The January transfer window might seem like a distant memory, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up, so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Fernandes' United future tied to Pogba
The Sun reports that Bruno Fernandes will only commit his future to Manchester United if Paul Pogba is also part of the club.
Pogba's contract ends next June and United are either looking to get him to commit to new terms, or allow him to leave this summer in an effort to recoup a fee rather than lose him on a free transfer. Juventus and Real Madrid have been linked with the French midfielder for the past year and his agent Mino Raiola was quoted as saying in December that his client's career at Manchester United "is over."
Fernandes, 26, has been a revelation since joining United from Sporting CP for €80 million in January last year and is reported to be watching the situation closely. United are keen to extend the Portugal international's stay at Old Trafford, despite it ending in 2025, and they have already approached him with a big-money extension to his current deal. However, it is reported that Fernandes is unwilling to enter talks until he sees how the club performs in the transfer window.
United are looking at a number of big signings this summer -- including star Dortmund duo Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho -- but they have failed to land their top targets in previous transfer windows.
Pogba appears to be more settled than at any other time in the last two campaigns, which is good news when it comes to United's quest to tie both the World Cup winner and Fernandes to lengthier stays.
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LIVE BLOG
22.00 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
21.47 BST: Calciomercato claims that Juventus are going to continue their recent strategy of buying young players with a viewpoint to the long-term.
The outlet suggests that 23-year-old Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli is their top priority this window, after the Old Lady completed deals for 22-year-old Federico Chiesa in October, and 19-year-old Dejan Kulusevski in Jan. 2020.
Juve are desperate to reinforce their midfield with Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot failing to deliver, and the ex-Milan starlet Locatelli has been identified by the club as the man to do it.
20.59 BST: It's official! As expected, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a one-year contract extension with AC Milan.
📸 Pics of the Z-day 🖼️ #SempreMilan #ReadyToUnleash pic.twitter.com/1JhK31AGIA
— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 22, 2021
The 39-year-old, who has 15 goals in 17 Seria A games this season, will return to wear the Rossoneri shirt for at least one more season. Ibrahimovic, who turns 40 in October, has scored 84 goals in 130 games over his two spells with Milan.
Ibrahimovic's Milan currently sit second in Serie A and are looking primed to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2014.
20.15 BST: Toronto FC have reportedly made a $6 million bid for Santos and Venezuela winger Yeferson Soteldo, Globo Esporte reports.
The $6m would give TFC 75% of the player's rights, and make Soteldo TFC's third and final Designated Player, alongside Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore. One of the top attackers in South America, Soteldo has has accounted for 18 goals and 16 assists since joining Santos in 2019 from Huachipato.
A deal for Soteldo may not be all clear sailing though, as Santos reportedly still owe Huachipato back payments from 2019.
19.28 BST: Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali has reiterated that their will be no discount for highly-rated striker Gianluca Scamacca.
When asked:" Scamacca is worth 40 million, isn't that excessive?"
Carneavali responded by saying "We can ask for any amount, those who are not willing to buy him should not do it. Those who make significant investments he does them because he can do them, no one is obliged to spend this money "
The 22-year-old striker, who has nine goals in 25 appearances for Genoa on loan this season, has been linked with both Juventus and AC Milan.
18.51 BST: MLSsoccer.com's Tom Bogert reports that Sporting Kansas City rejected two bids from Serie A club this past winter for young midfielder Gianluca Busio.
SKC previously rejected a $4 million bid from Fiorentina for the 18-year-old, according to ESPN's Taylor Twellman, while sources tell Bogert that Fiorentina, Sassuolo, Parma and an unnamed Dutch club are still in talks regarding the American midfielder.
The youngster, who has made 47 appearances for SKC since debuting in MLS at 16, has long been on the radar of European clubs and also has an Italian passport, meaning he would not be subject to the normal work permit restrictions.
Busio remains an MLS player for now, but it likely won't be for too much longer.
18.00 BST: Aston Villa have been named a potential suitor for a Liverpool and Tottenham target.
Turkish outlet Fotospor has listed Villa among the clubs interested in Trabzonspor and Turkey goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır. The report states that Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund and PSV have made official €20 million offers for Cakir, while Inter, Roma, Napoli, Liverpool, Tottenham Villa, RB Leipzig and Lille have also looked into the 25-year-old.
Trabzonspor president Ahmet Ağaoğlu has revealed that the club will not accept any offers until after the completion of this summer's European Championships.
