Everton are to offer free tickets to Ukrainian refugees on Merseyside for their pre-season friendly with Dynamo Kyiv later this month, the club has announced.

The encounter, part of the Ukrainian Premier League outfit's Match for Peace initiative, was already set to deliver proceeds towards humanitarian charities supporting the nation's citizens following their invasion by Russia.

The Toffees, who signed Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo in January, and made a £500,000 contribution to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal in March, will now go a step further, with displaced natives set to be allowed free entry.

The club are working with councils around the Merseyside area to ensure invitations are handed out for the match, which will be played on July 29, to those housed through the government’s Homes For Ukraine scheme.

"We are committed to doing all we can to help those people impacted by the shocking war in Ukraine," manager Frank Lampard stated.

"This game provides a spotlight on that fundraising activity and by raising funds together, we can help those affected by the ongoing conflict."

Bayern Munich have reportedly enquired with Tottenham about the availability of star England striker Harry Kane – and it is said that the Premier League side have not made him untouchable.

The Bundesliga champions are on the hunt for a replacement up front after losing club legend Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, and the report from BILD claims they view the 28-year-old as a viable option long-term.

Kane has two years remaining on his contract, but if negotiations over an extension begin to trend in a direction that indicates he may leave, the club could have no choice but to cash in before potentially losing him for free.

TOP STORY – BAYERN VIEW KANE AS IDEAL LEWANDWOSKI REPLACEMENT

Kane has emerged as England's best striker in recent years, racking up 50 international goals from 73 senior caps, while also putting together eight straight seasons with at least 24 goals in club competitions.

Tottenham's number nine would undoubtedly command a monstrous transfer fee – likely upwards of £100million – but with Antonio Conte's side competing in the Champions League this season, and with aspirations of conquering the Premier League, they may decide they prefer the player over the money.

What Bayern's interest does is increase Kane's leverage for his contract negotiations, with it now clear the top teams in the world value him as one of the game's great goalscorers.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail is reporting that Arsenal are offering Bukayo Saka a contract that would double his salary in an effort to fend off interest from rival clubs, including Manchester City.

– According to The Athletic, Chelsea and Tottenham have both made enquiries about Newcastle United forward Allan Saint-Maximin.

– West Ham have agreed to a £30.5m deal for in-demand 23-year-old Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, according to The Guardian, after Paris Saint-Germain also signalled their interest in the Italian recently.

– Free agent Andrea Belotti desires a move to the Premier League now that his seven-year stint at Torino has come to an end, with The Sun reporting Newcastle United, Everton and West Ham are potential landing spots.  

– Express is reporting Leeds United are reaching advanced stages in their £17m chase of 20-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward Arnaud Kalimuendo.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will work with Ruud van Nistelrooy after being sent on loan to PSV for the 2022-23 season.

Branthwaite moved to Goodison Park from Carlisle United, aged just 17, and made his Premier League debut against Wolves in July 2020.

The centre-back proved the unlikely hero against Chelsea the following season, scoring a header in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to mark his first Premier League goal.

Branthwaite spent the second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at Championship side Blackburn Rovers, before returning to make eight appearances in the most recent campaign, including four Premier League starts.

Frank Lampard's side staved off Premier League relegation fears last season before bringing in James Tarkowski from Burnley this transfer window, further reducing the chances of first-team minutes for Branthwaite at Goodison Park.

The 20-year-old will likely get his first taste of Champions League action after being loaned to PSV, who qualified for the qualifying stages of Europe's premier club competition after finishing second in Eredivisie.

"Because Olivier Boscagli cannot play at least until the winter break, we wanted to add a quality left-footed central defender on a loan basis; Jarrad meets all those requirements," PSV director of football affairs John de Jong said. 

"He is a player with a lot of height and he is physically strong. He has constructive qualities and is good at one-on-one situations. 

"It is an advantage that Marcel [Brands, PSV director of football] knows Jarrad well from his time at Everton. That's why we knew it was possible to loan him for a season."

Van Nistelrooy's PSV open their Eredivisie campaign at home to newly promoted Emmen on August 6.

Mikel Arteta hailed Gabriel Jesus's "chaotic" nature after the forward continued his impressive start for new side Arsenal in Saturday's pre-season win over Everton.

The Brazil international, recently signed from Manchester City in a reported £45million deal, made it three goals in two outings as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in Baltimore.

