Football transfer rumours: Chelsea to rival Barcelona in move for Neymar?

Rejoice! The summer of transfers is about to truly begin. We’ve got one more sleep until July, when a whole host of player contracts expire and moves announced before Easter become official. Plenty of Premier League teams are also getting back on the grass with those money-spinning pre-season tours looming. We’re about halfway through the off-season, but some clubs have plenty of rebuilding still to do.

Let’s start at Tottenham, where Antonio Conte has donned his hard hat to go over some ambitious blueprints while Daniel Levy looks on fretfully. Tottenham are closing in on a £50m deal for Everton forward Richarlison, and reportedly want to keep the South American theme going with bids for Torino defender Gleison Bremer and Villarreal full-back Pervis Estupiñán. Conte wants to keep hold of Emerson Royal despite interest from Atlético Madrid, and might also throw in a loan move for Barça’s Clement Lenglet.

The French centre-back is one of about a dozen players that Barcelona are trying to get off their books in order to pull off their own rebuild despite financial turmoil. Frenkie de Jong could be about to accept his fate and join Manchester United. Memphis Depay and Miralem Pjanic could also leave, while US flying full-back Sergino Dest is on the radars of Chelsea and Bayern. And despite it making no sense in their current predicament, rumours of a return for Neymar just won’t go away.

The Brazilian is reportedly surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain, but Barça aren’t the only rebuilding club linked with him this morning. Chelsea could make a surprise move, with new owner Todd Boehly keen to sprinkle some stardust and Thiago Silva, one of the few defenders left at Stamford Bridge, reportedly in his compatriot’s