3 months ago
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Atletico Madrid want an answer from Conor Gallagher by the end of the weekend after having their €40m proposal accepted by Chelsea. The Premier League club don’t want to lose another big player on a free transfer after it happened in the past with Antonio Rudiger. The Blues want Gallagher to join Atleti this summer, but it all depends on the player, with positive talks occurring on Saturday.
Gallagher has had a new contract offered to him three times but he has decided not to sign a new deal at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder has his own reasons for this and only he knows what he wants for his future, which we will all know soon.
Chelsea want to find a solution for Gallagher and it is their priority to get it done this month, with all parties confident it will be. They are determined not to lose the England international for nothing in one year when his contract expires.
Arsenal remain confident about closing the Mikel Merino deal in the next few days as the Premier League club have an agreement with Real Sociedad on the package for the player, which will be around €30m. The clubs are still discussing the structure of the deal and the payment terms, so there are still some things to clarify before it can be announced.
The transfer is progressing very well and the expectation is that the deal will get done because the player has already said yes to Arsenal. Merino is no longer negotiating with Spanish clubs as he had opportunities with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. He wants to go to the Premier League and he wants to play for Arsenal to work under Mikel Arteta, who has been really influential in the market for the Gunners.
This deal is at the final stages and is advancing very well with Merino expected to be a new Arsenal player very soon.
There have been some rumours going around that Arsenal are not willing to pay the release clause in Viktor Gyökeres’ Sporting CP contract but all I can say is that I have no fresh updates on that situation as the Gunners are currently focusing on bringing Merino to the club.
Next week could be very important for the future of Julian Alvarez. I told you guys in June and also July that after the Olympics the plan was for the player’s agent and Manchester City to have an important meeting to discuss Alvarez’s future. Man City have always wanted to keep the World Cup winner, but now the situation is getting tense.
Alvarez wants to explore all his options and has not given the green light to stay at City for the new season. His agent has been in touch with Paris Saint-Germain since June and also with Atletico Madrid.
The meeting between Alvarez’s agent and Manchester City next week is going to be crucial to this story. The main factor will be the player’s price and how much City will accept for the player. Once this is understood, PSG and the other interested clubs will make their decision to move, so let’s see what happens next week.

Youssoufa Moukoko has decided to join Olympique de Marseille after receiving many proposals from Spain, England and Germany. The project was presented to him by President Pablo Longoria, the sporting director Medhi Benatia and Roberto De Zerbi. They are allowing Moukoko to join this season on loan with a buy option included with conversations ongoing about the value of this buy option clause. Borussia Dortmund want around €15m for Moukoko.
Marseille have also seen a new bid rejected by Arsenal for Eddie Nketiah, which makes it three offers turned down by the Premier League club for the striker. The latest was €27m but the Gunners are holding out for at least €35m plus a sell-on clause. The Ligue 1 club have an agreement with Nketiah but not yet with Arsenal, which makes this transfer a complicated one and I believe Marseille have already started looking at other strikers.
Federico Chiesa was left out of Juventus’ squad for their friendly with Stade Brestois on Saturday as the club sent the player a very clear message. I’ve told you guys several times since June that Juve’s new coach Thiago Motta has no plans for Chiesa ahead of the new season. The winger’s contract expires next summer and there are no negotiations over an extension with the situation being very tense at present.
All parties are trying to find a solution but Juventus’ plan is very clear as they want to sell Chiesa to make money and use it to sign players such as Jean-Clair Todibo. Keep an eye on this situation as things will happen over the final weeks of the transfer window.
Joao Felix – I don’t see Joao Felix staying at Atletico Madrid beyond this month. Aston Villa remain interested in the player and I’ve never ruled them out of the race as Unai Emery is a big fan. It’s an expensive deal and not easy but Aston Villa are still interested. Benfica have publicly stated that he’s way too expensive for them, so that’s them ruled out. Barcelona’s focus right now is on signing Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. There has been no contact with Joao Felix recently but it’s not clear what could happen in the coming weeks.
Clement Lenglet – I expect Lenglet to move this summer and it will most likely be in La Liga. Many clubs like him, with Real Sociedad and Villarreal among those interested in Spain. I’ve zero news on Milan’s interest, while Napoli are not looking for centre-backs over the coming weeks.
Teun Koopmeiners – Juventus a very keen on Teun Koopmeiners this summer and the player also wants to join Juve. Talks with Atalanta will continue over the next few weeks after Juve had a €45m bid rejected. Juventus are still there and they will push for both Koopmeiners and Jean-Clair Todibo, plus at least one winger, which could also be two.
