The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there's plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Real Madrid to try again with Mbappe
Real Madrid are preparing to make another approach to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, according to the Telegraph.
It is reported that the LaLiga side are confident of persuading the 24-year-old of making the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu despite missing out on his signature last summer.
Rejecting a free transfer to Real Madrid when his contract expired last summer, Mbappe signed a new three-year deal at Parc des Princes and the club's hierarchy are looking to build the team around him -- but there is a level of uncertainty surrounding PSG after a campaign where they exited the Champions League in the round of 16. Los Blancos now see an opportunity to take full advantage of the situation with a second attempt to sign the France international.
PSG are already going to be without Lionel Messi next season, with sources telling ESPN's Julien Laurens that the 35-year-old has made up his mind to leave when his contract expires.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid aren't stopping at Mbappe, as sources told ESPN last week they are confident of landing €150m-rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham ahead of Manchester City.
It seems Carlo Ancelotti's side are setting up a double swoop for two of the most sought-after players in Europe, with both considered stars who could evolve a Real Madrid side that have won four of the past seven Champions League titles.
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21.27 BST: Aston Villa are set to join the race for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, according to the Sun. The Villans are reported to be preparing to improve the squad with a £200m transfer budget this summer, and the 22-year-old Uruguay international, who has a £52m release clause in his contract, has emerged as manager Unai Emery's priority target.
20.54 BST: Wolverhampton Wanderers are preparing to make a €25m offer for Almeira striker El Bilal Toure, writes Foot Mercato. The 21-year-old Mali international has been in impressive form this season, but stood out most recently when scoring against both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona - with his strike against the Blaugrana a decisive one in February's 1-0 LaLiga victory. Brentford are also said to be keeping close tabs on him, although it is Julen Lopetegui's side who appear to be at the front of the queue.
20.21 BST: Liverpool are advancing in their attempts to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, reports TyC Sports' Cesar Luis Merlo. The 24-year-old Argentina international has emerged as a key target for the Reds recently, and it is reported that they made a five-year proposal that his representatives are now considering. The Seagulls have previously been reported to be looking for a transfer fee in excess of £70m to part ways with Mac Allister.
19.48 BST: Arsenal fear they could lose ground in the race for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice over his transfer valuation, writes the Sun. The Gunners are reported to have been preparing an offer of £80m to land the 24-year-old England international, but amid interest from Chelsea as well as both Manchester City and Manchester United, the Hammers could now be set to leverage that interest by asking for a transfer fee of up to £130m.
19.15 BST: A meeting has been held between Barcelona and the representatives of winger Ousmane Dembele, reports Marca. The Blaugrana are looking to offer the 25-year-old France international a five-year contract until the summer of 2028, less than 12 months after he penned a new two-year deal to keep him at the Camp Nou through the 2023-24 season.
18.42 BST: Premier League clubs are keen on signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez this summer, writes Tyc Sports' Gaston Edul. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all said to be eyeing a potential move for the 30-year-old Argentina international, who is looking to move on from Villa Park at the end of the season in search of Champions League football.
18.09 BST: Eintracht Frankfurt look set to lose centre-back Evan Ndicka on a free transfer this summer, according to Calciomercato, with AS Roma moving closer to reaching an agreement with the 23-year-old former France youth international. A four-year contract is reported to have been agreed in principle with Ndicka, in a deal worth €2m a season.
17.36 BST: Serie A champions Napoli are keen on signing Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada, reports Corriere dello Sport. Talks are said to have already taken place with the 26-year-old Japan international's representatives, with Kamada looking for a salary of around €5m a year. The Bundesliga star is available to be signed on a pre-contract agreement, with just over a month remaining on his deal at Deutsche Bank Park.
17.00 BST: Celtic are set to demand a £20m transfer fee if they are to agree to part ways with forward Kyogo Furuhashi, writes Football Insider. It is reported that Crystal Palace are interested in the 28-year-old, who has been a star performer this season with 30 goals in 44 matches across all competitions. Contracted at the club until 2026, Celtic would prefer to keep him, but would move him on if they receive the right offer.
16.22 BST: Man United could need more than just a new goalkeeper.
15.50 BST: Man United could make a move to sign Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as they look to find a replacement for David de Gea, says the Manchester Evening News.
