Newcastle United made 'higher offer' than Liverpool for Giovanni Leoni, PSG 'furious' with Juventus over Randal Kolo Muani - Euro Transfer News
Updated 05/09/2025 at 18:52 GMT+1
Here is a round-up of the biggest transfer stories on the continent, including a claim from Parma CEO Federico Cherubini that the Italian club rejected a "higher offer" from Newcastle United for Giovanni Leoni, before the teenager moved to Liverpool. Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain are said to be furious with Juventus over the Serie A side's conduct in negotiations over Randal Kolo Muani.
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Newcastle made ‘higher' bid than Liverpool for Leoni
Parma CEO Federico Cherubini admitted that Newcastle United made a "higher offer" than Liverpool for Giovanni Leoni.
The teenager ultimately signed for the Merseyside club in a £26 million deal, despite Newcastle's approach.
Speaking to Gazzetta di Parma, Cherubini said: "We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni.
"But plans have changed with Liverpool. I’ve always said the club wanted to keep Giovanni, and he’s always said he’d be happy to stay.
"We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made.
"When The Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity."
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Giovanni Leoni signs for Liverpool FC at AXA Training Centre on August 15, 2025 in Kirkby, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
PSG furious with Juventus over Kolo Muani
A L’Equipe report, via Italian publication Calciomercato, claims that Paris Saint-Germain are "furious" with Juventus director Damien Comolli upon the collapse of a deal to sign Randal Kolo Muani.
The publication alleges that PSG had agreed terms with Juventus for a deal worth £25m, with a further £8.5m in bonuses predicated on whether the Italian side qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
Kolo Muani, meanwhile, was said to be keen on joining Juventus, before the deal collapsed upon Comolli altering the agreement at the last moment.
The 26-year-old France international went on to join Tottenham on deadline day in a straight loan with no obligation or option to buy.
Donnarumma becomes Italy’s highest-paid footballer
According to Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport, Gianluigi Donnarumma became Manchester City’s second-highest paid player, and the best-paid Italian footballer, upon securing a move from PSG.
The publication claims the Italy shot-stopper increased his base salary from €8m (£6.94m) a year to €12m (£10.4m).
The report reads: "Gigio has secured a contract worthy of his merits. The English club has awarded him a salary of €12m net per season for the next five years.
"This is a significant achievement, considering he earned €8m in Paris, plus substantial bonuses. Especially since negotiations with the French management had recently yielded only low-ball offers.
"He is right behind the unrivalled Haaland (€20m). He replaced De Bruyne, who moved to Napoli, who earned €13 million per season in Manchester. Therefore, Donnarumma is the highest-paid Italian footballer."
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Randal Kolo Muani #20 of Juventus FC reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 match between Real Madrid CF
Image credit: Getty Images
Kiwior: ‘It was difficult to say goodbye to Arsenal’
Jakub Kiwior revealed it was "difficult" leaving Arsenal, and added that he was generally left in the dark regarding transfer negotiations.
Kiwior completed a move from Arsenal to Porto on an initial loan deal that will become permanent next summer.
He told O Jogo: "It was difficult to say goodbye to Arsenal, because I didn’t know when it would actually happen.
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"If I had known the exact day in advance, I would have had time to prepare. In the last three days there, I didn’t know which would actually be my last.
"Fabrizio Romano launched the ‘here we go’ campaign, and I started receiving dozens of messages and calls congratulating me.
"I was starting training... the players looked at it on their phones and asked me why I was training when it [the deal] was already closed. I refused to say goodbye there because I still didn’t have any information about what might or might not happen.
"The next day, I knew I could say goodbye again. I went to the pitch to say goodbye to my teammates and the coach [Mikel Arteta].
"They set up a farewell tunnel, and it was tough... not everyone I wanted to say goodbye to was there, so I still had to make a few phone calls."
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