Friday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 27 Feb 2026, 12:11
BBC
Reports that Jurgen Klopp will leave his role as head of global soccer at the Red Bull organisation are "complete nonsense and totally unfounded", says CEO Oliver Mintzlaff. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external
Liverpool are firmly in the frame for Nottingham Forest's 23-year-old Brazil defender Murillo, although Chelsea still lead the pursuit. (Teamtalk), external
Serbia international Dusan Vlahovic favours a switch to Barcelona when his Juventus contract ends this summer, although Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea remain in the hunt to sign the 26-year-old forward. (Teamtalk), external
Arsenal and Manchester City are considering bids of £30m for Atalanta left-back Honest Ahanor. Chelsea are also interested in the 18-year-old Nigerian. (Caught Offside), external
Liverpool and Manchester United will not pay Wolves' £50m asking price for 18-year-old England youth international Mateus Mane this summer as they consider the midfielder too raw. (Football Insider), external
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney is targeting silverware in Saudi Arabia with current club Al-Ahli, but the Englishman, 29, is not ruling out a return to the Premier League. (Talksport), external
Forward Nicolas Jackson is set to return to Chelsea. The 24-year-old Senegal international moved to Bayern Munich on loan last summer, but the Bundesliga champions are not keen on a permanent switch. (CFBayernInsider), external
Newcastle United are looking at Brighton's Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and Manchester City's English stopper James Trafford, both 23, as they target finding a long-term successor for England international Nick Pope, 33. (The i Newspaper - subscription required), external
Newcastle United are also watching Union Saint-Gilloise winger Anan Khalaili. The 21-year-old Israel international has scored three times in the Champions League this season. (Mail+ - subscription required), external
Liverpool's 19-year-old winger Trent Kone-Doherty, from Northern Ireland, might soon leave to join Norwegian club Molde despite being offered a new contract at Anfield. (Football Insider), external
Napoli inserted a clause in the deal of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen's switch to Galatasaray which means the Turkish club will have to pay them up to £60m if they sell the 27-year-old to an Italian club. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
The Athletic
Axel Disasi can give West Ham the much-needed clout to upset Liverpool
Axel Disasi warms up prior to West Ham's recent draw with Manchester United James Fearn/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
An hour after West Ham United’s victory against Burnley at Turf Moor earlier this month, a large crowd gathered near the entrance of the away dressing room. They all wanted to see Axel Disasi.
It was the 27-year-old’s first appearance for West Ham United since joining on a straight loan on deadline day from Chelsea. Disasi, the five-time France international, had just played his first Premier League match since April, and helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seal a 2-0 win and their second clean sheet of the campaign (the previous being the 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in August).
It was an impressive debut from the centre-back and his compatriots waited patiently to tell him. Burnley forward Loum Tchaouna was the first to hover near the doorway, with midfielder and ex-Chelsea team-mate Lesley Ugochukwu joining shortly after, with both closely followed by members of their entourage. They all embraced Disasi, with Ugochukwu praising his performance.
Such was the length of their conversation, West Ham’s head of security informed Disasi he needed to make a move or he would miss the team coach back to London. But the defender was in no rush to cut short the clearly much-appreciated feedback and was given an extra five minutes.
Disasi left Lancashire with new-found confidence. Since then, his defensive partnership with Konstantinos Mavropanos has boosted West Ham’s survival bid. They have now kept two clean sheets in their last three league games, having gone 21 without one before Disasi’s arrival. Despite Jean-Clair Todibo completing his three-match suspension following his dismissal in the 3-2 loss at Chelsea, Nuno stuck with the Mavropanos and Disasi pairing for the goalless draw against Bournemouth.
This is Disasi’s second loan spell since joining Chelsea from Monaco in the summer of 2023 on a six-year contract. In February 2025, the centre-back had a brief spell at Aston Villa and made 10 appearances across all competitions. He has not played a competitive game for his parent club since playing 13 minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 20, 2025.
