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The transfer market is really heating up and some big teams like Chelsea and Barcelona might be making moves soon. Manchester United's pursuit of Jadon Sancho also has some new details.
Here’s my rundown of all the important stories dominating the transfer market right now, with Jadon Sancho, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Barcelona and other European giants coming under the microscope.
Manchester United pursuing Jadon Sancho
Starting with Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho remains Manchester United's big target for their attack. The club has reactivated direct contact with Sancho's agents because he is considered a top-level priority.
They have been working on personal terms and an agreement has been reached for 5 years (contract till 2026). Manchester United now want to confirm the deal, but have not yet made an official offer to Borussia Dortmund for Sancho.
This year's request is very different. Last summer, Borussia Dortmund wanted €120 million to sell Sancho while in recent months the request is close to €90/95 million to let the English national team winger leave.
There is a gentlemen's agreement between Sancho and Borussia Dortmund; if this offer arrives, he will be able to leave the club. Otherwise, he will stay for another year. That's why Manchester United know how much they will have to spend on Sancho but so far the official offer has not yet arrived.
Tottenham in discussions with Paulo Fonseca
The transfer market in Europe is entering its most important phase and finally the situation of the coaches is coming close to a conclusion. Tottenham, after negotiating with Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino without having reached an agreement, are now in dialogue with Paulo Fonseca, the former manager of Roma.
Paulo Fonseca is much appreciated by the club's new director of football, Fabio Paratici. Paratici will sign with Tottenham for 3 years and is negotiating for the arrival of Fonseca. No agreement has yet been reached but the parties are in discussions and a decision will be made very soon with the Spurs board waiting for definitive answers.
How close was Antonio Conte to joining Tottenham? He initially accepted the club's dialogue favorably because he was tempted by the challenge of leading a club that had not lifted a major trophy for over a decade.
The Italian manager's resume speaks for itself: he brought Inter back to the promised land in Italy after a 11-year drought, before that he won the Premier League with Chelsea in his first season, and at Juventus he took charge of a team that was seventh in the table and won the league three times in a row.
However, Antonio Conte, is now destined to remain on standby for a year, calmly deciding on his next club. Barring surprises, Conte will take a sabbatical for a season and has already earned €5 million for his separation from Inter.
Harry Kane's future to be decided in the coming weeks
Tottenham are looking for their next manager and Fonseca is the favorite. Only once Tottenham appoint a manager will Harry Kane's future be understood. Manchester City are more interested in buying him than anyone else, but Tottenham continue to resist and hope to convince Kane to stay at least for another season. The decision time will only be in the coming weeks, when a choice will be made on the new manager.
Even in Italy, the coaching situation has been resolved with former Chelsea and Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri signing for Lazio. His first request was for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the Chelsea midfielder who was on loan at Fulham.
Emerson Palmieri, Fikayo Tomori, and Tiemoue Bakayoko linked with Chelsea exits
Chelsea could soon conclude some sales. Emerson Palmieri likes Inter who are looking for a left back, while Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori will become an AC Milan player on a permanent deal for €28.5 million because the Rossoneri will trigger the buy option clause included in the agreement.
Tiemoué Bakayoko is on Fiorentina's radar. There have also been contacts between AC Milan and the entourage of Chelsea star Olivier Giroud, the target of next season's AC Milan attack. The parties are working to bring the center forward to Italy but under AC Milan's conditions.
AC Milan's hopes of signing Giroud are still valid despite the recent renewal of the contract that binds the striker and Chelsea. Giroud has a pact with the Blues to be able to free himself and the attacker's agents are leveraging this. There is some mild optimism from the player's entourage to be able to carry out the operation without spending any money, just for free. The contract would be for 2 years.
Update on Chelsea's pursuit of Erling Haaland and Achraf Hakimi
I am waiting to understand what will happen to Erling Haaland, whom Borussia Dortmund want to keep for another season. Chelsea have contacted Achraf Hakimi's agent but have not yet made an offer.
