Bayern Munich have verbally agreed terms with Barcelona for the sale of superstar striker Robert Lewandowski.

The 33-year-old scored 50 goals last season – the most of all players in Europe's top five leagues – but has since been pushing for a transfer away from the Allianz Arena.

A deal between Bayern and Barca was finally reported on Friday, with a total fee of €50million set to allow Lewandowski to leave.

And Bayern published an update on their official Twitter page on Saturday, carrying a quote from club president Herbert Hainer.

"We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona," he said. "It's good to have clarity for all parties.

"Robert is an incredible player, and he won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him."

Lewandowski was pictured saying goodbye to his Bayern team-mates at their training ground early on Saturday morning.

Robert Lewandowski said his eight years at Bayern Munich had been "special" as he bid goodbye to players and staff from the German giants on Saturday.

The Poland striker is poised to seal a move to Barcelona after Bayern reportedly accepted a €50million offer from the LaLiga club.

Barcelona are said to be paying an initial €45million, plus €5million in performance-related add-ons, to secure the player who scored 50 goals for Bayern across all competitions last season.

Lewandowski was spotted at Sabener Strasse on Saturday morning taking part in training, before hugging team-mates and coaching staff at the end of the session.

The 33-year-old joined Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in 2014, and speaking to Germany's Sky Sport News, Lewandowski said: "I will come back and say goodbye to all the employees properly. I didn't have much time to prepare for it now.

"These eight years were special and you don't forget that. I had a great time in Munich. I will fly soon. But after the training camp I will come again and say goodbye properly and organise a few things.

"I said goodbye to the guys on the pitch today. I wasn't worried about an injury in training. Something can happen to me at home. I wanted to keep fit and so I trained with the boys again."

Bayern have already moved to limit the impact of Lewandowski's departure with the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool, while midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and right-back Noussair Mazraoui have also recently joined from Ajax.

According to Christian Falk of BILD Sport, Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Barca for Lewandowski, with Kahn quoted as saying: "We have now reached an agreement with FC Barcelona. So far, however, only verbally. The contract is still pending."

Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong was named in Barcelona's squad for their pre-season tour of the United States as Xavi's players prepared to depart on Saturday.

New signings Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha were also included by head coach Xavi, whose side will play four matches as they step up preparations for the LaLiga campaign.

The Blaugrana will play Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus and New York Red Bulls on their jaunt to America, where De Jong is also set to feature despite question marks over his future.

United and Barcelona reportedly agreed a deal worth £63million (€75million) for the Netherlands international earlier this week, with a further £8.5million (€10million) in add-ons.

However, the midfielder, who would link up with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, is widely reported to be eager to remain at Camp Nou.

Despite a busy transfer window, Barcelona are reportedly unable to register their signings as they contend with financial fair play regulations, and it had been suggested the LaLiga club must cash in on assets to ease those issues.

President Joan Laporta appeared to reject that theory on Friday when he insisted the club do not need to sell De Jong.

Robert Lewandowski is poised to seal a move to Barcelona after Bayern Munich reportedly accepted a €50million offer from the LaLiga giants.

Rather than appear at Bayern's team presentation event at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, Lewandowski is expected to travel to Spain to put the finishing touches to his transfer.

It will mark the end of a saga that began in May, when it emerged there was a mutual attraction between Lewandowski and Barcelona.

Reports indicate Barcelona will pay an initial €45m, plus €5m in performance-related add-ons, to secure the player who hit 50 goals for Bayern across all competitions last season.

That made him the leading scorer from Europe's top five leagues, and it came as a jolt to the Bundesliga champions when the 33-year-old Polish striker made clear his desire to leave.

Barcelona have been pulling together funds to allow the deal to proceed, and the arrival of Lewandowski will follow the signing of Brazilian winger Raphinha from Leeds United as Xavi pieces together a team he hopes can compete for honours with Real Madrid.

According to Bild journalist Heiko Niedderer, Lewandowski arrived at Bayern's Sabener Strasse training headquarters shortly before 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT) to collect his possessions and say his goodbyes.

Later in the day, the presentation of the team at Bayern's stadium was due to see the first team and new recruits paraded in front of supporters. That had promised to be awkward if Lewandowski's future had remained unresolved.

As he departs, having won eight consecutive Bundesliga titles since arriving in 2014 from Borussia Dortmund, Bayern are expected to step up their efforts to bring in Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus.

Barcelona are due to fly to the United States for a pre-season tour on Saturday, with games scheduled against Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus and the New York Red Bulls.

Lewandowski is not anticipated to be on the team flight but will hope his transfer can be completed to allow him to join his new team-mates within days.

Bayern are also heading to the US in the coming week to step up their own pre-season work.

Thomas Tuchel insisted Armando Broja is not for sale "at the moment" as he detailed a knock sustained by the Chelsea striker in pre-season.

