Champions League – CaughtOffside

Multiple Champions League winner turns his nose up at Man City interest

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 06:36:58 +0000

When Man City come calling invariably they get their man, however, some times having all of the money in the world doesn’t guarantee success in the transfer market.

The reigning Premier League champions have money burning a hole in their collective pockets after the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, and with the new season just a week away, it’s clear that Pep Guardiola’s side need a high quality replacement.

Such transfers are often hard to come by, particularly at a competitive price, but the Cityzens clearly knew who they wanted to replace the Argentinian.

Rodrygo turns down Man City

Unfortunately for them, as AS report, Real Madrid’s double Champions League winner, Rodrygo, isn’t interested in leaving the Spanish top-flight champions.

At 23, the Brazilian is one of Los Blancos recent success stories along with the likes of Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, and with Kylian Mbappe now being added to the mix, it’s clear that Rodrygo fancies Madrid’s chances of doing some damage domestically and in Europe again next season.

Rodrygo has turned down Man City

Given he’d be likely to have to play second fiddle at City, it’s no real surprise that he’s turned down a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Being handsomely paid often appears secondary to players who just want to be out there on the pitch.

More Stories / Latest News

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

Aug 12 2024, 0:18

Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Aug 11 2024, 23:38

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Aug 11 2024, 22:54

Take Alvarez as the perfect example. According to Capology, he was earning a whopping £100,000 per week, but that still wasn’t enough to keep him at a club that are going to continue going from strength to strength.

Even the pull of working for Pep Guardiola, arguably the greatest coach of his generation and perhaps the best ever has failed to change Rodrygo’s mind.

The post Multiple Champions League winner turns his nose up at Man City interest appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Collymore’s column: Premier League should be ashamed, clubs need to stop pimping out players for FFP, time to remember the true meaning of the Community Shield and more

Stan Collymore — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:51:00 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why the Premier League should be ashamed of their silence since the race riots, why we’ve lost the essence of what the Charity Shield is all about, why transfer windows are anxiety inducing and much more.

—

Transfer windows are anxiety inducing for every player

Liverpool manager, Roy Evans, flew back from his holiday in Barbados to meet me at Heathrow Airport in London for two hours, before flying straight back to his long-suffering wife, in order to sign me.

I met Joe Royle, who was the Everton manager at a hotel in Cheshire and, I’m not going to lie, I think that when you’ve got the choice of two clubs the size of Liverpool and Everton – today’s equivalent might be Liverpool and Manchester City or Manchester United – you’re immediately flattered but also worrying that “I’ve got to buy a house, I’ve got to relocate” etc., and much more besides.

At least now there are transfer windows and release clauses.. When I was two thirds through a season back in the 90s, I had a phone call when I was in my car going home from Forest training from Sir Alex Ferguson. That would now be considered tapping up and was yet another layer of worry for players of a certain age.

That’s because every transfer window is anxiety inducing for a player.

Lots of dead ends… this club are interested in you, then they’re not, then they’ve dropped out of the race altogether and somebody else has come in.

How it normally works is players basically have a meeting with the managers who are interested in them to talk about the football side, and then the agent sees what they’re prepared to do or not prepared to do, and there’s a hell of a lot of waiting involved.

There isn’t enough done for players to be able to guide them through the process beyond just being a player.

In all honesty, even with clubs nowadays, I speak to a lot of younger players and of course they’ve got agents around them and the clubs try their very best with liaison officers to help players settle in – perhaps a little bit more at a club than they used to – but it’s still not enough.

That’s because there are a lot more countries to move to, players are being bombarded with all sorts of figures and money talks.

Are they going to a club to be the best footballing version of themselves that they can be, because that should ultimately will guide everything, or are they going to the club that are going to offer them a few more zeros on their pay packet?

They must do their due diligence.

Clubs need to stop pimping their players out to get around Financial Fair Play

Conor Gallagher is set to join Atletico Madrid.

I think that all football players need a permanent home.

I’m going to give you an example of somebody… Louie Barry, a wonder kid at West Brom, goes to Barcelona and then comes back and plays for Villa. As a massive Villa fan, he still wants to play for the club.

He had a nasty period with injuries and was loaned out five times by Villa, and has now been loaned out again – but the lad desperately wanted to stay.

