BBC
Newcastle United and Bayern Munich were the first clubs to contact Crystal Palace as they look to sign France Under-21 winger Michael Olise, 22. (Athletic - subscription required), .
Chelsea were the next to contact Palace regarding Olise, approaching them on Thursday. (Mirror),
Olise is believed to have a £60m release clause in his Crystal Palace contract but Chelsea may not be able to activate it as it only applies to clubs who have qualified for the Champions League. (Times - subscription required),
Chelsea's England Under-21 international Noni Madueke, 22, is also on Newcastle's shortlist as they look to target a new right-winger in the transfer window. (i Sport),
Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr want to make Liverpool and Netherlands centre-back Virgil van Dijk the highest-paid defender in the world. (Marca),
Manchester United are closely monitoring 24-year-old Bayern Munich and Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt. (Sky Sports Germany),
Manchester United also have 24-year-old Frenchman Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice, another club Ineos own, as an option as they look to recruit a centre-back. (Mail),
Bologna's Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee, 23, is also on Manchester United's radar this summer, but they could face competition from AC Milan and Juventus. (Telegraph - subscription required),
Brentford's England striker Ivan Toney, 28, and 24-year-old Canada forward Jonathan David, who plays for Lille, are also on Manchester United's shortlist of targets. (Independent)
Liverpool and Manchester United are both pursuing Lille's French centre-back Leny Yoro, 18, but Real Madrid are also interested. (Athletic - subscription required),
Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham are interested in Roma and England striker Tammy Abraham, 26. (Telegraph - subscription required),
Aston Villa want £40m for striker Jhon Duran, with Chelsea in talks to sign the 20-year-old. The Colombian has made just three Premier League appearances since joining in January 2023. (Times - subscription required),
New Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho wants to sign Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 28, from Tottenham. (Takvim - in Turkish, subscription required),
West Ham and Leicester City have met with representatives of Juventus' Argentine forward Matias Soule, 21, in London. (Tuttosport - in Italian),
Arsenal face a setback in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon's Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, 26, with the Portuguese side's valuation higher than what the Gunners would be willing to pay. (Sun),
Brentford will refuse to sell England striker Ivan Toney, 28, for any less than £60m, although they previously valued him at £80m. (Talksport),
Former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi is set to agree to a three-year contract to become Marseille manager. Brighton would receive a 6m euro (£5.07m) fee. (Fabrizio Romano),
Premier League clubs are watching Lens and Austria centre-back Kevin Danso, 25, who has been backed for a move to Manchester United by former player Rio Ferdinand. (i Sport),
Real Madrid will try to sign Bayern Munich and Canada left-back Alphonso Davies, 23, after the Spanish club secured the transfer of France striker Kylian Mbappe, 25. (ESPN),
Borussia Dortmund are not going to extend the contract of Germany defender Mats Hummels and the 35-year-old will leave the club this summer. (Sky Sports Germany)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY TELEGRPAH
Manchester United have a strong interest in Joshua Zirkzee but face stiff competition for the Bologna striker this summer.
Manchester United are hoping to strike a deal with Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite after agreeing personal terms with the England defender.
Chelsea are confident they will not have to pay more for Michael Olise than a Champions League club after making contact with Crystal Palace over the winger.
England manager Gareth Southgate and his players have turned to a celebrity-endorsed smart-ring in their bid to become European champions.
Tammy Abraham could be offered a route back to the Premier League this summer, with a number of clubs keeping an eye on the striker's situation.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are set to table a bid for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite after learning of his valuation.
Mats Hummels will reportedly follow Edin Terzic out of the door and leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Serbia's pre-England training session was halted when pyro-wielding fans clashed with police in ominous scenes.
England players have been quoted around £1500 per ticket to the Euro 2024 final as part of their friends and family admission packages for the tournament.
Liverpool remain aware of developments with Lille defender Leny Yoro but still expect the 18-year-old to choose a move to Real Madrid.
Chelsea have approached Crystal Palace over a summer swoop for Michael Olise and are willing to include players as sweeteners in the deal.
THE SUN
Sporting Lisbon will remain firm on their valuation of Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres - with the intention of selling other first-team stars this summer instead.
ESPN
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is close to finalising a move to Saudi Arabia.