Disasi during his West Ham debut — a 2-0 win at BurnleyKate McShane/Getty Images
Despite prolonged inactivity in the top-flight, Disasi has not looked out of place in West Ham’s starting XI. His recovery after sessions at their training hub in Rush Green entails cryotherapy and the hyperbaric chamber. He has settled in well and has displayed fighting spirit in their quest for survival.
West Ham remain in the relegation zone, two points adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th. Given their recent mini-revival, Nuno’s side will be buoyant ahead of this weekend’s encounter with Liverpool. West Ham’s last league win at Anfield was August 2015, courtesy of goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble — now sporting director — and Diafra Sakho. There is hope internally that the club can secure a surprise win, and Disasi’s physicality at the back may help them knock the Premier League champions out of their stride.
Just like Ugochukwu, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen praised Disasi’s impact.
“I actually asked Axel after the Burnley game when he last played, and when he said it was April I was a bit shocked,” Hermansen told West Ham’s official website. “He’s brought a lot of stability to the defence, and on the ball as well he is really good. Together with Dinos, I think he’s been amazing.”
The temptation will already be to start thinking about a permanent deal, but they say you should never fall in love with a loan player. West Ham have certainly been hurt before. Jesse Lingard, who in January 2021 joined on a six-month loan from Manchester United, scored nine goals in 16 league appearances, earned a recall to the England squad and helped West Ham seal Europa League qualification. In the summer of 2022, Lingard’s contract at Old Trafford expired but he rejected West Ham’s offer and instead joined Nottingham Forest.
Nuno’s side need to secure their top-flight status before entertaining the thought of converting Disasi’s loan into a permanent deal. Sources with knowledge of the situation who, like all of those spoken to for this article, wished to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, say Chelsea insisted on not including an option to buy in the deal. In fact, the London rivals were against selling Disasi in January in the hope his value would improve during his loan.
West Ham outlined their intention of signing the centre-back at the start of the winter transfer window, but given the level of interest in Disasi (Milan, Fiorentina and Villarreal also expressed interest), Nuno and his recruitment team made contingency plans. They included Toulouse defender and long-standing target Charlie Cresswell, while an £18million bid for Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis was rejected by the Championship side.
After the termination of Igor Julio’s season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on January 27, the recognised central defenders available to Nuno were Mavropanos, Todibo and Maximilian Kilman, who has not started a league game since the chastening 3-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 3. Sources say it was a straight fight between West Ham and Milan to land Disasi’s signature in the latter stages of the window.
A deciding factor was West Ham’s willingness to pay a higher portion of the defender’s salary. But despite the Serie A side being out of the running, and Disasi’s preference of remaining in the Premier League, sources say it was not an easy deal to finalise. On deadline day, protracted negotiations between West Ham and Chelsea over a loan fee initially saw Disasi’s medical delayed.
But the defender was always confident the deal would be completed and his arrival has certainly impressed at least one family member.
“My auntie supports West Ham,” he told West Ham’s official podcast, IronCast. “When I joined Chelsea she was happy, but she wanted it to be West Ham. Now I’m here, she’s happy. I didn’t tell her I was going to join, she found out like everyone else.”
His inclusion in the starting XI against Burnley surprised many of West Ham’s fanbase, but Disasi maintained his fitness to ensure he was ready for his long-awaited opportunity. He trained separately from Chelsea’s first team at their training hub in Cobham, otherwise known as the “the bomb squad”. He was, however, reintegrated back into the first-team squad by Chelsea’s sporting directors before he left.
Before that, though, between November and early January, he played for their under-21s in youth games against Benfica, Paris-Saint Germain and Reading. There were occasions — but it would not always be the case — that Disasi would not train until as late as 7pm. In the build-up to arriving at Cobham, he would work with his personal trainer in the mornings and do solo sessions in his garden in the afternoons.
“At Chelsea, when it got a bit crazy, my background helped me get through,” Disasi told IronCast. “I stayed sharp, worked hard and always made sure I was in a good headspace. That plays a big part in everything.”
Many will hope Disasi’s upwards trajectory coincides with West Ham’s rise from the lower reaches of the table.
