Football
ESPN 3y

LIVE Transfer Talk: Manchester United plot Harry Kane move to appease angry fans

The January transfer window might seem like a distant memory, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up, so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Man United plot £90m Kane move

Manchester United are looking to sign Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Harry Kane for around £90 million to placate the fans following protests against the Glazer family, reports The Sun.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate for a world-class striker and the report says that Kane would be interested in a move to Old Trafford.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would rather negotiate with a non-Premier League club, but a bid of £90m may test his resolve. 

Kane, 27, has scored 31 goals and provided 16 assists this season, but with Spurs likely to miss out on the Champions League, this summer may provide the best opportunity to find a club that could offer him silverware.

Levy has previously stated he has valued Kane's contract at £170m, but the COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on the transfer market.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

LIVE BLOG

22.30 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!

22.00 BST: Once linked with Arsenal, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar now appears bound for Real Madrid or Juventus.

Calciomercato understands that the 22-year-old Frenchman is the goal for Real Madrid this summer, although the Old Lady is also swarming. Lyon are said to want €50 million for Aouar, with both Real Madrid and Juve believing that is excessive.

Aouar, who debuted from France last October, has six goals and four assists in 30 appearances this season for OL.

21.03 BST: The likes of AC Milan, Leicester and Napoli have been chasing Marseille winger Florian Thauvin for some time now, but the World Cup winner could be poised for the ultimate shock move.

Tuttomercatoweb claims that Thauvin, 28, is set to spurn considerable European interest and instead join Mexican giants Tigres! Tigres do have some experience with French players, and history doing business with Marseille, as the Mexican club signed striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Marseille in 2015. Since arriving in Mexico, Gignac, 35, has established himself as one of Liga MX's best-ever players, scoring 149 goals, winning five major trophies and twice leading the division in goals.

If Tigres sign Thauvin he will surely have some big boots to fill!

20.09 BST:  Could PSG replace Kylian Mbappe with Mohamed Salah?

Le Parisien writes that the Liverpool star is Plan B for PSG, with Plan A being to keep Mbappe in Paris for another season.

The 28-year-old Salah has been a revelation since arriving at Anfield in 2017, scoring 123 goals in 198 games and helping Liverpool win the Champions League in 2019 and end their 30-year Premier League drought in 2020, but recent rumours suggest the Egyptian may no longer be happy at the club.

"No one is talking to me about anything, I can't say much about that," Salah recently told Sky Sports regarding a potential new contract with Liverpool.

"No one at the club talked to me about anything, so I don't know."

If PSG are forced to sell Mbappe, Salah would likely come at a little cheaper price with reports suggesting €80 million could get a deal done.

19.17 BST: Tottenham have one of the best strikers in the world in Harry Kane but with rumours swirling Kane could elect for greener pastures, the Daily Star identified four potential replacements that Spurs could sign this summer.

The English tabloid lists Southampton's Danny Ings, Brentford's Ivan Toney, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Eintracht Frankfurt's Andre Silva as potential options for the London club.

While all four of these strikers have shown to be good goalscorers, each would represent a significant drop-off from Kane, who has scored 161 Premier League goals over the past seven seasons, 31 more than any other player during that timeframe.

18.35 BST: Inter clinched their first Scudetto since 2010 last weekend but don't expect Antonio Conte and Co. to rest on their laurels.

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero suggests that Inter's dream target is Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and that CEO Beppe Marotta is engaged in talks with Milinkovic-Savic's people and prepared to pay €80 million for the Serbian. The 26-year-old old has produced eight goals and 10 assists in Serie A this season, and has accounted for 47 goals and 38 assists for Lazio in 245 games since arriving from Genk in 2015.

17.53 BST: Ajax's Ryan Gravenberch, 18, is one of the highest-rated teenagers in world football and has been rumoured with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

The youngster has started 44 games for the Dutch champions so far this season but Gravenberch's father believes he is not quite ready to make the move to one of Europe's biggest clubs.

"He has to take that last step at Ajax. He just has to and he hasn't done that yet," Ryan Gravenberch Sr. told Ajax Showtime.

"I want him to fully mature at Ajax, so as far as I'm concerned he will just stay at Ajax.

"He has only played one full season now and that was of course quite good, but next season he will have to play even better.

"Then, despite his age, he really must be one of the key players, especially if he plays in the European Championship [with the Netherlands].

"Next season, he will not get away with it in the dressing room if he plays poorly several games in a row.