Bayern Munich are continuing to keep tabs on Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, with the German club considering alternative targets to Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah.
Galatasaray are monitoring Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana.
Arsenal are not rushing to part ways with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale this summer.
THE TIMES
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has received a fresh bid to buy the club from a UK-based investor, Vici Private Finance, which is backed by at least two billionaires.
Aston Villa want to double their money on Jhon Duran, with Chelsea in talks to sign the 20-year-old.
THE ATHLETIC
Liverpool and Manchester United are actively pursuing a deal to sign Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, albeit with an acceptance that Real Madrid may ultimately win the contest.
Kylian Mbappe is expected to be presented as a Real Madrid player on July 16.
Bayer Leverkusen have completed the signing of midfielder Aleix Garcia from Girona.
JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to meet again this weekend to discuss the franchise's vacant head-coaching position, team and league sources confirmed.
Houston Dynamo are finalising a club-record deal to sign Argentine forward Ezequiel Ponce from AEK Athens.
DAILY MIRROR
England's only remaining 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst admits his life is filled with "great sadness".
Erling Haaland's agent insists the Norwegian goal machine is happy at Manchester City - after claiming he is now on course to take his earnings through the £1bn barrier.
Jurgen Klopp's agent, Marc Kosicke, has hit out at "nonsense" claims the former Liverpool boss is set to cut short his break from the sport to become Red Bull's new head of global football.
DAILY RECORD
Connor Barron is set to make a decision on his future next week - with offers on the table from Serie A, England and Rangers.
Martin Boyle was reportedly chatting with both Melbourne City and Perth Glory about a possible Hibs transfer exit this summer.
Utrecht are unable to stump up the cash to pay for Rangers flop Sam Lammer.
The Athletic
Lucas Paqueta: What we’re hearing after charge for alleged betting breaches
By Tom Burrows and Roshane Thomas
West Ham United’s playmaker Lucas Paqueta started for Brazil in their final warm-up game for Copa America against the United States in Florida last night — yet his career remains under a cloud.
Paqueta, 26, who has been cleared to play for his country at the competition in the U.S., was charged by the FA last month with alleged breaches of their betting rules.
He is accused of getting himself deliberately booked in four Premier League matches across two seasons. West Ham’s record signing, who moved from Lyon in the summer of 2022 for £51million ($65.2m at today’s conversion rates), had been given until June 3 to respond to the charges, but his lawyers have been granted more time.
Paqueta is a key player for Brazil and will be expected to start when they kick off their Copa America campaign against Costa Rica on June 25, but his future looks increasingly uncertain.
If found guilty, he could be banned for life, a fear that is shared internally by senior figures at West Ham.
Paqueta, a transfer target for Manchester City last summer, insists he is innocent and has vowed to “fight with every breath to clear my name”.
It was on May 23 that Paqueta was charged by the FA with four separate instances of spot-fixing.
“Spot-fixing” is where a player agrees to influence a certain part of a match — by receiving a yellow card, for example — rather than trying to “fix” the final score.
The news dropped just hours after Julen Lopetegui had been announced as West Ham’s head coach, overshadowing the Spaniard’s first day on the job.
The charges relate to a yellow card Paqueta picked up against Leicester City on November 12, 2022, as well as matches in 2023 against Aston Villa on March 12, Leeds United on May 21, and Bournemouth on the opening day on August 12.
An FA statement said: “It’s alleged that he (Paqueta) directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.”
It is understood about 60 people placed bets on Paqueta to receive a yellow card in one or all of the aforementioned matches, with the stakes ranging from £7 to £400.
The investigation into Paqueta’s yellow cards centred on bets traced to accounts registered on Paqueta, an island off Rio de Janeiro where the Brazilian grew up — his nickname ‘Paqueta’ refers to the island — but they were not placed by the player.
Many of the bets under investigation are believed to have been made from newly opened accounts. Any yellow card bet from a new account sets off a colour-coded warning used by betting firms to monitor suspicious activity. For example, a red flag comes up when someone opens a new account and then makes a very specific/niche bet and then a double “red flag” is raised if that person then places a maximum/big bet or if there are multiple bets made on one player.
