Interest in Cristiano Ronaldo is already heating up in Europe and MLS, with Manchester United linked, while Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are all interested in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Interest in Cristiano Ronaldo is already heating up in Europe and MLS, according to TEAMtalk. Ronaldo, 40, refused to play for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League side’s 1-0 win over Al Riyadh, and sources told ESPN he is unhappy about the way the league conducted the Karim Benzema transfer to Al Hilal. The Manchester Evening News has linked the Portugal international with a return to Manchester United, while several other big clubs in Europe are willing to reshape their sporting projects to sign him.
– Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are all interested in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to The Sun. Mikel Arteta is a big admirer of the Italy international and wants to pair him with Declan Rice in the Gunners’ midfield. The Gunners were even alerted to a possible move on deadline day, but it went nowhere. City boss Pep Guardiola is also a big fan of the 25-year-old and his Magpies teammate Tino Livramento, while Chelsea are monitoring Tonali. However, he and his wife are reported to be happy in the North East and he isn’t actively looking for an exit.
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– Marcus Rashford has no intention of returning to Manchester United when his loan spell at Barcelona expires this summer, according to The Mirror. The Blaugrana have an option to permanently sign him for €30 million, and the 28-year-old wants his future sorted before the 2026 World Cup begins. United interim head coach Michael Carrick would try to persuade the Red Devils academy graduate to stay if he becomes the permanent head coach, but Rashford has already told Barca that he wants to stay at Camp Nou and would find another club instead of returning to Old Trafford if an agreement isn’t reached.
– Bayern Munich are in advanced talks to sign Charlotte FC and U.S. U20 winger Nimfasha Berchimas, as reported by The Athletic. The two clubs didn’t have to worry about Germany’s transfer deadline as they are working on a pre-agreed deal for the summer, as Berchimas turns 18 at the end of this month and can’t be registered for a German club yet. There could be another U.S. youth international moving to Europe in the summer, as Tom Bogert reports that Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are showing a strong interest in 18-year-old Real Salt Lake striker Zavier Gozo.
– Juventus will make a move to sign Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer after the striker stayed on loan at Tottenham Hotspur this January, as reported by Calciomercato. Juve tried until the very end of the transfer window to bring back the 27-year-old, who also wanted a return to the Serie A giants, but Spurs insisted on keeping the France international as they couldn’t find an affordable alternative. It will take at least €50 million to sign him permanently, but Juve will need to seal a departure for Loïs Openda to meet that figure.
DONE DEALS
– Al Ittihad have signed Monaco forward George Ilenikhena for around €33 million. He’ll replace Karim Benzema, who joined Al Hilal yesterday.
– Leicester City have signed forward Divine Mukasa, 18, on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.
– Leicester have also signed 32-year-old defender Jamaal Lascelles, who joins on a free transfer from Newcastle United.
– Arsenal Women have signed 29-year-old goalkeeper Barbora Votikova on loan from Slavia Prague until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, a few deals are very much NOT done:
– N’Golo Kanté’s switch from Al Ittihad to Fenerbahce has collapsed, the day after the Saudi Arabia transfer window closed. Kanté was set to swap Al Ittihad for Fenerbahce — with the Turkish club’s Youssef En-Nesyri moving in the opposite direction — but both transfers have fallen through. Read
– Dwight McNeil’s girlfriend Megan Sharpley shared an emotional social media post on Monday after his prospective transfer to Crystal Palace collapsed, saying the Everton midfielder was “toyed with until the final minute.” Read
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Mark Ogden looks at the future for Cristiano Ronaldo if he leaves Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 41st birthday on Thursday, but his incredible longevity and goal-scoring ability is why there will be plenty of clubs willing to sign the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward if he seeks a move away from Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
There will be clubs who want him, and clubs who can afford him. And there will also be the crucial factor of being able to offer Ronaldo the chance to break the 1,000 career goal mark; he is now less than 50 goals away from that milestone.
So with all that considered, where could he go? Forget the speculation linking Ronaldo with a return to United for a third spell at Old Trafford. There is no good reason for that to happen, and it won’t. A move to MLS would be a serious option and open up the prospect of a “Last Dance” alongside Lionel Messi in the United States. If Ronaldo wants to move to the U.S., there is enough money to make it happen, so don’t rule out the possibility of Ronaldo ending up in Los Angeles or New York.
But with Ronaldo earning a reported £177 million per year in Saudi Arabia, money will be perhaps the biggest factor, so any club, anywhere in the world, who will pay him a huge salary and give him a chance to hit 1,000 goals has a chance.
Only last week, Ronaldo’s former United and Portugal teammate Nani made a move to FC Aktobe in the Kazakhstan Premier League, and with the oil-rich country keen to boost its sporting profile, Ronaldo could even end up there. With him, almost anything is possible.
OTHER RUMORS
1:39
Has Crystal Palace’s transfer strategy let them down again?
James Olley examines the collapse of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan and what it says about Palace’s recruitment strategy.
– Real Madrid are monitoring Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez for the summer in case they have any major outgoings. (Caught Offside)
– Internazionale could move for Al Ittihad winger Moussa Diaby and Atalanta right back Marco Palestra (who is on loan at Cagliari) in the summer after being unable to complete January deals for either of them. (Calciomercato)
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– Atalanta are open to continuing talks with Atletico Madrid about midfielder Ederson ahead of June, having refused to let the Brazil international leave in January. (Rudy Galetti)
– Jadon Sancho is looking at a summer return to the Bundesliga as it is unlikely that the winger will stay with Aston Villa when his loan from Manchester United expires. (Football Insider)
– Paris Saint-Germain are working on triggering a release clause to permanently sign Khalil Ayari, who is currently on loan from Stade Tunisien. (Footmercato)
– Center back Dayot Upamecano has agreed to a contract extension with Bayern Munich. (Florian Plettenberg)
– A new meeting between Juventus and Kenan Yildiz’s agent is expected in the coming days, with a five-year contract extension worth €6 million per year to be discussed. (Nicolo Schira)
– Sevilla are considering re-signing 39-year-old defender Sergio Ramos for a third stint. Ramos is a free agent after leaving Monterrey in December and the former Real Madrid star began his career at Sevilla before returning to the club 18 years later for the 2023-24 campaign. (Diario de Sevilla)
– Xabi Alonso and Enzo Maresca are expected to be on the three-man short list to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, while Como’s Cesc Fabregas is gaining admirers across Europe. (Telegraph)
– Marc-Andre ter Stegen will not return to Barcelona after sustaining an injury and will see out his loan with Girona, but the goalkeeper could do part of his recovery with the Blaugrana’s medical staff. (Mundo Deportivo)
– Girona could still sign free agent goalkeeper Ruben Blanco to replace the Germany international. (Sport)
– Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini will sign contract extensions in the coming days to stay with Roma until 2029. (Nicolo Schira)
