With the summer transfer period in full swing, the rumor mill is in overdrive on a daily basis throughout world football. theScore will keep you up to date on all the latest transfer buzz until the end of the window.

July 15

Barca can’t afford Cancelo: Even the cost of signing Joao Cancelo on loan is too much for Barcelona, so they’re returning to their plan of signing a young right-back. Pablo Maffeo is linked with a move. (SPORT and TV3 via AS)

Fabinho on his way out: The midfielder’s transfer to Saudi Arabia seems inevitable after he was left out of Liverpool’s preseason camp. Al-Ittihad bid £40 million for Fabinho. (BBC Sport)

Filling the void: Liverpool are seeking potential replacements for Fabinho. The Reds are considering Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat. (Daily Mail)

French fancy Vlahovic: Dusan Vlahovic could be headed to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, 18 months after his €91.6-million transfer to Juventus. The move could trigger Romelu Lukaku’s switch to Turin. (Fabrizio Romano)

Tadic the short-term solution: Some Manchester United fans are urging the club to move for Dusan Tadic after he left Ajax. The 34-year-old could help with Erik ten Hag’s No. 9 problem. (Manchester Evening News)

Colwill alternative: Levi Colwill isn’t for sale, so Brighton & Hove Albion have already reached an agreement over personal terms with Fiorentina’s Igor Julio. The Seagulls’ official offer for Igor is imminent. (Fabrizio Romano)

Taty set for €15M transfer: New York City FC’s Valentin “Taty” Castellanos, who spent last season on loan at La Liga’s Girona, is set to undergo a medical ahead of his €15-million move to Lazio. (Cesar Luis Merlo)

Digne available: Aston Villa are open to offers for left-back Lucas Digne this summer. Napoli could try to sign the Frenchman, who fell behind Alex Moreno in the pecking order at Villa Park. (Mundo Deportivo)

Alex Scott in high demand: Wolverhampton Wanderers are prepared to offer at least £20 million for Bristol City’s 19-year-old midfielder in an attempt to beat competition from West Ham United and Bournemouth. (Telegraph)

Not forgot about Che: Fulham and Crystal Palace could prey on relegated Southampton for Che Adams. The 27-year-old forward is valued at around £15 million. (Daily Mail)

Casadei wanted for promotion push: New Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is keen to sign Chelsea’s Italy Under-21 star Cesare Casadei on loan for the 2023-24 Championship campaign. (Telegraph)

Surridge to MLS: Sam Surridge, whose goals helped fire Nottingham Forest to the Premier League, is close to joining Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC for around £5 million. (The Athletic)

July 14

Bayern face battle for Kane: Paris Saint-Germain are willing to match any Bayern Munich offer for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane. A potential move doesn’t hinge on whether Kylian Mbappe leaves. (The Independent)

Neymar on the market: Chelsea, previously linked with Neymar, remain vigilant on the situation. If the Brazilian star decides he wants a change of scenery after six years in Paris, the Blues could pounce. (Le Parisien)

Messy Lukaku negotiations: Inter Milan submitted an offer worth up to €40 million for the Chelsea outcast. Juventus will sign off on a similar bid if they sell Dusan Vlahovic. Inter are unhappy Lukaku spoke to Juve. (Fabrizio Romano)

Latest on Hendo: Talks between Al-Ettifaq and Liverpool over a fee for the English midfielder are ongoing. The Reds won’t accept a free transfer or “small” sum for their club captain. (Fabrizio Romano)

Diaby in demand: Aston Villa’s €45-million offer for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby was rejected. The German club wants €60 million for the French international after his strong 2022-23 season. (Sky Sport Germany)

Cancelo’s bags packed: Cancelo, surplus to requirements at Manchester City, is Barcelona’s top priority at full-back. Another loan deal could be in the works for the Portuguese international. (Mundo Deportivo)

Colwill attracting interest: Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, 20, is in high demand following his impressive spell at Brighton & Hove Albion. Tottenham are the latest club to register interest in the rising star. (Evening Standard)

Red Devils getting creative: Manchester United submitted a cash-plus-player offer for Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund. But the Italians want a straight monetary deal and value the young striker at €100 million. (The Athletic)

Fulham stand firm: Al-Hilal’s second offer of around £35 million for Aleksandar Mitrovic was rejected. The Serbian striker wants to leave Craven Cottage for Saudi Arabia. (The Athletic)

Replacement for SMS: Lazio, having lost Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Saudi Arabia, are in talks to sign Leandro Paredes from PSG. The World Cup winner spent last season on loan at Juventus. (Sky Sport Italia)