Betway, West Ham’s shirt sponsor, a company that is not widely used in Brazil, first flagged the suspicious activity as the bets were made on their platform, but it was only when other betting firms, including several local Brazilian operators, started reporting similar concerns that the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) stepped in.
The IBIA then notified FIFA and the FA.
An insider at the IBIA, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, said that if found guilty, Paqueta was unlikely to play again when his case was held up against others.
For example, Kynan Isaac, a Stratford Town player (currently in the seventh tier of English football), was banned for 12 years in October 2022 after he was found guilty of spot-fixing and placing illegal bets on an FA Cup match. He was handed a 10-year ban for deliberately earning a booking in a betting scheme with friends, with a further 18-month suspension for breaching FA rules for betting on matches and an extra year for failing to cooperate with the investigation. Lincoln City’s Bradley Wood was banned for six years in 2018 after he deliberately got booked in two matches, with two close friends betting on that happening.
Isaac, 31, who is now a driving instructor, told The Athletic: “You can’t give me a 10-year ban and then expect me to say nothing if someone with four of the same charges receives a lesser sentence. How could you justify that?”
Paqueta’s case is not expected to progress to a hearing for several months, which means it could stretch into the start of next season. No decision will be made before the Copa America final on July 14.
His case will be heard by an independent commission. If Paqueta is found guilty by the commission, the FA could push FIFA for a worldwide ban.
Paqueta has been charged with two further breaches, under the FA rule F3, alleging that he failed to comply with the investigation.
The Metropolitan Police said there was “no police investigation at this time”.
It first emerged that Paqueta was being investigated by the FA for possible betting breaches in August last year following suspicious betting patterns surrounding a yellow card he received in the 93rd minute of West Ham United’s opening game of last season against Bournemouth, when he was booked for shoving defender Illia Zabarnyi and showing dissent towards referee Peter Bankes.
When news of the investigation broke in August, West Ham’s players held a team meeting without then-manager David Moyes and his backroom staff. Paqueta was tearful during the meeting and told his team-mates he was innocent and felt he was being picked on by the FA. Summer signing and Mexico international Edson Alvarez was especially vocal, saying he would protect Paqueta on the pitch if anyone tried to target him. In West Ham’s 5-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League round of 16 in March, Paqueta ran to Alvarez to hug him after opening the scoring to show his appreciation.
During the season, West Ham’s players constantly checked up on Paqueta because he was initially low on confidence. His close friend, Emerson Palmieri, an Italy international who was born in Brazil, was keen to arrange a night out to boost morale, but it did not happen as Paqueta was said to not want the attention.
He was interviewed by the FA last September and provided them with access to his phone the following month. He later bought a new phone.
Meanwhile, Brazilian news website Globo said an investigation in Brazil started when there was an unusual number of bets placed on Paqueta and fellow countryman, Luiz Henrique, to be booked on the same day in March last year for West Ham and Real Betis respectively. They both received yellow cards in their matches.
Both players were invited to speak in front of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission last September. Paqueta has not done so, while Luiz Henrique was set to but pulled out at the last minute, saying he had to take care of an injury.
A source close to Luiz Henrique, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, said he was innocent. The winger moved to Botafogo in Brazil from Betis for a Brazilian record fee of £17million on January 31.
Paqueta was withdrawn from the Brazil squad in August when it was revealed he was under investigation by the FA.
However, he was later recalled by new manager Dorival Junior for their friendly against England in March this year.
A fortnight ago, Paqueta was cleared to play at Copa America. Brazil are in a group with Costa Rica, Paraguay and Colombia. The CBF (Brazilian football federation) president Ednaldo Rodrigues said in a statement he had reached out to the FA chief executive Mark Bullingham “in a cautious manner, with the aim of ascertaining the player’s current situation” to make sure there were no legal hurdles to Paqueta playing this summer. Quoting an email reply from the FA’s head of integrity, Tarik Shamel, the CBF said the FA had made no request to FIFA to provisionally suspend the player.
Rodrigues said: “The CBF cannot, in an authoritarian manner and in defiance of the English Association that is conducting the case, sentence the player and ban him from playing for the national team, otherwise it would be an obvious anticipation of punishment, which under no circumstances, at least in the light of current national legislation, can be tolerated.”
