The Unofficial 2023 Summer Transfer Rumors/Done Deals Thread

[Tones]

The summer transfer window is right around the corner! Where are the biggest names available for a transfer going to end up?

Top 10 Transfer Fees
Declan Rice (West Ham > Arsenal): $130m
Moisés Caicedo (Brighton > Chelsea): $127m
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund > Real Madrid): $111m
Harry Kane (Tottenham > Bayern Munich): $110m
Neymar (Paris-Saint Germain > Al Hilal): $110m
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig > Manchester City): $99m
Rasmus Højlund (Atalanta > Manchester United); $82.5m
Kai Havertz (Chelsea > Arsenal): $76.5m
Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig > Liverpool): $76m
Sandro Tonali (AC > Milan > Newcastle); $76m

[Tones]

Latest Rumors and News
Chelsea have granted midfielder Mateo Kovacic permission to speak to champions Manchester City
Manchester United are in pole position to sign Mason Mount after agreeing personal terms with Chelsea midfielder
Youri Tielemans has announced that he is leaving Leicester
Bayern Munich are looking for a player that could lead the team, and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice could fit that role
Hibernian have accepted a bid from Millwall for striker Kevin Nisbet
Diogo Dalot has signed a new contract that will extend his stay with Manchester United until 30 June 2028
Ange Postecoglu is emerging as the new preferred candidate for the Tottenham manager's job
Newcastle are set to offer Bruno Guimaraes a new long-term deal amid interest from Barcelona and Liverpool
AC Milan want to finalise a deal for Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek as soon as possible
Norwich have signed Bournemouth defender Jack Stacey on a three-year deal
Arnaut Danjuma will return to Villarreal as Tottenham will not be triggering their option to buy the forward for £27m
Bayern Munich will compete with Chelsea and Manchester United for the signing of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic
Everton may have to act within the next 24 hours if they are to trigger Conor Coady's option-to-buy clause
N'Golo Kante's Chelsea future is uncertain amid interest in the midfielder from Saudi Arabia
Crystal Palace are closing in on the signing of Jefferson Lerma
Tottenham are planning on signing Dejan Kulusevski permanently when his loan expires next month
Brentford have announced the £11m signing of goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Freiburg

[YayNJ]

Mason Mount to Manchester United seems all but done.

[mikee1186]

Same for Mac Allister to Liverpool. Seems the release figure will be triggered and personal terms agreed soon. Strong signing!

[mfw13]

Benzema leaving RM to go to the Middle East, and Messi definitely leaving PSG....

Even though Mpabbe said he's staying at PSG, what are the odds he's at RM by the end of the summer?

[YayNJ]

Real Madrid can't afford to sign Mbappe. It would take almost £1 billion to get that deal over the line.

.. bit like Barcelona always pretending they have bazillions. It's all guff for their fans to swallow. Then they usually just blame the other club they are dealing with or even the player they are trying to sign.

[YayNJ]

Speaking of Real, Modric also appears certain to move to Saudi.

[jmcca170]

Bayern has been pushing hard for Declan Rice but I personally feel like it’s a waste of time and his agent is just using them to push England clubs. Don’t see any way he leaves the Prem

We’re also pushing to sign Vlahovic or Kolo Muani. Ben Pavard is going to leave and Lucas Hernandez could too. I also think Gravenberch will go


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[LittleJimmies]

Originally Posted by jmcca170

Bayern has been pushing hard for Declan Rice but I personally feel like it’s a waste of time and his agent is just using them to push England clubs. Don’t see any way he leaves the Prem

We’re also pushing to sign Vlahovic or Kolo Muani. Ben Pavard is going to leave and Lucas Hernandez could too. I also think Gravenberch will go


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To where you think? I'm a fan of Gravenberch and the premature move to a club like Bayern really stalled his development.

Edit: Seeing Liverpool mentioned. I'd love to see that happen.

[jmcca170]

Originally Posted by LittleJimmies

To where you think? I'm a fan of Gravenberch and the premature move to a club like Bayern really stalled his development.

Liverpool has been linked to him the most. I really like him too and felt like he really came on towards the end of the season. But he’s just not going to get the game time he needs


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[mfw13]

Originally Posted by LittleJimmies

To where you think? I'm a fan of Gravenberch and the premature move to a club like Bayern really stalled his development.

