Here’s a roundup of the latest news and transfer rumors surrounding which players could be joining new teams in the coming months.
Wednesday’s biggest transfer news comes in the form of conflicting reports surrounding Alexis Sanchez’s proposed move to Bayern Munich.
According to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Arsenal attacker’s agent, Fernando Felicevich, was in Munich on Tuesday to celebrate fellow client Arturo Vidal’s birthday.
While there, Felicevich was believed to be ironing out a deal for Sanchez to join his compatriot next season, with a £50 million transfer to Bayern in the pipeline ahead of a mooted £11.1 million salary for Sanchez.
Since then, however, German outlet Bild has dismissed those claims, instead saying Arsenal’s pending €20 million salary offer to Sanchez has forced Bayern to pull out of the race for his signature.
As it stands, striker Robert Lewandowski is the club’s top earner at around €16 million per season, thus making an offer like Arsenal’s one that would topple their wage structure.
Unwilling to accommodate Sanchez to that degree, Bayern will reportedly look elsewhere to reinforce their squad, leaving Arsenal in a decent position to keep their prized performer.
A team resigned to losing its best player this summer is Lyon, but the French side have already started plans for replacing Alexandre Lacazette.
L’Equipe reports that Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore has been heavily scouted by Lyon in recent months, and his two goals and one assists against them only improved Lyon’s opinion of him.
Of course, those contributions came while Traore and his loan club Ajax defeated Lyon during this month’s Europa League semifinal.
On the back of those exploits, as well as 13 goals and six assists across all competitions, Lyon have apparently made contact with Traore’s representatives, who have revealed his transfer price to be between €15 and €20 million.
Although Chelsea initially desired to send the 21-year-old on loan for another season, the player’s wish to secure a permanent move elsewhere could force the English champions to sell.
Along with buying Traore, L’Equipe also reports Lyon are prepared to sell midfielder Mathieu Valbuena.
The 32-year-old is said to have a three-year offer on the table from Fenerbahce, and after having some chemistry issues this season, Valbuena is someone Lyon would like to replace with a younger talent.
Among those being eyed to fill his role are Angers’ Nicolas Pepe, Caen’s Yann Karamoh and Montpellier’s Ryad Boudebouz.
Across the English Channel, the race for midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is heating up, with Everton settling with Swansea on a £25 million fee, according to the Mirror.
That comes after news earlier this week that Tottenham had a keen interest in bringing Sigurdsson back this summer.
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It appears Everton have the first move for the Iceland international, though, as they seek to secure a replacement for Ross Barkley, who is destined to leave this offseason after rejecting new contract terms.
Incidentally, contract terms could prove to be a sticking point in the Toffees’ negotiations with Sigurdsson as well. The player is reportedly requesting a £120,000-per-week pact, which Everton have yet to sign off on.
After already agreeing on a transfer fee, however, Ronald Koeman’s outfit seems to be in the pole position for Sigurdsson, who contributed nine goals and 13 assists this season.
While Wednesday’s on-field action is headlined by Manchester United taking part in the Europa League final, the Red Devils are still subject to some transfer news.
That comes out of Portugal, courtesy of outlet Correio da Manha, which says Man United are in discussions for Benfica defender Victor Lindelof and goalkeeper Ederson.
Jose Mourinho’s men have been linked with Lindelof for the past couple windows, but it’s believed they’ll finally sign the Swedish center-half this summer.
According to the report, the final details of a €45 million deal are being sorted out ahead of an official announcement.
In regards to Ederson, the Jorge Mendes client is thought to be squarely in United’s sights should current goalkeeper David de Gea depart.
The 23-year-old became Benfica’s first-choice keeper this season, and went on to keep three clean sheets in seven Champions League outings while also leading his club to their fourth straight domestic title.
With a release clause of €60 million, the fast-rising Brazilian won’t come cheap, and considering his rights are equally shared between both Benfica and his former club Rio Ave, any transfer would be more complicated than usual.