TRANSFER GOSSIP: Kylian Mbappe is ready to sit out the season to push through the move to Real Madrid, Chelsea eye Mohammed Kudus and Man United remain steadfast in their pursuit of Rasmus Hojlund

The new Premier League season is less than three weeks away and with pre-season in full swing, clubs around the world are working feverishly to put the finishing touches on their 2023-24 squads.

It will be hard to look back on this transfer window as anything other than the Saudi summer, when stars like Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante decided to follow Cristiano Ronaldo’s example and relocate to the Middle East.

But there was still plenty of activity across Europe: Man City signed Mateo Kovacic to replace new Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan, Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid for £113m, Kai Havertz sealed a £65m move from Chelsea to Arsenal and Mason Mount traded the Blues for Man United.

Arsenal are making some noticeable moves in the window and have also signed West Ham talisman Declan Rice for £105m and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber for £34m.

Meanwhile, Tottenham captain Harry Kane continues to lure offers from Bayern Munich.

But what else happens on the transfer market? Under, mail port takes a look at all the breaking news and gossip on Sunday.

Kylian Mbappe is ready to sit out the whole season to push through a move to Real Madrid

Chelsea are the latest club to be interested in Ajax and Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus

The saga surrounding Kylian Mbappe’s future at PSG continues after he was left out of the squad for a pre-season tour of Japan. Real Madrid are still linked closely with the 24-year-old and are believed to be ready to sit out the entire season if necessary so Los Blancos can sign him on a free transfer next year (Sky Sports).

Chelsea have held talks over a move for attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus from Ajax. Arsenal and Brighton have also expressed interest in signing the 22-year-old in a deal worth £40m after he turned down an offer of a new contract extension until 2026 from Ajax and expressed a desire to leave the club (Mail Sport).

The future of Watford striker Ismaila Sarr has been a regular point of discussion in recent transfer windows and this year is no different as Marseille start talks about the Senegalese star. He is believed not to be the only target for the Ligue 1 club who have signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but negotiations are ongoing (Fabrizio Romano).

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are increasingly confident that Wilfried Zaha will extend his contract with the club. The academy product has been linked with several teams around the world since his contract officially expired on June 30, but he could well return to Selhurst Park once he completes his recovery from a hamstring injury (The Telegraph).

It’s been a tumultuous summer for Fulham so far, with speculation over several key figures including Joao Palhinha, Aleksandar Mitrovic and manager Marco Silva. The Portugal manager has now refused to say if he will stay at Craven Cottage after receiving mega-money offers from Saudi Pro League clubs (The Telegraph).

Good news for Cottagers fans is that they have agreed a deal with Ajax to sign Calvin Bassey for £18.2million and are in talks to sign Mohammed Salisu from Southampton. Centre-back Bassey was ready to stay and fight for his place but Ajax have told the 23-year-old he is not a part of their plans (Mail Sport).

It is understood that Crystal Palace are increasingly convinced that Wilfried Zaha will stay at the club

Meanwhile, Man United remain firmly in pursuit of Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund

However, they will face competition in their attempt to sign disgraced Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi from Lazio. Hudson-Odoi, 22, has reportedly told the Blues he wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer to seek first-team football after a season on loan at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen (Alfredo Pedulla).

Manchester United remain determined to sign Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund while Erik ten Hag is desperate to sign a striker. If they can sign the Dane, the focus will shift to a midfielder, with Sofyan Amrabat among the players linked with the club (Fabrizio Romano).

Elsewhere, United have agreed a deal to sign Darren Fletcher’s sons Jack and Tyler from rivals Manchester City in a transfer fee expected to be £1.25million. Considered to be stars of the future, the pair now want to follow in their father’s footsteps by joining the Red Devils (the athlete).

Finally, Jordan Henderson has completed his medical checks ahead of his £12million move to Saudi club Al-Ettifaq. The 33-year-old is expected to sign a three-year deal with Steven Gerrard’s side (the athletic).