Premature moves to "big" clubs have stalled the development of a lot of players.....young players need to play against better players to develop, not sit on the bench and/or play against less talented players (which is what happens at big clubs).

Timo Werner's career pretty much died due to his move to Chelsea. Kai Haavertz didn't fare much better. Both were stars in the Bundesliga.

Ferran Torres should have stayed in La Liga instead of moving to Man City.

[LittleJimmies]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Premature moves to "big" clubs have stalled the development of a lot of players.....young players need to play against better players to develop, not sit on the bench and/or play against less talented players (which is what happens at big clubs).

Timo Werner's career pretty much died due to his move to Chelsea. Kai Haavertz didn't fare much better. Both were stars in the Bundesliga.

Ferran Torres should have stayed in La Liga instead of moving to Man City.

Sigh... Pulisic. Hopefully this is finally the year he gets to break free.

[YayNJ]

It wasn't so much moving to Chelsea that stalled their careers, it was moving to the Premier League full stop. Neither players possess the physical attributes for the Premier League.

As for Pulisic, he is made of glass. Spain or France would be a good move for him.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by YayNJ

It wasn't so much moving to Chelsea that stalled their careers, it was moving to the Premier League full stop. Neither players possess the physical attributes for the Premier League.

As for Pulisic, he is made of glass. Spain or France would be a good move for him.

Pulisic is actually a very gritty player....just look at his goal against Iran at the World Cup.

The problem is that everyone thinks he's a winger, despite the fact that he's much better centrally, where he can make late runs into the box.

His goal against Mexico in WC qualifying was a great example of this, as was his goal against Iran at the World Cup.

[kellmuff]

Originally Posted by YayNJ

It wasn't so much moving to Chelsea that stalled their careers, it was moving to the Premier League full stop. Neither players possess the physical attributes for the Premier League.

As for Pulisic, he is made of glass. Spain or France would be a good move for him.

Agree on Havertz though he's been forced to play most of the time in a position that likely isnt his best

Disagree about Werner though. Guy just couldnt score for some insane reason. The amount of chances he had/wasted are unlike any player I've seen in watching Chelsea for nearly 30 years.

[YayNJ]

Real Madrid

* We're going to sign Erling Haaland. There's a clause in place. It's his dream to play here. We will excite with Haaland and Mbappe!
--few weeks later--
* Real Madrid sign Kai Havertz

[fadster]

So it sounds like PSG drafted legal letters to slow down / stop Chelsea's bid for Ugarte due to it reportedly also including Chelsea buying a minority stake in Sporting. Bad blood between them after the failed Ziyech deal played a part too. Interestingly Chelsea's offer was for another 8 year contract, risking the ire of UEFA who are in the process of putting in place a 5 year maximum for accounting purposes.

[jmcca170]

Originally Posted by fadster

So it sounds like PSG drafted legal letters to slow down / stop Chelsea's bid for Ugarte due to it reportedly also including Chelsea buying a minority stake in Sporting. Bad blood between them after the failed Ziyech deal played a part too. Interestingly Chelsea's offer was for another 8 year contract, risking the ire of UEFA who are in the process of putting in place a 5 year maximum for accounting purposes.

Kinda surprised PSG haven’t drafted legal letters to Farcaloana over their year-long public tampering and begging Messi to come back


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[YayNJ]

Chelsea are just taking the piss at the moment. Making a mockery of the sport.

[kingb22]

Looks like Christopher Nkunku to Chelski is about complete. I love his game - he would have been perfect at Arsenal - so a shame to have him going to Chelsea. I have some big cards of his to get on the market before Chelsea makes him the next German league transfer victim.

[Ianhatcher]

Bellingham to Real Madrid looks to be happening.

Not a bad midfield for the next 10 years.

Bellingham (19)
Camavinga (20)
Tchouameni (23)
Valverde (24)

Kante to Al Ittihad for $100 Million a season to join Benzema.

The days of MLS getting stars to come play in the US for a few seasons as they near retirement is over. Middle East is going to own this sport.

[jmcca170]

Originally Posted by Ianhatcher

Bellingham to Real Madrid looks to be happening.

Not a bad midfield for the next 10 years.

