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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's Daily Transfer Roundup. Today, we have some really big news to bring to you. It looks like Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all made huge ground on the transfer front and are all inching closer towards securing their first signings of the summer.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top transfer news, rumours and updates that made headlines on 21 May 2019.
Arsenal managing director reveals club's stance on transfers
Arsenal Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham has announced that the club will try to sell any player who is entering the final two years of his contract if they do not want to renew it. That sounds like a strong message to the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose deals will expire in 2021.
Ozil has been used sparingly by Unai Emery while Aubameyang was Arsenal's top scorer in the Premier League and also shared the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Vinai Venkatesam told Arsenal's website,
“When we are selling players we need to maximise the funds we get to reinvest in the team,”
“We need to be really disciplined when we are dealing with senior players who are not towards the end of their careers.
“So that means we have to start making the difficult decisions when they have two years left on the contracts. We’re either going to renew those contracts or we’re going to be selling them.
“We’re going to have to be brave in those decisions because we can’t be in a situation where we’re allowing players to walk out of the door for free unless they are coming towards the end of their careers.”
Mesut Ozil reportedly earns €350,000 a week and will need to take a massive pay cut in order to join any other club given the levels at which he has been performing.
Paris Saint-Germain insist Kylian Mbappe isn't going anywhere
Kylian Mbappe set the rumour mill buzzing with his speech at the Ligue 1 Awards where he revealed that he is considering his future at Paris Saint-Germain. Addressing the crowd after winning both the Player of the Year award and the Young Player of the Year award, Mbappe said that he has come to a turning point in his career. About his future, he went on to say,
"maybe at Paris Saint-Germain. Or elsewhere with a new project".
However, Paris Saint-Germain released an official statement via Twitter today and it reads as follows:
"Strong links have united PSG and Kylian Mbappe for two years and that same story will continue next season.
"With a shared ambition to mark history in European football, after 50 years since PSG was founded, we have a chance to write a big page in history together and each major player will have to play his part, always working for the team."
Manchester United agree deal for Swansea City's Daniel James
Manchester United have agreed on a £15 million fee to sign Swansea City's Daniel James. The Welshman is now all set to become Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first signing as Manchester United boss. The 21-year-old wing has been linked with Manchester United for a couple of weeks and as per Sky Sports, Manchester United have also agreed personal terms with him.
In Manchester United's dire ending to the recently concluded Premier League season, the lack of hunger and the awful attitude of the players drew a lot of ire from fans and critics alike and Solskjaer wants to bolster his side by bringing in young, hungry talent to Old Trafford and signing Daniel James is the first step in that direction.
Daniel James usually plays down the left wing but he has also filled in on the right side. At Manchester United, Solskjaer wants to deploy him on the right wing as it is a position where Manchester United have been found lacking over the last few years.
Adrien Rabiot to join Real Madrid on condition
It is no secret that Los Blancos are looking to strengthen their midfield over the course of this summer and several high-profile stars including Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen have been heavily linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. However, it now looks like it is the PSG contract rebel Adrien Rabiot who has been ultimately picked.
Florentino Perez flew to Paris to seal the deal. Rabiot is out of contract this summer and will join Real Madrid on a free transfer. Though Rabiot was on top of Real Madrid's wishlist in January, the midfielder hasn't played since and will definitely take time to settle down and gather pace at Madrid.
Rabiot has placed two conditions in order to join Real Madrid:
Firstly, he wants a salary of about €10 million a year. Secondly, he wants a signing bonus of €15 'kilos' as well.
Barcelona agree €70 million deal for Matthijs De Ligt
According to the latest reports in Spain, Barcelona have been negotiating with Matthijs De Ligt's representatives and are now believed to have reached an agreement in the last 24 hours. Barcelona stepped up their pursuit after reports of other teams like Liverpool and Manchester United sniffing around surfaced.
The Ajax captain could be well on his way to reuniting with Frankie De Jong, his teammate at Ajax who will join Barcelona in the summer. Barcelona moved in the clear to get their man after Liverpool and Manchester United decided to take themselves out of the race altogether.
Barcelona will pay Ajax a sum in the ballpark of €70 million. There are suggestions that Mino Raiola is trying to raise the price in a bid to raise his commission, but the report claims that neither parties are interested in getting into a fix over the financial side of things.
