Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal enter race for Laporte

7 months ago 2

ESPN

Jun 17, 2025, 12:00 PM ET

Chelsea person initiated interaction with Lyon's Malick Fofana, portion Arsenal are 1 of the clubs funny successful signing erstwhile Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte. Join america for the latest transportation news, rumors, and gossip from astir the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

- Arsenal are 1 of the clubs funny successful signing erstwhile Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte from Al Nassr, says AS. Laporte, 31, made 180 appearances for City aft moving from Athletic Club for €65m successful 2018 but near for Saudi Arabia successful 2023 for a interest of €27.5m. The Spain planetary has respective options arsenic helium considers a determination backmost to Europe, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Marseille, Inter Milan, Napoli and Athletic Club each interested.

- Chelsea officials person contacted Lyon implicit a determination for winger Malick Fofana, reports L'Equipe. While their involvement successful the 20-year-old is "still successful its infancy," helium is viewed arsenic a imaginable alternate people should the nine neglect to unafraid a woody for Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens. Fofana, who had 9 extremity involvements successful 29 Ligue 1 matches past season, is highly rated and his transportation is valued astatine astir €50 million. Chelsea's efforts to motion the Belgium planetary could intensify successful the weeks ahead, aft their pursuit of Gittens deed a roadblock with Arsenal besides keeping tabs connected the Dortmund youngster.

- Manchester City winger Jack Grealish is of involvement to Serie A champions Napoli, says The Telegraph. Grealish, 29, has struggled for crippled clip this play and was near retired of City's squad for the Club World Cup. Napoli person already landed Kevin De Bruyne on a escaped transportation from City, and person turned the vocation of erstwhile Man United midfielder Scott McTominay astir successful a year, truthful volition beryllium assured they tin transportation Grealish. Though helium would person to judge astir fractional of his existent £300,000-per-week salary.

- Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, 23, has caught the oculus of Tottenham, according to L'Equipe. The erstwhile PSG younker merchandise has a declaration until 2027 and bagged 18 goals and 3 assists successful 34 games this season. Rennes volition privation to recoup the €25m they spent to motion him from Lens successful 2022 but Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle are besides interested.

- Barcelona are inactive struggling with fiscal issues but privation to onshore an archetypal €5m woody (with different €20m successful add-ons) to motion Dinamo Zagreb teen Cardoso Varela, says Sport. Despite the information that helium precocious signed a caller declaration until 2028, Varela, 16, could determination erstwhile helium turns 18 successful the summertime of 2026. The Portugal younker planetary winger, who began his vocation astatine FC Porto, besides shares an cause with Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo and caller goalkeeping arrival Joan García.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

- Brighton person signed 21-year-old centre-back Diego Coppola from Serie A nine Hellas Verona for an undisclosed interest connected a declaration until 2030. Read

- Real Betis person signed goalkeeper Álvaro Valles on a declaration until 2030.

- Real Madrid women person announced the assignment of 32-year-old manager Pau Quesada arsenic replacement for Alberto Toril.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN's nonmigratory scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen tells america what we request to cognize astir Lyon's Malick Fofana.

Among the astir promising wingers successful Europe, Fofana joined Lyon from Gent 2 years agone for €19.5 cardinal arsenic a processing subordinate and it's just to accidental that helium hasn't yet escaped that label. Though past play marked a mini-breakthrough of sorts, helium started conscionable implicit fractional of Lyon's Ligue 1 games and, contempt important flashes of inspiration, consistency and antiaircraft exertion are inactive enactment successful progress.

Usually deployed arsenic a near winger, Fofana doesn't rather lucifer the skillset of the accepted inverted wide attacker; sure, helium cuts infield connected to his stronger ft but he's arsenic apt to utilize his dribbling quality portion hugging the touchline. In fact, past season's instrumentality of 1.57 palmy crosses (per 90 minutes) places him successful the apical 5 of Ligue 1 wingers.

Fofana is besides a large interaction player. His precocious goals proved important connected 4 occasions past play (scoring 4 wrong the past 5 minutes of games) and having the young winger moving astatine defenders with bushed legs proved a astute tactical plot. While technically beardown and equipped with awesome acceleration, his off-the-ball moving is different of his halfway strengths. Only PSG prima Ousmane Dembele recorded much progressive runs than the Belgian (5.2 per 90), which underscores his busy, agile nature.

Despite inactive being a tad unstructured tactically, the attacking menace helium represents done his vivacity, willingness to instrumentality connected defenders astatine maximum intensity, and exhilarating gait puts him successful a bully stead to win successful the Premier League.

OTHER RUMORS

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Arne Slot's cardinal relation successful Wirtz transfer

Julien Laurens and Gab Marcotti uncover however Arne Slot convinced Florian Wirtz to chose Liverpool implicit different rivals.

- Liverpool are seeking a interest of £40m from immoderate nine funny successful signing striker Darwin Núñez. But portion Napoli and Atlético Madrid are some keen connected Núñez, their penchant is to motion him connected an archetypal indebtedness deal. (Football Insider)

- Manchester United winger Antony, 25, could determination to Real Betis permanently successful a analyzable joint-ownership statement that would spot the LaLiga nine paying to instrumentality connected percentages of his playing rights from 2026. (ABC)

- Newcastle United stay funny successful signing Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga. While the club's pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion striker João Pedro is good documented, Eddie Howe is besides keen to bolster his squad successful wide areas and could crook to Elanga. (Telegraph)

- Brentford guardant Bryan Mbeumo, 25, has to take betwixt Manchester United and Tottenham, wherever his erstwhile manager Thomas Frank has taken over, but his penchant is to determination to Old Trafford contempt the deficiency of European shot adjacent season. (Sky Sports News)

- AC Milan person submitted an connection of €16m interest positive €4m successful add-ons to motion Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

- Juventus person made the archetypal determination to effort and motion Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres connected a €13m-a-year declaration up of Arsenal and Manchester United. (Mirror)

- Aston Villa full-back Lucas Digne, 31, is simply a backup people for Atletico Madrid if they failed to onshore Liverpool's Andy Robertson. (Times)

- Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz is adjacent to signing a caller semipermanent declaration with Real Madrid, contempt involvement from Premier League clubs. (COPE)

- Everton and Fenerbahce person entered the contention to motion Manchester City defender Kyle Walker this summer. The 35-year-old is expected to permission the Etihad connected a escaped transportation this month, having spent the 2nd fractional of the 2024-25 run connected indebtedness astatine AC Milan. (Fabrizio Romano)

- Initial talks person taken spot between Granit Xhaka's absorption and AC Milan. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder views Milan arsenic an "interesting option," though talks are inactive successful the aboriginal stages. (Sky Germany)

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