Here’s a roundup of the latest news and transfer rumors surrounding which players could be joining new teams in the coming months.
Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez fueled talk around a transfer to Manchester United by applauding all four sides of the Santiago Bernabeu upon being substituted during the second half of Sunday’s home finale, AS reports.
The 25-year-old playmaker has struggled to secure a consistent role in manager Zinedine Zidane’s squad, which has opened the door for an exit this summer.
In fact, Colombian radio station RCN reported last week that Rodriguez already has an agreement in place with Manchester United.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho shares an agent with Rodriguez, who has tallied eight goals and six assists despite playing merely 1156 minutes in La Liga this season.
Rodriguez was handed a rare start in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Sevilla, but took the time to seemingly say goodbye to Real Madrid’s supporters after seeing his number appear on the substitute’s board in the 60th minute.
If that indeed marked Rodriguez’s final appearance for Los Blancos, then Manchester United will be delighted by setting this summer’s first major transfer domino in motion.
Another deal that looks to be done is Arsenal’s acquisition of defender Sead Kolasinac, who local Schalke reporter Raphael Wiesweg says has signed a five-year contract with the Gunners.
Kolasinac’s current deal with Schalke is set to expire after this season, which garnered interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus over the past couple months.
After being first reported as the left-back’s most likely destination weeks ago, however, Arsenal apparently now have an agreement in place to take Kolasinac on board July 1st.
Also capable of playing center-back, the 23-year-old Bosnian has contributed three goals and five assists in the Bundesliga this season, and looks to be a great fit in Arsenal’s new 3-4-2-1 setup.
While Rodriguez and Kolasinac seem to have their futures sorted, Brazilian forward Luan’s situation is less certain at the moment.
Reports over the weekend suggested Liverpool were close to completing a £26 million transfer, but Gremio president Romildo Bolzan has since dismissed those claims, according to the Liverpool Echo.
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Now 24 years old, Luan starred for Brazil’s gold-medal-winning Olympic team last summer, which earned him his first senior call-up for a January friendly against Colombia.
Since then, he’s scored three times across three Copa Libertadores appearances this season, bringing his total to 43 goals since 2014.
With his stock on the rise, Luan would link up with compatriots Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino at Liverpool, while providing a dangerous alternative to spearhead their attack.
Although his agent has confirmed the Reds are among those interested in Luan, he too said Gremio have yet to receive a concrete offer for the player, thus leaving his case open for further developments.
Also the subject of conflicting reports, Schalke’s Leon Goretzka was claimed by Sky Germany to have agreed to a transfer to Bayern Munich.
That news came out shortly before Schalke faced Hamburg on Saturday, which has since resulted in general manager Christian Heidel taking offense to both the content and timing of the report.
According to Goal, Heidel said, “It’s not decent for Sky to make an announcement, which is completely baseless, an hour before kick-off.”
While he went on to acknowledge Goretzka’s contract expires after next season, which could eventually see him move to a bigger club, Heidel also stated he’s conducted positive talks with the 22-year-old recently, making Saturday’s news of an exit premature.
In 40 appearances across all competitions this season, Goretzka has registered eight goals and three assists.