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Chelsea star’s talks with Marseille
Wesley Fofana revealed in an interview yesterday that he had conversations with Marseille in the summer. It was a very ambitious transfer window from Marseille as they brought in a number of major new signings alongside new manager Roberto de Zerbi, and Fofana was one of the other names they tried for.
Marseille explored this possibility and spoke to the player, with Fofana now confirming in public that it was a very good conversation with OM director Medhi Benatia, who tried to tempt Fofana, though in the end he decided to stay at Chelsea because he believes he still has a lot to give to Chelsea.
Of course, it’s not been the easiest time for him at Chelsea so far, arriving for a big fee and then suffering injuries, but now he’s back and he’s fit and he really wants to succeed at Chelsea.
Fofana was tempted by Marseille as he loves the city and the club, but he wants to do well at Chelsea, and also the club themselves believe in him and think the best is yet to come from him, so they were never considering the possibility of letting him leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Another possible reported Chelsea departure has been Carney Chukwuemeka. However, despite links, I’m not aware of concrete talks with Galatasaray over Chukwuemeka so far. Chelsea always considered Carney only available on a permanent deal, not on loan…so the only way would be to change Chelsea management’s mind, but this hasn’t happened so far.
New Real Madrid contract for Andriy Lunin
Andriy Lunin did very well last season when he replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois in goal for Real Madrid, but then he had a slightly complicated summer. Although he had a new contract proposal on the table from Real Madrid, he also preferred to consider his options to see if he would have the opportunity to move and perhaps be a number one somewhere else.
Lunin performed excellently for Real Madrid, but when Courtois returned from injury he was the clear number one again, and so we had plenty of rumours about Lunin’s future in the summer. There were links with Chelsea at one point, but although they spoke with his agent Jorge Mendes as they were already discussing Joao Felix, and Lunin was a topic, it was never a concrete negotiation, or an official bid.
Then, at the end of the summer, Lunin decided again to speak to Real Madrid and consider a new contract proposal. It was not a good situation for Real Madrid as the player was heading towards being a free agent in 2025, but now they have managed to reach an agreement on a new deal.
Lunin is set to sign a new contract at Real Madrid until 2028, on an improved salary, and so he will be there to keep on competing with Courtois, and then in the future we’ll see what happens and what he decides to do, but for now he’s staying.
Bayern in talks with Jamal Musiala over crucial new deal
Despite some reports, there was never any possibility of Bayern Munich selling Jamal Musiala to Manchester City, Real Madrid or anyone else this summer. They are now making it a top priority to tie Musiala down to a new contract as he’s more than a player for them – they want him to be the face of the project, the face of the club, for a long time.
It won’t be something done quickly, but there is a conversation, there is an offer from Bayern to Musiala. They are ready to offer the player important money in terms of a fixed salary and in terms of add-ons and special bonuses in order to make it happen and to keep him at the club.
Musiala’s contract expires in summer 2026, so Bayern have to resolve this situation before summer 2025, or else it could be dangerous for Bayern to have a player of his calibre with just one year left on his contract.
Of course, all the top clubs like Man City and Real Madrid love Musiala, and in case he can’t agree a new deal with Bayern then many clubs will be there, but at the moment Bayern are doing what they can, they are in negotiations with Musiala, so let’s wait and see what happens and now these conversations will go.
Truth about Arsenal links with Viktor Gyokeres and Jonathan David
Viktor Gyokeres continues to show his excellent form for both Sporting and for the Swedish national team, but was he close to joining any club this summer? From what I’m hearing, there was never really something close or concrete in terms of proper negotiations.
There was obviously some interest, but clubs were not willing to spend something crazy like €100m, his release clause, this summer. There was strong interest, especially from England, for example Arsenal at the beginning of the summer were considering strikers. Benjamin Sesko was someone they were keen on, Victor Osimhen was an opportunity, then Gyokeres as well, but ultimately they decided not to spend that kind of money on that position.
Maybe next summer that will change, but for this summer Arsenal didn’t want to make that kind of investment for a number 9. Gyokeres remains appreciated, also by many clubs around Europe, but this summer no one was willing to pay his release clause, and so he was never close to leaving Sporting. His club were never going to accept something like €50-60m despite what some reports were saying, so let’s respect Sporting now at the start of the season and see what happens and if things can change in the future.
Another striker linked with Arsenal from time to time has been Jonathan David, who has also spoken recently about his future. Jonathan David has spoken about being open to signing a new contract with Lille, but I don’t think it’s likely from what I know.
The situation for his future his more open than limited to new Lille deal. He’s going to explore several options before deciding anything, so I think there are a few long months ahead to consider all opportunities, and nothing specific with other clubs to mention yet.
In other news…
Raphinha – Barcelona chief Deco has spoken about offers for Raphinha this summer, and it’s true that there was interest from Saudi, from Al Hilal, but there was never a chance for Raphinha to leave. He wanted to stay, Barca wanted to keep him. He never considered leaving so I think that was probably the best solution for all parties involved.
Anthony Martial – Still a free agent, Anthony Martial’s future has not yet been finalised. He’s in talks with Flamengo, but there’s been no agreement yet. Flamengo like Martial but it’s also about the financials, while there is nothing else yet with any other clubs.
Kieran Trippier – I now see Kieran Trippier staying at Newcastle now and maybe assessing his future again in 2025. There’s no agreement with any Turkish clubs so far – it’s true that there has been plenty of interest but there are concrete chances for Trippier to stay at St James’ Park.