Ronald Koeman has given his seal of approval for Memphis Depay’s move to Brazilian side Corinthians.

The former Manchester United and Barcelona striker is on the verge of sealing a shock move to Timão after his contract at Atletico Madrid expired over the summer.

Koeman has caused controversy in recent weeks by omitting Steven Bergwijn from the Netherlands national team after he signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad; calling the former Spurs forward’s case a ‘closed book’.

“It’s clear that this has nothing to do with sportive ambition. His book with the Dutch National Team is closed,” Koeman said of Bergwijn’s move.

“He probably knows that I would have said this.”

Bergwijn — who played 83 times for Spurs between 2020 and 2022, scoring eight goals — responded by saying he had no interest in playing under Koeman anyway and that the manager was in danger of ‘losing his credibility’.

– Read more: Former Tottenham forward hits back at national team manager – “He will lose all his credibility”

Koeman gives Memphis Depay free pass for Brazil move

Depay — who scored seven goals in 53 appearances for Man Utd between 2015 and 2017, arriving at Old Trafford for £31m from PSV Eindhoven (per BBC Sport) — has been given much more favourable treatment by Koeman.

The former Everton and Southampton boss says the 98-time international could return to the Oranje picture as he regards the Brazilian Serie A as a better league than the Saudi Pro League.

“I disapproved Bergwijn to Saudi, with Memphis can be different,” Koeman was quoted as saying by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.

“The level of the league in Brazil is different. So yes, Depay can still be part of the national team but it depends on his fitness and if he still reaches his level.”

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Barcelona have had initial contacts over the potential transfer of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, according to Matteo Moretto in the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column.

The Germany international is in the final year of his contract with Leverkusen, and his situation attracted a lot of speculation in the summer, with both Bayern Munich and Chelsea linked with him at various points.

The latest on Tah now seems to be that Barca will explore in the weeks ahead if they can potentially make a deal for him work with Financial Fair Play, which has proven a bit of a complicated issue for the Catalan giants in recent times, impacting what they can do in the transfer market.

Barca didn’t have the busiest summer this year, just bringing in Dani Olmo as their main major new addition, but it seems they’re now serious about looking into a possible deal for Tah, who would surely be a superb addition if they could pull it off.

Tah transfer: Where next for Leverkusen’s star centre-back?

Leverkusen have a number of star names who will now surely be tempting for Europe’s more established elite clubs, with the Bundesliga champions majorly over-achieving thanks to the excellent work done by their exciting young manager Xabi Alonso.

The price Leverkusen will inevitably pay for their surprise success is big names like Tah being targeted by the Bayerns and Barcas of this world, and it now seems a very difficult ask for the German champions to keep him.

Tah has been a key figure in this remarkable Leverkusen story, but at the same time he’ll surely be keen to represent one of the more historic names of European football before his career is done.

The 28-year-old is now surely right at the peak of his powers, so if he doesn’t get his big move now he might not have another chance.

Tah future not decided yet, says Moretto

Discussing Tah’s future, Moretto said: “This week Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah gave an interview to Suddeutsche Zeitung, in which he confirmed that he would not be renewing his contract with die Werkself, after months of links with Bayern Munich. Fabrizio Romano has also reported that an agreement on personal terms with the Bavarian side was reached months ago.

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“That said, I don’t think Tah’s future is already decided by any means. As he himself admitted, he will be free to decide where to go.

“Barcelona are in the race, as are other clubs. Barcelona already initiated contacts for Tah at the end of this transfer market, and in the coming weeks, will try to see if it is possible for them sign him on a free transfer within their salary limit restrictions.”

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The future of Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona always seems to be a topic of discussion in recent years but his ankle injury prevented any chance of the Dutch star leaving the Catalan club this summer. 

The midfielder has been part of Barcelona’s squad since joining from Ajax in 2019 with the previous board handing the 27-year-old a massive contract upon his arrival in Catalunya. De Jong is one of the highest earners at Barcelona, taking home €721,154-per-week, which is a massive burden for the La Liga club given their current financial situation.

This is one of the main factors in the La Liga club being open to moving the midfielder on but they have failed to do so across recent transfer windows.