Jesus, who scored his first two goals for Arsenal in last week's 5-3 win over Nurnberg, also assisted Bukayo Saka for the Gunners' second goal against Everton.

Arteta has been impressed by the 25-year-old's instant impact and in particular his ability to disrupt opposition defences.

"He creates chaos, he creates uncertainty and he's always on your shoulder," Arteta said. 

"He's always there to nick the ball off you, he's always in front of the goal. He's a real threat and this is what we need.

"The moment we give the ball away he is straight away active and putting pressure and getting his team behind him. 

"He has a lot of leadership skills. I can see straight away what he's doing with the boys and he's the type of guy that we want.

"He looks really sharp, really dynamic. He's got a really good understanding with his team-mates straight away. 

"They are looking for him, he's generating chances, good connections around specific spaces we want to exploit with him especially, and yeah, we're really happy."

Excluding penalties, former Palmeiras ace Jesus averaged 0.81 goal involvements per 90 minutes between signing for City in 2016 and his departure this month.

Of players to have played at least 5,000 minutes over that period, only former City colleague Sergio Aguero (0.91) and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (0.88) boast a better return.

Jesus was often used in a wide position at City, but Arteta has so far used the versatile forward through the middle.

"He's very versatile, but obviously, the way we would like to develop him is in that position," Arteta said when asked if he sees Jesus as a number nine.

"In relation to what the opponent does in certain games, we are going to have to use him in different positions. He's open to that and he knows it's part of his strength as well."

William Saliba was given his first run-out of the close season against Everton, the centre-back featuring for 71 minutes before being replaced by Pablo Mari.

He completed more passes (53) than any other player on the field and Arteta confirmed the 21-year-old – who has spent three seasons out on loan – is part of his plans.

"He is in the plans, yes," Arteta said. "We cannot guarantee first-team football to anybody in this team – you can ask that question to anybody.

"What we guarantee is that the ones we really see and think are going to take us to the next level, they're going to be playing a lot of minutes.

"He's a proper talent and he's shown in the last year what he can do. But in football it's about what you do the next day.

"What everybody did three months ago or a month ago, it doesn't really matter. It's about what you do tomorrow and he's going to have the chance to play."

Farhad Moshiri has insisted Everton are not for sale, amid reports that several parties are interested in taking over the Premier League club.

Everton finished 16th last season, their lowest Premier League placing since the 2003-04 campaign, when they came 17th.

Frank Lampard – appointed midway through the season after Rafael Benitez was sacked – managed to secure safety with a game to spare, thanks to a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

However, Everton's reckless spending during the Moshiri era, which began in 2016 and has seen six permanent managers lose their jobs prior to Lampard taking charge, means they were on the brink of breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

As such, a large sale was required ahead of the new campaign, with Richarlison sold for a reported £50million, rising to £60m including add-ons, to Tottenham at the end of June.

With a new stadium on Liverpool's waterfront under construction, widespread reports over the off-season have claimed that multiple parties are interested in purchasing Everton.

The most prominent, an American consortium fronted by former Chelsea and Manchester United executive Peter Kenyon, was said to be close to agreeing a deal, with reports even going as far as to say the group were confident of buying the club ahead of the start of Everton's pre-season tour of the United States.

That tour is now under way and with no deal having been completed, Moshiri has now insisted the club has not been up for sale, though he acknowledged he is hoping to find additional investors.

In a statement issued on Everton's official website, he said: "There has been much talk of investment in our football club recently – even takeovers – but I want to clarify that there is no 'for sale' sign currently hanging outside Everton Football Club.

"It will always be pragmatic to explore all potential investment opportunities and, as I have been transparent about, I am focused on completing the financing for our fantastic new stadium as well as strengthening the playing squad and that might include a minority investment. That will continue. But I want to reassure all of you that Everton Football Club is not for sale."

While Richarlison has been sold and Fabian Delph, Jonjoe Kenny, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Cenk Tosun have all left on free transfers, with loan deals for Donny van de Beek and Anwar El Ghazi expiring, only James Tarkowski – on a free from relegated Burnley – has joined Everton so far.

But Moshiri is adamant the squad will be added to, despite Everton's financial constraints.

