Transfer rumours: Neymar to MLS, Gonzalez to Brentford, Gnonto future

Despite already losing Lionel Messi to Inter Miami while trying to force Kylian Mbappe out of the exit door, PSG have now been tipped to part ways with Neymar too.

The former Barcelona man has allegedly informed the powers-that-be that he wants out, and the club and his agents are now working to find an amicable solution.

A return to Camp Nou has been mooted for some time, but according to Fabrizio Romano, teams in North America are hoping to lure him across the Atlantic this summer.

Los Angeles FC are believed to hold a particular interest in Neymar, although the Black and Gold must fend off interest from Saudi Arabian teams to bring him to MLS.

The 31-year-old is still contracted to PSG until the summer of 2025 and has produced 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 matches for Les Parisiens since becoming the world's most expensive player in 2017.

Over in the English capital, Brentford have reportedly approached Fiorentina with an official bid for Argentinian attacker Nicolas Gonzalez.

The 25-year-old has been a key cog in the Viola system since joining from Stuttgart in 2021, scoring 22 goals and setting up 14 more in 81 appearances across all competitions.

Gonzalez found the back of the net 14 times in 42 games last season - in addition to supplying five assists - as Fiorentina finished as runners-up in the Europa Conference League and Coppa Italia.

According to The Athletic, Brentford have now taken an interest in the attacker and have submitted an offer of €30m (£25.9m), which would see Fiorentina make a profit on the €24.5m (£21.2m) they paid for him two years ago.

Gonzalez has emerged as a cheaper alternative to Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson for Brentford, who have seen a £35m bid for the Welshman rejected as Forest hold out for a £50m figure.

Gonzalez - who missed Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph due to a hamstring injury - still has three years left to run on his deal with Fiorentina.

Elsewhere, Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto allegedly asked not to play in the Whites' EFL Cup first-round tie with Shrewsbury Town in midweek as he seeks a move away from the club.

The highly-rated 19-year-old impressed with his displays out wide during his debut campaign last term, contributing two goals and four assists from 24 Premier League contests, but Leeds were still demoted to the Championship.

Gnonto started and completed 82 minutes of the Whites' opening draw with Cardiff City last weekend, but he was nowhere to be seen on Wednesday as Daniel Farke's side saw off Shrewsbury 2-1 in the cup.

According to the Daily Mail, Gnonto requested to be left out of Farke's squad in a bid to try to force a move away, although Leeds still have no intention of selling the Italy international.

Gnonto penned a five-year deal upon his arrival at Elland Road last summer, which will run until the summer of 2027 and the Whites are therefore under no pressure to sanction his exit in the current window.

Burnley, Freiburg, Inter Milan and Everton are all thought to be keeping a close eye on developments surrounding Gnonto, who is also determined to leave in order to give himself the best possible chance of making Italy's prospective Euro 2024 squad.

Finally, Southampton have apparently rejected a bid of £7m from Sheffield United for midfielder Will Smallbone.

The 23-year-old has represented the Saints since joining their youth academy in 2008 but only has one year left to run on his contract at St Mary's.

After a serious ACL injury hampered his progress, Smallbone was loaned out to Stoke City for the 2022-23 season and reignited his career with three goals and five assists from 46 appearances.

The Republic of Ireland international also played the full 90 in Southampton's opening Championship win over Sheffield Wednesday last Friday, but according to the Daily Mail, Sheffield United recently came forward with a £7m bid.

However, the Blades' advances were rebuffed, as Southampton are determined to keep hold of Smallbone, but the two clubs remain in talks after Sheffield United's first rejected bid.

Paul Heckingbottom's side have seemingly identified Smallbone as an ideal replacement for Sander Berge, who is on the verge of joining fellow promotees Burnley.