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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

What next for Man United target Adrien Rabiot?

The situation Rabiot finds himself in has become a problem for the player as his inability to find a new club resulted in him missing out on the latest French squad despite regularly featuring at Euro 2024.

The former Juventus star is too good to be without a team and was a regular in the Italian club’s side last season, making 35 appearances across all competitions, notching five goals and three assists.

There are clubs interested in Rabiot but it simply comes down to the finances.

Understandably, the 29-year-old wants a big contract as it will likely be the last one of his career and there is no transfer fee involved; however, his demands are impacting his ability to find a new home and that should be more important for the player.

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Exclusive: Man United held summer talks over Serie A talent with expiring contract in 2025

Darren Looney — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 20:37:56 +0000

Man United had conversations during the summer transfer window to bring Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag had an interest in the Dutch full-back.

The defender’s current deal with the Serie A champions expires in 2025 having spent the last four years in Italy and if any interested party wanted to try and sign the 28-year-old, next year would be the best time to make their move.

Man United have been linked to Dumfries for a while now and according to Matteo Moretto, talks were held over the summer, although they were not serious.

The Manchester club would go on to sign Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich instead and just as well they did as Moretto says that Inter plan to offer Dumfries a new short-term deal in 2025 as the Netherlands international is very popular in the Italian club’s dressing room.

The 28-year-old is said to be happy in Milan and the expectation is that the player will remain at the San Siro beyond his expiring 2025 contract.

Man United held talks for Inter’s Denzel Dumfries this summer

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Man United set to miss out on Inter’s Denzel Dumfries

Writing in his latest column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing, Moretto has reported that he expects Dumfries to pen a new deal at Inter despite talks with Man United at the start of the summer.

“Inter star Denzel Dumfries is still out of contract in the summer of 2025, but from what I am aware, the intention is to renew his contract, and Inter are in the process of doing so,” the transfer journalist said. “The fact that he has remained this summer, rather than Inter trying to recoup some money for him is a sure sign that there is a willingness for him to stay.

“The idea is to renew him on a shorter deal though, rather than a four or five-year contract. It could be just a year or maybe more, but not a long-term deal. I’m told he will sign a new deal though, despite the lack of a public announcement.

“Dumfries is very comfortable in Milan and happy. The Dutch international is very much loved in the dressing room at Inter too. There were conversations with Manchester United in the early part of the summer, but they were not serious talks. Nothing was advanced or agreed.”

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Fabrizio Romano unveils his favourite transfer from the 2024 summer window

Darren Looney — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:03:17 +0000

The 2024 summer transfer window has shut for all of Europe’s big five leagues and after months of working on transfer stories, Fabrizio Romano has revealed his favourite signing over the last three months.

The summer transfer window is crucial for football clubs as they look to add to their squads for the new season and fix issues that appeared throughout the previous campaign.

Major deals took place during this summer with Kylian Mbappe’s switch to Real Madrid being the biggest story, while Atletico Madrid’s acquisition of Julian Alvarez from Man City was the most expensive with £82m switching hands.

However, none of these two deals were Fabrizio Romano‘s favourite from the 2024 summer transfer window.

The transfer expert has admitted that Paris Saint-Germain’s capture of João Neves from Benfica was his favourite transfer ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as he believes that the midfielder was somewhat of a bargain, despite the €70m fee attached to the deal, as the midfielder’s potential is very high.

Fabrizio Romano’s favourite summer transfer was João Neves’ move from Benfica to PSG

Fabrizio Romano reveals his favourite signing of the 2024 summer transfer window

Speaking on the latest episode of CaughtOffside’s The Debrief podcast, Fabrizio Romano stated that Neves’ move to PSG was his favourite, but also threw another transfer into the mix.

“My favourite deal has been João Neves to Paris Saint-Germain. I think Paris Saint-Germain signed a fantastic, fantastic player for the present and also for the future. I still believe that the future of João Neves is going to be super bright. The potential of this boy is something really, really special,” the transfer expert said.