An official at Inter said that the club that is pushing for Hakimi is Paris Saint-Germain, who have already offered €60 million for the Moroccan winger but Inter are demanding €80 million to sell Hakimi. Hakimi is one of the best players in Serie A and has completed a season at extraordinary levels. The race is still open, PSG are pressing and Chelsea for now are only in contact with Hakimi's agent.
Paris Saint-Germain have huge plans for the transfer window
Paris Saint-Germain are also very active in the market. Leonardo has been negotiating for weeks with Mino Raiola for the confirmation of Moise Kean for another year on loan, but everything will depend on the new Everton manager, who will decide on the Italian forward.
Also imminent is the renewal of the contract of young Xavi Simons, a midfielder who grew up in Barcelona that PSG now wants to keep by offering him a long-term contract as a professional.
The most important negotiation at the moment, however, is that for Gianluigi Donnarumma. PSG wants to conclude the negotiation, the verbal agreement is ready for about € 12 million per year for 5 years. But this figure would only be reached if all the bonuses present in his contract are activated. Therefore, there is no final guarantee.
Donnarumma said yes to PSG, the club now wants to organize medical visits in the coming days but some details still need to be sorted out to complete the agreement. Donnarumma had also been on the radar of Barcelona - where Marc-Andre ter Stegen is untouchable - and of Juventus, who will not sell Wojciech Szczesny because Massimiliano Allegri strongly believes in him.
In the meantime, it is fair to clarify that Keylor Navas will not leave PSG. He is a player appreciated and respected by all. PSG will start with him as the starting goalkeeper and Donnarumma will have to wait for his chances if he moves to PSG.
Barcelona confident of not repeating Gini Wijnaldum mistake with Memphis Depay
Paris Saint-Germain is also busy negotiating to conclude the purchase of Georginio Wijnaldum as a free agent. Barcelona had concluded the agreement for the arrival of the Dutch midfielder. They had a verbal agreement which was never signed on an official contract. PSG took advantage of it, got in and offered €9.5 million per year to Wijnaldum who had taken 24 hours to think about it.
His choice is final. No Barcelona and an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain with the hope of signing as soon as possible in the coming days, once the medical examinations are completed. It's a crazy transfer market story, really.
Barcelona is now focused on the purchase of Memphis Depay, who will be a free agent. The proposal is a 3-year contract. It will be the player who decides but this time Barcelona are confident after the sensational twist from Wijnaldum, who chose PSG.
Arsenal preparing to sell Granit Xhaka
Meanwhile, Arsenal are preparing for the sale of Granit Xhaka, who is the transfer priority for José Mourinho's Roma. The Gunners, after refusing the first €15 million offer presented by the Giallorossi, are ready to settle at €17.5 million. Roma is optimistic about the possibility of concluding the deal. It is a feeling based on the great desire of the midfielder to be coached by Mourinho and to play in the Roma shirt.
Captain of the Swiss national team (he will play the Euros in the group of Italy), Xhaka played in his career with Basel and Borussia Moenchengladbach before signing for Arsenal, staying for five seasons with the London club and winning two FA Cups and two Community Shields.
Jose Mourinho's plan for the transfer market
Mourinho is very active in the market and is hoping to sign a new goalkeeper at Roma. Rui Patricio, the Wolverhampton and Portuguese national team goalkeeper born in 1988, is the first choice of the club and José Mourinho.
The first request by Wolves to let their goalkeeper go was €12 million, a figure that Roma would like to lower by trying to close the deal at around €7/8 million plus bonuses. Also in this case, Wolves are already working on the replacement, identified in José Sá - another Portuguese goalkeeper - of Olympiakos. He's appreciated by new manager Bruno Lage.
Mario Balotelli could be playing in Turkey next season
Finally, Mario Balotelli received a proposal from Adana Demirspor, a newly promoted club in the Turkish Super Lig. There have been increasingly close contacts in recent days with a proposal presented to Super Mario's entourage. Balotelli has been offered a three-year contract. He will evaluate the offer and provide a definitive answer in the coming days.
Also read: Jim Beglin's Strongest possible starting XI for England | UEFA Euro 2020