Verbruggen, 20, is highly rated and was given his debut in Belgium at the age of 18. Having just been called up to the senior Netherlands squad, he has evidently caught the eye of United manager Erik ten Hag.
De Gea, 32, is out of contract at the end of the season and has an offer on the table to renew at lower wages, but his recent mistakes suggest the club might be willing to let him go.
15.05 BST: L'Equipe claims that Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby will have a lot of suitors this summer.
Diaby, 23, has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists from 43 games this season and with his contract expiring in 2025, Leverkusen may be forced to let him go.
Newcastle, Arsenal and PSG have all been linked with the France international, but Leverkusen reportedly want a transfer fee of at least €50m.
14.24 BST: Newcastle want to sign Fenerbahce midfielder Arda Guler, according to Ajansspor.
Guler, 18, could be available for €20m due to a release clause that could become active this summer and has impressed for the Turkish giants despite his young age.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is reportedly a fan of the Turkey international but faces competition to sign him from Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.
13.50 BST: Another player to add to the growing list of midfielders linked with Liverpool is Atalanta's Teun Koopmeiners, according to Corriere dello Sport
Koopmeiners, 25, has seven goals and three assists in 29 league appearances this season but the Netherlands international could be available for around €40m.
13.08 BST: Corriere dello Sport claims Man United are ready to move for Napoli defender Kim Min-jae.
Kim, 26, helped Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990 and the South Korea international has been linked with a €60m move, having only just arrived for €18m from Fenerbahce last summer.
United are keen, while Napoli are reportedly looking to replace him with Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini.
12.30 BST: Lionel Messi is set to become a free agent this summer.
11.43 BST: Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo says he doesn't know where Joao Felix will play next season.
Felix, 23, signed a one-year contract extension with Atletico before he joined Chelsea on loan in January. He has scored three goals in 13 Premier League appearances so far this season. However, the Blues don't have an option to make the move permanent despite being interested in keeping Felix beyond this summer.
"Right now, he is at Chelsea, and we don't know if Chelsea wants to continue with him or not," Cerezo said in Marca. "We don't know what's going to happen. He is playing with Chelsea, once that's over, many things can happen, he can stay for another year or not ... but don't worry he will continue to play."
The Portugal forward is keen to remain at Stamford Bridge after reports that his relationship with Atletico coach Diego Simeone has become increasingly strained.
11.04 BST: Liverpool want to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, says 90min.
Tchouameni, 23, only joined Madrid from Monaco for an initial €80m in summer 2022 and has played 44 times this season. But the fact that Jude Bellingham could arrive this summer from Borussia Dortmund, alongside new deals for veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, means competition is fierce.
Liverpool are long-term admirers of Tchouameni and would love to seal a permanent move, or even a loan, says the report.
The France international didn't start against Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, but reportedly has no desire to quit Madrid yet.
10.13 BST: Sofyan Amrabat is the preferred option to replace Sergio Busquets as Barcelona plan for life without their club captain, according to Sport.
Busquets, 34, announced on Wednesday that he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. He has not yet confirmed his next move, but has seen interest from Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Barca, meanwhile, have started to scour the market for possible replacements, with Fiorentina's Amrabat and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves two names on the table.
Sport claims that Amrabat, who excelled at the World Cup with Morocco, is the Blaugrana's first choice for the role, but everything will depend on how much money they are able to spend this summer.
Neves, represented by agent Jorge Mendes, has also been offered to Barca, although he does not generate consensus among the club's hierarchy.
09.40 BST: Rafael Leao's contract extension with AC Milan is one step away from being finalised.
The Portugal winger becomes a free agent in June 2024 but is expected to sign a four-year extension in the coming days.
Asked about Leao's renewal, AC Milan director Paolo Maldini said: "We are very close. There's always been this intention from both sides, things that had to be refined have been refined."
Leao, 23, has a €150m release clause and has attracted attention from top European clubs, including Real Madrid and Man City. He joined the Rossoneri in the summer of 2019 from Lille and helped Milan win the Scudetto last season, but Lille have had to pay a €22m fine to Sporting CP after he terminated his contract in 2018 without the Portuguese club's consent.