He’s a familiar face for the fans, but beyond that in my view he shouldn’t have signed a new contract in the hope of breaking into the Villa first team (which won’t happen) when there were better options available for his career progression.

We need to have the conversation about when a player is being signed by a club, he needs to understand where he can buy a house, school his kids and have a home base to settle into. He shouldn’t be pimped out here, there and everywhere, just to be a great example of Profit and Sustainability rules in action.

Conor Gallagher is another one. Four loans in three years before settling down at Chelsea, only to then be pushed out the door by Todd Boehly.

It kills younger players to keep going out on loan and it basically leaves them like a ship that never docks. They’re constantly out and about and never find a home.

Perhaps Gallagher will do that now at Atletico Madrid – find what it’s like to go and play for a club, anchor down and become a club legend – but he wanted to be ‘the man’ at Chelsea.

Time to talk up the true meaning of the Community Shield

A photo of the Community Shield

This weekend sees the return of the Community Shield, a traditional pre-season friendly that I’m a big fan of.

I do think that it absolutely shouldn’t be counted as a trophy, however.

I think we need to tell the likes of Pep Guardiola that this isn’t something that he can count as one of his trophy wins. It’s not about Pep vs Klopp or Pep vs ten Hag either, because we’ve already had that narrative on any number of previous occasions.

It was originally called the Charity Shield, and the money raised from the game was given to good causes. It still is.

So we should promote that angle way more than we do currently.

This year’s partner is MIND, and there’s a whole four or five days leading up to it where players, instead of talking about the inane rivalry of Man United against Manchester City, should be highlighting the charity and the issues they face etc.

Let’s be perfectly honest, it’s the last meaningless friendly before the big kick-off, so moving forward, let’s get back to what the Community Shield is all about.

Charity.

I’m a big fan of a salary cap… but it won’t work for individual players

The problem with a salary cap for me is it’s got to come from FIFA.

I think if you have got agreement across the big leagues of England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, that would go some way to having a salary cap implemented, but of course, all it means is you’ll get more and more players going to the Saudi Pro League and picking up their £500k per week.

So it kind of becomes self sabotaging.

If FIFA said there is going to be a global salary cap, then I think it could work, but I think that FIFA would also have a fight on their hands from from UEFA.

We need to get there in some way though I worry that just like the creative accounting of certain Premier League clubs – selling or their swapping their best young kids or assets to get around FFP – the clubs will find a way to circumvent this cap.

What I would like to see is an organisational cap, which HMRC can then can get involved in.

The organisation, for example Man City, can only spend across all of its assets – whether it be players, staff or anything else – £100m total per year, and if you go over that then you get fined.

That way you can have some common sense because then clubs have to look around at where they’re spending every penny.

Silence from the Premier League over race riots is disgusting

I think that the Premier League have a massive responsibility as a big British brand, and as a big British brand that’s inclusive with all creeds, all flavours and all genders, to comment on the current riots from a football perspective.

After all, they can’t wait to tell you about No Room for Racism day.

I would really have liked to see Richard Masters come out after last weekend and say “any supporter involved in these in this disorder, will never set foot in an English football stadium again,” and that would have done as much as potentially the deterrent effect of a six month or a 12 month custodial sentence for some of them.

Frankly, I’m disgusted by the Premier League.

If you remember, when players were getting racist abuse a while back, the Premier League were quick to tell everyone to put a the black square on their social media profiles and not tweet or post for 24 hours.

The fact they’ve said nothing whatsoever during the current riots, I would suggest, is 1000 times worse. The fact that I genuinely feel like the only voice in the professional football sports broadcasting space that was willing to call it out, hour by hour, and to show people that there were good people in Walthamstow, in Birmingham, in Newcastle and elsewhere that weren’t going to allow this race baiting to happen… I think it’s frankly disgusting and disturbing.

Football is multicultural, and not just the fan base.

We’ve got Muslims, we’ve got Jews, we’ve got blacks, we’ve got whites, we’ve got French, we’ve got Germans, we’ve got Italians, we’ve got Egyptians… all playing in the Premier League.

I get that a lot of players and clubs will be very reluctant to speak up because they don’t understand the politics, but for me, football needs to do much, much more.