Warming up for Copa America, Paqueta has enjoyed being in the familiar environment of his Brazil team-mates, where he is particularly close with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United, which has given him the freedom to switch off from events back home.
After he was charged on May 23, Paqueta released a statement denying any wrongdoing. He said: “I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me. For nine months, I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name. Due to the ongoing process, I will not be providing any further comment.”
West Ham have pledged to stand by their player.
After West Ham’s final match of the season, a 3-1 loss to Manchester City in May, Paqueta, his wife Duda, and two sons, Benicio and Filippo, flew to Brazil. There, the midfielder contacted pastor Andre Fernandes to pray for him and his family.
The club said Paqueta was “continuing to be fully supported at all times”.
Luis Guilherme: West Ham’s boy from Brazil – will he be worth the risk?
By Roshane Thomas
Over the past nine months, scouts for Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea have travelled to Brazil to monitor the development of the latest prodigy emerging from Palmeiras: Luis Guilherme.
Real Madrid and Barcelona had interest too, but it was Tim Steidten, West Ham United’s technical director, who was able to convince forward Guilherme to move to the east London Premier League club in a deal worth €30million (£25.4m; $32.4m). The initial fee paid will be €23m, plus €7m in add-ons, with a 20 per cent sell-on clause to Sao Paulo-based Palmeiras.
Guilherme, 18, has signed a five-year contract, with the option of a further year. He is the first signing for Julen Lopetegui, who replaced manager David Moyes as the club’s new head coach at the end of last season. Those close to Guilherme were always confident he would join West Ham despite late interest from an unnamed club in the Saudi Pro League.
The deal came together so quickly in the end he did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to his team-mates or staff behind the scenes in Palmeiras and travelled to London on Monday with his representatives, completing his medical the following day. Guilherme does not yet speak English, but West Ham will provide him with classes so he can communicate with coaches, players and other staff.
Guilherme scored one goal and registered one assist in 45 appearances for Palmeiras. He was the fourth youngest player to feature in the Campeonato Brasileiro top flight in 2023 (at 17 years, two months and six days), behind Rayan of Vasco da Gama and his Palmeiras team-mates Endrick and Estevao Willian.
He arrived at Palmeiras in 2017 after impressing at football schools in Aracaju, his hometown. Having helped the club to under-11s, under-13s and under-15s state championships. Guilherme was part of the Brazil Under-17 side that won the Montaigu Tournament, a competition in France contested by under-16 national teams and clubs, in 2022.
Guilherme is the latest talent from Palmeiras to have caught the radar of a Premier League side. Chelsea are set to complete the signing of midfielder Estavao Willian for a fee in the region of €60million. In August 2016, Gabriel Jesus, now of Arsenal, joined Manchester City for €32m while Danilo moved to Nottingham Forest for €20m in January 2023.
“I’m not surprised Guilherme has joined a Premier League club,” says Thiago Ferri, a journalist who covers Palmeiras for Brazilian media outlet Ge. “There was always the expectation that he would go to Europe, just like Endrick (who is moving to Real Madrid this summer) and Estevao. Although he wasn’t a key player in (manager) Abel Ferreira’s squad, his talent makes everyone believe he will keep evolving and progress well in the Premier League. He is a player that is still improving physically. He is fast and great in one-on-one situations. He is a player with a high ceiling.
“But it hasn’t been an easy journey for Luis and his family. His mom, Ana Maria, quit her job in Aracaju to move with him to Sao Paulo (2,000km/around 1,200 miles away) when he was 11. She’s played a big role in his career. His father, Gladson, still lives in Sergipe (the state Aracaju is in), but is close to him, too.”
Guilherme, who idolises Argentine great Lionel Messi, started his career as a midfielder before moving to play as a forward. He signed his first professional contract in June 2022. This April, he scored his first professional goal in a 3-2 win against Independiente del Valle of Ecuador in the Copa Libertadores — South America’s equivalent of the Champions League — and publicly thanked Ferreira for having faith in him.
Palmeiras’ youth director, Joao Paulo Sampaio, has played an important role in Guilherme’s development and has tipped him for the top of the game.
“I can say that I can have a future Ballon d’Or winner here,” Sampaio told Ge. “Endrick and Luis will be top level in the world. Luis is a technically different guy. Physically, he and Endrick are two phenomena because they are above average and have the mentality of wanting to be bigger. I brought them both at 14 years old to play for the under-17s and they were both training better than the 17-year-old boys.