"My commitment to the club remains strong and focused and [director of football] Kevin Thelwell and the chairman [Bill Kenwright] are currently working hard to bring in new players to improve Frank Lampard’s squad," the statement continued.

"There will be new signings and I would ask supporters to judge us at the end of the transfer window – not now – and to listen to official club channels for information."

Antonio Conte heaped praise on the versatility and quality of Tottenham signing Richarlison after his first appearance for the Premier League side.

Spurs are in South Korea to start their pre-season, where they defeated a select XI from the K-League 6-3 on Wednesday.

Conte has already made five new additions to his side for the upcoming campaign, though Richarlison was the only one of those to feature at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The Brazil international played 77 minutes before his removal, with attacking partners Harry Kane and home favourite Son Heung-min stealing the show with two goals each.

Richarlison, who scored (10) and assisted (five) more Premier League goals than any other Everton player in the 2021-22 season, operated across the front three in his first showing.

Dejan Kulusevski, Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura are all competing with Richarlison for the final spot in attack for Conte, who hailed numerous features of his new arrival's debut.

"Today I have seen a lot of positive things about Richy," Conte told reporters.

"In the first half he played as a number nine and in the second half he played on the right and in behind the striker. He can play in all three positions.

"I think he is strong physically and a good personality, good character, good quality. For Richy he is working and we are working on the tactical aspects with him because he has to go into our idea.

"At the same time we have to work on the physical aspects for him to be fit. But for sure he is a player that gives me important positions up front.

"He's a player that is a good player, strong and very good to protect the ball and attack the space. I'm very happy that we signed him."

Fellow arrivals Yves Bissouma and back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster missed the pre-season opener due to COVID-19, while Clement Lenglet has not travelled and Ivan Perisic is yet to be fit enough.

Conte assures former Inter star Perisic will soon be available, though, and explained regular starters Kulusevski and Ben Davies were absent as they build-up their fitness.

"For Ben it was the second training session and he needed to recover and run and do the same training as the players did in the last two days. It was the same for Kulusevski," the Italian added.

"We had a problem with COVID, with Bissouma and Fraser because the test was positive. For this reason they weren't here with us. Yes, [they are isolating].

"Perisic is working very well. He's very close. I think tomorrow he could have a part of the training session with us.

"Honestly we are satisfied because his recovery is going very fast and we are happy about this and when we come back in London he will start to have some of the training session with us."

Tottenham face Sevilla at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Saturday before clashing with Rangers and Roma ahead of their Premier League opener at home to Southampton on August 6.

Frank Lampard is adamant Anthony Gordon will not be leaving Everton despite reported interest from Tottenham and Newcastle United.

Gordon provided a bright spark for Everton under both Rafael Benitez and Lampard last term, as the Toffees secured Premier League survival with one game to spare.

Along with Richarlison and Jordan Pickford, Gordon was a standout performer under Lampard, who took charge in January following Benitez's dismissal.

No Everton player featured in more league games than Gordon last term, with the winger scoring four goals and setting up a further two, while only Demarai Gray (42) and Alex Iwobi (36) created more chances than the 21-year-old's tally of 35.

With Richarlison having been sold to Tottenham for a deal reportedly worth an initial £50million, with a further £10m in add-ons, Everton – who needed a big sale to ease their financial difficulties – are down a key performer from last season, with the Brazil forward having scored 10 goals, including crucial strikes against Leicester City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the run-in. 

Yet there is also interest in Gordon, with Spurs having reportedly looked at the possibility of signing the England youth international alongside Richarlison and Newcastle said to have made enquiries.

But with Gordon having taken the number 10 shirt ahead of the upcoming season, Lampard insists the youngster is staying put.

"He's worked for it, you have to earn the number 10," Lampard told Everton's website. "With the 10, it has a bit of magic to it, a bit of flare and Anthony's got that, but he's got it in his own style.

"I don't want him to be doing pirouettes on the halfway line, we need him doing what he was doing last year, plus goals and assists, which Anthony is so hungry to do.

"He's earned it, absolutely. A link to the crowd, a link to the fans, a local boy – he gives everything, a great talent.

"He's going nowhere, he's our player. That was a hugely important thing for me, he's the sort of player we want to build to go forward with and I'm delighted that he's got his number 10 but now I want him to continue to earn it."

Another player linked with a move away from Everton has been Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose late winner against Palace sealed their safety.

