Transfer Talk: Dest could swap places with Meunier in Barcelona-Dortmund deal

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: Barcelona, Dortmund mull Dest-Meunier swap

Barcelona defender and U.S. men’s national team regular Sergino Dest could be set to join Borussia Dortmund as part of a swap deal for defender Thomas Meunier, reports Sport.

The Catalan side are reportedly planning to use Dest to acquire the services of the 30-year-old Belgium international, without paying Dortmund’s €15 million asking price. The like-for-like swap would also mean that German side would not have to search for a replacement this late in the transfer window.

After failing to secure a deal with Chelsea for César Azpilicueta, Barcelona manager Xavi is still searching for a right-back to challenge Sergi Roberto, with Hector Bellerín from Arsenal and Juan Foyth from Villarreal reportedly lined up as potential last-minute options if the Bundesliga club rejects their proposal to exchange full-backs.

Sources revealed to ESPN last week that Xavi met with Dest and told him that he should look for playing time elsewhere. Days later, when asked about the 21-year-old, Xavi was upfront about his intention to move the USMNT full-back on, telling reporters that he “knows what the situation is.”

“Being honest, we wanted to sign Azpilicueta and we couldn’t, so that’s the situation,” Xavi said at a recent news conference.

Meunier has been with Dortmund since 2020 but he reportedly is interested in leaving. Before that, he played at Paris Saint-Germain for four seasons where he was a frequent starter.

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14.47 BST: Stuttgart want €25m to let striker Sasa Kalajdzic move to Wolves, says Sky Germany.

Kalajdzic, 25, has 24 goals in 60 games for the club, but the 6-foot-7 frontman is keen to move on this summer.

Wolves have already made a €15m offer, which was rejected, but believe they can find common ground at around €20m.

14.20 BST: West Ham want a new midfielder and have made a €40m bid to sign Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta, according to Sky Sports.

The club have also explored trying to land Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, says The Sun, after he spent a fine loan spell at Crystal Palace last season but has struggled for minutes back at Stamford Bridge so far this campaign.

13.46 BST: Marca reports that Manchester United could look to re-sign forward Memphis Depay from Barcelona.

Depay, 28, has reportedly agreed to leave Camp Nou this summer, despite having a year left on his contract, and had been close to agreeing a move to Juventus.

However, now United could go for a player they signed for €30m in 2015 from PSV and only lasted two years before leaving for Lyon.

The report claims that United are ready to make a €10m offer to land him.

13.22 BST: Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak looks set to join Newcastle United after the club had a €70m offer accepted, sources have told ESPN.

Isak, 22, has bagged 44 goals and eight assists in 132 appearances at the club — including scored 10 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions last season — after signing from Borussia Dortmund for €15m in 2019.

First reported by Diario Vasco, Newcastle, who are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, are ready to splash €70m and a further €5m in add-ons, while Sociedad will receive 10% from any future transfer.

The Sweden international had been a reported target of Arsenal earlier this year.

12.50 BST: Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano says it is too late to talk about transfers as Barcelona continue to be linked with a late move for Bernardo Silva.

Silva told ESPN this month that his future is uncertain — he asked to leave last summer — but City will not let him leave so close to the closing of the transfer window.

“A lot has been said [about Silva and Barcelona] but in the background there has never been any movement,” Soriano told Cadena Ser on Wednesday. “And now it is a little late to start discussing ins and outs.”

Barca have already made six signings this summer but, despite not yet being able to register Jules Kounde with LaLiga due to spending cap restrictions, they remain keen on strengthening both full-back positions and signing Silva.

Silva will be at Camp Nou on Wednesday in City colours as Pep Guardiola’s side take on Barca in a fundraising match for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of motor neurone disease that former Barca player and coach Juan Carlos Unzue was diagnosed with in 2020.

City coach Guardiola has previously said he would not force players to stay if they want to leave, but Barca may have left it too late to move for Silva as the Premier League champions would need to have a replacement lined up.

12.25 BST: Ajax forward Antony could yet move to Manchester United, with the Manchester Evening News claiming that a new offer is imminent.

Antony, 22, is new United manager Erik ten Hag’s No. 1 target in attack, but Ajax have already rejected their €80m bid.

United may need to return with an offer of €100m to land the Brazilian, who has scored 21 goals for Ajax since arriving from Sao Paulo two years ago.

12.00 BST: Manchester United want to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, but is the best option just to release him?

11.29 BST: Leicester City are continuing to demand a world-record fee for a defender amid Chelsea’s ongoing interest in Wesley Fofana, sources have told ESPN.

The Blues have made three offers for Fofana, the third of which totalled £70m and was instantly rejected by Leicester on Tuesday.

Leicester value the 21-year-old at the same level as Harry Maguire, who left the club in 2019 to join Manchester United for £80m – a figure which still stands as the highest ever paid for a defender.

Fofana was left out of Leicester’s 2-1 home defeat to Southampton last weekend with manager Brendan Rodgers admitting the Frenchman was not in the right state of mind to play. He is now training with the club’s under-23s and Rodgers confirmed he is seeking a quick resolution to the situation after weeks of speculation.

11.11 BST: Arsenal have been linked with a £50m move for Wolves winger Pedro Neto, but O Jogo says he won’t be leaving.

Neto, 22, has started all three of Wolves’ Premier League games so far after suffering a long-term injury last season that saw him miss the majority.

The Gunners are keen to replace Nicolas Pepe, but Neto has a contract until 2027 so the ball is very much in Wolves’ court.

