Author: Soorya G
Several prominent soccer stars have been linked with transfers in recent weeks, including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Moises Caicedo, Harry Kane and André Onana. There have been some recent developments regarding these possible transfers. So far, Chelsea have been extremely active in the transfer market, which has set the gears in motion for a major rebuild, which is especially surprising considering that the team went on a huge spending spree in the last two transfer windows.
The team let go of several players, such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Kai Havertz. In addition, others who had been at the club for a long time decided to leave, such as Mason Mount, who spent 18 years at Stamford Bridge. Mount went to Manchester United on a salary of 300,000 euros a week. Veteran captain Cesar Azpilicueta also left London, deciding to return to Spain to join Atlético Madrid.
Chelsea continue their intense activity in the transfer market, having agreed a loan deal for David Datro Fofana. The striker was loaned to German side Union Berlin, who occupied top spot in the Bundesliga for a while in the 2022/23 season. Datro Fofana had transferred from Molde in Norway in January for 35 million euros and, after failing to play regularly, decided to spend a short period in Germany.
There is no option to buy in the deal, if the reports are true, and Chelsea are keen to keep him at Stamford Bridge for the long term. As for arrivals, the club is closing in on a deal for Moises Caicedo, who is supposedly Mauricio Pochettino’s main target. Brighton, who convinced Caicedo to stay at the Amex in January despite an offer of 80 million euros from Arsenal, are expecting a package of 85 million euros for the Ecuadorian.
In other news, Mauricio Pochettino is also believed to be considering signing Argentine World Cup winner Paulo Dybala, who is interested in leaving Italy. There are no concrete discussions between the parties involved, but the interest is genuine.
In high-profile transfer news, Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly given an ultimatum to French sensation Kylian Mbappe, who has decided not to renew his current contract at the Parc de Princes. Mbappe earns an astronomical salary of 93 million euros a year, having signed a contract extension last season, but has informed the team of his decision not to extend his stay at the club. The French champions have told Mbappe that he has a week to make his final decision regarding the extension and, should he decide not to sign a new contract, PSG will listen to offers from other teams.
Real Madrid, who have a long-term interest in the player, have reportedly discussed a transfer worth 200 million euros for the Frenchman internally, but the deal is not expected to be straightforward, as Real Madrid are not willing to offer anything close to Mbappe’s current salary, while the player wants to keep his salary for at least one season.
Paris Saint-Germain have also appointed Luis Enrique as their new coach, who is planning a transfer for Atlético Madrid star João Félix. The deal is not yet at an advanced stage, but it could well happen in the next few days.