The forward had an injury-hit campaign and managed just five goals, but Lampard is eager to see the England international back at peak fitness.

"I couldn't have been happier for a player to score that goal that goes down in Everton history. You get goosebumps when you think about it, it's just an amazing goal," Lampard added.

"I saw Dominic in my time at the club striving, doing everything to be fit. The powerhouse that we saw in the last games of the season – that's Dominic. Great lad, great talent, a dream to work with. A fully fit Dominic is something for us to get excited about this season."

Chelsea have reportedly turned their attention to Bayern Munich winger and Germany international Serge Gnabry.

The decision was made to pivot away from Leeds United winger Raphinha after Barcelona seemingly moved into pole position for the Brazil international, with Chelsea then deciding to test the waters for former Arsenal forward Gnabry.

He is coming off his highest-scoring Bundesliga season, having netted 14 goals and contributed six assists in 34 league fixtures, scoring another three goals in the Champions League.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA GEAR UP FOR GNABRY BID

Despite it being widely reported that Chelsea have secured Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for fee of around £45million, the Blues are clearly not satisfied with their winger stocks. 

This was further fuelled by reports the club tried to include Christian Pulisic or Hakim Ziyech along with cash in a deal for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, with Ziyech now appearing likely to land a move to Milan.

The Daily Mail claims Chelsea have enquired about Gnabry, 26, who debuted with Arsenal as a 17-year-old in 2012, but his time at the Gunners fizzled out with injuries before a loan move to West Brom, resulting in Werder Bremen scooping him up in a bargain £5m move.

He scored 11 goals in his first season in the Bundesliga to earn a move to Bayern, where he has tallied 171 games and 63 goals across four Bundesliga campaigns, winning four consecutive league titles.

ROUND-UP

– The Mirror is reporting that Barcelona's top priority is to sell Frenkie de Jong to fund their move for Leeds' Raphinha, while the Manchester Evening News claims top Manchester United officials are in Spain ironing out the details for the Dutch international's switch to Old Trafford.

– TalkSPORT claims that if United's chase of De Jong falls through, they are prepared to target Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves or Leicester City's Youri Tielemans.

– Wolves have rejected an offer worth over £20m from Everton for 22-year-old midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, according to The Telegraph.

– According to the Irish Independent, 21-year-old Nathan Collins will become the most expensive Irish player ever when he completes his £20.3m move from Burnley to Wolves this week.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Ousmane Dembele has decided to stay on at Barcelona, shunning interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Everton have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for pitch invasions during their Premier League victory over Crystal Palace in May.

Frank Lampard's side recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 at Goodison Park and secure their top-flight status.

Home supporters encroached the pitch after Dominic Calvert-Lewin had completed the comeback and again when their survival was confirmed following the full-time whistle.

Palace boss Patrick Vieira was involved in an altercation with an Everton supporter during the second pitch invasion, but the FA and Merseyside Police took no further action.

The FA announced on Monday that Everton have been charged with two breaches of rule E20, which relates to fan behaviour and safety.

The statement added: "It is alleged that in the 84th minute and then following completion of the fixture, Everton FC failed to ensure that its spectators, and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers, conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and/or violent behaviour while encroaching onto the pitch area."

Everton have until July 18 to provide a response.

Manchester United have added yet another Ajax product to their wish-list for this transfer period, with 20-year-old striker Brian Brobbey emerging as a new target.

Brobbey came through the Ajax academy when Erik ten Hag was in charge and, after leaving to join RB Leipzig ahead of this past season, he was loaned back to Ajax in a successful move.

After returning to the Dutch giants, Brobbey scored seven goals in 11 Eredivisie fixtures, prompting the club to try and bring him back on a permanent deal.

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS SWOOP IN FOR HIGHLY RATED AJAX YOUNGSTER

Brobbey was widely expected to re-join the reigning Eredivisie champions for a fee in the neighbourhood of £13million.

However, the Times is reporting that Ten Hag has caught wind of the move and is hoping to instead coax the promising young striker to Old Trafford.

It is said the deal with Ajax was almost as good as done, so it remains to be seen if he could be convinced to change directions at the 11th hour, but the Times report includes that Ten Hag has been on the phone to Brobbey in an effort to sway him towards the Premier League.

