Former Chelsea manager and legend Frank Lampard reveals he made attempts to sign Jude Bellingham during his time in charge of the club. Lampard disclosed during Mikel Obi’s ‘Obi One’ Podcast that he was “desperate” to bring Bellingham to Chelsea, but the club’s management was unwilling to pay the asking price, which was around £20 million at the time. Bellingham has made a huge impact since his move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The Spanish giants signed the English international in a deal worth up to £113 million.
Jude Bellingham – Getty image However, Lampard’s efforts to sign him during his tenure at Chelsea were thwarted. “When I was managing at Chelsea (first time) I was desperate to bring Jude Bellingham in. “But I couldn’t get it through upstairs – the idea of paying £20m for someone his age (at the time),” Lampard said. Lampard who first managed Chelsea from July 2019 to January 2021, expressed his desire to secure Bellingham when the midfielder was still playing for Birmingham City. Although Lampard couldn’t convince the club’s decision-makers to sign Bellingham, the player later made a move to Borussia Dortmund in a £25 million transfer transfer fee. During Lampard’s time as Chelsea manager, the club primarily signed established players like Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, and Edouard Mendy, who have all been sold now.
Speaking to Newcastle’s website, Harvey Barnes said; “I’m delighted. It’s an amazing club and for me it’s a massive opportunity to come and be involved in a successful team that’s doing exciting things, so I’m absolutely buzzing to be here. “I think it’s an attacker’s dream to come into a team like this; it’s high paced, it’s physically demanding, but you can see the rewards of that with the chances and the goals scored, so I think I’ll certainly suit the style.” Barnes, who travelled to Tyneside last week to undergo a medical, is the third addition to a squad which finished fourth in last season’s Premier League with AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali and Odense striker Yankuba Minteh, who has been sent out on loan to Feyenoord, having arrived earlier this month. 
Harvey Barnes playing for Leicester City. Source: Getty A graduate of the Foxes’ Academy, he made 187 appearances for the club, which was relegated to the Sky Bet Championship at the end of last season, and is an FA Cup winner as well as a full England international. Despite scoring 13 Premier League goals last season Barnes could not prevent Leicester from being relegated to the Championship and was also courted by Aston Villa, Tottenham, and West Ham this summer before opting to join Howe. Although Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian majority owners are nothing if not wealthy, their room for transfer market manoeuvre this summer is restricted by Financial Fair Play regulations and Howe appears resigned to postponing his attempts to sign an extra centre-forward until at least January. 
Noah Okafor training with RB Salzburg. Source: Getty “Since Milan became interested in me, I asked Rafa for some information and he told me how great and legendary this club is. I can’t wait to meet my new teammates, the Coach, all the staff members, managers and everyone at the club. I always wanted to come to Milan. Now I am here and I can’t wait to feel and absorb all the enthusiasm and passion of the fans. And I want to help Milan write special stories and win. Thank you for allowing me to be here.” The Swiss footballer is joining AC Milan after the arrival of Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders who all signed with the Serie A side after former captain Paolo Maldini was let go as sporting director. Okafor made his international debut in June 2019 against England, while his first Switzerland goal secured his country’s qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. He was included in the squad for the finals and came on as a substitute in three of Switzerland’s four games. 
Kim Min-jae signing autographs for Bayern Munich fans after being unveiled. Source: DDP Images Bayern Munich announced the signing of the Korean footballer late on Tuesday, July 18, adding that Kim Min-jae signed a five-year deal through June 2028 and will wear the No. 3. The exact terms of the deal were not revealed, but multiple sources claim Kim will receive an annual salary of 12 million euros. Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said; “He impresses with his physical presence, as well as his mentality and speed. We’re pleased he can immediately take part fully in pre-season and firmly believe that he will also excite our fans with his style of play.” 
Angelo Gabriel celebrating a goal scored for Santos. Source: Getty Chelsea said in a statement; “Chelsea has completed the signing of Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos. Born in Brasilia, the 18-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge with a wealth of senior football under his belt; he made 129 first-team appearances for Santos across all competitions. Welcome to Chelsea, Angelo!” Angelo is now expected to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour of the United States, although he is likely to be sent out on loan for the 2023-24 campaign, with Strasbourg an option. The attacker became the youngest player in Brazilian top-flight history when he made his debut at the age of just 15 years and 308 days in 2020. Angelo has remained a regular fixture in the Santos first team since that debut, making 129 senior appearances for the club despite his age. Chelsea have committed large amounts of spending to the academy since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital arrived last summer. 