Chelsea academy graduate Broja spent last season out on loan at Southampton, scoring six Premier League goals along with three more in cup competitions.

The 20-year-old is said to be a top transfer target for multiple Premier League clubs ahead of the new season.

Newcastle United have been linked, while reports on Saturday claimed West Ham had launched a £30million bid.

However, head coach Tuchel, speaking from Chelsea's pre-season camp in the United States, ruled out a departure as he suggested Broja's focus was on becoming a first-team player at Stamford Bridge.

His hopes of impressing before the start of the new season have been hampered, though, following an ankle issue in training.

"Armando is our player first of all, and we have at the moment no interest in selling him," Tuchel said.

"He is here to make an impression after he was on loan in Southampton. It's good there's interest; it shows us that there is a talent and potential.

"Armando is in the position to impress and to become a Chelsea player. When? Nobody knows, but hopefully as soon as possible.

"He got injured. It's never nice because the young players should normally make an impression during pre-season from the very first minute. Now we have a little delay in that."

Outlining the nature of the physical blow sustained by Broja, Tuchel said: "He had a little accident yesterday in training with ball control and landed in a funny way on his ankle and on his Achilles.

"So, he's in pain, but nothing major. We did all the examinations, and it's just pain, and he's lucky that he did not get injured, and we are lucky and happy that he did not injure himself.

"So, he will not be in training today [Friday]; he's in treatment."

Chelsea have marked Sevilla's Jules Kounde as their centre-back of the future after a deal for Manchester City's Nathan Ake fell apart.

An agreement had been taking shape to bring 27-year-old Ake back to Stamford Bridge – where he began his Premier League career – before City decided to retain the services of the Netherlands international.

Instead, 23-year-old Kounde is now in Chelsea's sights, likely as a long-term solution after also securing 31-year-old centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for a fee reportedly just shy of £34million.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA ENTER THE KOUNDE RACE

Kounde has already racked up 150 games of top league experience between his time with Bordeaux in Ligue 1 and Sevilla in LaLiga, and is expected to cost in the range of £56million, according to ESPN.

The France international, with 11 senior caps for his country, also has an impeccable injury history, tallying 184 appearances in all club competitions in just the past four seasons, with no significant injuries.

Chelsea will be mainly competing against Barcelona, with the Spanish giants reportedly already agreeing to personal terms with Kounde, and reports claim they are willing to exchange Memphis Depay or Sergino Dest to get a deal done.

Barcelona may be unable to afford the move unless Sevilla are willing to take back a player, as their £65m deal for Raphinha and their chase of Robert Lewandowski could restrict their financial flexibility

ROUND-UP

– Aston Villa have placed a £20million price tag on 18-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka to try to fend off interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle United, according to Talksport.

– The Athletic is reporting that 29-year-old Jesse Lingard is considering a highly paid move to Saudi Arabia.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are set to agree to personal terms with Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko.

– Sky Sport in Germany claims Bayern Munich are close to securing Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt for around €80million.

– The Independent is reporting that William Saliba will try to push his way out of Arsenal if he is not guaranteed a place in Mikel Arteta's starting line-up, with Marseille and Atletico Madrid named as interested parties.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for a reported fee of £33.8million (€40m).

The Senegal international centre-back had just one year remaining on his Napoli deal, and has now signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Koulibaly has been continuously linked with a move away from Naples in recent years, having impressed since moving to Serie A from Belgian side Genk in 2014.

Defensive pair Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have both left Chelsea for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively since the end of last season.

And the Blues have now moved to find replacements by adding Koulibaly, having previously been linked with deals for Nathan Ake, Jules Kounde and Matthijs de Ligt.

In the club's statement, Koulibaly called it a dream come true to be headed to the Premier League.

"I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea," he said. "It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League.

"Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn’t make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them. When I spoke to my good friends Edou [Mendy] and Jorginho they made my choice easier, so I’m really happy to be with you today."

Koulibaly helped Napoli to three second-place finishes in Serie A and to Coppa Italia success in 2020, as well as winning the Supercoppa Italiana shortly after he arrived in Italy.

He made 27 appearances for Luciano Spalletti's side in 2021-22, as they finished third in the table.

Since arriving at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, no defender in the Italian top flight has won more tackles than Koulibaly (344), or made more successful passes (14,528).

Hugo Lloris has no doubt that Clement Lenglet will adapt to the Premier League after joining Tottenham on loan from Barcelona.

Lloris' compatriot arrives after four years with Barca, where he won a LaLiga title as well as a Copa del Rey before making the switch to Spurs for the 2022-23 season.

His loan adds on to what has been a busy transfer window for Tottenham, who have acquired Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and Ivan Perisic, with Middlesbrough full-back Djed Spence also set to join Antonio Conte's team.