Sport Witness
West Ham and Fulham ready to meet USA international’s asking price – Player keen on transfer
By Kaustubh Pandey
Rome, Italy 18th May 2025: Yunus Musah of AC Milan during SERIE A 2024-25 football match between AS Roma vs AC Milan at the Olimpico Stadium
In the summer transfer window, Sport Witness extensively covered West Ham’s interest in Yunus Musah. A deal didn’t progress then but it can next summer, with Fulham also emerging as a suitor.
Instead of the Hammers, Musah ended up joining Atalanta on loan from AC Milan.
So far in all competitions, the versatile midfielder has played only 674 minutes. He was left on the bench on Wednesday, as Atalanta achieved a historic Champions League comeback against Borussia Dortmund.
That, in a nutshell, defines Musah’s situation. He is now likely to return to Milan in the summer. West Ham and Fulham are already keeping a close eye on his situation.
West Ham and Fulham big on transfer
MilanLive report about the 23-year-old, with Atalanta convinced about sending him back to the San Siro.
This will leave Milan with a problem on their hands. No other clubs have come forward for him so far but that will change in the summer. The Rossoneri want only €20m to sell him and Fulham and West Ham are willing to meet that asking price. Napoli can also do that, having previously tried to land him.
There is also a warning about interest from Turkey, where Besiktas are keen.
In the meantime, Musah is very keen on seeking a new challenge. He is likely to be interested in a move to England, even if staying in Italy would be his priority.
Yunus Musah presents versatile option
The USA international has mainly been used in midfield at Atalanta but that isn’t the best representation of his qualities.
That was seen more at Milan, where he played across the pitch. He also filled in at right-back, which is where he has also played for the national team many times. At times, Musah also played on the flanks and as an attacking midfielder.
This could make him a utility signing for West Ham and Fulham. He is only 23-years-of-age and only needs the right environment to thrive. He has previously played for England’s youth teams and qualifies as a homegrown player for the Premier League after spending multiple years in Arsenal’s youth system.
Reports that Jurgen Klopp will leave his role as head of global soccer at the Red Bull organisation are "complete nonsense and totally unfounded", says CEO Oliver Mintzlaff. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external
Liverpool are firmly in the frame for Nottingham Forest's 23-year-old Brazil defender Murillo, although Chelsea still lead the pursuit. (Teamtalk), external
Serbia international Dusan Vlahovic favours a switch to Barcelona when his Juventus contract ends this summer, although Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea remain in the hunt to sign the 26-year-old forward. (Teamtalk), external
Arsenal and Manchester City are considering bids of £30m for Atalanta left-back Honest Ahanor. Chelsea are also interested in the 18-year-old Nigerian. (Caught Offside), external
Liverpool and Manchester United will not pay Wolves' £50m asking price for 18-year-old England youth international Mateus Mane this summer as they consider the midfielder too raw. (Football Insider), external
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney is targeting silverware in Saudi Arabia with current club Al-Ahli, but the Englishman, 29, is not ruling out a return to the Premier League. (Talksport), external
Forward Nicolas Jackson is set to return to Chelsea. The 24-year-old Senegal international moved to Bayern Munich on loan last summer, but the Bundesliga champions are not keen on a permanent switch. (CFBayernInsider), external
Newcastle United are looking at Brighton's Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and Manchester City's English stopper James Trafford, both 23, as they target finding a long-term successor for England international Nick Pope, 33. (The i Newspaper - subscription required), external
Newcastle United are also watching Union Saint-Gilloise winger Anan Khalaili. The 21-year-old Israel international has scored three times in the Champions League this season. (Mail+ - subscription required), external
Liverpool's 19-year-old winger Trent Kone-Doherty, from Northern Ireland, might soon leave to join Norwegian club Molde despite being offered a new contract at Anfield. (Football Insider), external
Napoli inserted a clause in the deal of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen's switch to Galatasaray which means the Turkish club will have to pay them up to £60m if they sell the 27-year-old to an Italian club. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
The Athletic
Axel Disasi can give West Ham the much-needed clout to upset Liverpool
Axel Disasi warms up prior to West Ham's recent draw with Manchester United James Fearn/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
An hour after West Ham United’s victory against Burnley at Turf Moor earlier this month, a large crowd gathered near the entrance of the away dressing room. They all wanted to see Axel Disasi.