The post Collymore’s column: Premier League should be ashamed, clubs need to stop pimping out players for FFP, time to remember the true meaning of the Community Shield and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Hansi Flick rules out hugely important signing for Barcelona

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 06:53:14 +0000

There’s no denying that Hansi Flick has it all to do for Barcelona during the forthcoming 2024/25 season, given that eternal rivals Real Madrid were well ahead of the Catalan giants last season.

In the end, Barca finished the domestic campaign some 10 points behind Los Blancos, who also went on to secure another Champions League title, as well as signing Kylian Mbappe.

The presidential tenure of Josep Maria Bartomeu has done untold damage to Barca who, even now, are finding it difficult to be able to sign players of the calibre which they’re used to.

Hansi Flick has set his stall out at Barcelona

One area where they’ve struggled is in defensive midfield.

No one could ever replace Sergio Busquets there, and it would be ridiculous to even try, but the fact remains that the way in which Barca play, they need a pivot there.

Flick has already flexed his muscles at the club with news being reported that he isn’t interested in buying players for that area of the pitch.

Marc Bernal and Marc Casado have impressed Hansi Flick enough that he doesn’t want to sign a defensive midfielder for Barcelona.

Such a proclamation might see Barcelona fans with their head in their hands, but it appears that the German coach knows exactly what he’s doing.

According to Fichajes, Flick has been really impressed by young pairing, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal, and given that one of Barca’s major tenets is to bring through players from their La Masia academy, it would seem that both players will form part of next season’s first team.

What isn’t clear is whether Flick prefers one player over the other, or if he intends to rotate them.

If he’s able to bridge the gap to Real Madrid whilst also ensuring that the La Masia conveyor belt keeps turning, that will absolutely be a win-win as far as current president, Joan Laporta, is concerned.

The post Hansi Flick rules out hugely important signing for Barcelona appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti on what Kylian Mbappe’s arrival means for Jude Bellingham

CJ — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:57:12 +0000

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted ‘nothing changes’ for Jude Bellingham following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.

A move long in the making, Mbappe finally left Paris Saint-Germain for Los Blancos this summer at the end of his contract.

Bellingham was the catalyst for Madrid last season, notching an incredible 23 goals and 13 assists across all competitions to help the club lift La Liga, Champions League and Supercopa titles.

The 21-year-old primarily played as an attacking midfielder during his Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund days. However, he often played in a more advanced role during 2023/24, even occupying the No.9 spot on numerous occasions.

Mbappe’s arrival leaves Ancelotti with a headache when it comes to fitting the Frenchman into the team alongside Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Bellingham and fellow new signing Endryk.

For Bellingham, at least, Ancelotti insists it’ll be business as usual.

“Nothing changes for him. Nothing changes,” he said (via BBC Sport). “The first season, he surprised a lot, because he showed fantastic quality, a really mature guy.

“The next season will not be different. He is going to be one of the best players that we have, supporting a lot the team with his quality.”

Ancelotti praises Bellingham and England’s Euro 2024 showing

Jude Bellingham pictured celebrating after scoring in England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia

Bellingham scored twice to help England reach the final of Euro 2024 this summer, eventually losing 2-1 to Spain.

His most famous moment was undoubtedly the overhead kick equaliser in the final moments of their round-of-16 tie against Slovakia, sending the game into extra-time, where Harry Kane scored the winner.

However, Bellingham, Gareth Southgate and the England team as a whole came under heavy criticism throughout the tournament from fans and pundits for some poor performances, struggling through games despite boasting immense attacking talent.

But Ancelotti has a very different view, crediting both Bellingham and England for their showing in Germany.

“This is an opinion but Bellingham played really well at the Euros,” said Ancelotti, when asked about criticism of the England midfielder following some of his performances at the European Championship.

“England played really well, they reached the final and were close to winning it.”

The post Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti on what Kylian Mbappe’s arrival means for Jude Bellingham appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Transfer news: Sergi Roberto open to offers, crucial days for Conor Gallagher and more

Fabrizio Romano — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 18:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

—

Sergi Roberto to decide upon new club… as Barça wait for official bids for Vitor Roque

I’m not aware of advanced talks with Premier League clubs at the moment for Sergi Roberto.