“Signing a quality player like him with a big potential for €60m plus €10m in add-ons, I think for modern football and modern transfer markets, it’s an incredible price. It’s kind of a bargain. So I think PSG signed a gem with Neves, one of my favourite transfers.”

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Romano continued by giving an honourable mention to Scott McTominay’s switch from Man United to Napoli.

“I also really appreciated Scott McTominay to Napoli. I think for Serie A, he’s perfect. For Antonio Conte, he’s perfect. It was a very good signing for Napoli. So I mentioned these two, but Neves is my favourite.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another unbelievable record that puts him clear of the best modern forwards

Mark Brus — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:36:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved yet another unbelievable stat on a really rather long list of similar records throughout his tremendous career.

While the Portugal international made the headlines last week for hitting 900 career goals in total, he managed another in the win over Scotland last night, meaning he’s now scored 80 goals for his national team since turning 30.

Yes, you read that right, Ronaldo has 80 international goals *just* since the age of 30, which means he has more in that space of time than many of the best modern forwards managed in their entire careers with their national teams.

See below for the stat from ESPN, showing that Ronaldo has more goals since the age of 30 than Harry Kane’s entire tally for England, Neymar’s for Brazil, Miroslav Klose’s for Germany, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s for Sweden…

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more international goals (80) since turning 30 than some players have in their entire career ?

Unbeatable ? pic.twitter.com/qAMLimWAzb

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 9, 2024

In total, the 39-year-old has 132 goals for Portugal, but it really is noteworthy just how good the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man has been in the last decade, which for most ordinary players would be considered after their peak.

Ronaldo just seems to get better and better with age, so who knows how many more goals he’ll add to his tally before he finally decides to hang up his boots and call time on this memorable career?

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Ronaldo may no longer be playing in Europe, but he’s shone for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and his form for his country shows very clearly that he still has what it takes to influence matches against elite opposition.

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Liverpool star open to staying in Europe as two major clubs enquire about transfer

Mark Brus — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 06:41:34 +0000

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is reportedly open to staying in Europe despite transfer rumours linking him with clubs in the Saudi Pro League as he nears the end of his contract with the Reds.

The Egypt international has been a star player for Liverpool for many years now, winning major honours such as the Premier League and the Champions League, and netting a remarkable 214 goals in 352 games for the Merseyside giants in total.

Salah has his admirers in Saudi Arabia, but it seems he’s also attracted enquiries from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus after he recently made it clear this would be his final season at Liverpool, with the player still open to staying in Europe for a while longer, according to a report from El Nacional.

The 32-year-old might not be at the very peak of his career right now, but he remains a world class talent and doesn’t seem to be showing much sign of slowing down, so could perhaps emulate someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still going strong even as he approaches his 40th birthday.

Mohamed Salah to PSG or Juventus?

Salah transfer: Could Liverpool star move to PSG or Juventus?

PSG lost Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, so it makes sense that they could be in the market for a top attacking player like Salah to help replace their former star.

Salah would surely be tempted by these projects, with both PSG and Juve tending to play in the Champions League and compete for major honours basically every season.

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After conquering English football, it’s easy to imagine Salah might be tempted to test himself in another major European league, though he has already spent some time in Italy, representing both Fiorentina and Roma earlier in his career.

Liverpool fans will no doubt hope there’s still a chance, however, for them to keep Salah for a bit longer.

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Video: 27-year-old scores to show Man United they made a mistake letting him go

Darren Looney — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 20:51:48 +0000

Scott McTominay scored once again for Scotland in their UEFA Nations League clash with Portugal as the midfielder showed Man United why they should have kept him this summer.

Scotland were looking to bounce back from their opening loss to Poland but suffered a cruel 2-1 defeat following a late goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.