Regarding this summer, Bayern Munich had De Jong on their list of targets but first contacts never developed into any real discussions over a transfer, reports Matteo Moretto.

The transfer journalist has also stated that the Dutch star’s ankle injury impacted his options throughout the window with Man United showing no real interest as Erik ten Hag pursued PSG’s Manuel Ugarte.

De Jong’s objective for the season is to perform at his best for Barcelona and his future will sort itself out throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

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Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong was not an option for Man United

Writing in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing, Moretto has provided an update on Frenkie de Jong’s situation at Barcelona and how the transfer window played out for the Dutch star.

The transfer journalist said: “At the beginning of the transfer market, it is true that Bayern Munich had Frenkie de Jong on their shortlist but the first contacts which did occur never progressed into a real negotiation between the two parties. It is also evident that the relapse of his ankle injury conditioned the rest of his summer in terms of any potential moves away from Barcelona too, but now the Dutchman’s goal is to play again and perform at his best for Barcelona.

“I think the Catalan club wants to try to renew his contract, which expires in 2026 and will try to lower his salary. We will see how the negotiations go for him. This summer, Manchester United were never a real option for de Jong, as they had set their sights on Manuel Ugarte.”

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This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

The latest on free agents and potential transfers

The market remains open for free agents like Adrien Rabiot, who has again said no to Turkish opportunities like Galatasaray in the last 24 hours. There have been many reports, but the fact remains that Rabiot has no plans to go to Turkey as he is waiting for an opportunity in one of the top five leagues.

As of today, Rabiot is also still not opening the doors to clubs from Saudi Arabia either, so Europe remains his priority, and let’s see what happens on that front in the next days.

Meanwhile, another free agent is Memphis Depay and he is expected to complete a move to Corinthians on a two-year deal in the coming days. They are preparing all the documents and finalising the details, then Depay to Corinthians should be a ‘here we go’.

Negotiations are also ongoing over Anthony Martial and a possible move to Flamengo on a free transfer. There’s an interest from Martial, and it now depends on the financial final proposal to get it done. Pedro injured his ACL and Flamengo need a striker, so they immediately got in touch with Martial’s camp to discuss terms. Talks continue.

What’s going on at Chelsea?

There have been many reports about the ownership situation at Chelsea. It’s not really my area, as you know I’m focused on transfers, but what’s being claimed is that there is a risk of a ‘civil war’ between owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. So, what does it mean?

It’s a tense situation as it’s being reported that Boehly and Eghbali both want to buy out the other’s stake in the club to take full ownership. We’ll see how it develops, and I don’t have any fresh information on this issue, but what I can clarify is that on the technical side at Chelsea, the mission remains the same.

The new Chelsea owners have put together a new board, and they are still working on finding the best young talents as we’ve seen from the last few years, with players like Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez, as we saw meeting at international level in the game between Brazil and Ecuador, they are the future of Chelsea, and for now the ownership situation is not affecting the transfer strategy or technical project at Stamford Bridge.

So, for today the Chelsea project is absolutely not changing – they are working on the best talents for a long-term project, for the present and future, but of course if this changes I will keep you updated.

Frenkie de Jong linked with Manchester United again

We once again this summer had many stories about Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona, and there were new links with Manchester United, as we’ve so often seen before.

The latest we’ve heard is that Man United made some contact with De Jong during a moment when they weren’t so sure if the Manuel Ugarte deal was going to happen. However, I can tell you that this summer, the reality is that there was absolutely nothing.

There was zero between De Jong and Man United, because the reality is that De Jong never wanted to leave Barcelona. De Jong is fully focused on Barcelona, and it’s also important to note that he’s too expensive for Man United – his salary is very high and so it was something impossible for United this summer.

We’ll see what happens in the future, but this summer it was also the case that United wanted a different kind of midfielder anyway, more of a defensive midfielder than De Jong. Ugarte was the only option, their top target, and so there was never any possibility to go for De Jong – between United, Ten Hag, De Jong, the player’s agents, there was absolutely zero.

Aurelien Tchouameni Real Madrid exit looks unlikely

Aurelian Tchouameni is a player we know has had admirers in the Premier League in the past before he ended up at Real Madrid, but there have once again been reports about possible interest from Arsenal and Liverpool for summer 2025, so I wanted to clarify something here.