“We played in a tournament in Japan and Luis scored over 40 goals. The Japanese players were scared of him. But Luis doesn’t get carried away. He knows the potential he has. He’s a special player.”
Despite Guilherme being highly rated, there is risk attached to signing a largely unproven prospect from another country.
A case in point is West Ham breaking their transfer record to sign Savio Nsereko from Italian side Brescia for £9million in January 2009. The then 19-year-old only started once in 10 league appearances for the club, failed to score once, and his career nose-dived thereafter. For context, that £9m fee was greater than the club’s previous biggest outlay, the £7.5m spent on Craig Bellamy of Liverpool in 2007.
Fifteen years on and there is more due diligence from West Ham’s recruitment team with new signings, but Guilherme’s return of goals and assists for Palmeiras hardly stands out. West Ham are not signing him as one to develop with their under-21s, either. He has been signed to challenge Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen for a first-team place.
“Luis was always considered really talented and one of the biggest names in the Palmeiras youth academy, with Endrick and Estevao,” says Ferri. “But in the professional team, he did not have the impact that was expected. Abel Ferreira used him sometimes as a left-winger, although he used to play as a No 10 in the under-20s and under-17s.”
West Ham hope to make six signings this summer. There is interest in forward Jota Silva, of Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, and Juventus winger Matias Soule.
Last season, West Ham had the second oldest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 28.2 – only Fulham’s was older. They are keen to bring that number down for the start of former Spain and Real Madrid head coach Lopetegui’s reign.
Supporters’ first glimpse of Guilherme could be in the pre-season friendly against non-League neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge on July 20. Where he plays if picked for that one could indicate the position Lopetegui believes his new signing is best suited to.
“Sometimes the fans wanted to see Luis play in midfield, because that’s the position he was initially taught to play in,” says Camila Alves, a journalist for Ge. “But the manager saw something in him as a forward. Luis does need to work on his finishing, this is where he has struggled. Sometimes he’s been in Endrick’s shadow, which hasn’t helped.
“There was a time when Guilherme’s development was a bit stop-start and he would be left on the bench. But things started to click and then the expectation was he would be sold soon. He’s a very promising talent and, over time, he could develop into a really good player. West Ham is a right fit for him.”
TBR
West Ham want to sign ‘complete full-back’ likened to Lucas Hernandez
West Ham United have already got their first signing of the summer on board, bringing Luis Guilherme to the London Stadium from Palmeiras.
However, the Hammers aren’t expected to stop there, and there’s a good chance we will see some more incomings – and some outgoings – in the coming weeks.
West Ham will be eager to give new boss Julen Lopetegui what he needs to ensure the club can bounce back after a somewhat underwhelming season.
Now, it looks as though the Hammers have set their sights on a defender who has been deemed a “complete full-back”.
According to Sports Digitale journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu’s X account, West Ham have set their sights on Fenerbahce defender Jayden Oosterwolde.
The report, posting an exclusive, claimed that the Hammers are “monitoring the situation” of the 23-year-old Dutchman.
Who is West Ham target Jayden Oosterwolde?
Oosterwolde came through the ranks at FC Twente before linking up with Italian side Parma, initially on loan and then permanently.
He then signed for Fenerbahce in January 2023 in a deal reportedly worth around £5million, and he has made a name for himself in the Superlig.
Oosterwolde has made 48 appearances for Fenerbahce, also getting on the scoresheet twice.
“Oosterwolde is a modern defender,” Jose Blakborn, his agent, told Si Gonfia la Rete earlier this year amid reports claiming Inter Milan had made a bid for him.
“He’s extremely physically strong and very fast. He has played as a left-back with great offensive propensity. He has drive, strength, and quality.
“I am in close contact, obviously, with Fenerbahce, who have outlined three options for my client. A Spanish option, an English one, and staying here.”
Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig described Oosterwolde in 2020 as a “complete full-back”, likened him to Lucas Hernandez, and game him a potential rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Oosterwolde looks like a good shout for West Ham, so let’s see whether we get any further developments on this front in the coming weeks.
Oosterwolde
