TRANSFER RUMOURS: Arsenal and Chelsea target €120m deal as Man City fight for Rodri

Robin Bairner

23 Feb 2026 10:20 GMT
3 min read

Rodri, Man City, Transfer Rumours — © IMAGO

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are among the clubs making early plans for the summer transfer window, while Liverpool are also seeking to raid one of their Premier League rivals to strengthen Arne Slot’s side.

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Man City ready to battle for Rodri

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is ready to fight Barcelona and Real Madrid to retain 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

Out of contract in 2027, the Spain international’s future appears to be linked to that of the manager, whose place at the Etihad Stadium appears to be hanging in the balance.

Guardiola has gone on the record to indicate that he wants to see Rodri remain with the Premier League giants, but Madrid and Barca are interested should contract talks fall through.

Current ETV

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€86.4M - €105.6M

Julian Alvarez: Arsenal and Chelsea pushing for €120m star

Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez remains very high on the list of priorities for both Arsenal and Chelsea, with TeamTalk indicating that both Premier League sides are ready to “push” to sign the Argentina international star.

The teams are being presented with “weekly” updates on the form of the player.

Despite Alvarez going through a more difficult moment with Atleti, the Spanish club will only see for a price in the region of €100m. This corresponds closely with his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV).

Current ETV

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

ETV Range

€105.7M - €129.2M

Liverpool in shock move for Leeds centre-back

Liverpool’s quest for a potential replacement for Ibrahima Konate has seen them turn towards Leeds defender Jaka Bijol.

Konate is out of contract at the end of the season and while he has not committed to leaving the club, uncertainty surrounding the France international’s next move has Liverpool tracking a string of centre-backs.

Although Jeremy Jacquet has already been recruited from Rennes, Arne Slot’s side are now looking at a shock move for Bijol, who made a slow start to life at Elland Road but has gradually become move important for Daniel Farke’s side.

Current ETV

Jaka Bijol

D (C)

Leeds Utd

Jaka Bijol

D (C)

Leeds Utd

ETV Range

€19.5M - €23.8M

Rumour roundup

Liverpool target Zeki Celik has no interest in joining Juventus, according to the Roma star’s agent. (Mirror)

Juventus have put Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario at the top of their summer transfer shortlist. (Gazzetta)

Arsenal lead Manchester City and Newcastle in the race to sign Ivan Fresneda from Sporting. (Fichajes)

Chelsea are ready to let Trevoh Chalobah leave for Aston Villa in the summer if they can find a replacement. (Football Insider)

Luka Modric could make a shock move back to Dinamo Zagreb to end his career after the World Cup. (Gazzetta)

PSG are seeking to recruit Golden Boy winner Christos Mouzakitis from Olympiacos. (Nicolo Schira)

Read more about: La Liga Serie A Liga Portugal Bwin Ligue 1 Premier League Jupiler Pro League A. Villa Arsenal Atlético Madrid Barcelona Chelsea Inter Juventus Liverpool Man City Newcastle PSG Real Madrid Rennes Roma Sporting Tottenham Guglielmo Vicario Ibrahima Konaté Iván Fresneda Jaka Bijol Julián Alvarez Jérémy Jacquet Rodri Trevoh Chalobah Zeki Çelik