17.09 BST: Norwich will back in the Premier League next season and if they hope to stay there they will need to bulk up on defence.
The Eastern Daily Press has learned that the Canaries have enquired about towering Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer. The 23-year-old, who stands six-foot-six, is a full Norway international and has also been linked with Newcastle United in recent weeks.
Ajer has made 173 appearances for the Hoops and is no stranger to winning, having won three Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups since landing in Glasgow in 2016.
16.14 BST: How can Manchester United improve under their current ownership?
15.40 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that 39-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic will sign a new contract at AC Milan until June 2022.
Ibrahimovic, who will turn 40 in October, has terms which expire this summer but has netted 17 goals in 25 games this season.
Milan club chief Paolo Maldini earlier confirmed the deal to Sky Italia, saying: "Yes, it's just a matter of details..."
15.00 BST: If you've allowed the firehose of transfer rumours -- which never actually stop, no matter the time, current events or level of realism -- to catch your eye for even a few seconds in recent months, you know the potential players at the top of most wishlists.
These are the guys whose moves (or non-moves) could create the largest sets of dominoes to topple. Bill Connelly explains.
Lionel Messi, FW, Barcelona (33)
Erling Haaland, ST, Borussia Dortmund (20)
Jadon Sancho, FW, Borussia Dortmund (21)
Kylian Mbappe, FW, Paris Saint-Germain (22)
Paul Pogba, MID, Manchester United (28)
Cristiano Ronaldo, FW, Juventus (36)
14.35 BST: Norwich defender Max Aarons has been courted by the likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Roma, Manchester City and Tottenham, but the Independent reports that West Ham might be able to persuade him to come if they seal Champions League football this season.
Aarons, 21, will be back in the Premier League next season as Norwich sealed promotion, while the club are likely to demand in excess of £30m to let their young star leave.
The England Under-21 international was reportedly told he would be allowed to leave Carrow Road this year.
14.00 BST: MLS side the New York Red Bulls have signed Celtic striker Patryk Klimala to a four-year contract.
Klimala, 22, signed with Celtic in January 2020 but has managed only three goals in 27 games. The Poland's Under-21 international will fill a Young Designated Player and International spot on New York's roster.
"I'm very happy with Patryk's decision to join us," said Red Bulls Head Coach Gerhard Struber. "At both the club and youth international level he has shown that he has high potential. He demonstrates a strong work ethic against the ball, which is very important to our style of play, and has very good instincts around the goal. His movement and ability in the final third give the team another weapon."
13.29 BST: Arsenal forward Willian says he's happy at the club right now, but eventually wants to play in MLS.
Willian, 32, joined from Chelsea on a free transfer last summer but has failed to impress after signing a three-year deal.
"Well, my plan is to stay at Arsenal, I have a contract here, and to win trophies," Willian told Arsenal's official matchday programme. "I have two more years here and my plan is to stay and be successful, to play and win something with the club."
The Brazilian is thinking about his next steps though, as MLS is clearly on the agenda.
"Whenever I have finished here, I really want to go to America and play there," he added. "Possibly stay in Europe, I don't know, but at the moment, one of my targets is to play in America at some point in my career.
"I want to become an agent. I am preparing myself for that profession, I've already started work on that. I want to go into that because I love football and I want to stay in the sport, I want to do a job in that area, but I don't want to become a manager or a coach. I want to be slightly more outside, but still involved in football."
13.00 BST: ESPN's Katie Nolan has some advice for U.S. soccer club owners.
12.13 BST: Manchester United's Alex Telles isn't overly happy about his lot in life, says Calciomercato, having failed to nail down a starting place at left-back since arriving at the club from Porto in the summer.
Telles, who holds an Italian passport, is of interest to Juventus and they are willing to offer midfielder Adrien Rabiot in an effort to sweeten the deal.
Juve are looking for an experienced replacement for Alex Sandro as Gianluca Frabotta is still only 21.
11.45 BST: The Manchester Evening News claims that Man United could move for Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos if plans to sign his teammate Raphael Varane don't come off.
Varane, 27, is reportedly available for around €50m as his contract expires in 2022, but Ramos could be signed for free this summer if he doesn't agree new terms himself.
United are keen to land a new defensive partner for captain Harry Maguire, with Eric Bailly ready to reject a new contract and seek a summer move amid concerns over a lack of opportunities under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sources have told ESPN.
11.01 BST: Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has said that he considered taking a break from football last year due to issues concerning the mental health of his family and himself.