The only concrete thing I’ve reported is about Ajax. They spoke to the player, but he wanted to consider his options before deciding.

It will take some days for him to make his decision and then pick his favourite option.

He’s open to any league; it’s more about the project.

Barça have still not received any official bid for Vitor Roque. The only approach was from Al Hilal but the player turned down the initial approach. Let’s see if they will return.

For Barça, his exit could only be possible if they get almost same transfer fee as they invested to sign him from Athletico Paranaense, around €30m plus €31m in add-ons.

Conor Gallagher’s Atleti decision will arrive in the next few days

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have total agreement on the package for Conor Gallagher; €40m.

In June and also recently Conor Gallagher rejected an important new contract proposal from Chelsea, and remember that he only has one year left on his contract.

He said no even though it was going to bring him in line with the best earners in Chelsea’s midfield.

A deal back in June was almost done between Chelsea and Aston Villa, but the player rejected that too.

Now he has the possibility to join Atletico Madrid so let’s see what Conor wants to do. In the next hours or days, everything will be decided and I’ll keep you posted as always.

Napoli negotiating for Lukaku as Osimhen talks progress slowly

I broke the story about the talks that reopened between Chelsea and Napoli for Victor Osimhen. It was something that we shared on Monday, and then on Tuesday the big bomb from Osimhen’s agent.

The stance as of today is that the player doesn’t want to consider a loan move unless it’s with an obligation to buy as this is then considered to be like a permanent transfer.

Chelsea and Napoli have been in contact during this week and they remain in contact because Napoli keep working on the deal for Romelu Lukaku.

Napoli have an agreement with Lukaku and so we have to see what happens between the two clubs. I’m hearing that this week no big changes are expected. All parties have decided to take their time to think about the strategy, to think about the situation and then understand how and if they want to proceed.

Meanwhile, there are no doubts that Antonio Conte wants Lukaku, and Lukaku wants to go to Napoli. For Osimhen, we’ll have to wait and see.

Mikel Merino to Arsenal is really, really close

Let me say that Arsenal are really closing in on the deal for Mikel Merino and let me clarify that the package is going to be something around €30m.

We’ll understand in the structure of the deal in the next days, but the agreement between Arsenal and Real Sociedad is really, really close. Everything is proceeding to the final stages.

Let me also mention another Mikel; Arteta.

We know he is discussing a contract extension that Arsenal expect to be done soon. The Spaniard is really influential in the market for Arsenal, together with Edu Gaspar, and Arteta is working a lot behind the scenes in terms of suggesting moves.

It was he who wanted Riccardo Calafiori as a priority target, and given that he’s now at Arsenal, the club clearly did an excellent job.

Arteta is also behind this story for Mikel Merino because he knows the player so well, and has been monitoring him for a long time.

Of course, people from the board and the scouting scouting department at Arsenal also believe that signing Merino is a perfect opportunity. Merino is therefore expected to be Arsenal’s second signing of this summer’s transfer window.

Despite some fairly strong rumours too, honestly, I have no concrete updates on Viktor Gyökeres.

No issue with the physical condition of Leny Yoro

I’m receiving many, many questions on the situation of Leny Yoro and his injury, and though Manchester United will clarify the situation in detail, I can confirm that the expectation of the club is for the player to be out for some weeks.

The fracture in his foot is expected to be confirmed, and we will see how long he will be out for. Probably the end of September or something like that, but it will depend on the recovery process so it could be even longer.

Let me clarify some things too.

First of all, Manchester United are regularly updated with the physical situation of their players, and will have all the information they need on the physical situation of Leny Yoro.

They’re not worried in the long term, he’s just been really unlucky in that friendly, and reports of other clubs pulling out of the race for Yoro because of the physical conditions of the player is something that is absolutely not the case. I can guarantee that the medical results were absolutely excellent. All the clubs wanted to sign Leny Yoro; Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

It’s not a muscular injury, it’s just something that’s happened, so Man United remain really calm.

They’ll keep supporting the boy, and they are 100% percent sure that everything will be fine in the next weeks and months.

Man United already wanted to bring in one more centre back in any event, and this remains the plan.

Bayern want €50m guaranteed for Matthijs de Ligt, Man United insist on using add-ons, but talks continue. De Ligt is waiting for Man United, so it’s quite a clear position.