United's interest in Brobbey follows moves for Ajax stars Lisandro Martinez and Antony, with a package-deal for the pair rumoured to be worth north of £100m.

ROUND-UP

– According to French publication Media Foot, Arsenal are showing interest in 24-year-old Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who is also linked with Newcastle United.

– The Mirror is reporting that Barcelona manager Xavi is keen to re-sign Ousmane Dembele to a new contract, but the club's sporting director Mateu Alemany would prefer a move for Leeds United's Raphinha.

– Everton are targeting 20-year-old Chelsea striker Armando Broja and 25-year-old Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters, according to The Mirror.

– Fabrizio Romano claims Chelsea have reached personal terms with Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake, although the final transfer fee, believed to be in the £40m range, is yet to be decided.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that West Ham are considering a £13m move for 23-year-old Roma forward Justin Kluivert, while Goal claims Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma told the Hammers he has no interest in moving there.

Manchester United have reportedly tabled a €60million bid for Ajax winger Antony.

Antony's agent has been trying to secure a move to United and the Premier League since the Eredivisie season ended, according to Goal.

The Brazilian is coming off a season where he tallied eight goals and four assists in 23 league games, as well as another two goals and four assists in seven Champions League fixtures, showing he has what it takes at the highest level.

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS MAKE BIG-MONEY MOVE FOR AJAX'S ANTONY

Goal's report says the back-to-back Eredivisie champions are determined to hold onto Antony for another season, and with three years still remaining on his contract, Ajax are in control of the negotiations.

United's offer has fallen well below Ajax's acceptable figure, which is said to be €80m, although the discussions are ongoing.

The Old Trafford club are also linked with Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to The Sun, as well as Napoli striker and hot commodity Victor Osimhen, who ESPN claims is fetching a price north of €100m.

ROUND-UP

– Portuguese publication A Bola claims Chelsea are preparing a £38m for Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes.

– According to The Mirror, Everton have no plans to sell Dominic Calvert-Lewin after cashing in on Richarlison.

– Arsenal are looking to sell seven players, including Nicolas Pepe and Bernd Leno, to fund further moves in this transfer window, per The Sun.

– According to Foot Mercato, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Sevilla and Napoli are all competing for Nice's 22-year-old French centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Brentford have secured a €22m deal for Bologna's 20-year-old Scottish left-back Aaron Hickey.

Tottenham forward Richarlison has been banned for one game and fined by the Football Association (FA) for improper conduct, having thrown a smoke bomb during Everton's Premier League win against Chelsea in May.

The Brazil international recently joined Spurs from the Toffees in a deal reported to be worth an initial £50million, signing a five-year contract.

But he will miss out on his side's first game of the 2022-23 season after accepting a one-match suspension over his actions with his former club, having thrown a smoke bomb towards the stands after scoring at Goodison Park.

"An independent Regulatory Commission has suspended Richarlison de Andrade for one match and fined him £25,000 following a breach of FA Rule E3 that took place during a Premier League game on Sunday 1 May 2022," read an FA statement.

"The Tottenham Hotspur FC forward admitted that his conduct while playing for Everton FC during the 46th minute of this game against Chelsea FC was improper, and his sanction was imposed during a subsequent hearing."

The ban means Richarlison's competitive debut for Spurs will be delayed past their Premier League opener against Southampton on August 6, leaving him in line for an early reunion with Chelsea on August 13 instead.

The Selecao star will likely get his first taste of action during Tottenham's pre-season schedule, however, with Antonio Conte's side set to face a host of international opponents including Sevilla, Rangers and Roma.

Everton fan favourite and club great Duncan Ferguson has left Frank Lampard's coaching staff to pursue his own managerial career.

Ferguson, who scored 73 goals in 273 appearances for Everton across two spells at the club in his playing career, has been a member of the first-team coaching staff on Merseyside since 2014.

He has worked under Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and, most recently, Lampard, with Everton unable to find stability in the Farhad Moshiri era.

Everton just scraped to safety at the end of last season, with a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace ensuring their status as a Premier League ever-present continued.

However, financial difficulties mean another difficult off-season could be in store, with star player Richarlison having already left for Tottenham, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is reportedly attracting interest too.

Lampard will now have to deal with the loss of Ferguson, who twice oversaw Everton on a caretaker basis.