"I really think he should take a step at Ajax first. He has to climb in the hierarchy and stand up more for himself within the squad.

"I'm not going to push him to do that, that makes no sense to Ryan. But he also realises that. He also thinks it is best for him to stay at Ajax."

Gravenberch is under contract with Ajax through 2023 but likely won't be in Amsterdam for too long.

17.09 BST: Brentford have slapped a £30 million price tag on 30-goal striker Ivan Toney but could he be worth double that a year from now?

Former Hull City striker Dean Windass told Football League World he believes as much.

"Leicester, Tottenham, Everton coming in for Ivan Toney -- he's not going to turn his nose up at it and money talks but if Brentford do go up into the Premier League, a fee of £25-£30 million could become £70 million," he told Football League World

Toney, 25, previously had a brief Premier League spell with Newcastle, and according to the Athletic, is being tracked by Leicester and Everton in the event Brentford fail to secure Premier League promotion via the play-off.

16.30 BST: Is Mikel Arteta the man to solve Arsenal's issues?

16.01 BST: Norwich City midfielder Emiliano Buendia has been linked with a host of top clubs this summer, says Footmercato.

Buendia, 24, has impressed as Norwich sealed promotion back to the Premier League. The Argentine has reportedly been scouted by Leeds United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Villarreal.

15.42 BST: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is keen to leave Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain keen to land him, according to Le Parisien.

Salah, 28, has 29 goals and four assists this season as Liverpool have struggled to defend their title. The Egypt international hasn't committed his future to the club yet and is reportedly PSG's 'Plan B' should star striker Kylian Mbappe leave this summer.

14.56 BST: Inter Milan full-back Achraf Hakimi is of interest to Bayern Munich, says the Express.

Hakimi, 22, only recently joined new Serie A champions Inter for around €40m from Real Madrid but, after impressing on loan for two years at Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Bayern are fully aware of his talents and new boss Julian Nagelsmann wants to bring him in.

Arsenal have also been linked with the Morocco international as they look to find a replacement for Hector Bellerin this summer.

14.23 BST: Bruno Fernandes says he wants Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani to stay at Manchester United next season.

Pogba will enter the final year of his deal in the summer, while Cavani is yet to agree to an extension, but Fernandes is hopeful both will remain at Old Trafford.

"Of course, as we said before, they are really important for us," the midfielder told a news conference on Wednesday. "The qualities they have, it is difficult to find on the market for a good price. I think everyone knows the team is growing up and with their help too. It's important for us that we keep our best players and keep improving as a team."

14.06 BST: Manchester City did well to land Ruben Dias for €68m last summer.

13.34 BST: You may have heard that Jose Mourinho has a new job after being sacked by Tottenham, but the new Roma coach isn't looking far for his new signings.

Football.London says that Mourinho wants to sign Tottenham stars Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura for Roma in the summer.

Neither player has been a regular for the London club and could be persuaded to move on.

12.59 BST: Arsenal centre-back David Luiz has yet to sign a new contract and his representatives are starting to look for other options, says CBS.

Luiz, 34, could leave the club when his deal expires this summer and various MLS teams, as well as Serie A side Lazio, have shown an interest.

12.20 BST: Zinedine Zidane has said Real Madrid's Champions League semifinal second leg with Chelsea is "a really good moment" for injury-prone forward Eden Hazard to show what he can do against his former team.

The Belgium international, 30, has struggled in Madrid since leaving the Premier League club in July 2019, with a string of ankle and muscular injuries limiting his impact.

Hazard is finally fit after overcoming his latest issue, a calf muscle strain -- having come off the bench against Real Betis in La Liga and then Chelsea in the first leg, and started against Osasuna on Saturday -- and is in contention to feature from the start on Wednesday night. "It's a really good moment for him," coach Zidane said in a prematch news conference. "He's come here prepared, that's the good thing. We'll need Eden, we know the player he is. He'll help the team for sure."

Hazard has scored just three times in La Liga and once in the Champions League -- a penalty against Internazionale in the group stage last November -- since signing for Madrid for a €100m reported fee that could rise to €160m.

"We know the player Eden can be," teammate Toni Kroos said. "It's a shame he hasn't been able to show it in recent months with the injuries. He's a bit better now physically which is really important for him, to play at his level.

"He's a player for these matches, who can help us a lot. He's played one game as a starter, that isn't much, but for the opposition defence he can be a dangerous player, however many minutes he plays."

