer Leverkusen are watching the situation of Lens midfielder Andy Diouf, who has recently been linked with Crystal Palace. (Foot Mercato)
- Everton and Leeds United are interested in signing Sheffield United attacking midfielder Gustavo Hamer. (TEAMtalk)
- Bayer Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah is completing a medical ahead of signing a four-year contract with Bayern Munich. He is set to become a free agent next month. (Fabrizio Romano)