July 13

Tottenham’s backup plan: If Kane leaves for Bayern Munich this summer, Spurs will try to sign Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic. Relations between the two clubs are strong after recent dealings. (Foot Mercato)

A possible plot twist: Paris Saint-Germain will do everything in their power to sign Kane this summer despite knowing that his current preference is to join Bayern Munich. (RMC Sport)

Onana to Old Trafford soon: Manchester United and Inter Milan are on the verge of finalizing an initial €50-million deal for goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Red Devils will pay €5 million in add-ons, too. (Fabrizio Romano)

Inter’s new netminder: With Onana’s move to Manchester imminent, Inter will try to sign both Yann Sommer of Bayern Munich and Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk to revamp their goalkeeper position. (Fabrizio Romano)

Bonucci era ending: Juventus have informed captain Leonardo Bonucci that he’s no longer part of the club’s plans. The veteran defender, 36, is available on the market and free to initiate a transfer. (Goal Italia)

Big Mahrez offer: Al-Ahli want to sign Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City and are preparing a £30-million offer. The tricky winger could earn £25 million per season in Saudi Arabia. (The Athletic)

Fabinho could follow Hendo: Jordan Henderson’s move to Al-Ettifaq is progressing quickly, and another Liverpool midfielder could follow him to the Middle East, as Al-Ittihad are negotiating with Fabinho. (Fabrizio Romano)

West Ham getting restless: West Ham are growing frustrated with Arsenal over the time it’s taking to finalize Declan Rice’s transfer. Arsenal’s lawyers are taking longer than expected to prepare the paperwork. (Sky Sports)

Pony up, Inter: A €30-million bid from Inter for Lukaku has been dubbed “insufficient” by Chelsea, but talks will continue between the two sides to find a solution for the Belgian forward. (The Guardian)

Atleti’s midfield overhaul: The Atletico Madrid brass held a “transfer summit” earlier this week, and identified Marco Verratti, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Amrabat, and Martin Zubimendi as primary midfield targets. (Marca)

Joao Felix being monitored: Manchester United, Newcastle, and Aston Villa are all keeping tabs on Joao Felix, who’s looked visibly frustrated upon his return to Atletico training and would welcome a fresh start. (Metro)

Double swoop for Forest: Nottingham Forest are working to sign both Willian and Anthony Elanga. Fulham are still trying to retain the Brazilian, who’s also of interest to Saudi Arabian clubs. (The Times)

Leipzig make a big splash: RB Leipzig have struck a €43-million deal with RC Lens to sign striker Lois Openda. The fee could eventually hit €49 million if performance bonuses are met. (L’Equipe)

Barca still active: If Barcelona fail in their pursuit of Bernardo Silva, the Catalan club will turn its attention to crafty Argentine Giovani Lo Celso, who spent last season on loan at Villarreal from Tottenham. (Mundo Deportivo)

Come to Besiktas: Besiktas submitted a modest €2.5-million offer for Arsenal center-back Rob Holding. That bid doesn’t meet the Gunners’ valuation and will be rejected. (The Athletic)

Lazio’s backup striker search: Lazio are looking for some insurance behind Ciro Immobile, and their primary target right now is Valentin “Taty” Castellanos of New York City FC. He would cost around €12 million. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

July 12

Pogba next in line: Paul Pogba, recently in Saudi Arabia, was offered a three-year contract worth €100 million. Both Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are pushing to sign the French midfielder, but he wants to remain in Turin. (Tuttosport)

Bayern exodus: Bayern Munich are trying to offload seven players, including Sadio Mane, Benjamin Pavard, Gravenberch, Yann Sommer, and Marcel Sabitzer, in order to land Tottenham’s Kane. (Sky Sport Germany)

Big Ange the salesman: New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou will try to convince Kane to remain in north London. Part of his sales pitch could include a handsome new contract worth £400,000 per week. (Telegraph)

Hendo could leave: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is leaning toward accepting an offer from Al-Ettifaq that would quadruple his wages. Steven Gerrard, the manager of the Saudi club, is driving the pursuit. (The Athletic)

Chelsea still trimming squad: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech have been informed that they shouldn’t return to training until next week as the Blues look to find suitors for both out-of-favor players. (Daily Mail)

Spurs’ new midfield: Tottenham could attempt to sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. He’s viewed as an ideal replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg if the Dane moves to Atletico Madrid or a German club. (Telegraph)