In other areas I’d still keep an eye out for a new midfielder and on Mazraoui who’s also waiting for United.

Still no Liverpool bid for Anthony Gordon

Something more, guys, because I already told you two or three days ago that the appreciation of Liverpool for Anthony Gordon remains strong.

As of today, there is still no bid from Liverpool to Newcastle, so we can’t talk about the negotiation and we can’t confirm the situation now.

What I can confirm, once again, is the appreciation of the player internally at Liverpool.

In several meetings that the club have had, the name of Anthony Gordon has been discussed, and he’s really highly rated. Liverpool believe he’s a top, top player.

Let’s see if Liverpool will reactivate this option in terms of talks with Newcastle, and let’s see what Newcastle want to do, because he’s a crucial player for them.

Now that the issue of Financial Fair Play is no longer there, there’s no pressure on the Magpies to sell.

Several clubs contacted by Wesley’s agentd

I’ve no confirmation about an official bid for Wesley at the moment.

Crystal Palace spoke to his agents, as did several clubs around Europe as his agents are discussing this opportunity with many clubs. Nothing is imminent now.

Despite links with West Ham, their full focus remains on Crysencio Summerville.

Juve clear front runners in Todibo race, West Ham waiting…

Juventus remain in negotiations for Jean-Clair Todibo and he wants Juventus as a priority. Talks are ongoing, let’s see what happens with the Bianconeri.

There have been rumours that West Ham could be back in the race, but they could only be an option if the deal with Juve collapses and that’s not the case now.

Juve are still on it, price is around €40m.

The post Transfer news: Sergi Roberto open to offers, crucial days for Conor Gallagher and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Double Champions League winner set for shock Villa move as Emery works his magic again

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 05:12:41 +0000

Unai Emery is clearly taking Aston Villa’s foray into the Champions League as seriously as you would expect, with a number of high quality signings already secured.

Jaden Philogene, Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana are three of those already through the doors at Villa Park, with more expected before the 2024/25 season gets underway in earnest.

The associated strain on the squad that six group games will bring in the opening half of the campaign can’t be underestimated, and that hints at why Emery and director of football operations, Monchi, are working overtime in order to bring in the standard of player needed to keep the Villains competitive.

Emery to secure Double Champions League winner?

Spanish outlet, Mundo Deportivo, note that the club are pushing ahead with a bid to secure Barcelona’s long-serving double Champions League winner, Sergi Roberto, on a free transfer.

Roberto, 32, has somewhat surprisingly seen his legendary Barcelona career come to an end with a whimper this summer.

A double Champions League winner will sign for Aston Villa if Unai Emery gets his way

It was believed that the club captain would secure another short-term deal with the club he’s been with his entire professional career, but nothing has been forthcoming from the Catalans.

To that end, it’s understood that Roberto is now considering his options, the most favourable of which would seem to be to Villa at present.

If Emery is able to get a deal over the line, it would be a massive coup for the club.

Despite his advancing years, Roberto’s versatility and experience could be key to the Villains relative success in Europe.

It would also show the rest of the Premier League that the club are continuing to build something special under the current management team and, if they’re able to retain all of their big names too, 2024/25 could end up being a vintage season for all concerned.

The post Double Champions League winner set for shock Villa move as Emery works his magic again appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Fantastic move for Mbappe, Barça in a rush for Nico and more…

Fabrizio Romano — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0000

—

Fantastic move for Mbappe but no updates on Trent to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe is unveiled by Real Madrid

It’s a fantastic move for Real Madrid and for Mbappe. Real Madrid already had everything of course, but Mbappe can be very helpful in terms of goals to add as next season will be full of games, new Champions League format, Clubs World Cup…

Mbappe is a fantastic addition, and for him it’s a great move as Real Madrid is a fantastic club.

Sticking with Los Blancos, there’s no update on Trent Alexander-Arnold at the moment. I shared in March that Real Madrid are monitoring the situation and this remains the case, nothing fresh or new so far.

Real Madrid are just attentive to many situations of good players with short contracts, Alexander-Arnold is one of them.

West Ham must pay £40m for Jhon Dura

The situation remains open for Jhon Duran, who could still leave this summer.