It was the 27-year-old’s first appearance for West Ham United since joining on a straight loan on deadline day from Chelsea. Disasi, the five-time France international, had just played his first Premier League match since April, and helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seal a 2-0 win and their second clean sheet of the campaign (the previous being the 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in August).
It was an impressive debut from the centre-back and his compatriots waited patiently to tell him. Burnley forward Loum Tchaouna was the first to hover near the doorway, with midfielder and ex-Chelsea team-mate Lesley Ugochukwu joining shortly after, with both closely followed by members of their entourage. They all embraced Disasi, with Ugochukwu praising his performance.
Such was the length of their conversation, West Ham’s head of security informed Disasi he needed to make a move or he would miss the team coach back to London. But the defender was in no rush to cut short the clearly much-appreciated feedback and was given an extra five minutes.
Disasi left Lancashire with new-found confidence. Since then, his defensive partnership with Konstantinos Mavropanos has boosted West Ham’s survival bid. They have now kept two clean sheets in their last three league games, having gone 21 without one before Disasi’s arrival. Despite Jean-Clair Todibo completing his three-match suspension following his dismissal in the 3-2 loss at Chelsea, Nuno stuck with the Mavropanos and Disasi pairing for the goalless draw against Bournemouth.
This is Disasi’s second loan spell since joining Chelsea from Monaco in the summer of 2023 on a six-year contract. In February 2025, the centre-back had a brief spell at Aston Villa and made 10 appearances across all competitions. He has not played a competitive game for his parent club since playing 13 minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 20, 2025.
Disasi during his West Ham debut — a 2-0 win at BurnleyKate McShane/Getty Images
Despite prolonged inactivity in the top-flight, Disasi has not looked out of place in West Ham’s starting XI. His recovery after sessions at their training hub in Rush Green entails cryotherapy and the hyperbaric chamber. He has settled in well and has displayed fighting spirit in their quest for survival.
West Ham remain in the relegation zone, two points adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th. Given their recent mini-revival, Nuno’s side will be buoyant ahead of this weekend’s encounter with Liverpool. West Ham’s last league win at Anfield was August 2015, courtesy of goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble — now sporting director — and Diafra Sakho. There is hope internally that the club can secure a surprise win, and Disasi’s physicality at the back may help them knock the Premier League champions out of their stride.
Just like Ugochukwu, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen praised Disasi’s impact.
“I actually asked Axel after the Burnley game when he last played, and when he said it was April I was a bit shocked,” Hermansen told West Ham’s official website. “He’s brought a lot of stability to the defence, and on the ball as well he is really good. Together with Dinos, I think he’s been amazing.”
The temptation will already be to start thinking about a permanent deal, but they say you should never fall in love with a loan player. West Ham have certainly been hurt before. Jesse Lingard, who in January 2021 joined on a six-month loan from Manchester United, scored nine goals in 16 league appearances, earned a recall to the England squad and helped West Ham seal Europa League qualification. In the summer of 2022, Lingard’s contract at Old Trafford expired but he rejected West Ham’s offer and instead joined Nottingham Forest.
Nuno’s side need to secure their top-flight status before entertaining the thought of converting Disasi’s loan into a permanent deal. Sources with knowledge of the situation who, like all of those spoken to for this article, wished to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, say Chelsea insisted on not including an option to buy in the deal. In fact, the London rivals were against selling Disasi in January in the hope his value would improve during his loan.
West Ham outlined their intention of signing the centre-back at the start of the winter transfer window, but given the level of interest in Disasi (Milan, Fiorentina and Villarreal also expressed interest), Nuno and his recruitment team made contingency plans. They included Toulouse defender and long-standing target Charlie Cresswell, while an £18million bid for Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis was rejected by the Championship side.