Firstly, in 2019 after Silva's dismissal, Ferguson led Everton to a 3-1 win over Lampard's Chelsea, a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, a 2-2 draw with Leicester City in the EFL Cup – though the Toffees lost on penalties – and a 0-0 draw with Arsenal.

The Scot then took over for one game after Benitez was sacked in January this year, yet Everton lost 1-0 to Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

"It's been a massive decision for me. An incredibly difficult one but I need to move on, to take that next step in my career and look for that new challenge. Being a caretaker manager has given me confidence to step into management," he told Everton's official website.

"It was difficult last season but this club is definitely heading in the right direction. It's a fantastic club.

"The team is in good hands with Frank as manager. He's been first class and he wanted me to stay on. I'll be there as a supporter. My kids have got season tickets and I'll be looking forward to coming back."

James Tarkowski has signed for Everton on a free transfer following the expiration of his Burnley contract.

Tarkowski has secured a four-year deal, keeping him at Everton until June 2026.

The 29-year-old, who has two England caps, becomes Frank Lampard's first signing of the transfer window, as the Everton manager looks to improve on the squad that finished 16th last season.

Defence was a major area of concern under Lampard and his predecessor Rafael Benitez, with Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina suffering injury-hit campaigns. Indeed, Everton conceded 66 goals in the 2021-22 season, the 16th-worst total in the Premier League.

While Tarkowski was unable to help Burnley retain their top-flight status, the centre-back had a strong individual campaign.

No defender in the league competed for (217) or won more aerial duels (153) than Tarkowski.

Brentford's Pontus Jansson, with 186, was the only defender to make more clearances than Tarkowski's 183, while Everton's new addition also ranked second for headed clearances (101).

"I'm excited to have joined Everton. It's a massive club. I'm really looking forward to the years ahead and I'm thankful for the opportunity that I've been given," Tarkowski told Everton's official website.

"Speaking to the manager, it was very important to see what he wants from his players and his team, what he saw in me and why he wanted to sign me.

"I'm an ambitious person, I want to achieve, I want to win things and I've come here to be successful."

While they have strengthened in defence, Everton's financial issues have resulted in the sale of star forward Richarlison, whose move to Tottenham went through on Friday for a reported £50million fee, with add-ons taking the deal potentially up to £60m.

The Toffees have been linked with Spurs midfielder Harry Winks, while reports of interest in Jesse Lingard – another free agent after he left Manchester United – have also emerged.

Brazil star Neymar is reportedly interested in a move to the Premier League after being informed Paris Saint-Germain will not stand in his way if he wishes to depart.

ESPN is reporting that Neymar's agent has been in touch with Chelsea to gauge their interest in bringing in the 30-year-old, who scored 13 goals and added six assists in 22 Ligue 1 contests this past season.

While Neymar's talent is not in question, his health may be, having missed over two months of this campaign after suffering an ankle injury, and that is coming off a 2020-21 season where he only played 18 league games due to ankle and adductor injuries.

TOP STORY – NEYMAR WEIGHS UP CHELSEA MOVE AS PSG GIVE GREEN LIGHT

ESPN's report mentions that Neymar's agent, Pini Zahavi, believes there are only "two or three teams" that would be able to meet his wage demands, and it is thought that Chelsea are hoping to make a splash under the new ownership of Todd Boehly.

Spanish publication Sport claims Neymar activated a clause in his PSG contract as soon as he possibly could on July 1 to add one extra year to his deal – tying him to the French giants until 2027 – but that does not rule out a move happening.

Chelsea's Brazilian centre-back and Neymar's former PSG team-mate Thiago Silva has been vocal about his desire to recruit the superstar forward, but his salary of €43million could stand in the way if the Stamford Bridge club decide they would rather use this transfer period's resources in defence.

ROUND-UP

– The Star is reporting that Manchester United are closing in on a deal with Christian Eriksen as his contract with Brentford has expired and he is available on a free transfer.

– Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele is expected to leave on a free transfer, with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich the three teams listed by Marca as his potential landing spots.

– Everton are hoping to replace Richarlison with Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis after their Brazilian forward departed for Tottenham this week.

– According to The Sun, Fulham are finalising a £17million move for 26-year-old Sporting defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha.

– ESPN is reporting Fulham have offered £10m for Manchester United's Andreas Pereira as the 26-year-old returns from his loan stint with Flamengo.