Aston Villa always wanted £40m, they rejected different approaches from Chelsea in June and from West Ham in the recent weeks.

Their request remains clear, at least £40m or the player is not leaving. Let’s see what West Ham decide to do now.

The Hammers have also been linked with Alexander Sorloth but I don’t have concrete updates on that situation.

I can say that Villarreal, when Roma asked for Sorloth recently, always replied: release clause or nothing.

€38m, this is the value of the clause and what Villarreal want for Sorloth.

Barca want quick resolution to Nico Williams deal

Barcelona really want to be fast on the Nico Williams deal. They know that Premier League clubs could return for the Spanish winger after the fantastic Euros campaign that he had with Spain.

They know about Chelsea’s interest and they know about Arsenal’s interest, but Barça want to be faster on the player side. This will be the mission for this week.

They will not bid for other players because the full focus of their budget is on Nico Williams. The confidence of the Barça board, Barça manager Hansi Flick and all the people at the club is growing.

Barcelona will make a contract proposal to Nico Williams. They know this is crucial to agree on the salary and all the details of the deal need to have the green light from the player. This is the crucial step.

Barça want to make it happen and then get the green light from La Liga for Financial Fair Play.

They already had more contacts with the agents of the player, and will push in the next days as they want to agree this week on personal terms, the structure of the salary and the bonuses into the salary.

Osimhen move will see Lukaku head to Napoli

Victor Osimhen in action.

There is still interest, a lot of interest in Victor Osimhen, because the agreement between Napoli and the player is for him to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

We know about the interest of Chelsea but we always said that the only way for Chelsea to go for Victor Osimhen is in case the package is reduced; meaning salary, meaning commission, meaning also transparency as Chelsea will not pay €120m.

The agent of Victor Osimhen is in contact with Paris Saint-Germain and he’s been a target of theirs for a long time.

But it will only be a concrete possibility if PSG manage to sell a striker in the summer transfer window, either Gonçalo Ramos or Randal Kolo Muani.

Saudi was already a really concrete possibility but it didn’t happen before because Napoli said no. This summer it’s different, and so Saudi could still be a solution for Victor Osimhen.

An important point to note is that in case Osimhen agrees to move in the summer window, the top target for Napoli remains Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku has always been excited about the possibility of being reunited with Antonio Conte, his favourite manager by far, and Napoli want the same.

Mathys Tel is going nowhere this summer

I keep receiving many questions from Chelsea fans on Mathys Tel, the striker from Bayern Munich.

We know Chelsea are looking for a player in that position and will look to acquire one based on the opportunity that will arise.

The name of Mathys Tel is always in Chelsea fans questions, and what I’m told is that both Bayern and the player, together with their agents, have no intention of parting ways this summer.

Despite many clubs being interested in Mathys Tel, one of the most talented strikers around, he recently extended his contact at Bayern, and his idea is to stay at Bayern.

He can’t wait to work under Vincent Kompany and this is the clear message.

Morata set for Milan medical

Spain’s Alvaro Morata celebrates with the European Championship trophy

There has been a lot of movement for Álvaro Morata, with the captain of Spanish national team set to join AC Milan.

The Italian club have triggered the release clause of €13m to sign the player from Atlético Madrid, and a medical will be done in the next 24 hours.

Then Morata will sign on a four-year contract. All set to be completed.

Monaco furious with Mikautadze as Lyon hijack deal

Georges Mikautadze, the striker from the Georgian National Team, was set to become a new Monaco player. The deal was done and the medical test was scheduled.

Everything was in place, but Olympique Lyon have been able to hijack the deal on the player side.

Monaco were furious with the player and his agents, but he’s going to Olympique Lyon for €18m.

Maguire can leave Man United… if he wants to

The situation is quiet regarding Harry Maguire now, no changes.

Maguire remains happy at Man United, and they’re not desperate to sell him. If a good proposal arrives, he could leave in case he wants to.

Otherwise, they’d continue together as happened this season. Nothing is concrete now in terms of talks or negotiations.

Juve priority is Koopmeiners but Adeyemi appreciated

Juventus interest in Karim Adeyemi is there since June, I reported about that in June because Juventus like the player but at the moment there are no negotiations ongoing.

