Rudy's Rumour Mill: Casemiro vs Rabiot at United, Saudi league won't drop De Bruyne plans

Still no offers for Koopmeiners

Teun Koopmeiners' future at Atalanta remains a hot topic amid ongoing transfer rumours. As of now, Atalanta have not received any offers for the Dutch midfielder: sources close to the Nerazzurri have dismissed recent reports about a bid from Juventus as fake news. 

Despite the speculation, Atalanta are firm in their stance: they will not evaluate any proposals below 60 million euros. This valuation comes after Atalanta turned down a 47 million euro offer from Napoli last season, underscoring their commitment to keeping the talented midfielder unless a significantly higher bid is presented. 

Koopmeiners is considered a key player to Atalanta's plans, as confirmed several times by the Nerazzurri CEO Luca Percassi who even declared him unsellable.

His versatility and tactical intelligence have attracted the attention of several top European clubs. Still, Atalanta's determination to hold onto Teun reflects his importance to their squad and their ambitions in Italy and Europe. 

While the transfer window often brings surprises, Atalanta's clear message is that they value Koopmeiners highly and are not in a hurry to sell him. As the transfer window progresses, it will be interesting to see if any club meets Atalanta's valuation, but at the moment no team has put an offer on the table for Koopmeiners.

Al Ittihad withdraw interest in De Bruyne

Al Ittihad have decided to withdraw from the race to sign Kevin De Bruyne due to Manchester City's high transfer fee demands. The Saudi club deemed the requested amount excessive, especially considering De Bruyne has only one year remaining on his contract.

Furthermore, with the recent arrival of Houssem Aouar, Al Ittihad remain confident in the competitiveness of their midfield without the need to spend large sums on a new player. 

Despite Al Ittihad stepping back, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has not given up on the Belgian star. The PIF, which oversees other clubs - Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr - hopes to leverage previously agreed personal terms with De Bruyne to secure his addition to one of their teams. 

This strategic move indicates the Fund's continued ambition to bring top talent to the Saudi Pro League during this summer transfer window.

For now, De Bruyne will stay with Manchester City unless a satisfactory offer aligns with the club's valuation. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if another Saudi club under the PIF's umbrella wants to meet Manchester City's demands: De Bruyne is eager to join a Saudi club.

Two prem clubs keen on Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz has returned to Southampton after a six-month loan spent at Juventus. The Italian club chose not to exercise the buy option included in the loan agreement, which was considered too high at around €50 million. 

Consequently, Alcaraz is back in England and preparing for the upcoming season with Southampton. However, two unnamed Premier League clubs have recently shown interest in him, contacting Carlos' agent to inquire about his situation following his stint in Italy.

While no formal bids have been made yet, concrete actions from these teams could materialise in the coming weeks. For now, Alcaraz is focused on completing preseason training with Southampton and is working hard under the assumption that he will remain with the club. 

However, he's open to evaluating proposals if Southampton decide to sell him this summer. With a long-term contract until 2028, the Saints are in no rush to lower their asking price, which remains above 50 million euros. This high valuation makes any potential transfer challenging, but Alcaraz's future could still hold surprises as the transfer window progresses.

Juventus in race for Porto's Galeno

Juventus are planning to make a concrete attempt to sign Galeno from Porto soon. The Portuguese club is open to evaluating at least €45-50 million offers for the Brazilian winger, but Juventus value ​​Galeno at around €25 million and are considering submitting an initial offer at that amount. It cannot be excluded that Arthur could be included in the deal, given Porto's prior interest in him. 

In any case, the distances between offer and demand remain quite large. However, time could help Juventus: the Portuguese club, needing to balance their finances, might be forced to lower their asking price for Galeno as the transfer window approaches its final days.

This financial pressure could work in Juventus's favour, even if much will also depend on the situation of Federico Chiesa, who is out of their project. 

Currently, no clubs in the Premier League or the Serie A appear willing to meet his demands for a high-salary and long-term contract - around 8 million euros. This unresolved matter adds another complexity to Juventus's transfer strategies for a new winger.

Fali Ramadani is trying to force the hand of English teams to get a salary higher than the 6 million that Juventus had offered him at the end of May to unlock his exit and the possible arrival of Galeno too.

The Casemiro and Rabiot saga

Casemiro remains a main target for the Saudi Pro League, and he is keen to continue his career there. Despite this mutual interest, no Saudi clubs have officially submitted offers for the Brazilian midfielder, whose contract with Manchester United expires in 2026. 

Over the past few weeks, his agent has met with representatives from Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Qadisiya. Currently, only Al Ahli and Al Qadisiya have requested further information, but no concrete moves have been made. This delay in his exit is also impacting United's market strategies and the potential signing of Adrien Rabiot, whose negotiations are progressing well. 

However, the high salary demands of the French midfielder necessitate the departure of Casemiro, who is one of the highest-paid players at United and in the Premier League. His exit would significantly ease the wage bill, facilitating a quicker resolution to Rabiot's free-agent deal.

To let the Brazilian go and reduce the wage expenses, United are still asking for around €30-35 million. 

As mentioned, Casemiro's agent has already talked with several clubs recently, and further contacts with Al Ahli and Al Qadisiya regarding a possible transfer are expected soon.