It’s true that two years ago Tchouameni had the opportunity to join Liverpool before then going to Real Madrid. Jurgen Klopp was calling the player on a daily basis, trying to change his mind, but the Frenchman was clear that he only wanted to go to Real Madrid.

As for now, I can guarantee that nothing has changed between Tchouameni and Real Madrid – their relationship is fantastic. Tchouameni is very happy at Real Madrid, and only focused on Real Madrid. Also Real Madrid, the president, manager Carlo Ancelotti, the technical staff, they all love Tchouameni. From what I hear he’s a really professional guy, and popular with his teammates in the dressing room.

So, forget about rumours about Tchouameni – as of now, there is no expectation for him to leave. Of course I can’t predict what can happen in the future, but at the moment the intension is absolutely for Tchouameni and Real Madrid to continue together.

Bayern considered Inter left-back

Federico Dimarco scored a fantastic goal for Italy in their win over France, and in general he continues to be a strong performer for his country, as well as for his club Inter Milan. Although he has a strong relationship with Inter, I can also reveal there as interest in him earlier in the summer.

Although there was never a negotiation, Bayern Munich discussed internally the possibility of moving for Dimarco as they considered replacements at left-back in case Alphonso Davies were to leave the club amid the interest from Real Madrid.

Dimarco was one of the names discussed by Bayern, though not the only one, he was one of three names, but they never ended up making contact with Inter because Davies ended up staying, and also because Dimarco was never going to leave Inter. Their relationship is really strong, they absolutely want to continue together.

Still, Bayern thought about this possibility, and let’s see if they look into it again depending on what happens with Davies next summer. It’s important, however, to say that from Dimarco and Inter’s perspective, there is absolutely no intention to part ways.

The latest on Jamal Musiala’s future

We continue to see stories about Jamal Musiala, which is normal given his superb performances and his current contract situation at Bayern Munich, with his deal due to expire in 2026.

Bayern have been pushing for months to extend Musiala’s contract and this remain one of their main missions. Bayern will insist again with a big proposal; he’s in the list of all the top European clubs, this is very normal, but it all depends on what happens with Bayern in talks.

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I can also confirm some other Bayern reports, as Bild have claimed Federico Chiesa was an option for them earlier in the summer, before he ended up joining Liverpool.

Bayern were offered this possibility in June but their top target was always a different kind of player like Olise. Different player, different skills. They appreciated Chiesa but they were not looking for that kind of player.

Thoughts on England as Lee Carsley opens with win

Finally, England had a convincing 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland yesterday, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scoring the goals.

Overall I thought it was a very good performance. “Impressed” would probably be a bit too much, as it was a normal game with zero pressure, but still a good performance for sure.

Declan Rice’s development has been great this year, he’s progressed really well at Arsenal and for sure he’s one of the best midfielders around now. He took his goal well and continues to be a key player for England.

On Lee Carsley, I still think it’s a very open race for the manager’s job and nothing is decided yet for the permanent job.

The post Transfer news: Latest on free agents, Liverpool linked with Real Madrid star, Chelsea crisis & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Sergi Roberto has admitted he rejected offers from the Premier League prior to signing for Italian side Como. 

According to reports over the summer, West Ham United showed serious interest in the 373-time Barcelona star, who won seven La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues during his time with the Blaugrana.

It was also rumoured that Roberto rejected an offer from Tottenham Hotspur during the transfer window before eventually settling on joining newly promoted Serie A side Como.

Ex-West Ham target Roberto confirms he rejected Premier League offers

While not naming any specific clubs, Roberto has confirmed he rejected offers from Premier League clubs over the summer, as well as teams from the Middle East and throughout Europe.

In the end, former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas proved the defining factor in his role as coach at Como.

“It’s an honour to have him as a coach,” Roberto said of Fabregas (via Football Italia).

“He was one of the best footballers in the world, and now I can’t wait to start his adventure by his side. He has just started his career, and I am sure we’ll help each other in many ways.”

On interest over the summer, the 32-year-old continued: “I had offers from Spain, the Middle East, and others from Europe, as well as Serie A and Premier, but when I spoke to Fabregas for the first time, I understood how ambitious the club was.

