The summer transfer window is here, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Bayern eye Leipzig’s Laimer
Bayern Munich are confident that they can follow up the signing of Matthijs de Ligt by bringing in RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer, according to Fabrizio Romano, who states that a new offer is expected soon.
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An agreement has already been reached on personal terms after talks started two months ago, with the move getting closer due to Leon Goretzka set to miss the first two months of the season recovering from knee surgery.
Romano previously reported that Laimer was being scouted by Premier League clubs as well. His contract at Leipzig expires in 2023.
Both Laimer and Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann are familiar with each from their time together at Leipzig, where the Austria midfielder has been at since 2017.
Should Laimer bolt for Bayern, it would continue a recent trend of Leipzig players joining their Bundesliga rivals such as Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano, and Marcel Sabitzer.
Bayern have been busy this summer the signing of the De Ligt (Juventus), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), and both Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. The German side also confirmed on Tuesday that Robert Lewandowski had finally made his move to Barcelona official.
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08.00 BST: As mentioned above, Barcelona announced late on Tuesday the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, becoming the LaLiga club’s fifth arrival this summer.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed on Saturday the clubs had reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of the 33-year-old striker, but the move has now been completed.
Lewandowski will sign a four-year contract with a release clause set at €500m, Barcelona said in a statement. He had 12 months remaining on his Bayern contract and moved to Barcelona for €45m with a possible €5m in add-ons, the 26-time Spanish champions confirmed.
The Poland international joined up with his new teammates on Barca’s preseason tour of the United States on Monday ahead of their friendly against Major League Soccer side Inter Miami on Tuesday night.
Lewandowski has twice won the Golden Boot as Europe’s leading goalscorer and finished as runner-up for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. He joins Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha as additions as Barcelona look to build a squad to compete for LaLiga and the Champions League under coach Xavi Hernandez.
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PAPER GOSSIP
– Internazionale could still lose Milan Skriniar to Paris Saint-Germain after reprtedly being beaten to the signing of Torino defender Bremer by Juventus, according to Calciomercato. Inter insist still the Slovakia international won’t leave for PSG unless they receive between €60m and €65m with add-ons. With top target Bremer set to join their Serie A rivals, Skriniar’s departure would leave Inter in a precarious position.
– Barcelona and Chelsea are in direct discussions regarding Cesar Azpilicueta, reports Fabrizio Romano, who adds that the Blaugrana are trying to speed up negotiations. Azpilicueta is waiting for the two clubs to reach an agreement as Barcelona have had an offer ready for the defender for months that would keep him with them until 2024.
– As well as reaffirming links between Napoli and Fenerbahce centre-back Kim Min-jae, La Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested that Gli Azzurri are aiming to bring in Hellas Verona’s Giovanni Simeone and Cagliari’s Nahitan Nandez. These moves would be most likely to happen if Andrea Petagna‘s move to Monza materialises and Fabian Ruiz departs Naples.
– Having initially been unconvinced, Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico is now close to joining Lyon, as reported by L’Equipe. The Argentine is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 side by the end of the week.
– Salernitana have turned their attention to Hertha Berlin’s Krzysztof Piatek as they strive to sign a striker, as reported by Sky Sports Italia, who add that Fiorentina chose not to sign the Poland man permanently following his loan spell. Other names being linked with Salernitana are Villarreal’s Boulaye Dia, Sampdoria’s Federico Bonazzoli and Internazionale’s Andrea Pinamonti.
Source: espn.co.uk