The 28-year-old, who has nine goals in 10 appearances for West Ham this season since moving on loan, also discussed how coping with his mother's depression impacted his life on and off the pitch. The interview was conducted in January but was released on Thursday.
Lingard spoke to entertainment show "Presenting" and when asked whether he considered hanging up his boots, he replied: "Not quit football, just have a time out really.
"I was going into games happy sitting on the bench and that's not me. I was telling my brother the other day: 'Remember when I was happy sitting on the bench and all this?'
"I didn't want to play because my mind wasn't there, I wasn't focused at all. I was thinking about other things and obviously bottling it all up; trying to play football, you can't do it.
"Through the years we had the help for her, but even just for me it's hard to bottle things up. It feels like you're not the same person. I felt like I wasn't Jesse Lingard."
10.28 BST: Santos striker Kaio Jorge is being tracked by Juventus, Roma, AC Milan and Napoli, says Calciomercato.
Jorge, 19, has starred in the Copa Libertadores recently and scored nine goals last year. While Arsenal have also been linked with the versatile forward, Italy's top clubs seem to be in pole position.
09.57 BST: Tottenham are looking for a manager. ESPN might be able to help them out...
09.19 BST: Empoli midfielder Samuele Ricci is of interest to Leicester City and Arsenal, says Tuttomercatoweb.
Ricci, 19, has impressed for the Serie B club this season, scoring twice and registering four assists in 32 appearances.
The Italy Under-21 international has a contract until 2022 but is set to leave the club this summer, and both Premier League sides have reportedly reached out to his agent.
08.30 BST: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has told Spanish radio show El Larguero that the Super League isn't dead yet, despite eight of the 12 clubs involved announcing their withdrawal.
"The project is on standby," Perez said. "Juventus haven't left, Milan neither. We're all together. Barcelona are reflecting. The first thing we agreed yesterday was to stop, to explain, as we should have done from the start... No-one has paid [a penalty to leave], the 12 are still there, they haven't left. We signed a binding agreement after a lot of work."
Perez insisted that the reduction in income caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coupled by waning interest from new generations of fans, had to be met by radical changes to European football beyond those proposed by UEFA in their new Champions League format unveiled on Monday.
"[Big signings] won't exist without the Super League," he said. "Not for Madrid or anyone. It's impossible if the money doesn't flow."
He also spent some time talking about Madrid's transfer plans.
On PSG star Kylian: Mbappe: "If Mbappe doesn't come this year, no-one is going to shoot themselves. People know how I am. If things don't happen it's because they can't be done. I think the members and fans are happy with my work."
On Sergio Ramos' contract negotiations: "I love him like a son, I've done what I could for him... But the situation is what it is. He knows it too. We're finishing off the season... It will depend on the situation of the club."
On Luka Modric's new contract: "We reached a renewal agreement already some time ago. It isn't the same situation as Ramos."
On manager Zinedine Zidane: "He has a contract. He's a legend at Madrid and one day when he leaves he'll leave as a legend."
PAPER GOSSIP
- Liverpool could be set to return to Marseille with a fresh bid for defender Duje Caleta-Car, according to Le10 Sport. Marseille reportedly turned down a €23m bid from the Reds in January, but Liverpool -- if they decide Caleta-Car is a better option than current loanee Ozan Kabak -- could be prepared to return with a bigger offer.
- Schalke's relegation from the Bundesliga could see a number of stars leave the club in the summer, with former Arsenal duo Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi both set to be released in June. Calciomercato believes Kolasinac is a target for Italian club Lazio, who are said to be a fan of his physical approach and need additional cover on the left-hand side. Mustafi, meanwhile, is a target for Internazionale, who are looking for reinforcements in defence.
- Burnley are looking to sign former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb when he becomes a free agent in the summer, reports the The Sun. The 26-year-old's contract expires at Schalke in June, and Burnley are looking to strengthen their squad as they plot a seventh season in the Premier League. Greek side Olympiakos are also said to be keen on Bentaleb, who made 66 appearances for Spurs before leaving for Schalke in 2016.
- The Daily Star believes Manchester United's hopes of signing Jadon Sancho have improved following the departure of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. Woodward is set to leave at the end of the year following the recent Super League debacle, and though he was responsible for United;s interest in Sancho in the past, he never came close to matching Borussia Dortmund's €120m valuation. United may return to Dortmund with a fresh face at the helm ready to negotiate.