“The target is to stay in Serie A, but I appreciate that Cesc and the club think big. Having him as a coach impacted my decision, and, not less importantly, Como is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

“Everyone knows he was a smart footballer and I’ve always admired the quality of his assists and how he moved inside the box, starting from midfield. He is a very demanding coach. He wants to dominate games, have possession, and play attacking football, as he used to do.”

The post West Ham-linked Champions League winner admits he rejected PL offers this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

As many as five clubs are showing an interest in Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey as he heads towards the end of his contract, CaughtOffside understands.

The Ghana international is currently only focused on the Gunners and the season ahead at the Emirates Stadium, though it seems he’s on the radar of some big names in Europe, including his former club Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona are also considering Partey, while the most concrete interest is understood to be coming from Juventus, who would be ready to offer the 31-year-old a three-year contract, sources close to the situation have told CaughtOffside.

There has been long-standing interest in Partey from Saudi Pro League clubs as well, and he’s still being considered by Al Hilal and Al Ahli, CaughtOffside understands.

Partey transfer: Experienced Arsenal midfielder surely leaving

While Partey remains a key player for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, it’s hard to see him being given a new contract for a variety of reasons.

Even if his profile will be hard to replace, Arsenal do have other options in midfield, and probably won’t be too keen to keep paying the injury-prone Partey for a few more years.

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The former Atletico man has almost always been a top performer for Arsenal when available, but his injury record isn’t the best, and so it would probably be unwise of the club to rely on him for too much longer when they could probably look to bring in someone younger instead.

Mikel Merino joined AFC this summer and should give Arteta another useful option in midfield, while Declan Rice could perhaps also move into a more defensive role than he’s played so far, having adapted his game to playing more like a number 8 due to Partey largely being the first choice in that number 6 position in front of the defence.

The post Exclusive: Five transfer suitors for Arsenal star, including Euro giants willing to offer 3-year deal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal under Mikel Arteta are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the Premier League, and any player would surely be delighted to be considered by the North London outfit.

Though the Gunners have only won an FA Cup during his tenure, Arsenal are getting progressively better as they chip away at Man City’s domestic dominance.

Pep Guardiola’s side have begun the 2024/25 season in ominous form, but are unlikely to be able to keep up the pace for the entirety of the campaign.

Arsenal to lose out on Nico Williams

Arteta therefore needs to make sure that the North Londoners are ready to capitalise as and when City have a wobble.

The summer transfer window was quiet in comparison to their contemporaries, with only Riccardo Calafiori, Raheem Sterling, Neto and Mikel Merino coming through the door, the latter injuring himself in his first training session at his new club.

There’s a cogent argument that, in fact, Arsenal didn’t need to splash the cash in the window, but rather make the odd purchase in certain areas where Arteta may have considered needed strengthening.

One player that they apparently missed out on was Athletic Club’s brilliant winger, Nico Williams.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a spectacular Euro 2024 tournament, generally causing havoc down his left side and scoring in the final over England.

Barcelona were also heavily linked but the move just didn’t happen in the end.

That’s likely to change in summer 2025, with Sport reporting that everything is still in place to ensure Williams moves to Catalonia.

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Williams has only committed himself to Athletic until next summer and hasn’t signed a new contract.

Barca’s financial woes this summer prevented them from getting over the line, but with apparent new sponsorship deals in the pipeline, Williams’ fee isn’t thought to be a problem should a purchase go ahead in a year’s time.

The post Arsenal set for massive disappointment in chase for Euro ace appeared first on CaughtOffside.

One of the most talked about players in the football world this summer was Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, not only for his heroics at Euro 2024 with Spain, but the winger was also a top target for FC Barcelona.

The Catalan club were determined to bring Williams to Barcelona ahead of the 2024/25 campaign but could not make the transfer happen due to the La Liga giants’ financial situation. Barca opted for RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo instead but their interest in the Athletic Club star has not faded, states Matteo Moretto.

The transfer expert expects Barcelona to try again for the winger further down the line and they may have a better chance during the summer transfer window of 2025 as the Catalan club have a year to get their finances in order.

However, the Spanish club could face stiff competition as Moretto has stated that both Arsenal and Chelsea enquired about Williams during the latest window.

