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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's Daily Transfer Roundup. We think it's fair to say now that this summer transfer window could change the power dynamics in Europe with each passing day.
We have some exciting news to bring to you today. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top transfer news, rumours and updates that made headlines on 21 June 2019.
Paul Pogba agrees to join Juventus
It looked like Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba had handed in a transfer request as that's what his idol Zinedine Zidane had wanted him to do in order to bring him to Real Madrid. Paul Pogba had recently expressed his desire to take up a 'new challenge'. However, latest reports claim that he has chosen Juventus over Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Florentino Perez was quite unconvinced about the Paul Pogba pursuit and was more keen on the more consistent Christian Eriksen. Pogba, on the other hand, is sporadically brilliant, very often goes missing in big games and patently lacks the leadership qualities that a no.6 should possess.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo had urged Juventus to show more ambition in the transfer market and sign some big players. The Old Lady took cognizance of Pogba's availability and swooped right in when the opportunity finally presented itself.
Maurizio Sarri, who will be the Juve boss next season is also quite keen on bringing the World Cup winner to Turin. However, incorporating Pogba to the side will be an expensive process. As such, Juventus are willing to sell Joao Cancelo, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Douglas Costa to raise funds to fund Pogba's deal.
The Allianz Stadium is ready for the return of its prodigal son and with Pogba having already okayed the move, it is upto Manchester United and the representatives of Juve to come to an agreement on the amount of money that will be involved in making this transfer a reality.
Neymar agrees terms with Barcelona
Neymar desperately wants out of Paris Saint-Germain. According to the latest reports, he has agreed to the terms that Barcelona prepared for him as he pushes for a return to the Camp Nou.
The Brazilian attacker joined the Ligue 1 side from Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for a whopping £199 million. However, he has now grown out of love with life in France and wants to get back to playing in a more competitive league.
This new twist in Neymar's transfer saga has been brewing for a while. Reports had claimed that Neymar was willing to go on strike in order to force Paris Saint-Germain to sell him back to Barcelona. There were also claims that Neymar had told PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi of his desire to return to Spain.
Al Khelaifi appeared to have taken a dig at Neymar a few days ago when he said that the club will not tolerate 'superstar behaviour' anymore. He said,
“Players will have to assume their responsibilities even more than before,"
“It must be completely different. They will have to do more, work more.
“They are not there to please themselves. And if they do not agree, the doors are open. Ciao!
“I do not want to have any celebrity behaviour anymore.”
However, Barca weren't ready to offer an easy route back to the club. They have asked Neymar to take a pay cut, drop the case against the club regarding bonuses involved in the transfer deal that saw him joining PSG and that he should air his intentions to return to the Camp Nou publicly. Neymar agreed to all 3 and it looks like the deal is going to happen.
De Ligt decides to join Juventus
The Matthijs De Ligt transfer saga is finally coming to an end. After being linked with several top clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United among others, the Ajax captain has decided that he will move to Juventus, according to reports in Italy.
De Ligt was one of the stars of the 2018-19 campaign in all of Europe as he led Ajax to a domestic double and also played a big role in their journey to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The report claims that Juventus were able to strike a bargain deal for the Dutchman and will only pay €62 million as fee to Ajax. De Ligt had rejected Barcelona's offer and Paris Saint-Germain remained indecisive.
Juventus and Manchester United were the only clubs left in the race and with the lack of Champions League football taking the sheen away from a potential Old Trafford move, Juve emerged as the clear favourites.
De Ligt is on his way to becoming the first signing of Maurizio Sarri as the Juventus manager.
Inter Milan to offload Mauro Icardi to finance Romelu Lukaku deal
It looks like Inter Milan are all set to sever ties with their striker and former captain Mauro Icardi. They are looking to bring in the big Belgian Romelu Lukaku to the San Siro. However, the Manchester United striker will cost them somewhere around £75 million and hence find themselves having to first find a buyer for Icardi in order to raise funds.
Icardi is keen on leaving and new manager Antonio Conte does not want to keep him. They have slapped a £60 million on the Argentine. However, teams are unlikely to cough up £60 million for Icardi and as such, Inter currently have only Juventus interested in making a deal for him.
Conte wanted to sign Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea in the summer of 2017. However, Jose Mourinho's Manchester United hijacked the deal and brought him to Old Trafford where Lukaku has had mixed fortunes.
Real Madrid to offer Marco Asensio for Sadio Mane
Florentino Perez is trying his best to give Zinedine Zidane a team that can challenge on all fronts. Having already pulled off some stunning deals in the transfer window so far, Los Merengues continue to be relentless with their transfer activity.
With several high-profile stars currently on the fringes and the sheer number of incomings already, they clearly need to ease up their payroll, particularly if they're thinking about new signings. And they are looking for new signings. Real Madrid are all set to offer Marco Asensio in exchange for Liverpool's Sadio Mane.
Mane was in spectacular form for Liverpool in 2018/19 season, sharing the Golden Boot in the Premier League with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and playing a pivotal role in the Reds' Champions League triumph. However, Liverpool are keen on holding on to one of their prized assets and will demand €70 million in addition to the services of Asensio.
Real Madrid have also been looking at Neymar and Mbappe. However, Mane is a relatively cheaper option and it would be very interesting to see what call Perez makes now.
