Il giocatore sciocca che ha rifiutato il Napoli all’ultimo minuto della firma ha appena raccontato quello che ha sentito e ha insistito sul fatto che non giocherà mai per quel club

The Club World Cup transfer window has closed, but the Premier League’s main window is open with the rest of Europe to follow on July 1 as business starts to get done. But what are ESPN’s reporters hearing about possible deals?

Every Friday until September, we’ll bring you the latest updates and insights on the biggest transfer news.

Liverpool striker Núñez is Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s first choice to reinforce the attack, though the Premier League champions are asking for a fee of more than €50m as they paid €75m to sign him from Benfica in 2022. The Uruguay international is open to the idea of moving to Napoli but talks are ongoing.

Napoli have also inquired about signing Manchester United winger Sancho, but to date there have not been any concrete negotiations. Sancho’s reported £300,000-a-week salary may be a problem for the Italian club, so Napoli are also following others.

The club are in talks with Udinese to sign Lorenzo Lucca, a 6-foot-7 striker who could pair well with Romelu Lukaku. In the coming hours, Napoli will continue to talk with Núñez and see if a deal can be done but will work in parallel on Lucca so they have an option if it doesn’t come off.

ESPN has already reported that the 22-year-old was on sporting director Deco’s shortlist of candidates to strengthen the attack, alongside Liverpool’s Luis Díaz and Man United’s Marcus Rashford. However, sources have told ESPN that Barça have put talks with other players on hold to focus on signing Williams.

Deco had originally placed Díaz as his priority target due to the Colombia international’s versatility to play as a center forward, but a recent meeting between Barcelona’s sporting director and Williams’ agent changed everything and the club are now focused on linking him up with his friend and Spain teammate Lamine Yamal.

Williams has offers from other European teams, but his priority is to play for Barcelona and, according to a source, he has already agreed personal terms with the Catalan club.

The next step for Barcelona is to generate salary space to allow Williams to fit into the squad: paying the €58m release clause is not a problem, which is good because Athletic will not negotiate any lower.

And could Fermín or others be moved on to raise funds?

Joan Laporta is insisting Barcelona can sign “normally” this summer, amid their financial issues, while LaLiga president Javier Tebas says they are still facing certain restrictions when it comes to registering players. Some sources suggest there will have to be transfers out if Williams is to arrive, with Fermín López one of the squad members fielding interest.

Bayern Munich are among the European clubs to sound out López’s situation, while there has also been interest from Saudi Arabia. For now, both club and player insist the 22-year-old will stay.

In the meantime, Barça will look to save dribs and drabs by moving on fringe players and reducing the B team’s budget after their relegation. Talented midfielder Aleix Garrido is set to join Eibar, while UEFA Youth League winners Hugo Alba and Arnau Pradas will accept bigger offers to leave the club.

Joâo Pedro has been on Chelsea’s radar for a while. Sam Jewel, the club’s director of global recruitment, brought the Brazil international to his former side Brighton from Watford in 2023 and likes the idea of being reunited with him at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea see a great opportunity to land the 23-year-old, who scored 10 goals and managed six assists in 27 Premier League games last season, as he can play in many different attacking positions and his transfer valuation of around £45m-£50m is not considered unreasonable.

A source told ESPN that Chelsea have made an inquiry, while Joâo Pedro is keen on a move to London. The Blues will face competition from the likes of Newcastle who are also very keen on the forward. Though Brighton would let him go for the right offer. — Julien Laurens

And are they facing competition for Malick Fofana?

The Lyon winger has been one of the most talked about players so far this month. The 20-year-old Belgium international is attracting a lot of interest from English clubs, with Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton, Fulham and Brighton all keen on him.

Sources said that the Blues entered talks earlier this week and were quoted a transfer fee of around £40m-£45m. That is a significant amount, considering Fofana’s age and lack of experience, but his potential is huge. He had 17 goal involvements (11 goals and six assists) in 41 games in all competitions last season, while not always being a starter.

Ideally, Fofana, who predominantly likes to play as a right-footed winger on the left, would have liked to stay another season in Ligue 1, but Lyon’s need for funds to balance their books means they could decide to let him go. — Laurens

Meanwhile, Chelsea have dropped interest in young winger Yeremay Hernández after he became the best-paid player in the history of Spain’s second division when he signed a new contract at Deportivo La Coruña this week, sources told ESPN.

Yeremay, 22, is one of the most exciting young players in Spanish football, and was widely expected to move on this summer after Depor finished 15th in Segunda last season. Chelsea were interested in signing him in January, and last month coach Cesc Fabregas confirmed Serie A’s Como were also keen. Instead, Yeremay has opted to stay at Depor, extending his deal until 2030, and upping his release clause. — Alex Kirkland