Bellingham (19)
Camavinga (20)
Tchouameni (23)
Valverde (24)

Kante to Al Ittihad for $100 Million a season to join Benzema.

The days of MLS getting stars to come play in the US for a few seasons as they near retirement is over. Middle East is going to own this sport.

FWIW…..




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[panenkacards]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Call me contrarian, but don't think this is a great move by MLS (if it happens).

In the past few years, MLS has seemed to move past being a "retirement home" for old superstars (Beckham, Henry, Zlatan, Bale, etc.) and instead become a prime destination for good South American players in the prime of their careers. My team, Seattle, is a good example of this, having built around Lodeiro (Uruguay), Ruidiaz (Peru), Joao Paolo (Brazil), Yeimar (Colombia), and Arreaga (Ecuador).

Messi, at this point in his career, is a net negative for any club he plays for (ask PSG fans), in that he contributes nothing offensively or defensively when the ball is not at his feet. And Miami is a horrible team....he's just going to loaf around for 85 minutes a game.

Marketing 1, Soccer 0

1. Messi coming in doesn't change the trajectory of where the league is going in regards to player recruitment. ~10% of DPs fit the "washed superstar" bill - there are like 75 DPs in MLS and the current list of "washed stars" is Chicharito, Wanyama, Shaqiri, Douglas Costa, Herrera, Bernadeschi, Insigne, and Benteke.

2. If he's a net negative when the ball isn't at his feet, put the ball at his feet. The man is six months removed from a Golden Ball performance in a World Cup, I think he'll be OK. This isn't Champions League, this isn't Ligue 1, it's MLS.

MLS teams do fine with a classic South American playmaker that doesn't defend - Pozuelo was MVP in 2019, Reynoso is a stud, Blanco, Almada, the list goes on and on. The European game at the CL contender level requires more two-way ability now from 10s.

He has also famously always covered very little ground on the pitch - articles have been written for 10+ years about it.

3. Miami is horrible in part because they've been keeping themselves open for Messi. They have no 10 (because Messi) and can't get rid of Pizarro, so they've been playing with one DP who was injured for the first 1/3 of the season. They've also had to keep dry powder available for a potential friend of Messi to join if necessary.

I don't think this move makes Miami any kind of silverware contender, but it's an absolute coup for the league.

Originally Posted by Ianhatcher

The days of MLS getting stars to come play in the US for a few seasons as they near retirement is over. Middle East is going to own this sport.

It's been over - as I said above, "washed superstars" make up like 10% of MLS DPs these days and most of them are on teams that are uncompetitive. Very few Europe-based stars have the ability to make a team more relevant on the field or in a market unless there's a nationality thing going on.

Originally Posted by reddragonthe

Picked up fire tickets last night for the game. $70 each for good seats. Seats in that section today from the team direct (not 3rd party)? $450.

I don't even see any direct sale tickets anymore.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by panenkacards

If he's a net negative when the ball isn't at his feet, put the ball at his feet. The man is six months removed from a Golden Ball performance in a World Cup, I think he'll be OK. This isn't Champions League, this isn't Ligue 1, it's MLS.

Exactly....so what is his motivation to play hard?

At the World Cup he played hard because he wanted to win the World Cup! But he's got zero motivation to play hard in MLS.....you think he cares about whether or not FC Miami makes the playoffs or wins MLS Cup?

He's going to loaf around even more than he did at PSG.....and with one less player working hard out of possession to try and win the ball back, it's going to be even harder for the ball to find its way to his feet.

[panenkacards]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Exactly....so what is his motivation to play hard?

At the World Cup he played hard because he wanted to win the World Cup!But he's got zeromotivation to play hard in MLS.....you think he cares about whether or not FC Miami makes the playoffs or wins MLS Cup?

He's going to loaf around even more than he did at PSG.....and with one less player working hard out of possession to try and win the ball back, it's going to be even harder for the ball to find its way to his feet.

You do not need a 10 who presses to win games in MLS. There is more than a decade of experience to prove this. Not everyone needs to be Nico Lodeiro, Miguel Almiron, or Lucas Zelarayan. They should buy out Pizarro and beef up their midfield - would go a long way.

I'd be surprised if he loafed around more than he did in Paris, because that would be incredibly difficult.