Manchester United will only listen to offers of £52m (60m euros) for Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, with Juventus interested in the 22-year-old. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian), external
Manchester City will have to pay £100m if they want to sign Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, 25, this summer. (Talksport), external
Real Madrid will bide their time in their pursuit of Arsenal's French defender William Saliba, 24 - aiming to sign him on a cut-price deal in 2026 or free transfer when his contract expires in 2027. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim will hold 'clear-the-air' talks with England forward Marcus Rashford this summer if the 27-year-old does not sign with Aston Villa permanently. (Daily Star), external
Manchester City are progressing in talks over a new deal for England Under-20 midfielder Nico O'Reilly, after Chelsea showed interest in the 20-year-old in January. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Inter Miami are close to an agreement with veteran Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 37, over a contract extension to keep him with the MLS club. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Tottenham Hotspur are considering making permanent the loan move of Bayern Munich and France Under-21 forward Mathys Tel, 19, but are not willing to activate the 50-55m euros (£43m-£47m) buy option clause in the deal. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimira, 23, will sign a new contract until 2029, despite interest from Manchester City in the Spaniard, whose deal will contain a 60m euros (£51.9m) release clause. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Manchester United, Newcastle, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham are all in the hunt to sign 25-year-old Wolves and Brazil forward Matheus Cunha. (Daily Mail), external
Liverpool and Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk, 33, has agreed terms for a new contract with the club which he will sign before the end of the current season. (Fabrizio Romano)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Newcastle have reportedly joined Tottenham, West Ham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the race to sign highly-rated Lille forward Jonathan David.
The son of Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand has joined Havant and Waterlooville for the rest of the season.
Manchester City supporters are planning a demonstration against the club's ticketing policies during next week's home game against Leicester.
Aston Villa transfer chief Monchi has revealed his interest in Real Madrid and Turkey starlet Arda Guler, who was involved in a social media spat with Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai last week.
Bayern Munich have opened talks over a new contract for Eric Dier.
A Yeovil supporter has been banned from attending matches due to his negative comments about the club on social media.
DAILY MIRROR
Tottenham are eyeing Andoni Iraola in a blow to current manager Ange Postecoglou, it has been claimed.
Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez has opened the door to a dream summer switch to Liverpool after admitting he wants to take the next step in his career with an elite club who are capable of challenging for major honours.
Osasuna have officially launched an appeal against Barcelona after the Spanish league leaders fielded Inigo Martinez in their win against the Pamplona side.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Tottenham have not held talks over Fabio Paratici returning to a full-time position at the club once his worldwide ban ends.
DAILY EXPRESS
Manchester United have been handed a monumental two-part boost in their hopes of signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer, according to reports.
Manchester United chief operating officer Collette Roche features on Newcastle's shortlist as the Carabao Cup winners hunt for a new chief executive, according to reports.
Former Arsenal sporting director Edu reportedly carried out a huge amount of work to complete a £51m deal for Martin Zubimendi.
THE SUN
Enzo Maresca cancelled a day off for senior Chelsea stars after they flopped in a training session with the club's U21s.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's family have made £140,000 selling his memorabilia to help settle his debts.
THE ATHLETIC
Norwegian football fans have announced a series of protests across the opening two matchdays of the top two divisions after its governing body voted to keep using VAR despite its professional clubs voting to discontinue the system.
James Rodriguez has described FIFA's decision to exclude Liga MX side Club Leon from the Club World Cup as a "grave injustice".
DAILY STAR
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has shared his annoyance at the reaction of some Liverpool fans to reports that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to sign for Real Madrid.
Mason Mount is set to play his first minutes of 2025 as he returns from another injury lay-off.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's rumoured deal to join Real Madrid has sparked Liverpool to enter into contract negotiations with Mohamed Salah.
THE GUARDIAN
Newcastle have produced a glossy promotional video of a new 65,000-capacity stadium at Leazes Park in the strongest indication yet that they are planning to leave St James' Park, their home since 1892.
THE TIMES
Arsenal are trialling a new take on off-field partnerships by launching their own equivalent of a reality TV dating show.
The Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk's company VVD Promotions Ltd continues to blossom, with income from image rights and other activities swelling its assets by more than £2.4m last year.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic have revealed they are in contact with independent safety and event consultants to review supporters' concerns around policing of the recent Old Firm fixture.
AC Milan legend Joe Jordan reckons Scott McTominay is on course to become one of the best British exports to Italy.
Victor Wanyama called his return to Scottish football with Dunfermline a fairytale.
DAILY RECORD
Brendan Rodgers says Daizen Maeda has earned every penny of an improved deal at Celtic.
Ryan Kent looks set to try and resurrect his career with Seattle Sounders in MLS, with the US side's head coach hinting that the former Rangers star's arrival is imminent.
Hearts could ask the Scottish FA for more Scottish Cup semi-final tickets after selling out their allocation.