Both Premier League giants were in the market for a wide player and found options for the 2024/25 campaign. The Blues landed Pedro Neto from Wolves, while the Gunners acquired Raheem Sterling on loan for the season.

This places the North London outfit in a better position to sign Williams in 2025 should he become available as Arsenal are in the best position from both a financial and squad point of view.

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Arsenal and Chelsea enquired about Athletic Club’s Nico Williams this summer

Writing in his latest column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing, Matteo Moretto opened up about Nico Williams’ situation this summer as several clubs showed an interest in the Euro 2024 winner.

“For me, the Nico Williams saga could be back in play at some point down the line, because Barcelona are still interested in him,” the transfer journalist said.

“The parties did not close a deal in part due to the finances, but also due to personal preference. Williams decided to stay, and as he voiced himself, he is still excited by the prospect of wearing the Athletic Club shirt in Europe. Those two reasons are why he stayed there.

“I still think Barcelona will be an option next summer. This summer, Chelsea enquired but did not move due to his salary demands, other outlets have said there was an offer from Aston Villa, but I don’t have information on that. Arsenal also enquired but did not make a move.”

The post Exclusive: Arsenal and Chelsea enquired about Euro 2024 winner admits transfer expert appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former Everton and Barcelona star Andre Gomes is undergoing a medical ahead of sealing a return to French club Lille, according to reports. 

Gomes is a free agent following the expiration of his Everton contract, leaving Goodison Park having made 114 appearances for the club across all competitions since joining in 2018, registering four goals and seven assists.

During that time, the 29-time Portugal international — who was last capped by his country back in 2018 — spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Lille, notching three goals and two assists in 27 appearances to help them finish fifth in Ligue 1.

Ex-Everton midfielder Gomes undergoing Lille medical

According to reports from L’Equipe and Foot Mercato (via Get Football News France), Gomes arrived in Lille to undergo a medical ahead of his return to the club.

Gomes — who has also played for Barcelona, Valencia and Benfica previously — is understood to be signing a two-year contract at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season, meaning they made the Champions League qualifying rounds.

Les Dogues went through two rounds of qualifying, beating Turkish giants Fenerbahce 3-2 on aggregate before seeing off Slavia Prague 3-2 over two leagues to reach the revamped League Phase of the Champions League.

Among the teams Gomes can now look forward to facing are Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus. The 31-year-old will also return to old stomping grounds with Lille facing his former Lisbon rivals Sporting CP and Everton’s Merseyside neighbours Liverpool.

The post Former Everton and Barcelona star on the verge of sealing move to Champions League club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

If there was one thing at the Euros which was notable from the get go, it was how tired so many players looked, England in particular, and Stan Collymore has hit upon an ingenious idea to lighten the load for Premier League players.

It isn’t just an English top-flight problem, with the most successful sides across the continent playing far too many games now in any one season.

Aside from domestic cup competitions and the bread and butter of league football, there are Champions League/Europa League/Conference League games to get through on top of that for certain clubs.

Collymore wants Premier League players to have capped appearances

Not to mention either Nations League games or qualifiers for the World Cup or European Championship.

A former professional himself, Collymore believes he has hit on the solution.

“There is an absolutely ridiculous amount of football played in a season nowadays and players, despite being in peak physical condition, just can’t cope with it. This was proven by several lacklustre displays in the EUROs,” he said in an exclusive interview.

“There is a reason Erling Haaland looks like a beast compared to other big-name strikers. He’s 100 per cent fit and fresh after having the summer off following Norway’s failure to qualify for the EUROs.

“If players are going to be expected to compete across multiple competitions, both domestically and internationally, then surely it’s time we thought about bringing in an appearance cap. I recommend a 50 appearance cap per player, per season, and then let the player decide how we wants to split his allowance.”

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It would certainly need a sea change in attitude from the various authorities, but the idea isn’t perhaps as avant-garde as it seems.

Indeed, it would appear to be a perfectly sensible option that not only ensures a player’s longevity in the game – rather than burn out – but would help to provide a more appealing product for supporters, because will still be in peak fitness at all stages of the season.

The post Exclusive: Stan Collymore’s ingenious plan to ensure Premier League players remain in peak condition appeared first on CaughtOffside.