For Juventus, the priority remains to sign Koopmeiners as soon as they sell Soulé.

Aubameyang off to Saudi

There’s also been movement in recent hours for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He’s set to leave European football and Olympique Marseille to become a new player at the Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah, the same club that former Real Madrid player, Nacho, has joined.

The agreement between Aubameyang and Al Qadsiah is done on a two year contract, he has the green light to go there, and now we wait for the clubs to agree.

The post Fantastic move for Mbappe, Barça in a rush for Nico and more… appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Exclusive: Talks advancing as Champions League club pursue Man United star for only £500k

Darren Looney — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 16:27:46 +0000

La Liga side Girona are in advanced talks to sign Man United’s Donny van de Beek as the Dutch midfielder is not part of Erik ten Hag’s plans ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The 27-year-old is out of contract at Old Trafford in 2025 and this summer would be the ideal time for the Manchester club to part ways with the player as the Premier League outfit seek a transfer fee for the unwanted star.

Sources have told CaughtOffside that Girona are in advanced talks to sign Van de Beek during the current transfer window with the La Liga club willing to pay Man United just £500k to sign the Man United star.

The 27-year-old will be offered a two-year deal with the option of a further year should things go well for the Dutch star in Spain as the Catalan club look to strengthen their squad ahead of their first season in the Champions League.

Van de Beek has previously been offered to Fulham, Everton, Lazio, Ajax and Real Betis; however, none of the clubs were interested in signing the Man United star on a permanent deal.

Girona are in advanced talks to sign Man United’s Donny van de Beek

Is Donny van de Beek’s Man United nightmare coming to an end?

Van de Beek has been at Man United since making the £39m switch from Ajax back in 2020, however, the transfer has not worked out for the club and player.

The Dutch star failed to cement a starting spot at Old Trafford throughout his four years with the Premier League giants and has only featured in 62 matches for the Red Devils.

The 27-year-old has also been on loan twice, with Everton during the 2021/22 campaign and Eintracht Frankfurt last season. Both clubs were not willing to take the midfielder on permanently and now Girona are the team looking to take advantage of his situation at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek’s next club is very important for the Dutch star’s career as the player needs to find a home where he can start enjoying his football again.

The post Exclusive: Talks advancing as Champions League club pursue Man United star for only £500k appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Exclusive: Patience needed from João Félix, Todibo race still open, no change for Salah, Chiesa out and more

Fabrizio Romano — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0000

—

Patience needed from Joao Felix and Barcelona

Nothing has changed with regard to Joao Felix.

Barcelona are still keen on bringing him back, but they need to agree on a deal with Atlético Madrid and that’s not easy or guaranteed yet.

Patience is needed, exactly the same as last year, and from the player’s point of view, Joao Felix is currently waiting again for Barcelona.

Several clubs in the race for Todibo

I’m not aware that Jean-Clair Todibo wasn’t interested in a move to West Ham.

I understand that West Ham were never going to bid for him without guarantees on the player side, and though he was keen on the move the problem was on the price – which is still considered to be too high.

The race for Todibo remains open, and there are several clubs interested.

No approaches for Mo Salah so far

Despite the rumours, I’ve still zero updates on Mo Salah’s situation so far.

It’s quiet, there are no changes with Saudi clubs, and though the interest is there since last summer, Liverpool have not received any proposals or approaches at the moment.

I don’t have any confirmation or guarantee either about Salah leaving and joining Saudi this summer.

Juve to part ways with Chiesa

The decision of Juventus has been made in the case of Federico Chiesa. The player will leave the club this summer, this is the plan.

You may ask me why an important player is being sold, and it’s because the new manager, Thiago Motta, wants to go in a different direction.

Juventus are not counting on him, so Chiesa is expected to be sold by Juventus this summer for something around €20m/€25m. It’s that cheap because the player is out of contract in summer 2025.

For sure, Federico Chiesa is a big opportunity on the market, and he will probably have several options to choose from.

Arsenal leading the race for Calafiori

Talking about Italian players, let me say that in the last 24 hours, Arsenal made contact on the club side for Riccardo Calafiori.

Talks are now ongoing but we are still waiting for an official bid, still waiting for the club to club agreement.