Angelo Gabriel playing for Santos. Source: Getty Diego Moreira has joined from Benfica on a free transfer this week while Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez has also signed, though will only join when he turns 18 in 2025. Last summer, big moves were made for Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos, Omari Hutchinson, and Carney Chukwuemeka. Whether or not Angelo stays with the first-team remains to be seen as Mauricio Pochettino works with the squad. The Argentine wants to take a close look at every player before making a decision on whether or not to sanction departures. Pochettino has a history of developing youngsters and the hope is that Angelo will be the latest success story. 
Jurrien Timber at a match for Ajax. Source: Getty Commenting on the signing of Jurrien Timber from Ajax, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said; “We’re really excited that Jurrien has joined us. He is a versatile young defender, who will fit into our system and provide our squad with so much added quality. “Jurrien is a young player, but has already achieved so much. He has experienced what it’s like to go to a major international tournament on more than one occasion, as well as the trophies he has won with Ajax. We look forward to welcoming and integrating Jurrien into the squad.” Versatile defender Timber can operate on the right side of defence or in the middle and was a target for Manchester United last summer before opting to stay one more year in Amsterdam. Timber has signed a five-year deal at the Emirates Stadium after undergoing a medical. He’ll wear the No12 shirt. 
Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta giving out instructions to players. Source: Getty Arsenal will pay an initial £34m for the Netherlands international with £4m in add-ons as part of the deal. The 22-year-old is now the club’s second summer acquisition after Kai Havertz, and confirmation of Declan Rice’s move from West Ham will follow. He spent time in Feyenoord’s youth set-up before joining Ajax in 2014. He signed his first professional contract in 2018 and played for the development Jong side before making his Eredivisie debut in 2020. Arsenal have also agreed new contracts with Bukayo Saka, 21, and Reiss Nelson, 23, while experienced Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka, 30, joined German side Bayer Leverkusen for £21.4m. 
Manor Solomon unveiled as Tottenham player. Source: Getty Solomon has however been a free agent since his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk was suspended when FIFA amended Annex 7 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The regulation change allowed foreign nationals employed in either country to unilaterally suspend their contracts if they wished to leave the region. FIFA recently announced that Annex 7 would be extended through to the summer of 2024, allowing Solomon, who still had five months left to run on his Shakhtar contract, to move to a new club. Manor Solomon is the latest player to join Tottenham this summer after the arrivals of Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison, while Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro have had their loan deals made permanent. 
Manor Solomon playing for Fulham. Source: Getty Prior to the new deal with the English club, Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin had threatened to sue Tottenham if they tried to sign Solomon on a free transfer. Solomon spent his early years at local side Maccabi Petah Tikva, where he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in November 2016. He scored eight goals in 73 appearances for the Israeli outfit, earning himself a move to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2019. Primarily operating as an inverted left-winger, Solomon made 106 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 22 goals and winning the domestic league title on two occasions, along with Ukrainian Cup and Ukrainian Super Cup wins. Solomon gained experience in the UEFA Champions League whilst at Shakhtar, scoring his first goal in a group-stage game against Atalanta in October 2019, a strike that made him the youngest Israeli to score in the competition. The winger also scored the decisive third as Shakhtar recorded a famous 3-2 victory away to Real Madrid in October 2020. Ahead of the 2022-23 Premier League season, Solomon joined newly-promoted Fulham on loan and scored his first goal for the west London side in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in February. 
Lucas Hernandez unveiled as a PSG player. Source: Getty Commenting on his arrival at PSG, Hernandez said; “I’m really excited! I’ve been waiting to join PSG for a long time, and it’s finally happened. It’s a very special day for me and I’m very happy to be here.” Hernandez was born in France but raised in Spain, playing his youth career at Rayo Majadahonda and Atletico Madrid before progressing into the latter’s senior team. In 2019, he joined Bayern Munich, and has enjoyed four years of success with the German giants, winning the Bundesliga title every season, as well as the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2020. However, injury limited his involvement for Bayern Munich last season. The defender was restricted to 11 appearances because of a knee ligament injury suffered while on duty for France at the World Cup. 