Hello and welcome to today’s Daily Briefing – click here to subscribe and you can get this and more exclusive content ad-free and straight to your inbox!
AC Milan
Eintracht confirm Daichi Kamada is leaving as a free agent – a decision already made back in February. AC Milan had a verbal agreement with Kamada but nothing is signed yet, there are still things to resolve before calling this one a done deal.
AC Milan director Paolo Maldini will leave the club with immediate effect. It’s over following a tense meeting yesterday with club chairman Gerry Cardinale. The pair had different visions for the future of the club. Co-director Ricky Massara is also set to leave the San Siro.
Arsenal
Ivan Fresneda’s release clause is now just €20m after Valladolid’s relegation from La Liga. Sources feel Fresneda could still leave for below €20m this summer. There is interest but no bid from Arsenal so far. There is also strong interest from Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona
Lionel Messi’s father Jorge has been seen meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta to discuss the player’s return to the Nou Camp. La Liga have approved the plan, and there’ll be key hours ahead now for Messi to come back after leaving PSG at the end of his contract.
Jorge Messi after his meeting with Barca president Laporta: “Leo wants to return to Barcelona and I’d love to see him back to Barca. Barca move is an option for sure.”
To clarify: Barcelona were not able present an official bid to Messi yet during yesterday’s meeting. Both sides feel time is running out to get this done, but Laporta and Jorge Messi have decided to take some hours to see if they can find a ‘creative’ solution. Meanwhile, Leo’s decision process is already advanced.
Ruben Neves is waiting and will continue to wait for Barcelona. Personal terms have been agreed since the end of April with his agent Jorge Mendes. Barca can’t proceed now due to Financial Fair Play, while the player is also not considered a priority for Xavi. It’s not guaranteed at all that Ansu Fati would join Wolves as part of the deal.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have been interested in Federico Chiesa, with Thomas Tuchel a big fan of the Juventus winger, but the Italian is not on the market and is not expected to leave the club this summer – click here to find out more.
Borussia Dortmund
Official, confirmed: Ramy Bensebaini has joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach. Bensebaini will be the replacement for Raphael Guerreiro who has left Dortmund and who is being considered by both Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Brighton
Brighton will unveil both James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud as new signings very soon. Both players are set to sign on free transfers from Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.
Chelsea
Chelsea have officially announced the Kendry Paez deal. The Ecuadorian wonderkid joins for a fee close to €20m and will make the move to Stamford Bridge in 2025. He’s signed a long-term contract and completed his medical with the club back in April.
The N’Golo Kante situation remains open – he would love to stay at Chelsea, but talks are not advancing to final stages despite a full agreement looking close back in March. Al Ittihad and Al Nassr are the two Saudi clubs who are keen to lure Kante for a new experience.
Real Madrid will push for the signing of Kai Havertz in the coming days. There shouldn’t be any issues regarding personal terms as the player would be keen on the move. Chelsea are open to selling Havertz, but are waiting also for more clubs to join the race. The player’s priority, however, would be to go to Real Madrid.
Al Ahli and Al Shabab have approached Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to discuss a possible transfer to the Saudi league. Aubameyang turned down MLS side LAFC in February as his priority was to continue in Europe. Either way, Aubameyang will 100% leave Chelsea this summer, there’s no doubt about that at all.
There is still no official bid from Manchester United for Mason Mount. Chelsea don’t want to negotiate, as they have made it clear they want £80m or nothing – that’s their position. Man Utd want to pay a lot less than this, and so there is a big gap. Let’s see if things change as Mount is keen on the move, but at the moment Chelsea’s stance is a big issue.
Some Chelsea fans have asked if there is a chance of keeping Joao Felix permanently, but at the moment it looks highly unlikely. Atletico Madrid will hold talks about putting him on the market, but he’s not a priority for Chelsea.
Juventus
Leandro Paredes is leaving Juventus to return to PSG after his loan in Turin, and he will now be sold by the French club. Angel Di Maria will explore more options soon, and is also not expected to stay at Juve.
One player who is not leaving Juventus, however, is Federico Chiesa – click here for the full story.
Leicester City
Leicester City have officially confirm the exits of the following players on free transfers after their contracts expired: Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez, Ryan Bertrand, Daniel Amartey, Nampalys Mendy, Tete, and Caglar Soyuncu, who is joining Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool
Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool is all but done. He’ll have his medical today after a full agreement was reached on his contract. Liverpool will now pay his buyout clause in the coming days, which is below the £45-50m we’ve seen reported elsewhere. Liverpool sensed the opportunity for a bargain signing and are now keen to get things wrapped up this week.
Following this deal, Liverpool will continue to focus on further signings in midfield. Talks have taken place with the representatives of both Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram, while Celta Vito youngster Gabri Veiga is appreciated by the club, though no talks over that possibility yet.
RB Leipzig are lining up a new bid for Fabio Carvalho after their opening proposal was rejected by Liverpool last week. Liverpool don’t want to lose the player on a permanent deal, but a buy-back option could be the solution.
Liverpool have made an offer for Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie (Sport)
