Transfer news: Chelsea agree forward deal, De Zerbi Bayern latest, Arsenal linked with Barca ace & more
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Estevao Chelsea agreement, plus latest on Omari Hutchinson’s future
Chelsea have reached an agreement with Willian Estevao and his agents on the contract – everything is ready between Chelsea and the player, and now the Blues want to close the deal with Palmeiras. The interest has been there for a long time, with concrete contacts starting a few months ago, and now they’re making progress on signing this exciting young talent, considered one of the best prospects in the world, not just South America.
Conversations are ongoing between Chelsea and Palmeiras, and my understanding as we wait for an official bid is that Chelsea’s first proposal will be around €32m plus add-ons. What I’m hearing is that the structure of the add-ons would take the bid over the value of Estevao’s release clause. It could be €32m now and a further €25m over multiple payments – not guaranteed money, but depending on performances they could pay that over the course of multiple years.
Now it depends on Palmeiras, but for sure Chelsea are working hard to sign Estevao, who was also previously a target for Paris Saint-Germain. You may remember that PSG tried to sign him as well as Endrick, making a bid of €90m to Palmeiras for both players, but the Brazilian club said no. They sold Endrick to Real Madrid and now Estevao is close to joining Chelsea.
We’re likely to see departures at Chelsea this summer, particularly with the players who are currently out on loan. As previously reported, the plan is for Armando Broja to be sold once he comes back from his loan at Fulham, and Hakim Ziyech can already be considered to have played his last game for Chelsea. I also expect Romelu Lukaku and Ian Maatsen to leave Chelsea, but for the others we have to wait and see what happens.
Omari Hutchinson, for instance, will be an interesting one to follow after his fine form on loan at Ipswich Town. There will be a meeting between Omari’s camp and Chelsea to discuss his future. There are clubs in Eredivisie, Bundesliga and Premier League keen on signing him on loan. Another loan solution for next season is the most likely, as I’m hearing that Chelsea want him to play on regular basis, while Ipswich also hope to keep him.
Erik ten Hag to Bayern rumours, plus duo linked with Man Utd
Erik ten Hag has been linked with the Bayern Munich job, but my understanding, despite reports in Germany, is that it has never been something concrete. Bayern are enquiring about many managers, which is normal when we could see a major manager domino this summer, but they never started any concrete conversation with Ten Hag.
Also, the Manchester United manager’s full focus is only on his current club, with the end of the Premier League season still to play, as well as the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Ten Hag will not decide anything before the end of the season, with the cup final absolutely crucial. Bayern ideally want a new manager as soon as possible and don’t want to wait until the end of May, so let’s see what will happen there.
Still, to reiterate, there’s nothing concrete between Ten Hag and Bayern. It’s not a negotiation, so as things stand, these rumours don’t point towards the Dutchman becoming the new Bayern manager.
I’m also not aware of fresh contacts between Roberto de Zerbi and Bayern. The situation is quiet, he’s been considered for weeks as an alternative to the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick, but it’s quiet now; let’s see if that changes, but the Italian manager’s full focus now is only on Brighton.
There is no change on Thomas Tuchel as he’s expected to leave Bayern. We’re seeing him linked with clubs in England, but again there’s nothing concrete or advanced at this point. Still, for sure Tuchel would be more than happy to coach Man United even if they’re without elite European football – he would be really open to returning to England in general, he loved it there so, it depends on the clubs, but he would be really open to that possibility of managing again in the Premier League.
Staying with Man United, I’m aware there have been rumours about interest in Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. However, I’m not aware of talks between United and Remiro, or between United and Real Sociedad. I’m not hearing anything about Man United and goalkeepers at this stage.
Another player mentioned as a target for United is Denzel Dumfries. My understanding is that Dumfries could leave Inter as there’s still no agreement to extend his contract, so it’s a concrete possibility. I’m told United will not make decisions now, but in the next weeks it will become clear if they will decide to invest on a new right-back this summer.
Plenty of interest in Barcelona youngster Mikayil Faye
There are several clubs interested in young Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye, and it’s a player they will have to make a decision on this summer.
It’s too early to mention specific clubs pursuing him – there are ten or more clubs in the media recently, such as Arsenal and Manchester United, but I can guarantee it’s not something concrete or advanced yet. Still, I expect there to be movement soon.
Barcelona have a decision to make on this one – if they want to play and trust Faye, or take the opportunity to make profit from his sale.
Joao Palhinha one to watch again this summer
There was a lot written about Joao Palhinha last summer as he came close to leaving Fulham, with a move to Bayern collapsing late on. It’s gone quiet in recent weeks and months, and while nothing is happening now, I expect movement on this saga again soon.
I expect Palhinha to be one to watch, so let’s see who is going to be the next Bayern manager, as this could be important to understand if they will return for Palhinha or not.
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