Football
ESPN 3y

LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid, Arsenal after Sweden's Alexander Isak

Amid all the action at the Euros and Copa America, the summer transfer window has opened for some leagues, with Europe's biggest clubs looking to make a splash in the transfer market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Real Madrid, Arsenal after Swedish star Isak

Real Madrid are set to battle Arsenal for the signature of Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak, according to AS.

The 21-year-old has impressed during Euro 2020 with Sweden and Arsenal are reported to have initiated contact with the striker's representatives, but their move could become challenging with Real's interest amongst a host of other European giants.

Isak's contract at Sociedad reportedly has a €70 million release clause in it, making him a slightly more affordable option for Los Blancos compared to Borussia Dortmund Erling Haaland or PSG's Kylian Mbappe, who are both valued at over €150m.

Isak joined Sociedad from Dortmund back in 2019 for a fee of around €15m and still has three years left on his deal, meaning Sociedad will be able to hold out for his release clause to be triggered or keep him next season.

The player could also be swayed by a possible teammate at Real Madrid in the form of Martin Odegaard. The Norway international played with Isak while they were both at Real Sociedad and they could link up once again.

- Euro 2020: Bracket | Live on ESPN | VAR watch | Pick 'em
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewers guide: Bundesliga, La Liga, 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: Tottenham are in talks with yet another managerial candidate, as Sky Sports has learned that the club is in talks with ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

The club previously have made well-publicised attempts to hire Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca, and Gennaro Gattuso, with talks breaking down with all three. The 47-year-old Nuno was not initially a candidate for the job but has emerged as a strong contender, Sky has learned.

Nuno is fresh off an impressive four-year spell with Wolves in which he compiled a record of 96 wins, 57 defeats, and 46 draws, and led Wolves to Premier League promotion and then all the way to the quarterfinals of the Europa League in 2019-20.

Tottenham are looking for a new manager after firing Jose Mourinho in April, and then moving on from caretaker Ryan Mason at the end of the season.

21.33 BST: Could Borussia Dortmund replace Erling Haaland with AC Milan's Rafael Leao?

Calciomercato has learned that the German club has taken interest in the 22-year-old and has already had talks with Leao's agent Jorge Mendes.

The highly-rated forward has yet to fully turn his potential into production at AC Milan (12 goals in 61 games) and could be looking for a new challenge with Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of him in Stefano Pioli's pecking order.

20.58 BST: Southampton midfielder and free-kick specialist James Ward-Prowse wants a move to Aston Villa, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson tells Football Insider.

"Southampton normally sell their best players on but Ward-Prowse is so established there though so in this case it could be different," he told Football Insider.

"He would be a great signing for Aston Villa though and in truth, Villa are moving forward faster than Southampton. They are a bigger club as well.

"If he moved I think it would enhance his international opportunities and for that reason I think it is a move the player will try and push through.

"Southampton will not want to do business but they are a club that will do business at the right price, of that I'm sure. I think Villa can get the deal through if they are willing to pay."

Ward-Prowse, 26, is under contract at St Mary's through 2025 but has been listed as a top target for Dean Smith's Villa.

20.04 BST: Maurizio Sarri and Lazio are close to striking a deal for Arsenal's Lucas Torreira, Sportitalia reports.

The most recent update says the deal is all but complete with the Uruguayan midfielder's return to Serie A imminent. Torreira, who previously spent time in Italy between 2014-18 with Pescara and Sampdoria, is expected to join the Eagles initially on loan with an obligation to buy between €15-20 million.

The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid, joined Arsenal in 2018 from Samp for e €28.5m.

19.15 BST: Leeds are reportedly tracking Blackburn striker Ben Brererton, according to Chilean outlet RedGol.

Born in England to a Chilean mother, the 22-year-old has made waves at the Copa America this summer with Chile since accepting a call-up in May. Brereton recently scored on his first start for Chile against Bolivia and now is reportedly in the crosshairs of former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa.

Brereton, who scored seven goals last season in the Championship for Rovers, has one year on his contract with the club and could be keen to make the move up to the Premier League.

18.29 BST: Could Porto's Otavio be an option for Liverpool?

Correio de Manha claims that the Brazilian midfielder is keen on joining the Reds to replace the departed Georginio Wijnaldum. Otavio, 26, has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Leicester City, and reportedly as a €60 million (£51m) release clause.

Otavio tallied five goals and 12 assists last season for Porto, and is reportedly would be allowed to leave for £34m. Liverpool have also been linked with Aston Villa's John McGinn, and Borussia Monchengladbach's Florian Neuhaus as replacements for Wijnaldum.