Osimhen’s price tag: Outspoken Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says only PSG can afford Victor Osimhen, adding he’ll only entertain an offer around €200 million for the Nigerian striker. (90min)

Tug-of-war for Zielinski: With Sergej Milinkovic-Savic now Saudi Arabia-bound, Lazio are eyeing Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski. But the Polish midfielder has also been offered a big contract from an unnamed Saudi club. (Calciomercato)

Mitrovic wants out: Fulham rejected a £25.5-million offer from Al-Hilal for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. The 28-year-old Serbian, who led Fulham with 14 league goals last season, is open to joining the Saudi team. (The Guardian)

The race for Veiga: Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga is being followed by most of Europe’s top clubs this summer. Arsenal are the latest to show interest in the 21-year-old phenom, joining Spurs and Chelsea. (Le10Sport)

Ndiaye to France: Marseille are in “advanced” negotiations with Iliman Ndiaye over a five-year contract. Once personal terms are agreed, the French club will negotiate a fee with Sheffield United. (Fabrizio Romano)

Ramsey reunion: Cardiff City are trying to fight off Saudi interest to bring Aaron Ramsey back to the Welsh capital. The midfielder, who played last season at Nice, is a product of Cardiff’s youth academy. (The Guardian)

July 11

Saudis land another star: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is joining Al-Hilal in a €40-million transfer from Lazio. The imposing Serbian, the latest star to make the lucrative move, will sign a three-year contract. (Fabrizio Romano)

Big Bernardo Silva offer: Al-Hilal have informed Manchester City that they’re willing to fork over €70 million for the versatile Portuguese international, who has been one of the hottest names on the market this summer. (CBS Sports)

Kane wants Bayern: Tottenham superstar Kane, already the subject of two Bayern Munich bids – both rejected by Spurs – is keen on joining the Bundesliga champions. A third offer is being considered. (Julien Laurens)

Onana signing close: Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana’s transfer to Manchester United is “advanced” and could be completed as early as this week once all the necessary documents have been finalized. (Daily Mail)

Lukaku saga rumbles on: The Belgian striker has been told he doesn’t have to report for preseason training until next week, with Chelsea hopeful a deal with Inter can be sealed before then. (Matt Law)

Maguire won’t come cheap: He may no longer be a key member of the team, but Manchester United will still demand around £50 million this summer for much-maligned defender Harry Maguire. (Manchester Evening News)

Cherki to replace Pulisic: With Christian Pulisic on his way to AC Milan, Chelsea are preparing an offer for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki. The 19-year-old has a contract until 2025 and is valued at €40 million by the French side. (ESPN)

Reece James’ loyalty: Despite interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea right-back James has pledged his allegiance to the Blues. The 23-year-old wants to become the new captain at Stamford Bridge. (Beautiful Game Podcast)

Caicedo talks up Chelsea: Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo called Chelsea a “very big, historic and beautiful club” amid rumors of a potential transfer. The two clubs are engaged in talks. (El Universo)

Chelsea’s striker search: For all the money already spent under Todd Boehly’s reign, Chelsea still need a striker. Their current targets are Elye Wahi of Montpellier and Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic. (Evening Standard)

Juve’s contingency plan: Juventus have identified West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca and Noah Okafor of Red Bull Salzburg as potential replacements if Vlahovic leaves Turin this summer. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

Barca looking to offload: After a disappointing 2022-23 season, Ferran Torres could be loaned out by Barcelona. The club would be willing to include a purchase option for any interested suitors, too. (Diario Sport)

PSG ready to make another splash: Paris Saint-Germain, already one of the busiest teams in the summer window, are leading the race for Randal Kolo Muani, the 24-year-old striker from Eintracht Frankfurt. (The Independent)

Liverpool want Schuurs: Torino center-back Perr Schuurs, 23, is being monitored by Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, who are looking to add defensive depth without breaking the bank. (Football Insider)

ASM could be sold: Newcastle could sacrifice winger Allan Saint-Maximin, a fan favorite at St. James’ Park, to help fund a move for Harvey Barnes, who is expected to leave Leicester City after relegation. (The Telegraph)

Milan active on multiple fronts: AC Milan are working to strike a deal for midfielder Tijjani Reijnders of AZ Alkmaar, while the Rossoneri are also monitoring both Mehdi Taremi and Samuel Chukwueze. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

Angelino on the move again: The left-back’s nomadic career is set to continue at Galatasaray after the Turkish club agreed to sign him from RB Leipzig on loan with a purchase option. (Fabrizio Romano)

