Moneybags Paris Saint-Germain could be clearing the decks for a massive summer overhaul after reports that nine household names have been left out of their pre-season tour of Japan.
After sacking head coach Mauricio Pochettino and replacing him with Christophe Galtier, PSG will play against Kawasaki, Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka later this month. But according to French sporting daily L'Equipe, a dizzying cast of players will be left behind – including Georginio Wijnaldum, Mauro Icardi, Ander Herrera, Layvin Kurzawa, Julian Draxler, Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe, Rafinha, Sergio Rico and Idrissa Gueye.
Wijnaldum only joined PSG a year ago after quitting Liverpool and snubbing Barcelona, and there are fans at Anfield who would welcome him back on Merseyside with open arms.
All nine players have been made available for transfer by new boss Galtier, football advisor Luis Campos and sporting director Antero Henrique.
Dzeko stays put
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has reportedly turned down a move to Juventus to stay at Serie A rivals Iner Milan.
Despite the return of on-loan centre forward Romelu Lukaku, and the likelihood of him slipping down the pecking order, 36-year-old Dzeko – who has a year left on his contract – has resolved to stay at the San Siro and fight for his place. The Bosnia-Herzegovina forward only joined Inter for £1.5m last year and believes he will be chasing more trophies with Inter in the 2022-23 campaign.
Lewandowski bid is bad news for Chelsea
Robert Lewandowski could leave Bayern Munich before the weekend after Barcelona's final offer of €50m (£42.3m) plus add-ons for Poland's superstar striker, according to Sky in Germany.
Bayern have conceded they may need to cash in on 33-year-old Lewandowski, whose contract at the Allianz Arena has only 12 months to run – and he has told the club he has no intention of signing another one. The exit of Europe's most prolific striker, who scored 50 goals in 46 appearances last season, would help Bayern to finance the signing of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, who want around £68million for the Dutch centre-back.
Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern's sporting director, was in Turin earlier this week to open negotiations for De Ligt with Juventus. Both deals would be a blow to Chelsea, who were hoping to hijack Lewandowski from under Barcelona's noses, while De Ligt has been high on Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel's wanted list.
