Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal enter race to sign Ekitike

Arsenal have Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in their sights, while Manchester United are prepared to open formal talks over a deal to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.

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ESPN SOURCES

- Chelsea agree £60m deal for Brighton's Joao Pedro -- James Olley
- Dortmund, Leverkusen eye Man City's James McAtee -- Rob Dawson
- AC Milan agree €25m deal for Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci -- Moretto
- Villarreal midfielder Ramón Terrats to sign new deal, join Espanyol on loan. -- Moretto
- Parma forward Ange-Yoan Bonny to join Inter for initial fee of €23m -- Moretto
- Real Betis to sign Atletico winger Rodrigo Riquelme for €18m -- Moretto
- Atlético left-back Reinildo Mandava is heading to Sunderland on a free -- Moretto

TRENDING RUMORS

- Arsenal are set to enter the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, says Bild. Ekitike, 23, scored 22 goals and put in 11 assists in 47 matches across all competitions last season and the Bundesliga club value his transfer at €100 million. Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea have been linked with the France U21 international but now the Gunners are set to make a move after struggling to land RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko or Sporting CP's Viktor Gyökeres.

- Manchester United are prepared to open formal talks over a deal to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez when André Onana departs, according to Football Insider. The 32-year-old shot stopper is coach Ruben Amorim's top priority for the position, and Villa are willing to let him leave. The Red Devils, however, won't move for the Argentine World Cup winner until Onana has gone, with AS Monaco being among those interested in him. However, The Mirror reports that Chelsea have also been offered a chance to sign Martinez for £45m.

- Liverpool are set to take their summer spending above £200m as they look to land Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, according to The Mirror. Guehi, 24, has a year left on his contract and Palace are likely to drop their initial £70m asking price as talks take place in the next 24 hours. The Premier League champions have already signed midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen (£100m), left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth (£40m) and right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen (£30m) but need a central defender to replace Jarell Quansah.

- VfB Stuttgart will only consider offers of over €100m for striker Nick Woltemade, reports Kicker, amid growing interest from Bayern Munich. There have been discussions between the two clubs regarding the 23-year-old, but negotiations are now expected to be tough and lengthy as Bayern don't want to spend over €50m-€60m for someone who could initially be a substitute behind Harry Kane.

- Al Nassr are open to letting defender Aymeric Laporte leave the club, says AS. Laporte, 31, wants to return to Europe to strengthen his chances pf playing for Spain at the 2026 World Cup, and has Juventus and former side Athletic Club interested in him. Though Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Marseille, Inter and Napoli are also reportedly in the race.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

- PSV Eindhoven have confirmed they will not trigger the €10m option to sign Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia permanently after his loan expired. Read

- Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, has announced he will be leaving as a free agent this summer after nine years at the club. Read

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN's resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen explores what type of player Hugo Ekitike is.

Ekitike predominantly prefers to pick up the ball wide on the left before targeting the opposing right-back for a one-vs.-one duel, or to exploit the room between them and the centre-back. Yet his mobility and roaming nature also sees him pick up the ball on the opposite flank and in central areas too. He handles himself well in all attacking phases and is penetrative as a second striker out wide, but with the link-up game of a No. 9 striker centrally.

One of the strongest features of his game is his high-intensity, pacy, determined running. His ability to fend off tacklers is impressive and generally results in the drawing of fouls, while his capacity to create goal-scoring opportunities single-handedly is priceless and makes him efficient against low blocks too.

He has smart reading of attacking patterns and is a high-volume finisher (4+ shots per 90 minutes), with his goals coming from a varied range of techniques.

One minor criticism might be his tendency to be impatient in his execution, opting for a mid-distance shot from an unfavorable position instead of moving on the ball.

OTHER RUMORS

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Dawson: Man City could struggle with Grealish this summer

Rob Dawson provides an update on Jack Grealish's future as issues arise with his high wages and contract length.

- Jack Grealish's future at Manchester City is in limbo after Everton, Newcastle United and Napoli were scared off by his wage demands. The 29-year-old winger has also been tracked by Bayern Munich. (The Sun)

- Arsenal are looking for a new left winger and have Atalanta's Ademola Lookman on their shortlist at around €50m. (Alfredo Pedulla)

- Southampton winger Tyler Dibling, 19, has seen interest from Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham. (Football Insider)

- Nottingham Forest have made a move for Lyon and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze after the French club's relegation. (TEAMtalk)

- Newcastle want Burnley and England U21 goalkeeper James Trafford, 22, but have already had a £25m offer turned down. (Sky Sports)

- Al Nassr striker Jhon Duran, 21, will join Fenerbahce on loan just six month after moving for €77m in January 2025. (Footmercato)

- Napoli see Udinese's Lorenzo Lucca as the preferred striker to partner Romelu Lukaku rather than Liverpool's Darwin Núñez. The club will also move for PSV Eindhoven winger Noa Lang and like Brescia striker Gennaro Borrelli and Bologna centre-back Sam Beukema. (Sky Sports Italia)

- Juventus are accelerating their efforts to sign Jonathan David after the expiration of the striker's Lille contract, but are also looking to sign a centre-back with Marseille's Leonardo Balerdi being Igor Tudor's priority. Their alternatives are West Ham United's Nayef Aguerd, Bologna's Jhon Lucumí, Stuttgart's Jeff Chabot and Barcelona's Ronald Araújo. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

- AC Milan are looking to move on a host of players and the list is long: Devis Vasquez, Emerson Royal, Malick Thiaw, Theo Hernandez, Filippo Terracciano, Yunus Musah, Ismael Bennacer, Yacine Adli, Samuel Chukwueze, Marko Lazetic, Noah Okafor, and Lorenzo Colombo. (Nico Schira)

- Real Betis will work on keeping Antony after the expiration of the winger's loan from Manchester United once they have completed the signing of Atlético Madrid winger Rodrigo Riquelme. (Nicolo Schira)

- Juventus and Bayern Munich are both monitoring Flamengo right-back Wesley, who is playing at the FIFA Club World Cup. (Nicolo Schira)

- Birmingham City have joined the race to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien. The 26-year-old is also wanted by Southampton and Hull City. (The Sun)

- AS Monaco will announce the signing of winger Ansu Fati on Tuesday, with all documents now completed. (Fabrizio Romano)

- Sunderland, Leeds United, Roma and Real Oviedo are all keeping tabs on Real Madrid striker Gonzalo García. (Ekrem Konur)