McTominay opened the scoring on the night with a tidy header, making it 10 goals in his last 17 appearances for the Scottish national team. The 27-year-old has always stepped up for his country and his work ethic could have been useful for his former club Man United.

The midfielder left the Manchester outfit this summer to join Napoli as the Red Devils looked to bring in Manuel Ugarte from PSG while keeping the likes of Casemiro.

McTominay had his best season at Old Trafford last time around and his latest goal shows that the Premier League club may have made a mistake allowing the Scotland star to leave.

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Watch: Scott McTominay heads Scotland in front against Portugal

GOAL! ???????

Scott McTominay heads Scotland in front after an excellent delivery from Kenny McLean ?#PORSCO pic.twitter.com/6erH0vyke4

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 8, 2024

As planned. Mctominay strikes again. https://t.co/RxtBJ3B8lZ pic.twitter.com/Aku35GBbEZ

— Voice (@MUFC_VoR) September 8, 2024

Pictures by ITV and beIN Sports.

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Liverpool star draws comparison to AC Milan and Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo

CJ — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 18:41:29 +0000

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has been compared to Italy icon Andrea Pirlo by club legend John Barnes.

Gravenberch was Jurgen Klopp’s final signing as Liverpool manager, arriving from Bayern Munich for £34.2m (per Sky Sports) at the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.

However, the 13-time Netherlands international struggled to make an impact right away at Anfield, starting just 12 Premier League games and completing 90 minutes once.

But Gravenberch has looked rejuvenated at the start of this season under new manager Arne Slot, who has used the 22-year-old in a No.6 role; quite the contrast from the box-to-box function he’s been known for in the past.

Gravenberch is second only to Virgil van Dijk among Liverpool players for passes completed in the Premier League so far this season, while he’s only behind Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szobszlai for final-third passes completed.

The former Ajax star has been so impressive that he’s been recalled to the Netherlands national team and drawn comparisons to Patrick Vieira by ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool star Gravenberch compared to Pirlo

Ryan Gravenberch reacts during the pre-season friendly football match between Liverpool and Sevilla at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northwest England on August 11, 2024.

Vieira isn’t the only midfield legend Gravenberch is being likened to right now.

Former Liverpool winger Barnes believes Slot’s use of Gravenberch as a No.6 is similar to how Pirlo mastered that position despite not being known for his defensive exploits.

“Playing Ryan Gravenberch as a No.6 is a bit like playing Pirlo in a No.6. A different type of player but more attacking, more comfortable on the ball rather than a hard-working, difficult, strong defensive midfield player,” Barnes told The Rest Is Football.

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Transfer news: Latest on free agents, Liverpool linked with Real Madrid star, Chelsea crisis & more

Fabrizio Romano — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 17:30:00 +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 transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

The latest on free agents and potential transfers

The market remains open for free agents like Adrien Rabiot, who has again said no to Turkish opportunities like Galatasaray in the last 24 hours. There have been many reports, but the fact remains that Rabiot has no plans to go to Turkey as he is waiting for an opportunity in one of the top five leagues.

As of today, Rabiot is also still not opening the doors to clubs from Saudi Arabia either, so Europe remains his priority, and let’s see what happens on that front in the next days.

Meanwhile, another free agent is Memphis Depay and he is expected to complete a move to Corinthians on a two-year deal in the coming days. They are preparing all the documents and finalising the details, then Depay to Corinthians should be a ‘here we go’.

Negotiations are also ongoing over Anthony Martial and a possible move to Flamengo on a free transfer. There’s an interest from Martial, and it now depends on the financial final proposal to get it done. Pedro injured his ACL and Flamengo need a striker, so they immediately got in touch with Martial’s camp to discuss terms. Talks continue.

What’s going on at Chelsea?

There have been many reports about the ownership situation at Chelsea. It’s not really my area, as you know I’m focused on transfers, but what’s being claimed is that there is a risk of a ‘civil war’ between owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. So, what does it mean?