After the termination of Igor Julio’s season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on January 27, the recognised central defenders available to Nuno were Mavropanos, Todibo and Maximilian Kilman, who has not started a league game since the chastening 3-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 3. Sources say it was a straight fight between West Ham and Milan to land Disasi’s signature in the latter stages of the window.
A deciding factor was West Ham’s willingness to pay a higher portion of the defender’s salary. But despite the Serie A side being out of the running, and Disasi’s preference of remaining in the Premier League, sources say it was not an easy deal to finalise. On deadline day, protracted negotiations between West Ham and Chelsea over a loan fee initially saw Disasi’s medical delayed.
But the defender was always confident the deal would be completed and his arrival has certainly impressed at least one family member.
“My auntie supports West Ham,” he told West Ham’s official podcast, IronCast. “When I joined Chelsea she was happy, but she wanted it to be West Ham. Now I’m here, she’s happy. I didn’t tell her I was going to join, she found out like everyone else.”
His inclusion in the starting XI against Burnley surprised many of West Ham’s fanbase, but Disasi maintained his fitness to ensure he was ready for his long-awaited opportunity. He trained separately from Chelsea’s first team at their training hub in Cobham, otherwise known as the “the bomb squad”. He was, however, reintegrated back into the first-team squad by Chelsea’s sporting directors before he left.
Before that, though, between November and early January, he played for their under-21s in youth games against Benfica, Paris-Saint Germain and Reading. There were occasions — but it would not always be the case — that Disasi would not train until as late as 7pm. In the build-up to arriving at Cobham, he would work with his personal trainer in the mornings and do solo sessions in his garden in the afternoons.
“At Chelsea, when it got a bit crazy, my background helped me get through,” Disasi told IronCast. “I stayed sharp, worked hard and always made sure I was in a good headspace. That plays a big part in everything.”
Many will hope Disasi’s upwards trajectory coincides with West Ham’s rise from the lower reaches of the table.
Sport Witness
West Ham and Fulham ready to meet USA international’s asking price – Player keen on transfer
By Kaustubh Pandey
Rome, Italy 18th May 2025: Yunus Musah of AC Milan during SERIE A 2024-25 football match between AS Roma vs AC Milan at the Olimpico Stadium
In the summer transfer window, Sport Witness extensively covered West Ham’s interest in Yunus Musah. A deal didn’t progress then but it can next summer, with Fulham also emerging as a suitor.
Instead of the Hammers, Musah ended up joining Atalanta on loan from AC Milan.
So far in all competitions, the versatile midfielder has played only 674 minutes. He was left on the bench on Wednesday, as Atalanta achieved a historic Champions League comeback against Borussia Dortmund.
That, in a nutshell, defines Musah’s situation. He is now likely to return to Milan in the summer. West Ham and Fulham are already keeping a close eye on his situation.
West Ham and Fulham big on transfer
MilanLive report about the 23-year-old, with Atalanta convinced about sending him back to the San Siro.
This will leave Milan with a problem on their hands. No other clubs have come forward for him so far but that will change in the summer. The Rossoneri want only €20m to sell him and Fulham and West Ham are willing to meet that asking price. Napoli can also do that, having previously tried to land him.
There is also a warning about interest from Turkey, where Besiktas are keen.
In the meantime, Musah is very keen on seeking a new challenge. He is likely to be interested in a move to England, even if staying in Italy would be his priority.
Yunus Musah presents versatile option
The USA international has mainly been used in midfield at Atalanta but that isn’t the best representation of his qualities.
That was seen more at Milan, where he played across the pitch. He also filled in at right-back, which is where he has also played for the national team many times. At times, Musah also played on the flanks and as an attacking midfielder.
This could make him a utility signing for West Ham and Fulham. He is only 23-years-of-age and only needs the right environment to thrive. He has previously played for England’s youth teams and qualifies as a homegrown player for the Premier League after spending multiple years in Arsenal’s youth system.