11.50 BST: Belgian outlet Voetbal Belgie reports that Genk striker Paul Onuachu wants to move to Arsenal.

Onuachu, 26, has 32 goals and three assists in all competitions this season and is the form of his life. The Nigeria international signed from FC Midtjylland for €6m in August 2019 and has turned into a fine player since.

Genk are reportedly willing to listen to offers around €30m, with Arsenal looking to strengthen in attack with doubts over the futures of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah.

11.13 BST: Jose Mourinho is set to become the new Roma manager. But how will things play out for him?

10.45 BST: The Daily Telegraph has a couple of snippets here.

- Club Brugge winger Noa Lang, who impressed on loan from Ajax before agreeing to sign permanently this summer, is attracting attention from Leeds. The 21-year-old has 14 goals and eight assists in the Jupiler Pro League this season and will sign a contract until 2024. However, that hasn't stopped other clubs from keeping an eye on him.

- RB Leipzig striker Hwang Hee-chan, 25, is on the radar of West Ham and Crystal Palace. The South Korea international's contract is valued at around €12m and West Ham may turn to him if they are priced out of a move for Tammy Abraham of Chelsea.

10.02 BST: Everton are keen to sign Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to provide competition for Jordan Pickford, says Tuttojuve.

Szczesny, 31, is first-choice at Juventus but the club may be looking to the future with a move for Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is available on a free transfer this summer. If so, Juve could sanction a €10m move for Szczesny, who still has three years left on his contract.

The report says that Everton are unlikely to keep Robin Olsen after his loan deal from AS Roma expires this summer.

09.11 BST: Valencia have no intention of letting left-back Jose Luis Gaya leave, amid reports that Juventus are interested in his services, according to Superdeporte.

Juve reportedly want to sign Gaya to replace Brazilian Alex Sandro, who is expected to depart this summer after a disappointing season.

A youth product of Valencia, Gaya has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season and is under contract until June 2023. Valencia have been in talks in recent months with Gaya's agent to extend the defender's contract and will not allow him to go.

However, Juve are not the only club interested in Gaya as Barcelona continue to monitor him.

08.30 BST: Brandon Williams has seen his progress stall this season, partly by the emergence of Luke Shaw as Manchester United's undisputed first-choice left-back but also due to added competition from the signing of Alex Telles. 

Williams made 36 appearances in all competition last season -- 17 of those in the Premier League -- but this campaign he has only 11 matches under his belt, only two of them league games. 

The 20-year-old is set to go out on loan next season to boost his top-flight experience, and newly promoted Norwich City are leading the chase, according to The Sun. 

Southampton and West Ham United are also said to want the England Under-21 international for the 2021-22 campaign.  

PAPER GOSSIP

- It looks as though Real Madrid will win the race to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, but they'll need to wait a year to bring him to the Bernabeu, according to AS. Madrid will instead focus their efforts on landing PSG striker Kylian Mbappe this summer, with a view to partnering the Frenchman with Haaland in the 2022-23 season. Haaland is believed to have told Dortmund officials that he'll be staying for another season, and they're happy for him to switch to Spain in 12 months' time when his contract has a €75m release clause.

- Man United are said to be considering re-signing goalkeeper Tom Heaton from Aston Villa to replace David de Gea, who is set to leave for Paris Saint-Germain on loan. Sources have told ESPN that United are keeping tabs on West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone, but the Daily Star reckons that they might instead move for Heaton, now 35. Heaton hasn't started a game for Villa in 16 months, though he has been out injured for an extended time.

- Tottenham Hotspur will be stepping up their search for a new striker whether or not Kane leaves the club this summer, with strike partner Carlos Vinicius set to return to Benfica, according to Sky Sports. Vinicius, 26, joined Spurs on a season-long loan and while he scored goals in the cup competitions has failed to make an impact in the Premier League, scoring once in nine games. Spurs will reportedly turn down their option to trigger a £36m permanent transfer.

- Chelsea are set to battle Liverpool and Manchester United for the signature of Jadon Sancho this summer, according to Bild. Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is set to raid his former club in an effort to bring Sancho to west London, with a fee of £78m said to be enough for Dortmund to let the 21-year-old leave the Westfalenstadion.

- Juventus are planning an overhaul of their squad this summer, and that includes the departure of full-back Alex Sandro, according to Calciomercato. Juve are looking for a transfer fee of £25m for the Brazilian as they look to freshen up their squad after a disappointing season, and Chelsea are said to be interested. The Blues are willing to offer Emerson Palmieri in exchange.

^ Back to Top ^