Transfer Talk: Dortmund the last chance for Ronaldo to leave Man Utd?

The summer transfer window is here, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Cristiano Ronaldo to move to Dortmund?

Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing for a move from Manchester United to Borussia Dortmund, according to Bild.

As time ticks down on the remainder of the transfer window, the 37-year-old striker has informed his agent Jorge Mendes to land him a move to the Bundesliga club, who can offer him Champions League football this season.

Despite Ronaldo calling speculation over his potential departure “lies,” it seems as though the Portugal star is intent on leaving Old Trafford this summer. It is reported that the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star sees Dortmund as one of his final options, with an eye on being the first player in history to win a domestic title in each of Europe’s four major leagues.

Dortmund, who are currently in contact with Ronaldo’s representatives, are considering whether to table an official proposal to the Red Devils, with BVB manager Edin Terzic eyeing another striker after Erling Haaland‘s €60 million exit to Man City.

The club recently signed Anthony Modeste from Cologne following Sebastien Haller‘s diagnosis of a testicular tumor that will cause him to miss several months.

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13.08 BST: Senegal forward Boulaye Dia has joined Serie A side US Salernitana on loan from Villarreal.

Dia, 25, joined Villarreal on a five-year deal in July 2021 and scored five goals in 25 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.

The Italian outfit will have an option to sign him permanently next summer.

12.43 BST: Monaco right-back Vanderson is on the radar of Barcelona, Sport reports.

Vanderson, 21, has reportedly been of interest at Camp Nou for some time and they club are now set to make a move as Sergino Dest‘s future is unclear.

12.31 BST: Chelsea have completed the €20m signing of midfielder Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan.

Casadei, 19, was part of the Italy side which reached the semifinals of the European U-19 Championship in the summer and is highly rated.

Chelsea’s head of youth development Neil Bath said: “Cesare is a player we have tracked for some time and we are delighted that he has now agreed to join Chelsea, where he will initially strengthen our U-21s squad. He is another exciting emerging talent who we are looking forward to seeing develop and progress further as he breaks into senior football in the coming years.”

Welcome to Chelsea, Cesare Casadei! ??

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 19, 2022

12.21 BST: Casemiro wants to join Manchester United, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed, saying the midfielder wants “a new challenge” away from the Bernabeu.

ESPN reported on Thursday that the Brazil international midfielder — who has won five Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles in nine years at Madrid — was considering a €60m offer from United, with a decision imminent.

Casemiro, 30, is expected to receive a substantial pay rise at United, who have been looking to strengthen their squad after losing the first two games of the Premier League season.

“I talked about it with [Casemiro] this morning,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Friday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga game at Celta Vigo. “He wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity. The club and I understand it. Casemiro — with what he’s done at this club, and with the person he is — we have to respect this desire he has. There are negotiations right now. Nothing is official, he’s still a Real Madrid player, but he wants leave. If he goes and reaches an agreement, we have the resources to replace him.”

Ancelotti said he had not tried to convince the player to change his mind.

“I just listened to him,” the Italian coach said. “Hearing his desire to leave, there’s no way back… If the negotiations go well and an agreement is reached, we have to wish him all the best and look at what we have. It’s hard to speak now because we don’t know what will happen in the next few hours, whether he stays or goes. But if he goes, we’re hugely grateful to him.”

Real Madrid have already added a potential replacement to their squad this summer, signing France international Aurelien Tchouameni for a fee of €80m in June.

12.00 BST: Should Christian Pulisic move to Man United?

11.18 BST: Aston Villa and Inter Milan are interested in taking Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah on loan, according to ESPN sources.

Chelsea will not let the 23-year-old defender leave on a permanent transfer, sources said, but there is a chance he may be allowed to leave on loan before the end of the window. Chalobah made his breakthrough at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel last season where he made 20 top flight appearances, but is yet to play this season.

With Diego Carlos suffering a long-term injury, Aston Villa are looking into the possibility of Chalobah stepping in, while Inter are also looking for defensive reinforcements.

Chelsea have already bolstered their defence this summer with the signings of Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. The club have also been linked with a big-money move for Leicester’s Wesley Fofana as they look to reshape their defence after seeing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger leave with Malang Sarr moving to Monaco on loan.

11.00 BST: Niamh Charles has penned a new Chelsea contract that will keep her at Kingsmeadow until 2025, the club announced on Friday.

Charles, 23, began her career at Liverpool before earning a move to Chelsea in 2020, where she has since been part of Emma Hayes’ side that have lifted five of the available six domestic trophies, as well as starting in the club’s 2021 Women’s Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.

The England full-back has also made two senior appearances for her national team and said: “The past two years have been incredible and I’m excited to continue developing both as an individual and with the team. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in the next few years.”

10.14 BST: Chelsea are not giving up on signing Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and have offered the French-born striker more wages, Mundo Deportivo reports.

The Blues are on the market for a striker following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this summer and have placed Aubameyang as their No. 1 candidate.

Aubameyang, 33, joined Barcelona as a free agent from Arsenal in the last transfer window and has a contract until June 2025. The Gabon striker has no intention of leaving Camp Nou but Chelsea are willing to make him an offer that would make Aubameyang reconsider.

At Chelsea, Aubameyang would be reunited with former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.

10.00 BST: Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves for a reported club-record fee of £25m.

Gibbs-White, 22, made his first-team debut at Wolves as a 16-year-old against Stoke City in January 2017 and won the FIFA U17 World Cup with England the same year.

The midfielder spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, scoring 12 goals and putting in 10 assists in 37 appearances, but he has now signed a five-year deal at Forest.

09.52 BST: Erik ten Hag was well aware of David de Gea‘s limitations on the ball before the start of the season, but the Manchester United boss decided to stick with him over fears making too many changes in his first summer would cause too much disruption, sources told ESPN.

