Football news LIVE: Onana to join Man United, Ronaldo makes Messi MLS swipe, Kane not interested in PSG, Chelsea exits

Live Blog

Updated: 8:33, 18 Jul 2023

talkSPORT.com brings you all the latest football news, views and transfer gossip.

Check out the headline stories and follow our live blog below for regular updates throughout the day.

Headlines:

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is close to agreeing a Chelsea exit.
Reports in France suggest the striker has agreed a two-year contract with Marseille, with the option of a third year.
Aubameyang had a torrid time at Chelsea following a £12million move from Barcelona, scoring just three goals in 21 games.
Brighton will reject a new bid from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo, talkSPORT understands.
The Blues are still pursuing a move for the 21-year-old midfielder this summer.
The Standard report that Chelsea are planning to make a £70million plus offer for Caicedo.
However, talkSPORT understands that this falls well short of Brighton’s valuation of the Ecuador international and it will be rejected.
The Seagulls are still holding out for around £100m, similar to the fee that Arsenal paid West Ham for Declan Rice.
Harry Kane has no interest in joining Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports.
Kane’s future remains up in the air as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham.
Bayern Munich have seen two bids rejected and remain confident of tempting him away from the north London club.
PSG have reportedly shown interest in recent days, but The Telegraph say the striker has no intention of joining the French club.

Cristiano Ronaldo took a thinly veiled swipe at Lionel Messi following his rival’s move to the MLS.
Messi has joined Inter Miami, bucking the trend of ageing footballers taking the millions on offer to move to Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo started that movement by joining Al Nassr, with his career rival turning down lucrative offers to join him.
“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo said when asked about whether he’d consider a move to the United States.
“Now all the players are coming here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”
Ronaldo added: “I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”
That’s it for today on talkSPORT.com’s football news blog.
We’ll be back in the morning with the latest on all the big football stories.
The EFL has approved the sale of Leeds United to 49ers Enterprises, it has been announced.
The takeover will see Paraag Marathe, who previously vice chairman and board member of the club, will become the new chairman. He takes over from Andrea Radrizzani, who has been majority owner of Leeds from August 2017.
Leeds CEO and board member Angus Kinnear will remain in his position, while founder of MASTRY Rudy Cline-Thomas will join the board as co-owner and vice-chairman.
49ers Enterprises’ takeover of the Championship club is also backed by golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Burnley are close to signing former Southampton winger Nathan Redmond, talkSPORT understands.
Redmond is a free agent after leaving Turkish side Besiktas.
Birmingham-born Redmond would become Burnley’s fifth signing of the summer with Vincent Kompany looking to further build his squad in his image ahead of their Premier League return.
Mikel Arteta wants to take a closer look at Folarin Balogun during Arsenal’s pre-season before deciding on the talented striker’s future.
The 22-year-old academy graduate enjoyed a breakthrough season in France last season, scoring 21 goals for Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims.
Balogun has no plans to go out on loan again this term and the United States international has been linked with a permanent exit, with Inter Milan reportedly interested.
Arsenal are said to value the striker at £50million and boss Arteta wants a closer look at the attacker during the pre-season of the United States.
“Obviously he’s done incredibly well and now we have to think what is best to do,” the Spaniard said.
“But we want to see him, we want to experience him in the next few games.
“He played the last game against Nurnberg and he will do in the next few games. Then we will make the best decision.”
Southampton B team coach David Horseman is set to be appointed as the new manager of Forest Green Rovers, talkSPORT understands.
Horseman will succeed Duncan Ferguson, who left the League Two club earlier this month, with Hannah Dingley taking the role on an interim basis shortly after.
Dingley became the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England but lasted just one match, a 1-1 draw to Melkesham Town in a friendly on July 5.