A strong finish to last season led to Spurs pipping bitter rivals Arsenal to fourth place and subsequent Champions League qualification, and Lloris believes that Lenglet will be a hugely useful addition to the squad.

"You know he's the kind of player who is going to help the team, obviously with his experience, having played in a club like Barcelona," Lloris told reporters.

"As a player I think he's a modern defender, comfortable to be able to play from the back, he has a great left foot.

"He can be very strong in one vs one and he's strong in the air. Even if it's never easy when you arrive in the Premier League and he will have to adapt to the intensity of the games but he is a high-level player.

"He has a great personality and he will adapt well to the team."

Conte was pressed on Spence's potential arrival and while he would not comment on that speculation, he explained how he wants to see his team improve.

Conte told reporters: "About [Djed] Spence we don't want to comment about speculation because it is disrespectful for all the other players, for the club and the other team.

"We are trying to improve many aspects of the team during the pre-season.

"We have to strengthen the players and bring them to a good level in the tactical and physical aspect.

"It's an opportunity to work much more than during the season and we are doing this and we are happy because we are working very well."

Andre Onana has revealed a message of support from compatriot Samuel Eto'o convinced him to join Inter, with the Cameroon legend telling the goalkeeper "you are a winner".

Onana completed his long-awaited move to Inter from Ajax on a free transfer at the start of July, ending a six-season stay with the Eredivisie champions.

The Cameroon international reportedly agreed a deal all the way back in January, with the 26-year-old expected to be the long-term replacement for Samir Handanovic.

Simone Inzaghi's side did not confirm the length of Onana's contract, though it is reported to run through until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Having traded Amsterdam for Milan, Onana suggested Eto'o, who was part of the Inter side that completed a stunning treble in 2009-10, played a role in his move to the Nerazzurri.

"It's a great club. From the moment I spoke with [sporting director] Piero Ausilio, he immediately gave me his word and he kept it," Onana told DAZN.

"The talk we had made an impact on me and I was very happy. 

"I already knew Inter because of Eto'o, I talked to him before the transfer and he told me, you are a winner, Inter is the right club for you."

Onana is no stranger to playing for one of Europe's elite, having come through the acclaimed La Masia academy at Barcelona before moving to the youth setup at Ajax in 2015.

"These first days went well, I've learned a lot. I'm happy to be here at this club so close to the players, everything is going very well. I've been to Barcelona, to Amsterdam," he added.

"Being here I have noticed many different things but also some that are similar to Spain.

"For me the goalkeeping training, I'm really enjoying it here. Here you see football differently, there is a different way of thinking and I think this'll help me a lot."

Onana will hope to help Inter reclaim the Serie A title from fierce rivals Milan, with Inzaghi's side starting their league campaign at newly promoted Lecce on August 13.

Toby Alderweireld has joined his hometown club Royal Antwerp on a three-year deal.

Alderweireld only joined Al-Duhail from Tottenham for a reported fee of 65.34million QAR (£13m) on a three-year contract last July, but the Belgium defender's short stay in Qatar has come to an end.

Antwerp on Friday confirmed the 33-year-old has put pen to paper on a contract until 2025.

Alderweireld has never played professionally in his homeland, having joined Ajax at the age of 15.

The Antwerp-born centre-back spent five years with Ajax before joining Atletico Madrid and was loaned Southampton prior to a move to Spurs, where he made 236 appearances.

Alderweireld has won 121 caps for the Red Devils and is set to be back in Qatar to play in the World Cup this year.

Riyad Mahrez is "hungry to achieve more" with Manchester City after signing a new contract with the Premier League champions.

The Algeria international has spent the past four seasons with City, having joined from Leicester City in a £60million transfer, and his new deal will run through until June 2025.

Mahrez has scored 63 goals and assisted a further 45 across 189 appearances for City, winning seven major trophies across that successful period. 

He also famously won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016, but the 31-year-old is eager to add more trophies to his collection with Pep Guardiola's side.

Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui appears resigned to losing in-demand defender Jules Kounde.

Barcelona are reportedly leading the race to sign Kounde, although Sevilla sporting director Monchi on Thursday stated there had been no contact between the two LaLiga clubs.

Chelsea and Manchester City have also been linked with the 23-year-old France centre-back.

Sevilla have already sold Diego Carlos to Aston Villa before bringing in Marcao from Galatasaray, and Lopetegui warned they must be busy in the transfer market if Kounde departs.

"We are aware of the departure of an important player, and we don't know yet if another important player could leave," said the former Spain and Real Madrid boss.

"The Spanish league is tremendously competitive, the Champions League too, and we want to have the best team possible.

"It is certain that the club will work to replace very, very important players and also to provide players who can make us grow in internal competitiveness, because we must improve the team to try to achieve the objectives.

