Kevin De Bruyne is heading to MLS — and if Inter Miami get their way, he'll be doing it alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The club holds his MLS Discovery Rights, which gives them the first crack at negotiations, and this time De Bruyne sounds genuinely interested.
After a miserable stint at Napoli — a thigh injury, a falling out with Antonio Conte, and precious little football — the prospect of Florida sunshine and a ready-made superstar partnership makes a lot more sense than grinding through another difficult European chapter at 35.
De Bruyne's Miami calculation
He left Manchester City as one of the Premier League's all-time great midfielders. Six league titles. Sixteen major trophies in total. Conte's Napoli was never going to be the right fit, and everyone could see it. Miami is the soft landing that actually makes sporting sense too — the roster around Messi is better than it looks, and De Bruyne operating between the lines in a less physically demanding league could produce something genuinely watchable.
He's also met with San Diego FC, so Miami aren't the only option. But the Discovery Rights give them real leverage. This one looks close.
Chelsea's busy window continues
Xabi Alonso's Chelsea have signed Valentin Barco from Strasbourg — their eighth addition of the summer window — on a reported seven-year deal. The 22-year-old Argentine left-back is best known internationally for a post-match incident at the World Cup, when Jude Bellingham slapped him after he ran onto the pitch to celebrate Enzo Fernandez's equaliser in Argentina's semi-final win over England. As an unused substitute celebrating in England players' faces, Barco earned the 'villain' tag quickly.
On the pitch, his Premier League experience is limited — six appearances for Brighton in 2023/24 — so this is a significant step up in expectation. Chelsea finished 10th last season. Alonso is clearly rebuilding from scratch, bringing in Barco, Danny Welbeck, Maxence Lacroix, and Morgan Rogers, with Jordan Henderson's arrival also in the works after his contract with Brentford was mutually terminated.
Barco will get his next audition on Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Hong Kong.
Salah wants a Ronaldo benchmark
Mo Salah still doesn't have a club. Nine years at Liverpool, ended by a falling out with Arne Slot, and now the 34-year-old is fielding offers from Turkey and Saudi Arabia — none of which appear straightforward.
Trabzonspor are reportedly close to a £21 million deal, though club president Ertuğrul Doğan dismissed it entirely. "There is no such plan; there is nothing to it," he told A Spor. Besiktas had a verbal agreement that collapsed before Trabzonspor could capitalise, which doesn't inspire confidence in either deal.
The more interesting angle is Al-Ittihad. According to WinWin, Salah's demands include at least a quarter of Cristiano Ronaldo's $240 million-per-season salary at Al-Nassr, and more than former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane earns at the same club. Setting your floor at $60 million a year is a negotiating position that narrows the field considerably. Al-Ittihad will need to decide whether a 34-year-old Salah — even a motivated one — is worth that kind of commitment.
- Trabzonspor reportedly close to a £21m deal, denied by club president
- Besiktas verbal agreement stalled
- Al-Ittihad interested if Salah's contract demands are met
- Salah's reported minimum: 25% of Ronaldo's $240m/year Al-Nassr salary
"There is no such thing," Doğan said of the Trabzonspor deal. That's a flat denial. Whether it holds is another matter entirely.