Leao missed Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Inter in the Champions League semifinal opener due to injury but is expected to be available for the return leg on May 16.
09.11 BST: ICYMI - Aston Villa want to sign Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio, according to Marca.
Asensio is one player on the wishlist of Mateu Alemany, who will leave his post as Barcelona's director of football at the end of the season to take over the same role at Aston Villa.
Asensio, 27, becomes a free agent this summer and, although his priority is to remain at Madrid beyond this summer, the forward has not signed a contract extension yet.
Villa are reportedly prepared to offer Asensio a deal that would see him double the wages he currently gets at Madrid. Asensio has scored 11 goals and set up eight more in 46 games for the club this season.
08.26 BST: Aaron Ramsdale is close to agreeing a new long-term contract with Arsenal, sources have told ESPN.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper has two years remaining on his existing deal but the club were keen to reward him for a prominent role in their unexpected Premier League title push with a significant improvement on his £60,000-a-week agreement.
Ramsdale has started all 35 league games this season, keeping 13 clean sheets -- only Manchester United's David de Gea (15) has registered a higher number. He excelled once again in Sunday's 2-0 win at Newcastle United which moved Arsenal to within one point of leaders Manchester City, albeit having played a game more.
A formal announcement over Ramsdale's deal is expected soon and his rise to prominence is a dramatic shift from the negativity around his move in the summer of 2021.
08.00 BST: Gareth Bale rejected the opportunity to come out of retirement to play for Rob Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-owned Wrexham because "he doesn't want to play football anymore," according to the former Tottenham, Real Madrid and Los Angeles FC forward's long-term agent.
Bale, 33, announced his playing retirement in January after representing Wales at Qatar 2022 in the country first appearance at a World Cup since 1958. But after seeing Wrexham win promotion back the English Football League (EFL) this season following 15 years in the National League, co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney have tried to persuade Bale to abandon his retirement plans.
Bale has turned the offer down, however, with agent Jonathan Barnett saying that he simply no longer has the desire or fitness to play again.
"I think for him, it [retirement] was the right time," Barnett told Sky Sports News. "He's achieved everything he wanted to achieve -- he played for Wales at the highest level of the World Cup, which is what he really wanted to do, and I think he knew his body wasn't up to it anymore. He's had a hard time with his body the last few years.
"He's had a great career. He's enjoyed himself, but he is having a great life now. He is with his family, which is the most important thing. He's spending a lot of time with his children and that's what he wants to do.
"Yes, he'll do other things, obviously later down the line, but at the moment, let him just enjoy himself."
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- Liverpool, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, writes AS. The 25-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Magpies this season, and it is reported that Premier League rivals Liverpool would be willing to make an offer worth €100m to land him. With the St. James' Park hierarchy looking to make the Brazil international a long term part of their project, he is expected to be handed an improved contract at the end of the season to ward off interest from other clubs.
- Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is likely to leave Chelsea this summer, with three clubs interested in his signature, reports The Guardian. Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are all said to be keen on the 29-year-old, who will enter the final year of his contract next month. The Blues feel they also could be set to lose Liverpool-linked Mason Mount, which could potentially leave the next permanent manager at Stamford Bridge without two key midfield stars.
- Three clubs from the Saudi Pro League are racing to sign Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, says Mundo Deportivo. A representative of the 34-year-old has travelled to Riyadh to listen to proposals from Al Hilal, Al Nassr, and Al Shabab, but Busquets also has an option to make the switch to MLS, with Inter Miami keen. It is reported that only Al Nassr have submitted a formal offer so far and are willing to improve on the €17m per year they offered him in January.
- Talks have begun between Newcastle and Leicester City over a move for attacking midfielder James Maddison, reveals Football Insider. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe considers the 26-year-old an ideal profile for his squad, though the Magpies could be set to face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, who also are keen. Despite Leicester's struggles this season, Maddison has been in impressive form, having contributed to 19 goals in 27 Premier League matches.
- Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will have 12 months remaining on his deal in the summer, but has already received a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, reports The Times. The unnamed club would be willing to hand the 36-year-old a contract worth £300,000-per-week should he make the switch; that is triple the amount he currently picks up in north London.