"A very important player, Diego Carlos, has left, and it may be that our other regular central defender has also left, we don't know what will happen.

"They are difficult to replace, and we have to help Marcao so that he adapts quickly to the demands."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted the Blaugrana do not need to sell Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong to ease their financial problems.

Xavi's side announced a two-year extension for Ousmane Dembele on Thursday, having already signed Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie.

Raphinha became the next signing of the transfer window for Barca on Friday, joining from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to €67million (£56.6m).

It has also been reported that Barca will push ahead with their attempts to sign Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski over the coming days.

While Barca continue to bring in new faces, the Blaugrana are unable to register their signings as they battle financial fair play regulations.

It has been repeatedly suggested the LaLiga club must cash in on assets to ease those issues, with De Jong among the favourites to depart.

Earlier this week, United and Barcelona reportedly struck a deal worth £63m (€75m), with a further £8.5m (€10m) in add-ons also possible.

Yet De Jong apparently remains eager to stay at Camp Nou, and Laporta has now suggested there is actually no requirement on Barca's part to sell the midfielder.

"It's not true that we are forced to sell Frenkie de Jong, this is not correct," Laporta said as Raphinha was welcomed at a news conference.

"Frenkie's trip to the United States [on the pre-season tour] will be decided by Xavi."

Yet Barcelona director Mateu Alemany seemed to contradict Laporta's claims.

"Frenkie is a very important player and we count on him. But we know La Liga's Fair Play tells us to sell player," Alemany said shortly after Laporta at the same media conference.

"I can't say more [on Frenkie deal and Man Utd]."

Ten Hag will hope to partner De Jong with Christian Eriksen in midfield after United confirmed the signing of the Denmark international on a three-year deal on Friday.

Manchester United have completed the signing of Denmark international Christian Eriksen on a three-year deal.

Eriksen had become a free agent following his short-term stay with Brentford, who were keen to keep hold of the playmaker.

A number of other teams had also been tipped to move for Eriksen, including his former club Tottenham, but United announced his arrival on Friday.

Eriksen said: "Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started."

It marks a remarkable step for Eriksen, who was brought back to life on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest when playing for Denmark against Finland at the European Championship in June 2021.

He made a full recovery but was not allowed to play for Inter on medical grounds as Italy prevents players from competing after having a cardioverter-defibrillator fitted.

Such rules do not apply in the Premier League, though, and Brentford offered the 30-year-old a route back into the game in January on a deal until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

Eriksen made a huge impact by scoring once and assisting four more goals in 11 league appearances to help Brentford, who had been out of form prior to his arrival, stay up.

To highlight Eriksen's importance, he created 30 chances following his Bees bow in March, with only Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42) topping that in the division.

Indeed, between making his debut on March 5 and the end of the season, only six Premier League teams earned more points than Thomas Frank's side (22 from 11 games).

That form led to a recall to the Denmark national side in March, and Eriksen scored in his first two games back against the Netherlands and Serbia.

Frank remained hopeful Eriksen could be persuaded to sign a new deal with Brentford, but that was not the case.

Eriksen becomes United's second signing of the window following the arrival of full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.

Christian Eriksen is excited to work under Erik ten Hag and still has "major ambitions" to achieve in his career after completing a move to Manchester United.

The Denmark international was confirmed as United's second signing of the window on Friday, following the arrival of full-back Tyrell Malacia, and he has signed a three-year contract.

It caps a remarkable year for Eriksen, who was brought back to life on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest when playing for Denmark against Finland at Euro 2020 last July.

After being told he could not play for Inter on medical grounds, Eriksen was offered a route back into top-flight football by Premier League side Brentford in January.

Eriksen made a big impact in his short time with the Bees, scoring once and assisting four more goals in 11 league appearances to help the club beat the drop.

But the playmaker opted against signing a fresh contract with Thomas Frank's side and is now relishing the chance to get going at heavyweights United.

"Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started," he told his new club's official website. 

"I have had the privilege of playing at Old Trafford many times but to do it in the red shirt of United will be an amazing feeling."

To highlight Eriksen's importance, he created 30 chances following his Bees bow in March, with only Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42) topping that in the division over the period.

Indeed, between making his debut on March 5 and the end of the season, only six Premier League teams earned more points than Brentford (22 from 11 games).

The Dane started his career with Ajax, whom United boss Ten Hag also spent four-and-a-half years in charge of prior to taking charge of United last month.

"I have seen Erik's work at Ajax and know the level of detail and preparation that he and his staff put into every day," said Eriksen, who has won five major honours in his career. 

"It is clear that he is a fantastic coach. Having spoken with him and learned more about his vision and the way he wants the team to play, I am even more excited for the future. 

"I still have major ambitions in the game. There is a huge amount that I know I can achieve, and this is the perfect place to continue my journey."