It’s a tense situation as it’s being reported that Boehly and Eghbali both want to buy out the other’s stake in the club to take full ownership. We’ll see how it develops, and I don’t have any fresh information on this issue, but what I can clarify is that on the technical side at Chelsea, the mission remains the same.

The new Chelsea owners have put together a new board, and they are still working on finding the best young talents as we’ve seen from the last few years, with players like Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez, as we saw meeting at international level in the game between Brazil and Ecuador, they are the future of Chelsea, and for now the ownership situation is not affecting the transfer strategy or technical project at Stamford Bridge.

So, for today the Chelsea project is absolutely not changing – they are working on the best talents for a long-term project, for the present and future, but of course if this changes I will keep you updated.

Frenkie de Jong linked with Manchester United again

Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona

We once again this summer had many stories about Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona, and there were new links with Manchester United, as we’ve so often seen before.

The latest we’ve heard is that Man United made some contact with De Jong during a moment when they weren’t so sure if the Manuel Ugarte deal was going to happen. However, I can tell you that this summer, the reality is that there was absolutely nothing.

There was zero between De Jong and Man United, because the reality is that De Jong never wanted to leave Barcelona. De Jong is fully focused on Barcelona, and it’s also important to note that he’s too expensive for Man United – his salary is very high and so it was something impossible for United this summer.

We’ll see what happens in the future, but this summer it was also the case that United wanted a different kind of midfielder anyway, more of a defensive midfielder than De Jong. Ugarte was the only option, their top target, and so there was never any possibility to go for De Jong – between United, Ten Hag, De Jong, the player’s agents, there was absolutely zero.

Aurelien Tchouameni Real Madrid exit looks unlikely

Aurelian Tchouameni is a player we know has had admirers in the Premier League in the past before he ended up at Real Madrid, but there have once again been reports about possible interest from Arsenal and Liverpool for summer 2025, so I wanted to clarify something here.

It’s true that two years ago Tchouameni had the opportunity to join Liverpool before then going to Real Madrid. Jurgen Klopp was calling the player on a daily basis, trying to change his mind, but the Frenchman was clear that he only wanted to go to Real Madrid.

As for now, I can guarantee that nothing has changed between Tchouameni and Real Madrid – their relationship is fantastic. Tchouameni is very happy at Real Madrid, and only focused on Real Madrid. Also Real Madrid, the president, manager Carlo Ancelotti, the technical staff, they all love Tchouameni. From what I hear he’s a really professional guy, and popular with his teammates in the dressing room.

So, forget about rumours about Tchouameni – as of now, there is no expectation for him to leave. Of course I can’t predict what can happen in the future, but at the moment the intension is absolutely for Tchouameni and Real Madrid to continue together.

Bayern considered Inter left-back

Federico Dimarco scored a fantastic goal for Italy in their win over France, and in general he continues to be a strong performer for his country, as well as for his club Inter Milan. Although he has a strong relationship with Inter, I can also reveal there as interest in him earlier in the summer.

Although there was never a negotiation, Bayern Munich discussed internally the possibility of moving for Dimarco as they considered replacements at left-back in case Alphonso Davies were to leave the club amid the interest from Real Madrid.

Dimarco was one of the names discussed by Bayern, though not the only one, he was one of three names, but they never ended up making contact with Inter because Davies ended up staying, and also because Dimarco was never going to leave Inter. Their relationship is really strong, they absolutely want to continue together.

Still, Bayern thought about this possibility, and let’s see if they look into it again depending on what happens with Davies next summer. It’s important, however, to say that from Dimarco and Inter’s perspective, there is absolutely no intention to part ways.

The latest on Jamal Musiala’s future

We continue to see stories about Jamal Musiala, which is normal given his superb performances and his current contract situation at Bayern Munich, with his deal due to expire in 2026.