Birmingham boss Chris Davies has confirmed the club will be looking to turn Rangers midfielder Kieran Dowell's loan move into a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
The Athletic
West Ham are eyeing Jonathan David for their summer rebuild. It’s no surprise given their squad age
By Roshane Thomas and Mark Carey
West Ham United head coach Graham Potter is closely guarded with transfer plans but even he could not contain his excitement for the summer — and it is no surprise when a proven goalscorer in Ligue 1 is emerging as their leading transfer target.
Jonathan David, the Lille forward, is entering the final months of his deal and does not intend to sign an extension. Since joining Lille from Gent in 2020, the 25-year-old has scored 107 goals across 226 appearances. This season he registered seven goals in the Champions League, with noticeable strikes against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.
Sources, who, like others spoken to for this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic that David’s representatives have held positive talks with West Ham’s hierarchy. That said, the Canada international is not short of suitors. A potential stumbling block for West Ham is a lack European football next season. Graham Potter’s side are 16th in the Premier League, which also explains why the head coach will oversee a squad overhaul this summer.
West Ham have a longstanding interest in David, which initially dates back to January 2021. Despite Niclas Fullkrug’s encouraging recent performances against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth, signing a striker remains a priority. Potter’s other forward options are Evan Ferguson, 20, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, Danny Ings, 32, and Michail Antonio, 35. Ings and Antonio are entering the final months of their contracts. Ferguson’s loan is unlikely to become a permanent deal and Ings is set to depart, while Antonio, who has been out of action for months following a car accident, could see his 10-year spell at West Ham extended for another season, albeit on reduced terms.
Potter is optimistic about the summer transfer window. The task of identifying targets has been aided by Kyle Macaulay, who joined as head of recruitment from Chelsea after Potter’s appointment in January. The pair worked together previously at Swedish side Ostersunds, Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion.
“I don’t like to speak about specific positions or things like that because as soon as you do, the market goes crazy and it becomes unhelpful for us,” said Potter in Friday’s pre-match press conference. “But we want to move towards a style of play that is recognisable. We need to think about the character of the players, personality and how they fit into the values of the club. It is not just about the talent on the pitch but off it too. How open they are to being here and the demands of playing for West Ham. It’s going to be an exciting summer.
“Kyle (Macaulay) has settled in really well. He enjoys working here and has a strong feel for the club like we all have. He understands what we’re trying to do. We’ve had great support from the board so it’s been really positive. We’ll work together to find the right solutions.”
The average age of West Ham’s team has been the joint-oldest (28.8 years old, level with Everton) in the Premier League. The nature of their ageing squad was reflected in performances against Newcastle United (defeat), Everton (draw), Wolverhampton Wanderers (defeat) and Bournemouth (draw). West Ham’s last league win was against Leicester City on February 27.
Of their 28-man squad, 12 are aged 30 or over: Lukasz Fabianski, Alphonse Areola, Wes Foderingham, Aaron Cresswell, Emerson Palmieri, Vladimir Coufal, James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek, Guido Rodriguez, Fullkrug, Antonio and Ings. Of those players, only Soucek has played over 75 per cent of minutes this term.
Fabianski, whose contract expires at the end of the season, lost his No 1 jersey to Areola in January. Foderingham is yet to play a competitive game since joining on a free transfer in June from Sheffield United. Although Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 26, is on the club’s radar, the acquisition of a goalkeeper is not considered a priority. West Ham are happy with Areola, who has two years remaining on his deal.
Cresswell has played well in Potter’s back three but is in the twilight of his career. Emerson has lost his place in the starting XI to academy prospect Ollie Scarles. Contract talks with Coufal have reached an impasse and during the international break, he expressed his frustration. Ward-Prowse was recalled from his loan spell from Nottingham Forest in February. Soucek’s offensive output is still good as he nears 10 goals in a campaign for the third time in his West Ham career. Rodriguez, however, has only played two minutes under Potter.
Midfield is an area of weakness and The Athletic reported in March that Lille’s Angel Gomes was among their targets. The England international is set to become a free agent this summer. In February, the 24-year-old joined ROOF agency, which has Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk on its roster. Mohammed Kudus is now also represented by the agency.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, West Ham scouts have monitored the development of Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg. But the 17-year-old is a sought-after talent with Newcastle United and Manchester United among his admirers.
Kyle Walker-Peters, the Southampton right-back, is viewed as Coufal’s potential replacement by a source close to the hierarchy at West Ham, depending on what happens with the Czech’s contract. Similar to David and Gomes, Walker-Peters will be available on a free transfer. Last summer, West Ham held talks with Southampton over potentially signing the former Tottenham Hotspur defender but they were not willing to commit to Southampton’s £20million ($26.1m) asking price. Instead, they completed the £15m signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United. He has since proven to be a solid addition.
Potter has good reasons for predicting an exciting summer for West Ham. As he continues to build the club in his image, next season will be an accurate picture of what the club can achieve under his tutelage.
(Top photo: Michael Owens/Getty Images)