Soccer transfer news, rumors: Paul Pogba returns to Juventus, USMNT’s Zack Steffen could leave Man City, more

What’s better than a cup of coffee and the latest transfer news? Join in as CBS Sports provides the latest updates from around the world and what they mean to your favorite teams. Paul Pogba is back at Juventus while players heading to the World Cup are looking for moves to get playing time. Zack Steffen and Chris Richards could be two American’s landing in spots where minutes are easier to come by. Elsewhere, Edinson Cavani is gaining suitors by the day after his contract expired at Manchester United.

Let’s get to the transfer moves:

In the six-yard box

The biggest transfer stories of the day. These are the deals that are happening, or at least on the verge of getting done.

Paul Pogba returns to Juventus

A happy Paul Pogba is an effective Paul Pogba and in returning to Juventus, he’ll have a few million reasons to be happy. Ahead of the World Cup, Juventus will hope that they secured the future of the Pogba that left six years ago. After a roller coaster experience at Manchester United, there are doubts over if Pogba can still perform at the highest levels but if he turns things around at Juventus, they will immediately become Scudetto contenders. 

Entering the penalty area

These moves may not be imminent, but there’s a lot of transfer fire in all the smoke these players and teams might be blowing.

City move for Stefan Ortega could free up USMNT’s Zack Steffan to go on loan

City has a verbal agreement with Ortega to sign him as a free agent following his relegation with Armina Bielefeld. While the team struggled, they allowed a respectable 53 goals due to his presence between the sticks. But a deal moving forward would be dependent on Zack Steffan’s future. The United States number one wants consistent playing time ahead of the World Cup and as that won’t come at Manchester City, finding a solution to send him on loan makes sense for all parties.

A move would give Steffen a chance to build value and maintain sharpness ahead of the World Cup while also raising his transfer value if City are to sell him in the future. If he’s not able to find a move, his number one shirt with the national team could be in jeopardy as Ethan Horvath will likely look for a loan as well while Matt Turner would be in a similar situation as a backup at Arsenal. If all three enter the season as backups, Sean Johnson is even knocking around, which makes things quite murky. Steffen knows that it’s now or never to start at the World Cup, so a move could materialize soon given that City have already lined up his replacement. 

Milan Skriniar gives his blessing to move to PSG

PSG and Inter Milan are still millions apart in talks. PSG offered €60 million while Inter wants €80 million. Skriniar is okay with making the move if agreed after discussing things with Achraf Hakimi, according to La Gazetta dello Sport. Hakimi, who also moved from Inter Milan to PSG, got Skriniar on board with the PSG project. Considering how long this move has dragged on, it feels like PSG and Inter will come to an agreement even if it might not be for a few more weeks.

Build-up play

These moves might be speculative but they’re ones to keep an eye on.

Lyon enter the Chris Richards sweepstakes

Lyon are the latest team to show interest in the Bayern Munich defender reports BUT! OL. Bayern wants €15 million plus add-ons to let the American defender go permanently, but there is also the possibility that he goes on loan again as he’s under contract until 2025. Ahead of the World Cup, Richards is another American who is in need of regular playing time to hopefully get a starting spot in Gregg Berhalter’s lineup. Three Spanish clubs are interested in Richards along with Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Hoffenheim.

After securing safety, Salernitana look to add Edinson Cavani

The Italian side would like to add another global star and are rolling out the red carpet for Cavani with him being available on a free transfer. Salernitana have offered a three year contract with a salary of over €1.5 million with lucrative bonuses and even putting the captain’s armband on the table, according to Ignazio Genuardi. While Cavani didn’t play much with Manchester United last season, his ten goals and thee assists from the 2020/21 season would be quite a boon to Salernitana as they look to stabilize their future in Serie A. They’ll need to go a long way to convince Cavani that this is a good move for him though.

Keeper punts

Your daily quick hitters.

• Nottingham Forest trigger £17 million release clause for Taiwo Awoniyi.
• Crystal Palace close in on adding Cheick Doucoure from Lens reports Foot Mercado.
• Matheus Nunes to Wolves is stalling due to personal terms.
• Toronto FC are set to add Domenico Criscito after almost reaching an agreement in March.
• Ajax want to keep Manchester United target Antony.
• West Ham are close to signing Alphonse Areola on a permanent deal.
• Jurrien Timber will also stay at Ajax amid Manchester United interest.
• Marseille want Nuno Tavares on loan and it’s under consideration, the Athletic reports.
• Tottenham look to secure loan destinations for Bryan Gil and Joe Rodon.
• Newcastle United confirm Nick Pope addition.
• Nick Salihamidzic is set to head on an 18-month loan to the Vancouver Whitecaps from Bayern Munich.
• Benfica make Enzo Fernandez acquisition official, announce he’ll stay in Argentina through season’s end.