Bayern have been pushing for months to extend Musiala’s contract and this remain one of their main missions. Bayern will insist again with a big proposal; he’s in the list of all the top European clubs, this is very normal, but it all depends on what happens with Bayern in talks.

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I can also confirm some other Bayern reports, as Bild have claimed Federico Chiesa was an option for them earlier in the summer, before he ended up joining Liverpool.

Bayern were offered this possibility in June but their top target was always a different kind of player like Olise. Different player, different skills. They appreciated Chiesa but they were not looking for that kind of player.

Thoughts on England as Lee Carsley opens with win

Finally, England had a convincing 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland yesterday, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scoring the goals.

Overall I thought it was a very good performance. “Impressed” would probably be a bit too much, as it was a normal game with zero pressure, but still a good performance for sure.

Declan Rice’s development has been great this year, he’s progressed really well at Arsenal and for sure he’s one of the best midfielders around now. He took his goal well and continues to be a key player for England.

On Lee Carsley, I still think it’s a very open race for the manager’s job and nothing is decided yet for the permanent job.

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West Ham-linked Champions League winner admits he rejected PL offers this summer

CJ — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 16:30:16 +0000

Sergi Roberto has admitted he rejected offers from the Premier League prior to signing for Italian side Como.

According to reports over the summer, West Ham United showed serious interest in the 373-time Barcelona star, who won seven La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues during his time with the Blaugrana.

It was also rumoured that Roberto rejected an offer from Tottenham Hotspur during the transfer window before eventually settling on joining newly promoted Serie A side Como.

Ex-West Ham target Roberto confirms he rejected Premier League offers

Sergi Roberto warms up before the start of the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on March 30, 2024.

While not naming any specific clubs, Roberto has confirmed he rejected offers from Premier League clubs over the summer, as well as teams from the Middle East and throughout Europe.

In the end, former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas proved the defining factor in his role as coach at Como.

“It’s an honour to have him as a coach,” Roberto said of Fabregas (via Football Italia).

“He was one of the best footballers in the world, and now I can’t wait to start his adventure by his side. He has just started his career, and I am sure we’ll help each other in many ways.”

On interest over the summer, the 32-year-old continued: “I had offers from Spain, the Middle East, and others from Europe, as well as Serie A and Premier, but when I spoke to Fabregas for the first time, I understood how ambitious the club was.

“The target is to stay in Serie A, but I appreciate that Cesc and the club think big. Having him as a coach impacted my decision, and, not less importantly, Como is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

“Everyone knows he was a smart footballer and I’ve always admired the quality of his assists and how he moved inside the box, starting from midfield. He is a very demanding coach. He wants to dominate games, have possession, and play attacking football, as he used to do.”

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Arsenal confident of signing top striker target in 2025, Plan B also identified after fine recent form

Mark Brus — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 09:24:25 +0000

Arsenal are confident of succeeding in signing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko in summer 2025 despite missing out on him in the summer just gone, CaughtOffside understands.

The Slovenia international is an exciting young talent who has attracted strong interest from Arsenal, but also from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, though he opted to sign a new contract with Leipzig this summer instead, though a departure could finally happen for him next year.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Arsenal remain keen on Sesko and optimistic about luring him to the Emirates Stadium, with some contacts already taking place ahead of next summer in order to try to steal a march on their rivals.

In case Arsenal can’t land the 21-year-old, it is also understood that there is a growing appreciation for Inter Milan’s in-form forward Marcus Thuram inside the north London club.

Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal next summer?

Sesko or Thuram to Arsenal?

Sesko makes sense as Arsenal’s number one target, as he would be an ideal option for the present and the future, though Thuram could also be a decent option, even if only for a few years as he’s now 27 years of age.

The Frenchman has been in superb form for Inter, however, and it’s understood that he’s made Arsenal take notice, though no contact has yet been made and it remains to be seen if there’s much realistic prospect of him leaving the San Siro.

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