The player gave a green light to Arsenal in terms of contract, and is really excited by the possibility of working under Mikel Arteta.

He’s considered a proper, proper talent for the left-back or centre-back position, he can cover both of them.

Arsenal are really convinced that they have an agreement almost ready on the player side, but are still waiting to reach agreement with Bologna. I told you that the relationship with Bologna is very good, and they want something around €50m/€55m.

The other club monitoring the situation is Chelsea, but at the moment Arsenal are ahead.

Kilman in but Paqueta not yet out at West Ham

Flamengo’s directors have travelled to London to make an approach to West Ham for Lucas Paquetá but the reply was clear: no chance for a loan deal.

At the moment, the deal is complicated but Flamengo are keeping doors open to a new attempt in the next days or weeks. It’s not an easy one, for sure.

Sticking with West Ham, the deal is done between them and Wolves for Max Kilman. £40m is the package agreement for the player, wanted by Julen Lopetegui.

So, an important signing for the club.

Olise medical on Sunday, deal to complete soon

Michael Olise will have the first part of his medical as a new Bayern Munich player on Sunday. Right after that he will sign a contract until 2029.

The reason this has taken a little longer than expected is because Crystal Palace, as part of the agreement, will also have a sell-on clause, understood to be around 10%-15% and the issue to resolve was that.

Now everything is agreed between Bayern and Palace, and they’re waiting to exchange the documents, waiting to sign, waiting to complete the medical.

He should be unveiled by Bayern really, really soon,

De Ligt only wants Manchester United

With Matthijs de Ligt, contact between Manchester United and Bayern continues.

Bayern want to sign Jonathan Tah and they’re very confident, so will keep discussing the structure of the de Ligt deal with United.

I’m told the only club with the authorisation from the player to negotiate with his agent is Manchester United. That is the intention of Matthijs de Ligt.

Finally, after difficulties for a fantastic defender, he could be back working for a manager who trusts him.

PSG interest in Joshua Kimmich is genuine

The interest of Paris Saint-Germain in Joshua Kimmich is real, is genuine, and from what I’m told it doesn’t depend on João Neves. That’s a separate story, a completely separate story.

Paris Saint-Germain love João Neves too, but at the moment he’s very expensive; €120m release clause.

PSG appreciate both players, but Kimmich is out of contact in one year, and doesn’t have that kind of crazy price.

Dele Alli working hard but no new club yet

To be honest, I’ve zero information on my side on Dele Alli’s future right now.

He’s working hard and training well, but I don’t know anything concrete about negotiations with clubs or concrete talks. Probably it’s still too early.

Nothing is happening right now.

The post Exclusive: Patience needed from João Félix, Todibo race still open, no change for Salah, Chiesa out and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

UEFA make major decision on Man United and Man City ahead of 2024/25 campaign

Darren Looney — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:05:08 +0000

UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body have cleared both Man United and Man City to play in Europe this season as doubts emerged over their participation.

This is a result of both Premier League clubs’ owners also being part of other teams that have qualified for both the Champions League and Europa League, which many would see as a conflict of interest.

Man City and La Liga side Girona, who are both part of the City Football Group, both qualified for the Champions League. Man United, meanwhile, earned a place in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup along with Nice, the Ligue 1 club which is also under the control of Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group.

According to Sky Sports, UEFA have put any doubts to bed and have decided to allow Man United and Man City to compete in Europe throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

However, they have placed some restrictions as they will not be allowed to transfer players between the clubs. According to ESPN, Man United have already seen a move for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo blocked this summer, but there are still other concerns regarding multi-club ownership.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a say at both Man United and Nice

Should Man United and Man City be allowed to compete in Europe next season?

There should be big concerns among fans regarding clubs owned by the same ownership playing against each other in European competitions next season. Although UEFA have stopped transfers between clubs, it is not enough.

Should Man City and Girona meet in the quarter-finals, what is stopping the City Group from deciding to make it easy for the Premier League club as they are more likely to go all the way in the Champions League?

Multi-club ownership is a big problem for football and it is a topic UEFA and FIFA need to make strict rules for as it has the potential to damage the sport going forward.

The post UEFA make major decision on Man United and Man City ahead of 2024/25 campaign appeared first on CaughtOffside.