Chelsea have reportedly made Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly their top centre-back target as they look to rebuild their defence.
Koulibaly would help fill the gaping hole left by the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who both opted to head to LaLiga on free transfers as the precarious situation with Roman Abramovich's ownership made it impossible to negotiate contract extensions.
The Stamford Bridge side are said to have had interest in Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt and Inter's Milan Skriniar, but with Juventus demanding £102million and Inter holding firm for at least £55m, the 31-year-old Napoli star is now viewed as the best option.
TOP STORY – CHELSEA PREPARE MOVE TO BRING KOULIBALY TO STAMFORD BRIDGE
Koulibaly is coming off a season where he helped Napoli concede the equal-fewest goals in Serie A – giving up 31 goals in their 38 league games – while he also contributed three goals and three assists in 27 outings.
He has played no fewer than 34 games in any of his eight campaigns with Napoli, but he did miss a month of action this past season with a thigh strain – his third consecutive season where he has missed time with muscle strains in his legs.
The Mirror's report highlights that Chelsea are also in advanced discussions to land Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Leeds United's Raphinha, with the plan to sell Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic to fund the moves.
ROUND-UP
– According to BILD, Borussia Dortmund would need to receive a bid of £103m to consider parting ways with Jude Bellingham in the current transfer window.
– 90min is reporting that Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal are all interested in Torino's 25-year-old Brazilian centre-back Gleison Bremer, with the Serie A club setting his price at £43m.
– Fabrizio Romano reports that Crystal Palace have agreed to an £18m fee for Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure.
– According to Todofichajes, West Ham are willing to meet the £34m release clause for Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma.
– The Sun is reporting that Arsenal have made a third bid for Ajax's Lisandro Martinez – believed to be valued at £43m – while Talksport claims Manchester United are also trying to reunite the defender with Erik ten Hag.
Rumour Has It: Tuchel pushes for Tottenham's Kane as Bayern Munich's top priority
New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly communicated to the board that Tottenham striker Harry Kane is his top priority in the upcoming transfer window.
Kane, 29, is just five goals away from overtaking Wayne Rooney for second on the Premier League's all-time leading scorers list, after recently surpassing Rooney as England's all-time top scorer and Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's record holder.
With his personal legacy in England already secured, the logical next move is somewhere the striker can secure some team silverware, and that is an area Bayern can deliver.
While Tottenham will be desperate to convince their star to stay put, any indication that he will not sign a new contract will likely force the club to cash-in on their top talent.
TOP STORY – TUCHEL HOPING TO MAKE KANE BAYERN'S NEW CENTREPIECE
According to Football Insider, Tuchel "is a huge fan of Kane from his time in the Premier League managing Chelsea", and he has communicated to the Bayern board that he should be the main focus going forward.
Despite Kane approaching the final 12 months of his deal, Tottenham are still expected to demand a fee in the £100million (Є113.8m) range to part ways with their club icon, but it remains exceedingly unlikely that they will allow his contract to run out.
However, the report adds Kane would potentially be open to an extension if Spurs can secure former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann as Antonio Conte's replacement.
ROUND-UP
– 90min reports 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is prepared to leave the club amid concerns his limited playing time will affect his spot in the England team, but Football Insider claims Phillips is prepared to stick it out.
– According to Sport, all 29 MLS clubs have agreed to split the salary of Lionel Messi and would allow him to choose whichever franchise he would prefer.
– Paris Saint-Germain are planning to capitalise on a two-week window at the start of July when 26-year-old Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae has a temporary release clause of €52.5m, per Foot Mercato.
– Fichajes reports Barcelona will likely be forced to sell 20-year-old winger Ansu Fati in the next transfer window for financial reasons.
'It's been unforgettable' – Conte thanks fans after Spurs exit
Antonio Conte thanked Tottenham fans for their "unforgettable" support as he broke his silence following his exit from the club.
Conte left Spurs by mutual consent on Sunday, a week on from a remarkable outburst after a 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton in which his side squandered a two-goal lead late on.
The Italian labelled his players "selfish" and questioned the club's lack of silverware during Daniel Levy's time as chairman.
That tirade ultimately cost him his job, with assistant Cristian Stellini taking charge until the end of the season as Spurs bid to finish in the Premier League top four for a second straight campaign.
Conte posted on Instagram on Monday, thanking Spurs and their fans while wishing them luck for the future.
"Football is passion," Conte said. "I would like to deeply thank everyone at Spurs who appreciated and shared my passion and my intense way of living football as a coach.
"A special thought to the fans who always showed me support and appreciation, it's been unforgettable to hear them singing my name.
"Our journey together has ended, I wish you all the best for the future."
Spurs' first game in the post-Conte era will be a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on April 3, as they look to cling onto the fourth spot that they currently occupy to achieve Champions League qualification for next season.
Hansi Flick says the injury that ruled Nico Schlotterbeck out of Germany duty is "nothing serious" and the defender should return for Borussia Dortmund's clash with Bayern Munich.
Schlotterbeck started Germany's 2-0 win over Peru last week, but he has been ruled out of Tuesday's friendly with Belgium in Cologne due to a thigh injury.
However, the 23-year-old – who has both played in (36) and started (33) the most games of any BVB player this season – is expected to be available for Saturday's trip to Bayern.
"We didn't want to take any risks with him," Flick said at Monday's pre-match press conference. "It's nothing serious and in two or three days he'll be back on the pitch."
Bundesliga leaders Dortmund head into Der Klassiker a point better off than Bayern, who sacked Julian Nagelsmann and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel last week.
Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz was another withdrawal from the Germany squad due to illness ahead of the prestige friendly with Belgium at RheinEnergieStadion.
Flick announced Thilo Kehrer and Serge Gnabry will come into the starting line-up in place of Schlotterbeck and Havertz respectively, with "one or two" other changes possible.
Belgium kicked off a new era under Domenico Tedesco with a 3-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Sweden thanks to Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick in Stockholm.
The Red Devils are in somewhat of a transition period, with a number of their 'Golden Generation' making way after their recent World Cup group-stage exit.
Germany head coach Flick expects the nation ranked fourth in the world to pose more of a challenge than Peru.
"We started the new year with a win, but in Belgium we have an opponent of a different calibre," he said.
"They have a new coach and a new spirit. You can see immediately they have outstanding footballers in their ranks.
"They are able to defend compactly, but they are also convincing in an attacking sense when they have possession of the ball. They scored brilliant goals against Sweden.
"Even under pressure they always find good solutions. In terms of football, they are one of the best teams and will be a good opponent for us to measure ourselves against."
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