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Today’s top stories:
Jude Bellingham’s relationship with Erling Haaland and others
Plus the latest from Liverpool, Man Utd and Real Madrid
AC Milan
Olivier Giroud’s agents met with the AC Milan board on Wednesday in order to complete the agreement on a new contract. An agreement was already in place, as expected after the World Cup, and now the parties have also agreed also on the final clauses. Giroud will earn a €3.8m salary net plus add-ons from next season, and will sign the new deal in April.
Bayern Munich
Matthijs De Ligt has become the first Bayern player to have spoken out on the departure of Julian Nagelsmann: “I didn't see it coming, I was surprised,” he said. “We are second in the league, in the quarter-finals of the German cup and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. There's still everything to play for. I’ve sent him a message.”
Regarding Joao Cancelo, even though Thomas Tuchel has just arrived, I understand that the club still won’t trigger the €70m option to buy on the player because it’s too expensive. However, Bayern may be willing to negotiate with Man City at the end of the season. Barcelona are waiting in the wings and they have an excellent relationship with Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes. A lot will depend on their FFP situation of course.
Chelsea
As we already know, Reece James signed a new deal with Chelsea in September. He remains one of the English faces of Chelsea’s project and they trust him. Although there has been rumoured interest from Real Madrid, at this stage I expect him to stay with the Blues because Real Madrid’s focus is on different targets such as Jude Bellingham.
Chelsea look set to be in the market for a striker this summer, but my current information is that there’s still nothing advanced in this regard. We can expect a ‘domino effect’ once the first deal is done, but the Osimhen situation is gonna be slow, and the same for Harry Kane due to Spurs’ coach situation. Nothing decided yet on Vlahovic, because we still don't know if clubs like Tottenham or Juventus will play Champions League next season... all these things will make the difference. It's still really early to speculate.
Chelsea are among the clubs eyeing a move for Brighton wonderkid Evan Ferguson - click here to find out more!
Inter
Alessandro Bastoni’s agent, Tinti, met with the Inter board on Wednesday to discuss a contract extension as the player’s current deal expires in June 2024. “More meetings will follow,” Tinti noted. “He’s an Inter fan and he wants to stay, so fans should not panic at all.”
Tottenham wanted him last summer, but nothing happened because then, as now, he wanted to stay at with the Nerazzurri. Negotiations continue.
Liverpool
The Reds really appreciate Portuguese star Matheus Nunes and remain keen on him. They already discussed him as a potential target before he signed for Wolves.
Manchester City
The news that both Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish have spoken to Jude Bellingham isn’t a surprise. Haaland is a friendly, funny guy as is Bellingham. They have a good relationship, but the same can be said for Bellingham and some Liverpool and Real Madrid players too. I don't think this makes a difference to be honest, because top players always pick the project they like. If they already have good friends at the club, that's just a positive bonus for all concerned.
🗣️Would you like to see Jude Bellingham at the Etihad, Man City fans? Let us know in the comments!
Manchester United
Marcus Rashford clearly isn’t happy about certain articles that have been written regarding his supposed salary requests. He tweeted: “Another non-story flying around about my advisers and me making demands… It’s complete nonsense! My aim and the aim of the club is to finish as high as possible in the league and try to win a cup or two.”
Some more good news for fans of the Red Devils. David de Gea wants to stay and Man United want to keep him. The club want to structure the keeper’s salary slightly differently from before so discussions are continuing on that and length of the contract, but all parties remain optimistic a deal can be done.
Regarding strikers, it’s my understanding that United want to sign an ‘important’ front man this summer, and one who is a physical type of player. Tottenham will fight hard to keep Harry Kane, but he and Victor Osimhen would be the perfect fit. Of course, it will depend on the budget for each player, and who will be the owners of the club in the summer.
Napoli
There have been many stories circling in the press regarding strikers, but my current information is that there’s still nothing advanced in this regard. We can expect a ‘domino effect’ once the first deal is done, but the Osimhen situation is gonna be slow, and the same for Harry Kane due to Spurs’ coach situation. Nothing decided yet on Vlahovic, because we still don't know if clubs like Tottenham or Juventus will play Champions League next season... all these things will make the difference. It's still really early to speculate.
Newcastle
A midfielder and a winger remain the two main priorities, for the club. I think they’ll be busy but will be smart with their dealings in the transfer market as always. Scott McTominay remains a player the board of the club and Eddie Howe really like, but Man United rejected their approaches in January so let's see what they’ll decide in the summer!
Real Madrid
Tchouameni on his recent struggles: “I am confident, I know what I can do. There can be difficult moments in an athlete's career, and it's the first time it happened to me — but I'm still learning. There's a lot of competition at Real and you need to be good to play.”
Tottenham
Spurs released a statement on Wednesday regarding Director, Fabio Paratici’s situation, after FIFA’s position on banning him was extended worldwide and was made public. It read: ‘We are urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA as to the details of the extension and its variance from the FIGC sanction.’
It followed FIFA’s own statement regarding the situation: ‘Following a request by Italian FA, the disciplinary committee has decided to extend sanctions imposed on several football officials to have worldwide effect.’ An appeal will be crucial to understand the implications for the Tottenham director’s immediate future.
There’s no update yet on the club’s managerial situation, firstly because of the Paratici issue and secondly because it’s the right time to explore all the options and then decide on the right candidate. Spurs will take their time and that's why Christian Stellini will remain until the end of the season. Luis Enrique is open to joining English clubs but it depends on the project. He wants something long-term not just short-term, and he wants to return as soon as possible.
Where next for Antonio Conte? He’s being eyed as the “perfect” candidate for one Serie A side…
🗣️ Who would you like to see taking over the hot-seat at Tottenham? Let us know in the comments!
Villarreal
There have been no doubts on a move to La Liga for Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Díaz since January. The striker will be unveiled as a new Villarreal player in the next few months after full agreement was reached on a contract that will be valid until June 2027.
For all the very latest transfer news, read caughtoffside.com
🚨 the Daily Briefing - Haaland's 'relationship' with Bellingham, Luis Enrique open to EPL switch, Osimhen latest, Chelsea star's new deal and more...