17.42 BST: Burnley have signed promising young defender Nathan Collins from Stoke City on a four-year contract.

The Ireland Under-21 international impressed mightily last season with the Potters and joins an accomplished group of central defenders with the Clarets. The 20-year-old made 22 appearances in the Championship last year before his season was ended prematurely due to a foot injury. 

"I want to play in the Premier League. It's going to be a jump but I think I can be ready for it," said Collins.

"I want a challenge. That's why I play football - to challenge myself and I can't wait to get going.

"The gaffer here has improved many players before, which is another part of why I came to this club.

"I think I'm ready but I just want to improve myself. I want to get better and help this team."

17.00 BST: Manchester United and Ajax have made moves for FC Nordsjaelland winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, says Bold.

Sulemana, 19, is evidently "considering his choice" and may make his mind up soon. The Danish club have reportedly already rejected an offer for the Ghana international from Bayer Leverkusen in January.

16.11 BST: Arsenal are closing on a move for Brighton defender Ben White, say The Athletic.

Brighton want a £50m transfer fee guaranteed to let the 23-year-old centre-back go, with Arsenal offering £45m plus £5m in add-ons.

The report claims: "Face-to-face talks between the parties have taken place and their relations are known to be very strong, raising the prospect that a consensus will be found for White to become an Arsenal player."

15.45 BST: It's only a matter of time before Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho is a Manchester United player.

15.01 BST: USWNT stars Tobin Heath and Christen Press have left Manchester United.

14.50 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid defender Marcelo will stay at the club.

Marcelo, 33, has been linked with a move to Juventus as he enters the final year of his contract. But the Brazilian is evidently "considered a key player for [new manager Carlo] Ancelotti's team" and he won't be allowed to go.

14.09 BST: RB Leipzig have announced the signing of New York Red Bulls midfielder Caden Clark.

Clark, 18, will stay at the Red Bulls on loan until the end of 2021 before joining up with American coach Jesse Marsch in Germany.

13.58 BST: Liverpool have been linked with a move for PSV forward Donyell Malen by Sky Germany.

Malen, 22, who began his career at Ajax before spending two years at Arsenal from 2015-17, scored 27 goals in 45 games during an outstanding season last term and has impressed for Netherlands at Euro 2020.

13.11 BST: Manchester United are tracking young Atalanta star Alessandro Cortinovis, says Tuttomercatoweb.

Cortinovis, 20, plays in the Primavera team and the Italy U19 international has yet to make the breakthrough into the first XI. However, United pounced to land €41m Atalanta forward Amad Diallo in October 2020 despite him playing just 24 minutes for the senior side.

Atalanta may also face interest from Serie A clubs for attacking midfielder Cortinovis, who scored 12 goals in 24 games across all competitions last season.

12.45 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport reveals that Italy and Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli has been the subject of plenty of interest.

Juventus have been leading the race for the 23-year-old, who has impressed at Euro 2020, and are willing to include Radu Dragusin, Nicolo Fagioli or Felix Correia as part of any deal.

Sassuolo want a transfer fee of €40m and Gazzetta says the club "have received important offers from Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund" that do not involve players in part-exchange.

12.00 BST: Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool.

The 22-year-old won his first international cap for Republic of Ireland earlier this month and, having made nine appearances for the Liverpool first team over the past few years, he told the club website: "For me, it was a positive moment to commit my future to the club for the next few years. It's such a big club and it's an honour to be a part of it, so when I got the chance to sign for a few more years I was obviously delighted. I just want to keep my progress going at the club, really."

11.53 BST: Barcelona would be open to swapping Jordi Alba for Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni but the Spain left-back has no intention of leaving Camp Nou, various sources have told ESPN's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.

Alba, 32, has a contract with Barca until 2024 and a €500m release clause, but he's one of the club's biggest earners at a time when they need to reduce their wage bill.

Italian champions Inter are one of the teams to have shown an interest in signing him, as first reported by Mundo Deportivo and confirmed by ESPN.

While a source close to Alba, who remains an ever-present under Ronald Koeman, says he's not even contemplating a move this summer, Barca's need to trim outgoings means they would consider offers for many of their squad.

11.18 BST: Udinese sporting director Pierpaolo Marino has confirmed that Atletico Madrid are keen on signing midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.

"There are negotiations for De Paul and those with Atletico are one of the most advanced, but the distances are still considerable, other clubs want him too," he said in quotes reported by Marca.

11.00 BST: Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane looks set to leave the club this summer.

10.32 BST: Centre-back Niklas Sule could extend his Bayern Munich contract, amid interest from Chelsea, says Bild.

Sule, 25, joined Bayern Munich from Hoffenheim for €25m in 2017 but slipped down the pecking order last season and could be ready to move on. 

The German's contract expires in 2022 and there are a host of clubs following him, but Chelsea may turn their attention to landing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde instead.