Bournemouth have agreed a £15m deal with AZ Alkmaar for Milos Kerkez.
The Hungarian international is set to undergo a medical in the next 48 hours after rejecting Lazio to join the Cherries.
Bournemouth have already made three signings this summer, acquiring Justin Kluivert from Roma, Hamed Traore from Sassuolo and Romain Faivre from Lyon, although Faivre has been loaned out to French club Lorient.
Manchester United are not open to offers for Bruno Fernandes this summer, talkSPORT understands.
The Portuguese midfielder has reportedly rejected multiple offers to leave Old Trafford and seal a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
It is said Fernandes has no plans to depart the Red Devils, with the 28-year-old expected to be named the club’s new captain.
But it is believed United would not consider any offer for their star playmaker, either, and have insisted he is going nowhere.
West Ham’s offer to sign Harry Maguire on loan has been rejected by Manchester United, according to reports.
The Hammers have been linked with an interest in the centre-back, who was recently stripped of the captain’s armband at Old Trafford.
Maguire is now facing an uncertain future after four seasons at United, following his £80million arrival from Leicester City.
Having fallen down the packing order behind regular first-teamers Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, United are open to offers for the 30-year-old this summer.
Meanwhile, David Moyes is keen to bolster his squad this summer after receiving £105million from the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal.
But, according to the Daily Mail, the Hammers’ first move to Maguire was the offer to take the defender on loan for the season.
And United swiftly turned it down.
Bruno Fernandes has turned down ‘more than two approaches’ from Saudi Arabia this summer, according to reports.
A host of top stars have joined the mass exodus of players to the Middle East with big wages on offer at Saudi Pro League clubs.
The Saudi top flight now boasts a list of iconic players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kane, while Neymar and Bernardo Silva have also been linked.
However, it appears Fernandes will not be joining them this summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils and Portugal midfielder has rejected multiple offers to make the move to Saudi.
The journalist reports Fernandes has no plans to leave Old Trafford anytime soon and ‘it’s only Manchester United’ for the fan-favourite who is expected to become United’s next captain after Harry Maguire was stripped of the armband.
Jamie O’Hara said on talkSPORT Breakfast this morning that he fears for Tottenham this season and beyond if Harry Kane leaves the club.
The striker has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, with claims the striker has already agreed personal terms with the Bundesliga champions, who are not giving up their chase.
O’Hara compared the situation to when Spurs lost Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United, which ‘killed’ the north London side.
And evidence suggests he’s spot on.
According to last season’s statistics, no Premier League team replied on a single player more than Tottenham replied on Harry Kane.
Stats courtesy of Best Gambling Sites show that Tottenham would have dropped five places from eighth to 13th without the striker – the most of any other side in the top flight if you removed their top goalscorer.
Kane scored 30 goals last season, 43 per cent of Spurs’ goals last season – no player contributed more to their team.
If you compare that to Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, even though he scored 36 goals, they were just 38 per cent of Man City’s total goal tally.
Jamie O’Hara has laughed at Arsene Wenger’s claim that Arsenal can win the Premier League title this season.
After last season’s title race heartbreak, Mikel Arteta’s side have added quality with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber signing this summer to get Gooners dreaming of going one further.
Wenger is full of confidence, telling Eurosport at the weekend: “I believe we will win the championship.”
But former Tottenham midfielder O’Hara has told Arsenal fans to keep dreaming.
FULL STORY HERE

