Saturday’s transfer news, done deals and rumours
Follow all of Saturday’s breaking transfer news, rumours and done deals
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Today, Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool remain the talk of the rumour mill as the international transfer window creeps into view.
Yesterday, Real Madrid finally announced the signing of Eden Hazard for a fee that could come to exceed £150m. Elsewhere, Daniel James completed his medical at United with his £18m signing and has been confirmed.
The future of Matthijs de Ligt meanwhile remains uncertain, with the 19-year-old defender currently linked to a host of clubs eager to land his signature. Recap all of the news below:
Arsenal are meanwhile set to push on with their first signing of the summer with a bid for Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser set to be lodged. A new centre-back is high on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority list at United with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leicester’s Harry Maguire both options. Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another on the Norwegian’s radar.
It won’t just be incomings at Old Trafford, however, with Paul Pogba a high-profile target for Real Madrid and Alexis Sanchez on his way out with Inter Milan and Juventus fighting it out for his signature – if he drops his wage demands. And Liverpool could be active too as they look to go one better after failing to win the Premier League title by just a single point.
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of all of today's transfer news and rumours.
There is only one place to start, isn't there?
Eden Hazard hopes Chelsea fans understand why he is making his "dream" move to Real Madrid that could net the Blues an English record fee.
Hazard has signed a five-year contract to join Real in a deal that could rise as high as £150million once all bonus payments come into play.
The flat fee will hit £100m, with Chelsea happy to allow Hazard his big switch for that price given he had just one year left on his Stamford Bridge deal.
The 28-year-old Belgium captain grew up with posters of Real boss Zinedine Zidane on his bedroom wall, and insisted he would only have left Chelsea for Madrid.
"It's no secret that it was my dream to play for them since I was a young boy just scoring my first goal," said Hazard in a Facebook post.
"Now the clubs have reached an agreement I hope you understand I had to pursue my next chapter, just as each and every one of you should when you have the chance to pursue your dreams.
"Leaving Chelsea is the biggest and toughest decision in my career to date.
"I have loved every moment at Chelsea and not once did I ever consider, nor would I have left for, any other club."
Hazard, who arrived at Stamford Bridge from Lille in 2012, leaves Chelsea having bagged six major trophies in seven years, with 110
goals in 352 appearances.
His final act in Chelsea blue was to score twice and assist once in the 4-1 Europa League final thrashing of Arsenal in Baku.
Hazard will double his wages to £400,000 in his five-year deal at Madrid, becoming the club's second major signing of the summer after Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic.
"Although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Eden and we made it absolutely clear to him the club wished him to stay, we respect the decision he has made to take on a new challenge in a different country and follow his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid," said Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.
"The memories he leaves us with will not fade. He provided all who watched Chelsea play with great entertainment and many match-winning contributions, and for that we thank Eden enormously.
"He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club, a wonderful individual to have around and a joy to work with.
"We look forward to welcoming him back to Stamford Bridge in the future."
Real said Hazard would be presented at the Bernabeu on Thursday after undergoing a medical in Madrid.
United's De Ligt boost
There’s some good news for Manchester United supporters this morning in the Spanish press.
Spanish outlet SPORT has this morning published a story suggesting that Barcelona are on the verge of being priced out of a move for Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The story claims that Barca fear they cannot offer De Ligt anywhere near the money Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to stump up for the teenager.
PSG are reportedly considering offering £85m for the 19-year-old as well as wages of 15m euros a season for five years – a hefty price that only United would be able to rival.
De Ligt is meanwhile considering his options and now appears to face a straight choice between Barca, PSG and United.
The most expensive transfers, ever
Eden Hazard has moved from Chelsea to Real Madrid on a five-year contract for a fee that could reportedly rise to £130million.
The deal is the second-most expensive in football history – so why not round up the top ten?
- Neymar, Barcelona to Paris St Germain, 2017, £200.6million
- Eden Hazard, Chelsea to Real Madrid, 2019, £130m
- Kylian Mbappe, Monaco to Paris St Germain, 2017, £128m
- Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool to Barcelona, 2018, £106.4m
- Ousmane Dembele, Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, 2017, £96.8m
- Paul Pogba, Juventus to Manchester United, 2016, £89m
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid to Juventus, 2018, £88.7m
- Gareth Bale, Tottenham to Real Madrid, 2013, £85.3m
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United to Real Madrid, 2009, £80m
- Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli to Juventus, 2016, £75.3m
Arsenal to bid for Carrasco?
Arsenal have reportedly made a bid for Belgium star Yannick Carrasco, according to Spanish publication SPORT.
The long-term Arsenal target revealed this week that Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang had received an offer for his services.
To the delight of transfer news and rumour blogs the world over, Carrasco declined to mention the identity of the club wanting to sign him, but SPORT believe they know.
They have this morning claimed Arsenal are desperate to sign the 25-year-old, particularly after Denis Suarez’s loan move fell flat.
Speaking to Belgian website Nieuwsblad, Carrasco said: "There is now an offer on the table and the negotiations with my agent are progressing well.
"I am the most important player in the club, but I hope the chairman understands me."
Everything you need to know...
... about Eden Hazard's big money move to Real Madrid.
Hello, old friend
Thibaut Courtois is understandably delighted to see his compatriot Eden Hazard join him at Real Madrid, and has welcomed his new team-mate to 'the best club in the world' on Twitter.
Tottenham's transfer boost
Ryan Sessegnon has told Fulham he will not sign a new contract and wants to move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to Sky Sports.
Sessegnon, 19, decided against joining Mauricio Pochettino’s side last summer but now feels as though he is ready to move on.
Sky Sports report the winger has now informed the Cottagers of his decision but is waiting nervously as the two clubs attempt to agree a fee.
Spurs do not want to pay more than £25m for the teenager, but Fulham value the player closer to £40m.
Longstaff snubs United move
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff this morning.
The 21-year-old is one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s primary transfer targets, but in a new interview Longstaff has said that he wishes to continue his development at St James’ Park.
Speaking to NUFC TV, he said: "It just shows how far I’ve come.
"If someone told us at the start of the season that by the end of it you’d be linked with these teams I’d have laughed at them but it’s nice, it’s flattering.
"I’m massively flattered to have my name even mentioned in those conversations but like I said, I’m 100% focused on Newcastle and trying to get fit and get back in the team here.
"For me it’s nice to be have said about you and be linked with top clubs but for me, this is what I’ve always wanted to do.
"I’ve always wanted to play for Newcastle and I’ve only had a little taste of that so for me, it’s about getting fit as soon as I can and getting back on the pitch for Newcastle and making more memories of the future."
Ranked and rated
This might cheer Manchester United supporters up a bit after that latest news: their 50 summer transfer targets identified and evaluated:
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