July 10

The Mbappe domino effect: Should Kylian Mbappe depart PSG this summer amid his contract standoff, the French giants would turn around and submit an opulent offer for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Man United eyeing Amrabat: Manchester United are monitoring Fiorentina’s Moroccan international Amrabat. While a move isn’t advanced right now, it could become a “hot topic” later in the window. (Florian Plettenberg)

Hojlund talks ongoing: The Red Devils are hot on the heels of Rasmus Hojlund and are preparing a second bid after their initial €40-million offer was rebuffed. Atalanta want €60 million for the 20-year-old Dane. (Nicolo Schira)

Timber’s deal done: Jurrien Timber’s move from Ajax to Arsenal is only missing the official announcement. The Dutch defender, 22, completed his Arsenal medical before returning home for a farewell party. (Metro)

Mourinho eyes reunion: Jose Mourinho wants to reunite with Scott McTominay at Roma. The Portuguese boss is a big admirer of the Scottish midfielder from their time together at Manchester United. (Football Transfers)

Gerrard recruiting Zaha: New Al-Ettifaq coach Steven Gerrard talked with Wilfried Zaha in an effort to convince the free agent to head to Saudi Arabia. Zaha, 30, has an offer on the table to return to Crystal Palace. (Daily Mail)

Wolfsburg won’t budge: If Tottenham don’t meet the £40-million valuation for defender Micky van de Ven, Wolfsburg will happily keep hold of the young Dutchman for another season. (Wolfsburger Allgemeine)

Something feels wrong about what’s happening for running backs in the NFL. As teams approach training camp later this month, four respected veteran rushers remain free agents, seemingly with little interest. Kareem Hunt wasn’t re-signed by the Browns after his contract expired, while Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook were released by their respective franchises to create salary cap space. None of the four has signed elsewhere.

Popular veterans getting cut toward the tail end of their careers is nothing new, but the age at which these players have become free agents stands out. Cook, Elliott and Hunt are 27. Fournette is 28. 27-year-old stars at other positions are years from being cut candidates. No team would dream of moving on from Myles Garrett, Deebo Samuel or Budda Baker, each of whom is 27. Those 27-year-olds who play other positions are in the primes of their careers. Meanwhile, 27-year-old running backs are being portrayed as fossils hanging on to any hope of a meaningful NFL career for dear life.

Players are getting squeezed on both sides. With the first round of April’s draft as an exception, draft capital used on running backs continues to fall. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs became the first running back duo to be selected in the top half of Round 1 since Fournette and Christian McCaffrey in 2017, a feat that happened far more often in the past. In 2022, no back came off the board in the top 32 picks, something that didn’t happen even once over a nearly 50-year span between 1964 and 2012. Teams are using less draft capital on backs than ever before, and they appear to be more aggressive in moving on from their lead backs once they sign extensions.

A league that was once built around star backs dominating offensive workloads and competing for MVP awards now feels like something entirely different. When the Falcons and Lions drafted Robinson and Gibbs, they had to bring up the possibility of the backs as receivers around the formation to justify their choices. Backs who have received the franchise tag (such as Josh Jacobs this year) or who are approaching the time when they might earn their first extension (such as Najee Harris) are publicly wondering about whether running backs are getting a fair shake. It’s reasonable to wonder whether star high school and college players should even consider playing running back when other positions offer more professional upside and stability.

None of this is brand-new, but the stress on running backs to produce and get paid before they’re cast aside feels more acute than ever. Has there been an even more significant shift in recent years than what has been perceived? Is it a case of analytics run amok? Are teams being foolish in how they’re valuing even the best backs? And is there any way to break the cycle and get running backs paid more money in the decades to come?

There’s no single factor dictating the situation with running backs, but let’s establish the playing field for the position before we focus on the four backs left in free agency.

Jump to a topic:
Six reasons RBs have been devalued
Have teams actually gone too far?
Are star backs getting as much time?
Why are there four veterans still available?
What happens now with Barkley, Jacobs?
RBs do deserve to get paid, right?
How can the market change now?

When did the shift away from valuing star running backs happen?

Ask 10 people this question and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. The most recent example was a person who is eminently qualified to answer it: former Chargers and Broncos back Melvin Gordon, who won a Super Bowl last season without ever playing a snap for the Chiefs. Gordon tied it to Rams coach Sean McVay and star back Todd Gurley, suggesting McVay had regretted paying Gurley and had decided to rotate his backs from that point forward.