TNT Sports’ football coverage will be led by four female presenters in the new season, it has been confirmed.
TNT Sports replaces BT Sport from Tuesday, with former talkSPORT Breakfast host Laura Woods confirmed as host of its Champions League coverage alongside Reshmin Chowdhury. Jake Humphrey, who fronted BT’s Champions League coverage last season, announced he was stepping back from his role in May.
Lynsey Hipgrave will continue to host live Premier League coverage on TNT Sports, having done so since the start of last season, while Jules Breach replaces Des Kelly as the broadcaster’s pitchside reporter.
Ally McCoist joins the TNT punditry line-up for Premier League and Champions League matches, which will still feature the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole.
Wolves are hopeful of completing the signing of Switzerland defender Nico Elvedi from German side Borussia Monchengladbach, talkSPORT understands.
Centre-back Elvedi will cost around £8m to bring him over from the Bundesliga club.
He has been capped 47 times by Switzerland and has wracked up 270 appearances for Gladbach since signing in 2015.
Willian has made another u-turn over his Fulham future and will sign a new deal with the club on improved terms, talkSPORT understands.
The Brazilian winger had earlier rejected a contract extension in west London, but the club then had to deal with interest from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
Now, though, the 34-year-old has turned down Steve Cooper’s side in order to stay at Craven Cottage where he’s had a late career renaissance.
Manager Marco Silva was key to keeping the former Chelsea and Arsenal man, but he may not be so lucky with star forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is keen to accept a big-money offer to move to Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE HERE
Fulham have reportedly rejected a £40million bid from West Ham for Joao Palhinha.
The Hammers have been linked with an interest in the midfielder since early June as a replacement for Declan Rice.
Palhinha, who has also been linked with moves to Manchester United and Liverpool this summer, has only spent one season in the Premier League following his £20m arrival at Fulham last summer, but has impressed as he made 35 appearances and helped Marco Silva’s side to a tenth place finish.
David Moyes is said to be a big admirer of the 27-year-old, as the West Ham boss looks to replace Rice following his £105m transfer to Arsenal.
West Ham’s bid for Palhinha will be boosted by that fee they received for the England midfielder, but it also means Fulham knows they have more to spend.
And, according to The Guardian, the Cottagers have rejected a formal bid of £40m from the Hammers.
Declan Rice wants to win the Premier League and Champions League titles in an Arsenal shirt.
After nine years as a West Ham player, the midfielder has made a big step up to sign for the Gunners.
And having ran Man City close in the Premier League title race last season, Rice is confident major success is just around the corner for the north London club.
The 24-year-old will be competing in his first ever Champions League campaign this season, and told Arsenal.com: “I’m so excited for that. I’ve said for many years now that I’ve wanted to play in the Champions League. I’ve wanted to push myself at the biggest level. This opportunity at Arsenal has arisen where Arsenal are in the Champions League, it’s a great club.
“At the end of the day you get one career, and I want to be as successful as I can with Arsenal, make as many Champions League appearances as possible and hopefully one day get my hands on that trophy.
“My ambitions now are to win with Arsenal. I think this fanbase deserves it. There have been FA Cups and Community Shields, but now it’s time to go one step bigger and win the Premier League, win the Champions League. I wouldn’t be here if I did not believe that.
“I believe in this squad. I believe in the manager. We have a real good energy around and when everyone is pushing in the right direction Arsenal will take some stopping.”
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in talks over a move to Marseille, according to reports.
Chelsea are keen to move the 34-year-old striker on this summer after just one season back in the Premier League.
Aubameyang managed just three goals last season but is still wanted by Marseille, who are currently locked in negotiations with Chelsea over a possible transfer, claim The Athletic.
However, with one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are demanding a transfer fee and will not allow the striker to leave for nothing, while his wages – over £160,000-a-week – are proving to be another stumbling block.
Meanwhile, the former Arsenal star is yet to return to Chelsea for pre-season training, with his return date now put back for a third time to allow talks to continue over his exit.
Aubameyang signed for Chelsea last September for around £10million, just eight months after sealing a move to Barcelona from Arsenal.

A group of Juventus fans have been chanting, ‘We don’t want Lukaku’, outside the club’s medical centre.
Inter Milan have dropped their interest in re-signing the striker from Chelsea this summer, with reports claiming Lukaku angered his former club by courting interest from rivals Juve.
Lukaku is said to have spoken to Juventus over a possible transfer this summer through his agent, with Juve looking to sell Dusan Vlahovic.
However, Juve fans – who regularly gather outside the club’s J Medical centre to spot new signings – have made their voice heard about the Belgian striker.
Leeds are set to complete the signing of Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea.
talkSPORT understands the 22-year-old Welshman will join the Championship side in a permanent deal, ending his six-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
Despite his age, former Exeter City defender Ampadu has a lot of experience having made 44 senior appearances for Wales, while he has spent time on loan at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United and Italian clubs Venezia and Spezia.
He also started all three of Wales’ group stage games at the World Cup in Qatar.
However, he has only made 12 first-team appearances for Chelsea, and is set to leave the club for more game time.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou has insisted he isn’t concerned about the claims Harry Kane has agreed personal terms with Bayern Munich.
The new Tottenham boss insists the striker remains ‘totally committed’ to Spurs despite continued links with a move to Germany.
“I had a good chat with Harry Kane,” said the Australian coach.
“Bayern statements? He’s not going to get fazed by anything — and it has zero impact on me.
“He’s here and while he’s here, Harry is totally committed to what we’re doing.”
Jamie O’Hara fears for Tottenham this season if they sanction Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich.
Spurs have rejected a number of bids from the German giants for the England striker this summer, but it appears they are not going away.
Honorary president Uli Hoeness has claimed an agreement over personal terms had been reached with Kane.
He told German TV channel Sport1: “Harry Kane has clearly signalled in all conversations that his decision stands – and if he keeps to his word then we’ll get him, because then Tottenham will have to buckle.”
If he does go, former Spurs midfielder O’Hara worries history could repeat itself, comparing it to when they lost Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United.
“Losing Berbatov derailed #THFC!” 😳📉
😱 “It really affected the team. That’s what worries me. If Kane goes, there’s no plan.”
Jamie O’Hara fears where Tottenham could end up, if Harry Kane leaves this summer. pic.twitter.com/OB9rpVzRJt
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 17, 2023