10.40 BST: Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes is on Juventus’ radar, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

Paredes, 28, has made 117 appearances for the club since moving from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2018-19 but he has slipped down the pecking order in Paris.

Roma are also keen to sign the Argentina international as manager Jose Mourinho wants a midfielder after Georginio Wijnaldum suffered a long-term injury.

09.48 BST: Valencia are closing in on the signing of 35-year-old striker Edinson Cavani, says Superdeporte.

The Uruguay forward, who is also a target of Villarreal after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer this summer, has reportedly agreed a one-year deal with Valencia with an option to extend for a further season. However, the club will not complete Cavani’s signing until they have moved on forwards Maxi Lopez and Marcos Andre.

Valencia have already strengthened their defensive line by signing Turkey international Cenk Ozkacar on a season-long loan from Lyon.

Ozkacar, 21, played last season on loan at Belgian side OH Leuven from Lyon and there is a permanent option included in the loan.

“I come here on loan for a year, but I want to stay longer,” Ozkacar said. “I have to say that I also came to Valencia CF because of [coach Gennaro] Gattuso, to feel his passion. That was really important, and I’m very motivated to work with him. I think I’m really ready for this challenge.”

09.23 BST: Spanish veteran midfielder Juan Mata is listening to offers with his potential move to Real Betis on hold, Onda Cero reports.

The Seville-based club are interested in signing Mata and reached a verbal agreement with the Spain international but the deal has yet to materialise. Betis are working to reduce their wage will and have yet to register five players — Luiz Henrique, Joaquin, William Jose, Guardado and Claudio Bravo.

Mata, 34, left Manchester United after eight years when his contract expired in June and is keen to return to play in LaLiga. The ex-Chelsea player was a reported target of Real Sociedad and former club Valencia.

08.55 BST: Juventus have decided to sign Marseille’s Arkadiusz Milik instead of Barcelona’s Memphis Depay, according to Sky Italy.

The Bianconeri have reached a verbal agreement with Marseille to take the Poland international striker on a season-long loan with an €8m permanent option included in the deal and will sit down with the player’s agent to reach personal terms.

Milik has scored 30 goals in 55 appearances since joining Marseille in 2021 and played five seasons at Napoli before joining the French club.

Juve had hoped to sign Netherlands forward Depay, but the player’s wage demands were considered too high. Depay is in talks with Barca to be allowed to leave this summer as a free agent.

08.32 BST: Ander Herrera is on the verge of leaving Paris Saint-Germain and returning to Athletic Club after reaching an agreement to terminate his contract, says El Larguero.

Herrera, 33, is expected to arrive to Bilbao this week and sign a contract with Athletic until June 2024.

The former Spain international had two years left on his contract with PSG. He played three seasons for Athletic before signing for Manchester United in 2014.

08.11 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Bayer Leverkusen are closing on a loan deal for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Hudson-Odoi, 21, has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and wants more game time. He has reportedly turned down two loan proposals from clubs in the Premier League and is ready to move to Germany to rebuild his career.

08.00 BST: West Ham United have completed the signing of left-back Emerson Palmieri from Chelsea, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday, with the Italy international signing a four-year contract.

West Ham reportedly paid a fee in the region of £13m for Palmieri, who was part of the Italy team that lifted the European Championship last year.

The 28-year-old, who moved to Chelsea from AS Roma in 2018, could never establish himself as a regular at Stamford Bridge and spent last season on loan at French outfit Lyon. He made 71 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea.

“It’s a big challenge for me, it’s a big team, so I’m very happy to be here and I’m ready,” Emerson told the West Ham website.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Abbie Ingham)

– Chelsea have abandoned their pursuit of Wesley Fofana after Leicester City rejected a third bid of £70m, writes The Sun. The Foxes turned down a fee of £60m with a possible £10m in add-on clauses that were perceived by Brendan Rogers’ side as unachievable — Leicester are demanding £85m for the 21-year-old defender, who made just seven Premier League appearances last season after suffering from a broken leg in preseason. It is reported that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will now consider alternatives to the centre-back, with his side recently being linked to Manchester United‘s Harry Maguire.

– Everton are set to match Newcastle‘s £30m bid for Watford’s Joao Pedro, according to The Daily Mail. The 20-year-old forward, who has three Premier League goals to his name, reportedly eyes a move to St. James’ Park, but Frank Lampard’s side are looking to rival the Magpies for the Brazil international’s signature this summer.

– Trevoh Chalobah is Inter Milan‘s priority target, according to Sky Sports Italia. The Nerazzurri are reportedly interested in securing a loan deal with Chelsea for the 23-year-old defender ahead of signing other transfer targets: Francesco Acerbi from Lazio and Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund. Despite reportedly reaching an agreement with their Serie A rivals for the centre-back, the England U-21 international is said to still be the focus of the Italian side this transfer window.

– RB Leipzig have rejected Bayern Munich‘s final bid for Konrad Laimer, reports Bild. The Bundesliga champions offered €24m including bonuses for the 25-year-old midfielder, which included €2m if they retained the league title and a further €2m for winning the Champions League. The Austria international, who enters the final year of his contract, will reportedly not sign a new deal with Leipzig and will likely join Bayern on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

– Callum Hudson-Odoi could depart Chelsea this summer, as Bayer Leverkusen step up their interest in the 21-year-old winger, according to the Telegraph. The German side will approach the Blues with a loan deal for the England international, as he looks set to be replaced by in Tuchel’s plans by the impending arrival of Anthony Gordon from Everton.