09.53 BST: Liverpool defender Nat Phillips has told Goal that he need to be playing more regularly at this stage of his career.

Phillips, 24, could move on this summer with Burnley and Brighton interested in signing him.

"Every player wants to be playing games, and at the stage I'm at, I need to be playing games for my development," he said. "I think if you look from my first game last season to my last, there was development and I felt a lot more confident and comfortable. I want to keep that progression.

"In terms of Liverpool, they obviously play a huge amount of games every year. Game-time is never guaranteed for anyone, but it would depend on whether there's enough opportunity within those games for me, I guess."

09.25 BST: Manchester City are willing to wait a year to sign their ideal striker if they cannot prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.

City have registered an interest in Kane, who wants to leave Spurs this summer, along with Manchester United and Chelsea.

However, there is an acceptance at the Etihad Stadium it will be a hard deal to get over the line with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy valuing the England captain at more than £150m. Kane also has three years left on his contract after signing a long-term extension in December 2016.

08.56 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have agreed a record deal with Inter Milan for the transfer of Achraf Hakimi, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens.

The deal will pay the Serie A side up to €70m -- bonuses included -- for the Morocco international who will sign a five-year deal in Paris.

Hakimi, 22, was a priority for manager Mauricio Pochettino and sporting director Leonardo. He will become the most expensive full-back in football history when the transfer is officially announced next week. He joined Inter last summer from Real Madrid for €40m after two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Sources told ESPN that personal terms were agreed between PSG and Hakimi more than a month ago and that Hakimi pushed for the move to happen. The Italian champions had initially asked for €80m to let their right wing-back go. The sale of Hakimi's contract will help bring in needed money to help the club settle debts.

08.30 BST: Manchester United are closing in on a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, although the two clubs remain apart in their valuation of the England winger, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.

United have intimated they are willing to pay £72m to sign Sancho even though the Dortmund star is asking for closer to £77m.

Sources say Dortmund also want around £4m in add-ons, while United still have to agree a payment structure for the fee -- another potential stumbling block.

Despite the issues to overcome, sources have told ESPN progress is being made and there is confidence on all sides that an agreement can be found.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Luke Thrower)

- West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and Norwich are all interested in signing Barcelona's Martin Braithwaite. Spanish outlet Sport reports that the Premier League quartet are all eyeing the Denmark international as Barcelona look to move him on following the signings of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay. The 30-year-old Martin Braithwaite joined the Catalan club for €18m during an injury crisis in February 2020 and the club are hoping to recoup as much of that as possible.

- Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Chelsea and Scotland youngster Billy Gilmour, according to Football Insider. The 20-year-old impressed at Euro 2020 for Scotland and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly given the green light to let Gilmour leave on loan to continue his development. Norwich City are another side who have been linked with the midfielder in the past few days but incoming Wolves boss Bruno Lage is looking to bring him to Molineux as part of a midfield shake-up.

- AC Milan are planning a triple swoop of Chelsea players this summer as they look to strengthen ahead of a new campaign. Calciomercato reports that the Rossoneri are lining up a move for Hakim Ziyech, Olivier Giroud and Tiemoue Bakayoko. The Blues are willing to let players go this summer to raise funds, with Ziyech being one player that the two clubs have spoken about. The 28-year-old hasn't started much under Tuchel and could be on the way out. Bakayoko, who has spent time at Milan on loan, is a possibility with the London club holding out for €15m, while Giroud could be set to join the club on a €4m-a-year deal following the conclusion of his contract at Chelsea this summer.

- Anderlecht manager and Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany is looking to sign a youngster from his former club, according to the Daily Mail. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, 19, is highly rated by City and Kompany is keen to continue the player's development with the Belgian side. The defender flew out to Belgium on Monday and underwent a medical on Wednesday, according to the report.

- The Daily Mail reports that Everton are looking to move on from James Rodriguez this summer, with Atletico Madrid, Napoli and AC Milan all eyeing the 29-year-old. The Colombia international joined the Toffees under Carlo Ancelotti but following the manager's departure back to Real Madrid, the player also looks likely to leave... but not back to Los Blancos. The Goodison Park outfit are said to have concerns regarding Financial Fair Play and moving Rodriguez on would lift the burden of his wages.

- Arsenal have been dealt a blow in trying to bring back loanee Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid this summer. The player told TV2 in Norway that he will be staying in the Spanish capital next season. The 22-year-old impressed Mikel Arteta in his short time at the club, joining on loan in January, registering 14 appearances in the Premier League. It means Arsenal will have to look elsewhere to bolster their attacking options, after also missing out on Norwich's Emiliano Buendia who signed with Aston Villa for £33m.

^ Back to Top ^