I certainly think the Rams regret giving Gurley an extension in 2018, as we’ll discuss in a minute, but the tactic reared its head before Gurley’s downswing and hasn’t reflected how L.A. has used its backs since. McVay has been comfortable using Cam Akers as something close to an every-down back when the coach and his back are simpatico, with the 2021 postseason win over the Buccaneers (in a game in which Akers was the worst player on the field) and the final few weeks of last season as examples. Akers, a second-round pick in 2020, isn’t getting paid significant money on his rookie deal, and McVay isn’t rotating his backs for the sake of keeping their value down.

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From my perspective, the running back value conversation dates back to McVay’s old boss and one of the league’s best offenses. Mike Shanahan’s Denver teams produced huge numbers with a series of unheralded rookies, undrafted free agents and journeymen rotating through at running back. The most famous and successful back of the bunch, Hall of Famer

Take the defending champs. The Chiefs’ lead back last season was seventh-round pick The RB value shift in the draft

That change puts more running backs who are starting their careers in vulnerable positions. First-round picks make far more money than players drafted in the later rounds, and their contracts typically are fully guaranteed.

To some extent, that’s usage and location: Players attempting to catch out of the backfield average 6.1 yards per target, while players on the line of scrimmage average 8.2 yards per throw. The issue is that most running backs aren’t good when you put them on the line — they average 6.4 yards per target on throws at the line of scrimmage, while wideouts average 8.3 yards per target and tight ends generate 7.6.

Quarterbacks are more involved in the running game. What was once an anomaly has become something far more regular. Last season, there were five quarterbacks who threw the ball and ran it at least 100 times: Josh Allen, Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson. From 1951 to 2001 — a 50-year window in which running backs were treated as essential players to a team’s success — quarterbacks joined the 100-100 club a total of four times.

Even as recently as that 2006-10 window, there was only one quarterback who posted a 100-100 season: Michael Vick, who did it for the Falcons in 2006 and the Eagles in 2010. Eight signal-callers have 100-carry seasons over the past five seasons. The idea of a quarterback being a significant portion of the designed run game simply wasn’t a feasible idea in the pro game for most of the past 70 years. Now, with rookie first-rounder Anthony Richardson moving into the starting lineup for the Colts, nearly a quarter of the league will have a significant role for their quarterback as part of their rushing attack in 2023.

From 2006 to 2010, quarterbacks accounted for 9.6% of the league’s rush attempts, including kneel-downs and scrambles. Over the past five years, that mark has risen to 14.5%. That gap is even more pronounced near the goal line. Quarterbacks have gone from capturing just over 10% of all runs inside the 3-yard line from 2006 to 2010 to just under 18% over the past five seasons.

Perhaps more notably for the purposes of running backs racking up gaudy numbers, quarterbacks also score more often than they did before. They score nearly 20% of the rushing touchdowns on those plays inside the 3-yard-line, up from just under 12% in the 2006-10 range. We still see seasons in which running backs rack up plenty of touchdowns in short yardage, but quarterbacks are stealing a higher percentage of the scoring glory than they did 15 years ago, let alone further back into the past.

Teams also recognize that quarterbacks have an element of gravity in terms of creating efficiency for their running backs, which has depressed the value of those backs on the open market. Take Philadelphia, where the threat of Hurts as a runner creates numerical advantages in the box and freezes defenders whose responsibilities might otherwise be to target the running back.

During his time in Philadelphia from 2019 to 2022, Miles Sanders averaged 5.4 yards per carry and 3.7 yards before first contact with a defender with Hurts on the field. When Hurts was backing up Carson Wentz or on the sideline, though, Sanders averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 2.8 yards before first contact. Sanders didn’t turn into a bad player without Hurts, but teams didn’t value him in free agency as a runner who would generate 5.0 yards per carry in a vacuum, even if his career yards per carry mark starts with a five.

Teams have gone away from the lead back model. The magic number for star backs used to be 300. When the league moved to the 16-game schedule in 1978, it was routine to see top backs carry the ball at least 300 times. Leaving aside the strike-shortened seasons, between 1978 and 2010, each year delivered an average of 6.5 backs who toted the rock 300 or more times. As recently as 2006, 10 backs posted 300-carry seasons.

The 300-carry back is mostly gone. Between 2011 and 2020, we saw an average of just under two backs per season rack up 300 carries. Five have done so over the past two seasons, but that’s also been a product of the 17th game being added to the schedule; prorating the round number to 318 carries to account for that extra contest eliminates Harris’ 2021 season and

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