Sources told ESPN the goalkeeping situation was identified as a problem ahead of the new season, but Ten Hag believed the best option was to stick with the 31-year-old in his first season while other more pressing issues were solved.

United, meanwhile, made a point of only making Dean Henderson available for loan in the summer and did not allow Nottingham Forest to include an obligation to sign clause in his temporary move to the City Ground. Henderson is considered better on the ball than De Gea but he was desperate for regular first team football after making just three appearances last season.

Sources added United are looking to sign another goalkeeper to compete with De Gea before the transfer deadline on Sept. 1, but they expect Henderson, who has impressed already at Forest, to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season and compete for the No. 1 spot.

09.30 BST: Christian Pulisic is set to hold talks with the Chelsea hierarchy over his future and will push to leave the club if his prospects of regular first-team football look bleak, sources told ESPN.

The possible arrivals of attacking duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona and Everton’s Anthony Gordon in particular would affect Pulisic, who sources suggest is concerned about playing regularly enough to ensure he heads to the World Cup finals in Qatar with the United States men’s national team in the best possible shape.

This week, Manchester United became the latest club to enquire about the 23-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract. So far Newcastle United, Juventus and Atletico Madrid are the other clubs to have expressed an interest, with intermediaries believing Chelsea would prefer a permanent departure rather than a loan deal.

Chelsea had been initially reluctant to allow Pulisic to join a traditional rival — particularly on loan, as United’s proposal suggested — but sources indicate the club are willing to listen to offers and to test the market.

09.12 BST: Ajax forward Antony has been the subject of an €80m bid from Man United, says The Athletic.

Antony, 22, has scored 18 goals in 57 appearances since joining from Sao Paulo in 2020 and Ajax want to keep him, so rejected the offer.

United are now set to turn their attention to PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo and though he has already agreed to extend his deal to 2026, he is free to leave if PSV receive a large bid.

08.44 BST: The head of the Danish Players’ Association, Michael Sahl Hansen, has branded Barcelona’s treatment of his compatriot Martin Braithwaite as “shameful” and “unreasonable.”

Braithwaite, 31, is under contract with Barca until June 2024, but the Catalan club are desperate to offload the striker this summer and he was not included in the squad for their summer tour.

“The treatment that Martin is experiencing is completely unreasonable,” Sahl Hansen said. “Something that probably lies somewhere between bullying and harassment. It is shameful how FC Barcelona is trying to force him out of his contract, out of his employment. A player who came to their rescue when they were pressed is now disgraced. Where is the decency?”

Sahl Hansen added that Braithwaite has his full support.

“Legally, we cannot do anything to help Martin,” he said. “FC Barcelona has not violated any legal rules. The moral ones are a different conversation. Regardless, Martin has our full support.

“A contract is a contract. And FC Barcelona and Martin have signed each other for two more years. Martin must continue to fulfil his part of the agreement. And so must FC Barcelona. And by the way, it would suit one of the world’s biggest clubs to treat their players with greater respect.”

08.19 BST: The Athletic reports that Chelsea are ready to send defender Trevoh Chalobah out on loan.

Chalobah, 23, was left out for Chelsea’s first two games of the 2022-23 season and wants to depart for more game time. There is interest from a couple of Premier League and Serie A clubs but Chelsea don’t want him to leave on a permanent deal.

08.00 BST: Casemiro is weighing up whether to accept an offer to join Manchester United or to continue his career at Real Madrid, sources have told ESPN.

The Brazilian midfielder wants to make a decision before the end of the week. Sources have told ESPN that a meeting took place on Wednesday evening between Casemiro’s entourage and Real Madrid, with a transfer fee of €60m plus €10m in add-ons and a four-year deal on the table.

Casemiro, 30, will also speak to Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to learn more about the role he would have in the team following the arrival of Aurelien Tchouameni. The former Monaco midfielder started ahead of Casemiro in Madrid’s opening LaLiga game of the season against Almeria on Sunday.

According to sources, Ancelotti wants Casemiro to remain at the Bernabeu but will accept whatever decision is taken by the club and the player.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)

– Barcelona are continuing their search for a right-back with interest in Achraf Hakimi, reveals El Chiringuito. The Blaugrana hierarchy have been searching for an alternative signing after missing out on Chelsea‘s Cesar Azpilicueta, and the 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star has now been identified as an ideal candidate, having already picked up experience in LaLiga during his time playing for Real Madrid. However, as one of the world’s top defenders, he could cost over €80m.

– Asmir Begovic has been identified as a possible option for Manchester United as a back-up goalkeeper, reports the Telegraph. United have been on the lookout after Dean Henderson left Old Trafford to join Nottingham Forest on loan, and the 35-year-old Everton keeper is reportedly at the top of the list.

– Marseille are interested in acquiring Ruslan Malinovskyi, according to Fabrizio Romano. The French club are eyeing the 29-year-old Atalanta attacking midfielder, and it is reported that Cengiz Under could be involved as part of a player-exchange deal. The Ukraine international is interested in leaving the Serie A side with eyes on a new challenge.

– With sources telling ESPN that Casemiro is mulling a move to Manchester United, Bruno Guimaraes has been identified as his potential replacement at Real Madrid, according to AS. The 24-year-old midfielder is believed to be an ideal candidate by Madrid, but joined Newcastle United from Lyon in January for a fee of £40 million. Furthermore, his contract isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2026.

– Memphis Depay‘s potential move to Juventus could progress as the Bianconeri look to advance negotiations by voiding some of the bonuses remaining on their previous deal with Barcelona for Miralem Pjanic, writes Calciomercato. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have already agreed personal terms on a two-year contract worth €6m-per-season with the 28-year-old Netherlands international forward.